Bio

Brandon Bollig, born January 31, 1987, in St. Charles, Missouri, started playing hockey for the Creve Coeur Comets in 1992 at the age of 5. When St. Peters opened its ice facility known as the Rec Plex, Brandon began playing for Coach Tim Wilkinson (HOF 2012) and the St. Peters Spirit. In 2000, Brandon played for Coach Matt Buha and the AAA Blues in Chesterfield in 2000 and brought home a 2nd place trophy from Quebec’s International Pee-Wee Tournament. In 2002, Brandon tried out for a position with the St. Louis Jr. Blues and was declined the position by Coach Jack Behan (HOF 2012). Determined, he tried out again for the St. Louis Jr. Blues the following year and began his role of an enforcer, becoming known by his teammates as “The Dentist.” Brandon’s perseverance earned him a spot by Coach Behan in every game of that 2003 season. In 2004, Brandon attended a tournament in Toronto, Canada with a team chosen by Al McGinnis and Basil McRae and signed a contract with the Lincoln Stars in the United States Hockey League, to begin in 2005 after graduation from high school. Brandon played three years with the Lincoln Stars, having played 176 games, earning 40 goals, 44 assists, and 647 penalty minutes. From there, he received a scholarship to attend St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. After completing two years of college, playing 78 games for the St. Lawrence Saints with 13 goals, 25 assists, and 38 penalty minutes, and a limo ride to and from the airports, Brandon was signed as a free agent on April 3, 2010 to a two-year entry level contract by the Chicago Blackhawks and was assigned to play for their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, in Rockford, Illinois. Playing in a combined 111 games, with 7 goals, 7 assists, and 285 penalty minutes, Brandon was called to “the show” on February 28, 2012 and made his NHL debut at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on February 29, 2012, in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He scored his first NHL goal on April 14, 2012, in a playoff game against Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes. With the first year of his contract being two-way in 2012-13, and during the NHL Lockout, Brandon played for the IceHogs in 35 games, earning 5 goals, 4 assists, and 157 penalty minutes. When the lockout ended on January 6, 2013, he returned to the Blackhawks line-up, playing in 30 games, gaining another 53 penalty minutes. Throughout the shortened 2013 NHL season, Brandon won his first Stanley Cup championship as the Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals at the TD Bank Garden, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the first St. Louis born player to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup and bring it home. Among family and friends, Brandon’s “Day With The Cup” was shared with children at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and the players and families of his home town rink in St. Peters, along with fans that came from near and far. Brandon scored the first goal of the 2013-14 season, his first regular-season NHL goal, on October 1, 2013, in front of the home crowd against Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals. He played a combined total of 97 games this past season, earning 7 goals (1 GWG), 8 assists, and 108 penalty minutes. On March 1, 2014, Brandon was re-signed by the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3 year contract, and was recently traded to the Calgary Flames. During Brandon’s time in Rockford, he became a member of HP4K, Hockey Players for Kids, a nonprofit organization of hockey players around the world who are dedicated to positively impacting the communities they play in, by promoting player interaction with children through incentive-based reading competition and afterschool programs. The organization volunteered at Ronald McDonald House, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and visited local hospitals. Since being in Chicago, Brandon actively participates in a variety of events raising money for Chicago charities.