Brian Rolston

Brian Rolston
Born	Brian Lee Rolston (1973-02-21) February 21, 1973 Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Professional ice hockey player (retired)
Years active	1994–2013
Known for	Stanley Cup champion (1995), NHL All-Star, Olympic silver medalist (2002)

Brian Lee Rolston (born February 21, 1973) is a retired American professional ice hockey player whose final NHL tenure was with the Boston Bruins. He secured the Stanley Cup championship in 1995 as a member of the New Jersey Devils and was part of the United States team that won the World Cup of Hockey in 1996. Rolston represented the U.S. in three Winter Olympic Games, capturing a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City event. Originating from Flint, Michigan and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he has also been involved in coaching youth hockey, including teams affiliated with Little Caesars.

Playing career

Rolston participated in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in both 1985 and 1987, competing with Detroit-based minor hockey squads.

Recognized for his adaptability as a forward, Rolston effectively played center as well as both left and right wing positions. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 214 pounds, he was noted for his robust two-way playing style.

Selected 11th overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils, Rolston honed his skills at Lake Superior State University, where he earned the Most Outstanding Player award during the National Championship game. He progressed through the American Hockey League with the Albany River Rats before establishing himself in the NHL. His professional career included tenures with the Devils, Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche, and Bruins. A significant moment occurred during the 2000 trade that sent Ray Bourque to Colorado. In the 2001–02 season with Boston, Rolston set a franchise record by scoring nine shorthanded goals and amassed a total of 62 points. Throughout his career, he accumulated 33 goals while shorthanded.

After signing as an unrestricted free agent with Minnesota in 2004, Rolston made his debut for the Wild in the 2005–06 season following the NHL lockout. Due to his powerful shot and defensive capabilities, he frequently assumed responsibility for leading Minnesota’s power play—a role typically reserved for defensemen. That season marked a personal best of 79 points, and he served intermittently as team captain from 2006 until early 2007. Selected to represent the Western Conference at the 2006–07 NHL All-Star Game, Rolston contributed two goals and two assists. His slapshot was renowned for its effect on opposing goaltenders such as Jean-Sébastien Giguère and Roberto Luongo.

On June 29, 2008, Rolston’s negotiating rights were traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but after contract discussions fell through, he returned to New Jersey on a four-year contract worth $20 million.

During the 2010–11 season, after being waived by New Jersey, Rolston was traded to the New York Islanders in exchange for Trent Hunter. Entering the final year of his contract, he expressed enthusiasm about beginning anew with his new team.

Following a modest output of nine points with the Islanders, Rolston was subsequently traded to the Bruins alongside Mike Mottau in return for Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin.

After completing a professional NHL career spanning seventeen seasons and totaling 1,256 games played, Rolston announced his retirement on April 30, 2013.

Slapshot notoriety

Rolston became well known for his frequent use of the slapshot during his time with the Minnesota Wild. Early in his career, he was recognized for possessing an above-average slapshot; however, it was his application of this shot during penalty shots and shootouts that garnered league-wide attention. After retirement, Sports Illustrated ranked his shot eighth among all-time greats in March 2013. This distinctive tactic originated when Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire shared a dream about Rolston scoring via slapshot during a shootout. The very next day, Rolston successfully executed a slapshot on a penalty shot against goaltender Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, prompting him to adopt this technique regularly thereafter.

Personal life

Rolston and his spouse Jennifer are parents to four boys: Ryder, Brody, Stone, and Zane. Ryder is a player for the Milwaukee Admirals and was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, later being traded to the Blackhawks in April 2021. Rolston's elder sibling, Ron Rolston, formerly served as a coach for the Buffalo Sabres. The family resides in Traverse City, Michigan.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1989–90	Compuware Ambassadors	NAHL		40	36	37	73	57		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Compuware Ambassadors	NAHL		36	49	46	95	14		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Lake Superior State Lakers	CCHA		41	18	28	46	16		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Lake Superior State Lakers	CCHA		39	33	31	64	20		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	United States	Intl		41	20	28	48	36		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Albany River Rats	AHL		17	5	5	10	8		5	1	2	3	0
1994–95	Albany River Rats	AHL		18	9	11	20	10		—	—	—	—	—
New Jersey Devils| NHL| 40| 7| 11| 18| 17| 6| 2| 1| 3| 4|
New Jersey Devils| NHL| 58| 13| 11| 24| 8| —| —| —| —| —|
New Jersey Devils| NHL| 81| 18| 27| 45| 20| 10| 4| 1| 5| 6|
New Jersey Devils| NHL| 76| 16| 14| 30| 16| 6| 1| 0| 1| 2|
New Jersey Devils| NHL| 82| 24| 33| 57| 14| 7| 1| 0| 1| 2|
New Jersey Devils | NHL | 11 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 50 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
Boston Bruins | NHL | 16 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
Boston Bruins |NHL |77 |19 |39 |58 |28 |— |— |— |— |— |-	Boston Bruins |NHL |82 |31 |31 |62 |30 |6 |4 |1 |5 |0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	Boston Bruins |NHL |81 |27 |32 |59 |32 |5 |0 |2 |2 |0 |-		Boston Bruins |NHL |82 |19 |29 |48 |40 |7 |1 |0 |1 |8 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	Minnesota Wild |NHL |81 |34 |45 |79 |48 |— |— |— |— |— |-	Minnesota Wild |NHL |78 31 33 64 46 5 1 1 2 4 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	Minnesota Wild 81 31 28 59 53 6 2 4 6 8 |-	New Jersey Devils 64 15 17 32 30 7 1 1 2 4 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"		New Jersey Devils 80 20 17 37 22 5 2 1 3 0 |-	New Jersey Devils 65 14 20 34 34 — — — — — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	New York Islanders 49 4 5 9 6 — — — — — |-	Boston Bruins
NHL totals				1,256	342	419	761	472		77	20	14	34	38

International

Year	Team	Competition	Placement		Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	Penalty Minutes
1991	United States	WJC	4th place		8	1	5	6	0
1992	United States	WJC	Template:Bronze3		7	3	3	6	2
1993	United States	WJC	Finished 4th		7	6	2	8	2
1994	United States	OG	8th place		8	7	0	7	8
1996	United States	WC	Template:Bronze3		8	3	4	7	4
1996	United States	WCH	Template:Gold1		1	0	0	0	0
2002	United States	OG	Template:Silver2		6	0	3	3	0
2004	United States	WCH	Fourth place		2	0	0	0	0
2006	United States	OG	Eighth place		6	3	1	4	4
Junior career totals					22	10	10	20	4
Senior career totals					31	13	8	21	16

Awards and honors

Award Title	Year(s)
NCAA Division I men's ice hockey (Collegiate)
Central Collegiate Hockey Association All-Tournament Team	(1992, 1993)
NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship All-Tournament Team	(1992, 1993)
First Team All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association	(1993)
American Hockey Coaches Association West Second-Team All-American	(1993)
National Hockey League (NHL)
Participant, NHL All-Star Game	(2007)
Stanley Cup winner with New Jersey Devils	(1995)

See also

• List of NHL players with 1,000 games played