| Birth date | September 3, 1949 |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Fort St. James, British Columbia, Canada |
| Death date | June 3, 1988 (aged 38) |
| Death place | Riviera Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft |
| Height in | 11 |
| Weight lb | 185 |
| Position | Left wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| Played for | Toronto Maple Leafs New York Islanders Buffalo Sabres Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Draft (1969) | 55th overall |
| Draft team | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Career start | 1969 |
| Career end | 1980 |
Brian Roy "Spinner" Spencer (September 3, 1949 – June 3, 1988) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, and Pittsburgh Penguins.[1]
Career
Brian Spencer was drafted in the fifth round, 55th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1969 NHL entry draft. On December 12, 1970, when Spencer was called up to play with the Leafs in what was his first NHL game on television, he telephoned his father Roy in British Columbia to tell him to watch the game that night on Hockey Night in Canada. Spencer was to be interviewed between periods of the game. However, a game featuring the Vancouver Canucks versus the California Golden Seals was aired instead. Infuriated, Roy Spencer drove 135 kilometres (84 mi) to Prince George, where the closest TV station, CKPG-TV (then a CBC Television affiliate), is located. When he arrived, he ordered station staff, at gunpoint, to broadcast the Maple Leafs game or, if no feed was available, to turn off the hockey entirely.[2] The station complied, but as Roy Spencer left the station, he was confronted by the RCMP. After a brief stand-off Roy Spencer was shot and killed.[3][4]
After several seasons with Toronto and the New York Islanders, Spencer was acquired by the Buffalo Sabres. Spencer had his best offensive production in a Sabres uniform when he scored 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in the 1974–75 season. Spencer played well in Buffalo and was extremely popular with the fans at Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium. His hustle, aggressive play, and hitting ability were things the fans admired. Spencer developed into a solid two-way player and participated in the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals with the Sabres, who were ultimately defeated by the Philadelphia Flyers in six games. He was, however, traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in September 1977.
His offensive production declined as he took on the role of a checking forward with the Penguins. Spencer's last NHL season came in 1978–79 when he played seven games for Pittsburgh. He then finished his playing career in the AHL (Binghamton, Springfield and Hershey) and retired after the 1979–80 season.
Death
After hockey, Spencer submerged himself in a life of alcohol and violence. In 1987, he was charged with kidnapping and murder in Florida and faced the death penalty.[5] Family and friends, including ex-teammates, gathered around him and tried to help. A former teammate from the Sabres, Rick Martin, tried to help by testifying as a character witness at his trial. The jury returned a not guilty verdict in March 1988 and Spencer vowed to change his life. Despite the acquittal, Spencer's life continued to spiral out of control. Three months later, Spencer died under similar circumstances to his father; he was fatally shot in a robbery following a crack cocaine purchase in Riviera Beach, Florida.[6]
Spencer was survived by five children from two marriages, and his twin brother, Byron.
Gross Misconduct: The Life of Spinner Spencer
In 1989, Martin O'Malley authored the biography Gross Misconduct: The Life of Spinner Spencer. The book was adapted in 1993, by Paul Gross, for the Canadian TV movie Gross Misconduct ( Gross Misconduct: The Life of Spinner Spencer).[7] It was directed by Atom Egoyan, who later called it one of the turning points of his career.[8]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1967–68 | Calgary Centennials | WCHL | 34 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Regina Pats | WCHL | 23 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Estevan Bruins | WCHL | 53 | 19 | 29 | 48 | 120 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 1968–69 | Swift Current Broncos | WCHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 66 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 186 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 50 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 115 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | ||
| 1970–71 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 23 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 103 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 36 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 20 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 115 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | New York Islanders | NHL | 78 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | New York Islanders | NHL | 54 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 13 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 73 | 12 | 29 | 41 | 77 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1975–76 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 77 | 13 | 26 | 39 | 70 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1976–77 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 77 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 55 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1977–78 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 79 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Binghamton Dusters | AHL | 39 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 30 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 553 | 80 | 143 | 223 | 634 | 37 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 29 | ||||
See also
Notes
- ^ "What really happened to Brian 'Spinner' Spencer?". The Buffalo News. July 2, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
- ^ Waleik, Gary (7 August 2020). "'I Absolutely Froze': The Night 'Spinner' Spencer's Dad Attacked The CBC". wbur
- ^ Los Angeles Times: "Fabulous Forum: Sports Legend Revealed: A father of an NHL player held up a TV station to force them to show his son's game", June 1, 2010.
- ^ Hockey's Tough Guys: Brian "Spinner" Spencer
- ^ Sports Illustrated: "The Case Against Brian Spencer: One woman's testimony could mean a death sentence for a former hockey player accused of murder", May 11, 1987.
- ^ "Ex-NHL Player, Brian Spencer, Is Shot and Killed in Florida". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
- ^ Dwyer, Victor (1993-03-01). "Hockey's Hell-Raiser: Spinner Spencer battled on and off the ice". Maclean's. Retrieved 2026-05-12. – via paulgross.org.
- ^ "Atom Egoyan". The A.V. Club. 17 November 1999. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
References
- Players:The Ultimate A-Z Guide of Everyone Who Has Ever Played in the NHL by Andrew Podnieks, ISBN 0-385-25999-9
- Penguin's Profiles: Pittsburgh's Boys of Winter. O'Brien, James P. 1994, Retrieved 17 Nov. 2006.