Ellard O'Brien

Ellard "Obie" O'Brien (born May 27, 1930 and passed in 2011 in St. Catharines, Ontario) was a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player.

Defenceman O'Brien played two games with the Boston Bruins in 1955-56. He was gifted offensive player who put up impressive numbers in junior and the minors.

Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, O'Brien, played with the local Teepees of the Ontario Hockey Association where he scored 58 goals in 1949-50. He began his pro career with the Boston Olympics of the EHL and the USHL's Tulsa Oilers before joining the Hershey Bears of the AHL. "Obie" spent eight years with the Bears and helped the team win the Calder Cup in 1958 and 1959. Along the way he played two games for the Bruins in the 1955-56 NHL season. Bruins GM Lynn Patrick was impressed enough to offer O'Brien a contract to stay in Boston. O'Brien turned the contract down as he was making more money in Hershey. In order to prevent any more offers for O'Brien, the Bears gave the Bruins several of their prospects. O'Brien led the Bears to back-to-back Calder Cup championships a few seasons later while scoring 113 points.

He finished his career with two seasons in the AHL with the Quebec Aces then a year with the Philadelphia Ramblers of the EHL before retiring in 1962.

Upon returning home to St. Catharines, he continued his involvement with hockey. He was part of the management team for the St. Catharines Black Hawks. Obie worked as an area Molson representative for 30 years until his retirement in 1990. Upon his retirement from hockey, and while working with Molsons, Obie was actively involved in community service for many years.

The Hershey Bears Hockey Club Hall of Fame Committee announced Obie was selected for induction into the Class of 2018 Hall of Fame. O'Brien played for the Bears from 1951-59 and ranks No. 11 in all-time Hershey assists (252) and No. 12 in all-time points (403). A native of St. Catharines, Ontario, O'Brien played 481 games for Hershey and captained the team to back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 1957-58 and 1958-59. The 6-3, 183-pound forward reached the 20-goal mark four times for the Bears, including a team-leading and career-best 31 goals in 1954-55. O'Brien, passed away in 2011 at age 81.