Eric Brewer Eric Charles Brewer ( born April 17 , 1979 ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . He is an NHL All - Star and Olympic gold medalist . He began his career as a distinguished junior ice hockey player , named to the Western Hockey League ( WHL ) West Second All - Star Team and the Western Conference roster for the 1998 WHL All - Star Game ( although he missed the game due to injury ) . Drafted in the first round , fifth overall by the New York Islanders in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft , Brewer has spent parts of his twelve - year NHL career with the Islanders , the Edmonton Oilers , and the St . Louis Blues , the later of which he captained for two years . He has also suited up for the Prince George Cougars of the WHL and the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League ( AHL ) . In 1999 , Brewer was selected for the Prince George Cougars ' all - time team in a Canadian Hockey League promotion . Brewer has represented Canada at eight International Ice Hockey Federation - sanctioned events , winning three Ice Hockey World Championships gold medals and one World Cup of Hockey gold medal . He won his Olympic gold medal during the 2002 Winter Olympics . For this accomplishment , he was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame with his British Columbian teammates in 2003 . Personal life . Brewer was born on April 17 , 1979 in Vernon , British Columbia , to Anna and Frank Brewer . He was raised in Ashcroft , British Columbia , and began playing ice hockey in the Ashcroft Minor Hockey program . When he was fourteen , his family moved to Kamloops , British Columbia , where he attended junior and senior high school . Brewer excelled with the Kamloops Bantam AAA Jardine Blazers of the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association ( BCAHA ) . In 1995 , Brewer was exposed to BCAHA Best Ever , a program designed to find and develop players and coaches for play in international competition . As a young hockey player , Brewer looked up to NHL stars Scott Niedermayer and Jeremy Roenick as role models . In mid - 2004 , Brewer married Rebecca Flann , whom he met while playing junior hockey with the Prince George Cougars ; they live in Vancouver , British Columbia . Brewer ' s sister , Kristy , played for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women ' s ice hockey team . Eric and Rebecca have two daughters . Brewer is involved in numerous charitable organizations . During the 2004 – 05 NHL lockout , Brewer participated in several charity hockey games , playing in the four - game Ryan Smyth and Friends All - Star Charity Tour , the three - game Brad May and Friends Hockey Challenge , as well as the Our Game to Give charity hockey game held at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton , Ontario . During off - seasons , Brewer has participated in numerous charity golf tournaments , including the Burn Fund Golf Tournament in Prince George and the Recchi - Doan Charity Classic in Kamloops . Playing career . Prince George Cougars . Brewer was drafted in the sixth round , 81st overall , by the Prince George Cougars in the 1994 WHL Bantam Draft . After being drafted , he played one final season with the Jardine Blazers , recording 38 points in only forty games . The following year , Brewer began his WHL career with the Cougars , playing 63 games in the 1995 – 96 season . Brewer finished his rookie WHL season with fourteen points , including four goals , and was named Cougars ' Rookie of the Year . In his sophomore season , Brewer became a leader on the Cougars ' blue line . He was named to play for Team Orr in the 1997 CHL Top Prospects Game in February 1997 at Maple Leaf Gardens . He doubled his point total from the previous season , finishing with 29 points in 71 games played . Brewer followed his regular season by helping the Cougars go on a playoff run . After clinching the last spot in the West Division with a losing record , the Cougars defeated the number - one seed Portland Winter Hawks in the conference quarterfinals and the third - ranked Spokane Chiefs in the conference semifinals before finally losing to the second - ranked Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Conference final . Brewer finished this run with six points in the Cougars ' fifteen games . Brewer ' s final season with Prince George was his best , statistically , in the WHL . After representing Canada at the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships , he was named to the Western Conference team for the WHL All - Star Game in Regina , Saskatchewan , which he missed , as well as much of the season , due to injury . However , Brewer finished the year with 33 points in only 34 games , a near one point - per - game average , and was named to the WHL West Second All - Star Team . Brewer was the highest ranked defenceman at sixth overall among North American skaters heading into the 1997 NHL Entry Draft . He was drafted fifth overall by the New York Islanders in June 1997 . New York Islanders . Just over a year after being drafted , Brewer signed his first professional contract with his draft team , the New York Islanders , in August 1998 . Entering the NHL , Brewer was regarded as a future Norris Trophy candidate , and as a result , his contract was an entry level three - year , $ 2 . 775 - million deal complemented by a $ 1 - million signing bonus , the highest base salary available for a rookie . Brewer made his NHL debut on October 10 , 1998 , against the Pittsburgh Penguins , and on November 5 , Brewer scored his first career goal against the Carolina Hurricanes ' Trevor Kidd . Throughout his rookie season , Brewer was considered an integral part of the Islanders ' defence , and , along with Zdeno Chára , Kenny Jönsson and Roberto Luongo , was the only player on the Islanders roster that management considered untouchable at the 1999 NHL trade deadline . Brewer finished his rookie season with eleven points in 63 games . After playing just three games of the 1999 – 2000 NHL season , Brewer was assigned to the Islanders ' AHL affiliate , the Lowell Lock Monsters . It was speculated that the reason behind this move was laziness by Brewer , who was benched during the final thirty minutes by head coach Butch Goring after losing a race for the puck against Mike Knuble in the Islanders ' October 11 , 1999 , loss to the New York Rangers . Brewer also took a bad penalty earlier in the game , putting the Islanders down two men . After a two - week , five - game stint with the Lock Monsters , Brewer was subsequently recalled by the Islanders . After playing 26 games with the Islanders in which he only recorded two assists , Brewer was re - assigned to the Lock Monsters on January 8 , 2000 , for the remainder of the season . Shortly after joining the Lock Monsters , Brewer suffered a sprained knee and missed the next two - and - a - half months of the season . Brewer went on to play 25 games for the Lock Monsters , recording two goals and two assists . He also participated in his first professional playoffs , as the Lock Monsters swept the Saint John Flames in three games in the first round , before being swept themselves in four games in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Providence Bruins . Edmonton Oilers . At the 2000 NHL Entry Draft , the Islanders traded Brewer , Josh Green and their second round selection ( Brad Winchester ) in the same draft to the Edmonton Oilers for Roman Hamrlík . Although surprised to be traded , Brewer was excited at the prospect of playing for the Oilers , who saw Brewer as a top - four defenceman . However , Brewer ' s Oiler career began on a sour note as he suffered a bruised left hip and tailbone in his first game with the team . Brewer missed the next four games before returning to the lineup . Brewer scored his first goal as an Oiler on November 7 , 2000 , against the New York Rangers . Brewer finished his first Oiler season with career highs in goals , assists and points , as well as the best plus / minus rating on the Oilers team , a plus - 15 . Further , Brewer gained his first NHL playoff experience , a quarterfinal series versus the Dallas Stars . Brewer had six points , but the Oilers were eliminated four games to two by the Stars . The Oilers re - signed Brewer , who was a free agent , to a one - year , $ 907 , 500 contract in August 2001 . In his second season with the Oilers , Brewer was assigned to play against the opposing teams ' best offensive players by Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish . Brewer began to play more minutes in games , typically placing among the NHL leaders in average minutes played per game . With this enhanced role on the team , Brewer finished his season with new career highs in assists and points for the second consecutive season , and matched his career high in goals . Although his single year contract expired , his role on the Oilers had become more important and Brewer expected a large raise for his third season with the Oilers . After a long holdout that lasted until the beginning of Oilers training camp , Brewer finally signed a two - year , $ 4 - million contract in September 2002 . At the half of the 2002 – 03 NHL season , Brewer was named to play in his first NHL All - Star Game , dressing for the Western Conference in the fifty - third edition of the game . He finished with career highs for assists and points and set a career high for goals for the third consecutive season . He appeared in his second NHL playoffs , another quarterfinal series against the Dallas Stars in which the Oilers were once again eliminated four games to two . Brewer finished the playoffs with four points in the Oilers ' six games . In his fourth season with the Oilers , Brewer continued his role as a top defenceman . On November 22 , 2003 , Brewer was among the participants in the historic 2003 Heritage Classic ice hockey game versus the Montreal Canadiens at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton . Brewer scored the Oilers first goal of the game in a 4 – 3 loss in front of a then record crowd of 57 , 167 . Later in the season , in a game on January 29 , 2004 , versus the Chicago Blackhawks , Brewer recorded his one - hundredth career point . Since his team depended on Brewer to play against the opposing teams ' best offensive players , he finished the season with an average time on ice of 24 : 39 , ranking fourteenth in the league . In the final year of his two - year contract , Brewer finished the season with his point totals matching those from his 2001 – 02 NHL season , a slight fall from his career highs set in his third season with the Oilers . With the Oilers unwilling to pay what he was expecting , Brewer decided to go to salary arbitration to get a new contract . However , on August 4 , 2004 , Brewer signed a one - year , $ 2 . 65 - million contract with the Oilers , avoiding his arbitration hearing set for only a few days later . Brewer was unable to play out his new contract due to the 2004 – 05 NHL lockout . St . Louis Blues . In August 2005 , following the lockout , the Oilers traded Brewer , Jeff Woywitka and Doug Lynch to the St . Louis Blues for Chris Pronger . At the time of the trade , Brewer was a restricted free - agent , so on August 15 , 2005 , Brewer accepted the Blues ' qualifying offer , signing a one - year , $ 2 - million contract . Brewer ' s first season with the Blues was a particularly bad one . After playing the first eighteen games of the season , Brewer separated his shoulder on November 16 , 2005 , in a 2 – 0 victory versus the Columbus Blue Jackets . Brewer missed ten games before being activated from the injured reserve list , returning to the St . Louis line - up for a game on December 20 , 2005 , against the Phoenix Coyotes . Less than a month later , in a game on January 13 , 2006 , against the Atlanta Thrashers , Brewer collided with the Thrashers ' centre Karl Stewart , and dislocated his left shoulder , which ended his season . In just 32 games , Brewer finished his season with nine points including six goals , two shy of his career best of eight set in the 2002 – 03 NHL season . Despite his limited play , the Blues re - signed Brewer to a one - year , $ 2 . 014 - million contract for the 2006 – 07 season . Brewer ' s second season with the Blues began as a disappointment . By the first half of December 2006 , Brewer had only amassed six points and a plus / minus rating of minus - 11 and was often referred to as " the worst player on the ice " by the media and fans alike . Brewer was often involved in trade rumours as he was set to become an unrestricted free agent following the completion of the season . Brewer believed his performance was the result of having only played in 32 NHL games since the 2003 – 04 NHL season . However , after the firing of head coach Mike Kitchen on December 11 , 2006 , Brewer began playing much better under new head coach , Andy Murray . Over the next nineteen games , Brewer changed his minus - 11 into a plus - 2 and became an integral part of the Blues ' defence . His turnaround was rewarded on February 24 , 2007 , when , rather than being traded as was previously rumoured , Brewer signed a four - year , $ 17 - million contract extension with the Blues . Brewer continued his turnaround through the end of the season , finishing the year with six goals and 23 assists for 29 points , tying his career high for points set in the 2002 – 03 NHL season and setting a new career high for assists . In his third season with the Blues , Brewer continued to do well under Andy Murray . Brewer evolved into one of the top two - way defencemen in the NHL , with comparisons being made between him and former first overall draft pick , Chris Phillips of the Ottawa Senators . His play and leadership abilities were recognized , when on February 8 , 2008 , Brewer was named as the nineteenth captain in the history of the St . Louis Blues , filling the vacancy created when former Blues captain Dallas Drake had his contract bought out following the 2006 – 07 NHL season . On February 17 , 2008 , in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets , Brewer set a career high for points in a game with four assists , eclipsing his previous career high of three points set on January 16 , 2007 . Brewer finished the season with only one goal in his 77 games played , his lowest goal total since the 1999 – 2000 NHL season , although he added 21 assists , three short of a career high . At the completion of the season , Brewer underwent reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder to repair damage suffered in a fight in the Blues ' season opening game against the Phoenix Coyotes on October 4 , 2007 . Tampa Bay Lightning . On February 18 , 2011 , Brewer was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Brock Beukeboom and Tampa Bays ' third round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft . In 22 games with Tampa Bay , he notched a goal and an assist . He also led the Lightning in average ice time per game with 21 : 34 . Overall in 2010 - 11 , Brewer recorded a career - high nine goals and also amassed 81 penalty minutes , good for the second - highest total of his career . He appeared in a career - high 18 post - season contests with Tampa Bay in 2010 - 11 , registering three goals and 17 points , helping the Bolts to the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four seasons , where he also set a career - high with three points in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins and ranked third among all postseason skaters with 51 blocked shots . Brewer is considered Tampa Bay ' s number one defenceman , and is a real hit with the fans for his physicality and great puck control . On June 24 , 2011 , Brewer signed a four year , $ 15 . 4 - million contract extension with the Lightning . International play . Throughout his career , Brewer has represented Canada at various international ice hockey tournaments . He first competed internationally as a member of Team Pacific Canada at the 1995 World U - 17 Hockey Challenge in Moncton , New Brunswick . Three years later , he represented Canada as a whole as a member of the national junior team at the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships , where he was named an alternate captain . This was the tournament in which Canada had its worst ever showing , an eighth place finish including a loss to Kazakhstan , giving Brewer an unkind welcome to IIHF international ice hockey . Although eligible for the 1999 edition of the same tournament , Brewer was unable to play due to NHL commitments with the New York Islanders . Brewer made his debut with the Canadian national men ' s team on April 24 , 2001 , when he joined Canada for the 2001 Men ' s World Ice Hockey Championships in Nuremberg , Cologne , and Hanover , Germany . Later that year , on July 24 , 2001 , Brewer was invited to the orientation camp for the Canadian team for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City , Utah . Five months later , on December 12 , 2001 , Brewer was named to the final Canadian roster for the tournament . In the opening game of the tournament against Sweden , Brewer scored Canada ' s second goal of the game in a 5 – 2 loss , while in the semi - finals of the tournament , Brewer scored the game winning goal against Belarus in a 7 – 1 victory , helping send Canada to the gold medal game against the host United States . Canada would go on to defeat the Americans by a score of 5 – 2 , winning their first Olympic gold medal in fifty years . Shortly after his Olympic experience , Brewer was named to the Canadian roster for the 2002 Men ' s World Ice Hockey Championships in Gothenburg , Karlstad and Jönköping , Sweden , his second consecutive Ice Hockey World Championships . He represented Canada once again the following year , when on April 22 , 2003 , Brewer was named to the Canadian roster for the 2003 Men ' s World Ice Hockey Championships . In the tournament quarterfinals versus Germany , Brewer scored the game winning goal 37 seconds into overtime to give Canada a 3 – 2 victory . Canada would go on to win their first Ice Hockey World Championships gold medal since the 1997 tournament , defeating Sweden 3 – 2 in overtime in the final . Brewer once again participated for Canada at the 2004 Men ' s World Ice Hockey Championships , his fourth consecutive Ice Hockey World Championships , where he helped Canada win its second consecutive championship after defeating Sweden 5 – 3 in the gold medal game . On May 15 , 2004 , Brewer was named to the Canadian roster for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey . In the semifinal of the tournament , Brewer scored Canada ' s first goal of the game in 4 – 3 overtime victory against the Czech Republic . Team Canada would go on to win the tournament on home ice in Toronto , defeating Finland 3 – 2 in the final . Just under one year following his World Cup appearance , Brewer was named to the orientation camp for the Canadian team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , Italy held from August 15 – 20 , 2005 , in Vancouver and Kelowna , British Columbia . Following the camp , on October 18 , 2005 , Brewer was named to the preliminary 81 - man Canadian roster for the tournament . However , when the final roster was announced on December 21 , 2005 , Brewer was not among the 26 players listed . As a result , it would be nearly three years before Brewer would next suit up for his country , when on April 3 , 2007 , Brewer was among the first five players named to play for Canada at the 2007 IIHF World Championship in Moscow and Mytishchi , Russia . For the tournament , Brewer was named as the team ' s only permanent alternate captain and helped the team to its third gold medal at the tournament in the past five years .