Bryan Fogarty Bryan Fogarty ( June 11 , 1969 in Montreal , Quebec – March 6 , 2002 in Myrtle Beach , South Carolina ) was a defenceman who played for the Quebec Nordiques , Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens . Personal life . Born in Montreal , Fogarty grew up in Brantford , Ontario . Fogarty ' s talent was apparent right away . Brantford Minor Hockey Association coordinator Bob Coyne told reporters that " he was a star . From the time he put skates on , he was better than everyone else . " We had seen Wayne ( Gretzky ) . Wayne had to work at it . His game was outsmarting everybody else . Fogarty ' s game was outperforming everybody else . That ' s like comparing a Volkswagen to a Corvette . " Bryan started drinking at an early age . When he was 15 he was already playing with players who were much older than him because of his exceptional skill level . He would frequent bars and strip clubs with the older players . He was insecure by nature . During his junior hockey days in the OHL he ' d take Niagara Falls Thunder coach Bill Laforge aside in the locker room and ask him in a whisper if his teammates hated him . Despite this , Bryan was known for his positive attitude and humble demeanor . During his time with the Kingston Canadians he was known as " Tippy " because , according to teammate Marc Laforge " he was always tipsy " . . During his NHL days , he sought help on numerous occasions . The Nordiques knew about his problem and tried to help him by sending him to an alcohol rehab clinic in Minnesota , providing a psychologist , and housing him with a family in Quebec City . They also roomed Fogarty with another hockey player who was looking to straighten out his life : John Kordic . Fogarty and Kordic met in a rehab center and became friends immediately . In the fall and winter of ' 91 , Fogarty stayed clean with the help of Kordic . However , in January 1992 , Kordic began using drugs again and died of a heart attack in August of that year . Fogarty blamed himself for Kordic ' s death . Quebec wound up trading away Fogarty to Pittsburgh . Pierre Pagé , who was the Nordiques general manager at the time promised Fogarty he would trade him if he could stay sober for three months . He lasted 12 games with the Penguins , who were unhappy with Fogarty ' s lack of conditioning . This scenario would repeat itself many times over the next five years with the Montreal Canadiens and other NHL teams . In 1999 Fogarty was arrested and charged with drug possession after a break - in at a school in his hometown of Brantford . Fogarty was charged with break and enter and possession of a controlled substance . According to the police report , Fogarty broke open the kitchen doors at the Tollgate Technological Skills Centre and was found standing naked in the kitchen with cooking oil spilled on the floor around him . He was granted a conditional discharge , placed on probation for one year , and was ordered to donate $ 500 to a local addiction service after he pleaded guilty to one count of mischief . After retiring in 2001 , Fogarty remained clean and sober for more than a year . He returned to Brantford to take over the family business , Fogarty ' s Mobile Canteen . Playing career . Bryan Fogarty is often considered to be one of the greatest hockey talents of all - time , and was an OHL superstar in the late 1980s . He was chosen 1st overall in the 1985 OHL draft by Ken Slater of the Kingston Canadians ahead of future NHLers Adam Graves ( 6th ) , Bryan Marchment ( 12th ) , Brendan Shanahan ( 13th ) , and Jody Hull ( 14th ) . Scouts heaped praise upon Fogarty for his hockey sense and puck control . Combined with his 6 ' 2 " 205 pound frame , Fogarty ' s skills made him one of the best junior players in Canadian hockey history . In 1989 after breaking Bobby Orr ' s 23 - year - old record for goals ( 38 ) by a defenceman in a season and Cam Plante ' s Canadian junior record for points ( 140 ) in a season by a defenceman with 155 in 60 games with the Niagara Falls Thunder , he was named Canadian Major Junior Hockey Player of the Year in 1989 . Both records still stand . As does his single game record for most assists by a defenceman ( 8 ) , which he accomplished twice in the same season ( 1988 – 89 ) . Fogarty was drafted ninth overall by the Nordiques in 1987 , six spots before Joe Sakic . He lasted parts of three seasons in Quebec , then he was traded to Pittsburgh , then Chicago . He signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent , then was signed by Montreal , Buffalo and Chicago ( again ) . He also spent a fair amount of time in the minors , playing in Halifax , New Haven , Muskegon , Cleveland , Atlanta , Las Vegas , Kansas City , Minnesota , Detroit , Davos , Milan and Hanover . In 1999 Fogarty attempted a much - publicized comeback with the Toronto Maple Leafs AHL affiliate the St . John ' s Maple Leafs . He lasted 3 regular season games with them before being released . In all he played nine seasons of pro hockey in seven leagues for 17 teams , retiring in 2001 . Fogarty does maintain the distinction of recording the last natural hat trick in Quebec Nordiques franchise history when he scored three straight goals on December 1 , 1990 . Death . Forgarty died in Myrtle Beach , South Carolina on March 6 , 2002 . Bryan and his wife Jennifer ' s uncle , Thomas Branch , were staying at a motel called the Compass Cove . Bryan was in Room 1223 . Fogarty was on vacation to do some deep sea diving . He and Branch arrived on the morning of March 5 . After checking in , they went right to the bar , where they spent most of the day drinking . The next morning , Branch was unable to wake Fogarty . Branch then called EMS . Fogarty was transported to the Grand Strand Regional Center where he was pronounced dead shortly after . The coroner reported that Bryan died of an enlarged heart .