Brian Elliott

This article is about the hockey player. For the social entrepreneur, see Brian Elliot.

Brian Elliott
Elliott practicing with the St. Louis Blues.
Born	(1985-04-09) April 9, 1985 Newmarket, ON, CAN
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Catches	Left
NHL team Former teams	St. Louis Blues Ottawa Senators Colorado Avalanche
NHL Draft	291st overall, 2003 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	2006–present

Brian Elliott (born April 9, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the ninth round, 291st overall, of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. A two-time NHL All-Star in 2012 and 2015, Elliott has also played in the NHL for the Colorado Avalanche.

Playing career

Early Years/Ottawa Senators

Elliott grew up in Newmarket, Ontario, playing minor hockey for the Newmarket Redmen AA and the York-Simcoe Express AAA teams in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association. Elliott was not drafted by an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team in 2001 and returned to York-Simcoe for Major Midget the following season. After a solid season in the Eastern AAA Hockey League, Elliott was signed by the Ajax Axemen of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League in 2002–03.

After a standout season with the Ajax Axemen in 2002–03, Elliott was drafted in the ninth round, 291st overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. The second-last player selected in the draft, Elliott was not expected to progress to the NHL. After being drafted, he would spend four seasons with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, serving as a backup for his first two seasons before securing the starting goaltender position in the 2005–06 season. For his efforts, he was selected as a finalist for the 2005–06 Hobey Baker Memorial Award,^[1] collecting eight shutouts in 33 appearances, and leading the Badgers to the 2006 NCAA National Championship. He was then signed by the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Binghamton Senators – an affiliate of the Ottawa Senators – on March 23, 2007, and played in eight games with Binghamton near the end of the 2006–07 season.

Elliott in goal during his tenure with Ottawa.

Elliott was invited to the Ottawa Senators' 2007–08 training camp, but was ultimately assigned to Binghamton on September 25, 2007. He was recalled to Ottawa four days later to back up Martin Gerber, as starting goaltender Ray Emery was recovering from wrist surgery. On October 10, Elliott played in his first NHL game and earned the win against the Atlanta Thrashers. Upon Emery's return, Elliott was sent back to Binghamton, where he played in 44 games that season.

On January 9, 2009, Elliott was recalled by Ottawa after being named the AHL's Goalie of the Month for December.^[2] He had been a standout in Binghamton, posting an 18–8–1 record with a 2.31 goals against average (GAA) and .926 save percentage. His play earned him the starting position for the Canadian team in the 2009 AHL All-Star Game.

Elliott made an immediate impact in Ottawa. The team had struggled all season, with inconsistent goaltending being an issue. Craig Hartsburg, Ottawa's head coach at the time, said of the move, "We need some saves, some big saves, and he's done it down there [in Binghamton]."^[3] Elliott would finish the season in Ottawa, sharing goaltending duties with veteran Alex Auld. Elliott's emergence effectively made Martin Gerber expendable to the team, and he would later be claimed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Elliott was nominated for the NHL's Rookie of the Month award for March 2009, though he would lose out to St. Louis Blues forward T. J. Oshie.^[4] In January 2010, he was awarded the NHL's First Star of the Week for January 18–24, and named the League's Second Star of the Week for January 25–31.

Colorado Avalanche

Prior to the trade deadline of the 2010–11 season, Elliott was traded as a part of Ottawa's rebuilding process to the Colorado Avalanche on February 18, 2011, in exchange for goaltender Craig Anderson.^[5]

After winning just two of his 12 starts with the Avalanche, combined with a sub-par 3.83 GAA, Elliott was released as a free agent after Colorado declined his qualifying offer.^[6]

St. Louis Blues

Elliott playing for the Blues in 2014.

Elliott signed a one-year contract worth $600,000 with the St. Louis Blues on July 1, 2011.^[7] Forming a formidable goaltending tandem with Jaroslav Halák, Elliott revitalized his career, posting a 23–10–4 record while sporting a 1.56 GAA. He was also chosen to participate in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa.

On January 18, 2012, Elliott signed a two-year contract extension with the Blues. The deal carried an average annual value of $1.8 million. Elliott will reportedly earn $1.7 million in 2012–13 and $1.9 million in 2013–14. After taking over for the injured Halák during the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Elliott led the Blues to a series victory over the San Jose Sharks before ultimately being swept in round two by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings.

On May 19, 2014, Elliott signed a three-year contract extension to remain in St. Louis. The deal has an average annual value of $2.5 million.^[8] On January 22, 2015, Elliott was named to the 2015 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, replacing Columbus Blue Jackets' goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who pulled out due to injury.^[9]

On March 12, 2015, Elliott tied Jaroslav Halák for the Blues' franchise record in shutouts.^[10] Five days later, on March 17, Elliott surpassed Halák for the Blues' shutout franchise record.

Personal

While attending Newmarket High School, he took the school's boys hockey team to the championship, winning it in 2000. He also attended Newmarket High School with former Blues teammate B. J. Crombeen.
Elliott's father, Bill, is a television director who has worked on numerous Canadian television programs, including The Red Green Show.
He resides in Wisconsin during the off-season.
Elliott has one brother named Dan.
Elliott was taught the art of moose calling by the late Owen Scott, a champion moose caller. He paid tribute to Scott with a moose painted on the back of his goaltender mask. Brian also has Casey Jones from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles painted on his mask.^[11]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season									Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%	GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
2003–04	University of Wisconsin–Madison	WCHA	6	3	3	0	336	12	0	2.14	.912	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	University of Wisconsin–Madison	WCHA	9	6	2	1	467	9	3	1.16	.945	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	University of Wisconsin–Madison	WCHA	33	25	5	3	2008	52	8	1.55	.938	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	University of Wisconsin–Madison	WCHA	36	15	17	2	2053	72	5	2.10	.923	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Binghamton Senators	AHL	8	3	4	0	425	30	0	4.24	.886	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Ottawa Senators	NHL	1	1	0	0	60	1	0	1.00	.966	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Binghamton Senators	AHL	44	18	19	1	2394	112	2	2.81	.915	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Binghamton Senators	AHL	30	18	8	1	1691	65	2	2.31	.926	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Ottawa Senators	NHL	31	16	8	3	1667	77	1	2.77	.902	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Ottawa Senators	NHL	55	29	18	4	3038	130	5	2.57	.909	4	1	2	203	14	0	4.14	.853
2010–11	Ottawa Senators	NHL	43	13	19	8	2293	122	3	3.19	.894	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Colorado Avalanche	NHL	12	2	8	1	690	44	0	3.83	.891	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	St. Louis Blues	NHL	38	23	10	4	2235	58	9	1.56	.940	8	3	4	455	18	0	2.37	.904
2012–13	St. Louis Blues	NHL	24	14	8	1	1292	49	3	2.28	.907	6	2	4	378	12	0	1.90	.919
2012–13	Peoria Rivermen	AHL	2	1	1	0	119	3	1	1.51	.946	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	St. Louis Blues	NHL	31	18	6	2	1624	53	4	1.96	.922	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	St. Louis Blues	NHL	46	26	14	3	2546	96	5	2.26	.917	1	0	0	26	1	0	2.31	.857
NHL totals			281	142	91	26	15,444	630	30	2.45	.912	19	6	10	1062	45	0	2.54	.897

Awards and achievements

Award	Year
All-WCHA Second Team	2005–06
AHCA West First-Team All-American	2005–06
All-NCAA All-Tournament Team	2006	^[12]
All-WCHA Second Team	2006–07

NHL All-Star Game – 2012, 2015
2011–12 NHL season – William M. Jennings Trophy (lowest GAA)
2011–12 NHL season – Led the NHL in save percentage (.940%)
2011–12 NHL season – Lowest GAA in the NHL (1.56)
2011–12 NHL season – NHL Record for highest single-season save percentage (at least 25 games) (.940%)

References

↑ "Brian Elliott Bio News". Ottawa Senators Organization. Senators.NHL.com. October 10, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
↑ "Senators hope Elliott supplies boost". CBC Sports. 2009-01-10. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
↑ "Senators turn to Elliott". Ottawa Senators. 2009-01-03. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
↑ "Oshie Named NHL Rookie of the Month". St. Louis Blues. 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
↑ "Senators Acquire G Anderson from AVS for G Elliott". TSN. 2011-02-18. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
↑ "Avalanche says goodbye to goaltender Brian Elliott". Denver Post. 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
↑ "Blues sign Goaltender Brian Elliot". The Sports Network. 2011-07-01. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
↑ Blues, St. Louis. "Elliott Signs 3-Year Deal with Blues". St. Louis Blues. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
↑ "Blues goalie Elliott to replace Blue Jackets' Bobrovsky". NHL. January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
↑ Hitchcock becomes fourth coach to win 700 games as Elliott ties Blues shutout record, retrieved March 13, 2015
↑ Morreale, Mike G. (February 4, 2009). "Masks are a billboard to a goalie's soul". NHL.com Staff. NHL.com. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
↑ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Roberto Luongo Cory Schneider	Winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy (with Jaroslav Halák) 2011–12	Succeeded by Corey Crawford Ray Emery

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