Early life

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At the age of 12, Elliott decided to become a goaltender because it was the only position that did not regularly leave the ice for line changes.[1]

  • York Simcoe Express

Playing career

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Junior

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Overlooked by the Ontario Hockey League, the first-tier junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Elliott instead chose to play for the Ajax Axemen of the lower-ranked Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League (OPJHL).[2] Playing in 39 games for the Axemen during the 2002–03 OPJHL season, Elliott posted a 3.86 goals against average (GAA) and a .903 save percentage (SV%).[3] His performance was markedly impressive for the Axemen, who had a whole-team GAA of 4.90 during the 2001–02 season and 5.10 during the 2003–04 season.[4] At the end of the year, Elliott was the penultimate player taken in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, selected 291st overall by the Ottawa Senators.[5]

NCAA

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When Mike Brodeur decided to bypass college ice hockey in favor of turning professional, the Wisconsin Badgers chose to sign Elliott as their backup goaltender for the 2003–04 season.[6] He made his NCAA debut on October 25, 2003, making 19 saves in a 4–1 defeat of the Quinnipiac Bobcats.[7]

  • 2003-04 Wisconsin
  • 2004-05 Wisconsin
  • 2005-06 Wisconsin
  • 2006-07 Wisconsin

Professional

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Ottawa Senators

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Elliott with the Senators in 2009

On March 21, 2007, shortly after the completion of his college career, Elliott signed a contract with Ottawa and was assigned to the Binghamton Senators, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for the remainder of their 2006–07 season.[8] Elliott overcame a difficult first half in his professional hockey debut, a 6–2 loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on March 23. He stopped 34 of 40 shots he faced, including all 17 shots in the last 27 minutes of the game.[9] His first win came on April 1, when Elliott made 38 saves en route to a 4–1 win over the Syracuse Crunch.[10] He played in a total of eight games for Binghamton at the end of the season, going 3–4–0 in the process with a 4.24 GAA and .886 save percentage.[11]

After attending the Senators' 2007 training camp, Elliott was reassigned to Binghamton in September, where he was expected to battle Jeff Glass for the starting goaltender position during the 2007–08 season.[12] When Ottawa's starting goaltender Ray Emery had to miss the beginning of the 2007–08 NHL season due to wrist surgery, Elliott was called up on September 29 to back up Martin Gerber.[13] He made his NHL debut on October 10, stopping 27 shots in a 3–1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers and keeping the Senators unbeaten through their first five games of the season.[14] When Emery returned to the Senators less than a week later, Elliott was sent back down to Binghamton.[15]

  • 2007-08
  • 2008-09
  • 2009-10
  • 2010-11

Colorado Avalanche (2011)

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On February 18, 2011, just before that year's NHL trading deadline, the Senators traded Elliott to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for similarly under-performing goaltender Craig Anderson. The fundamental difference between the two players was that Anderson, unlike Elliott, was headed into unrestricted free agency at the end of the year, and Colorado was in need of at least one goaltender that could be kept under team control by season's end.[16] He made 12 starts in Colorado, going 2–8–1 with a 3.83 GAA and a .891 save percentage.[17] The Avalanche declined to give Elliott a qualifying offer at the end of the season, releasing him into free agency as part of their larger goaltender-overhaul plans.[18]

St. Louis Blues

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Elliott with the Blues in 2011
  • 2011-12
  • 2012-13
  • 2013-14
  • 2014-15
  • 2015-16

Calgary Flames

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On June 24, 2016, the Blues traded Elliott to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2018 draft.[19]

  • 2016-17

Philadelphia Flyers

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  • 2017-18

The Flyers hoped that Elliott could return to the team at full strength to become the starting goaltender for the 2018–19 season,[20] the team had a number of potential backup options in Michel Neuvirth, Alex Lyon, Anthony Stolarz, Carter Hart, and Calvin Pickard.[21]

  • 2018-19
  • 2019-20

On October 3, 2020, Elliott signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract to remain in Philadelphia for the 2020–21 season.[22]

  • 2020-21

Tampa Bay Lightning (2021–present)

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A free agent after the 2020–21 season, Elliott signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with reigning Stanley Cup champions the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 28, 2021.[23] Whereas in Philadelphia, Elliott had ended up taking more starts than Carter Hart when the latter began to struggle, the Lightning made it clear that he was being signed as a backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy, coming in to relieve him at the end of long road trips or during back-to-back games.[24]

Goaltending style

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Personal life

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Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ Milewski, Todd D. (January 12, 2006). "Stopping every shot". The Capital Times. p. 3F. Retrieved October 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Prewitt, Alex (March 29, 2017). "The Moose has settled in: Brian Elliott backstopping the Flames' playoff hunt". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  3. ^ Rutherford, Jeremy (December 14, 2011). "Elliott's career unfolds in unpredictable fashion". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  4. ^ McNair, Brian (April 28, 2016). "St. Louis Blues goalie Brian Elliott started his hockey journey with Ajax Axemen". Ajax News Advertiser. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  5. ^ Wharnsby, Tim (January 29, 2012). "Elliott bounces back all the way to Ottawa". CBC Sports. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Baggot, Andy (August 28, 2003). "Late arrival Elliott shores up UW's depth at goaltender". Wisconsin State Journal. p. C1. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
  7. ^ Milewski, Todd D. (October 27, 2003). "Sweep gives UW something to build on". The Capital Times. p. 2D. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
  8. ^ "Badgers' Elliott signs with Ottawa". The Herald Times Reporter. March 22, 2007. p. B1. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  9. ^ Sharp, Michael (March 24, 2007). "B-Sens give Elliott a break after rough debut". Press & Sun-Bulletin. p. 1D. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  10. ^ "Elliott gets first win in goal for Binghamton". The Ithaca Journal. April 2, 2007. p. 1B. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  11. ^ "Brian Elliott". Elite Prospects. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  12. ^ Sharp, Michael (September 21, 2007). "Elliott, Glass look to stabilize B-Sens' goaltending". Press & Sun-Bulletin. p. 1E. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  13. ^ Panzeri, Allen (September 30, 2007). "Emery pulls plug on start". Ottawa Citizen. p. D1. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  14. ^ Newberry, Paul (October 11, 2007). "Senators still sizzling". Brantford Expositor. p. B2. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  15. ^ Panzeri, Allen (October 15, 2007). "Paddock to keep team sharp during lull". Ottawa Citizen. p. B3. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  16. ^ Yerdon, Joe (February 18, 2011). "Slumping goalie swap: Ottawa trades Brian Elliott to Colorado for Craig Anderson". Pro Hockey Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  17. ^ "Elliott Doesn't Expect a Warm Welcome". National Hockey League. St. Louis Blues. February 7, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  18. ^ Dater, Adrian (June 27, 2011). "Avalanche says goodbye to goaltender Brian Elliott". Denver Post. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  19. ^ "Flames acquire goaltender Brian Elliott". National Hockey League. Calgary Flames. June 24, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  20. ^ Isaac, Dave (September 19, 2018). "Flyers 5 takeaways: Brian Elliott takes another step in recovery in win". Courier-Post. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  21. ^ Donnellon, Sam; Carchidi, Sam (October 2, 2018). "Flyers add Calvin Pickard to their crowded goalie list days before season opener". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  22. ^ "Flyers re-sign Brian Elliott to one-year contract extension". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. October 3, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  23. ^ "Lightning sign goaltender Brian Elliott to one-year contract". National Hockey League. Tampa Bay Lightning. July 28, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  24. ^ Burns, Bryan (September 24, 2021). "Brian Elliott fitting in with back-to-back Cup champs". National Hockey League. Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved October 23, 2021.