Brent Peterson, who spent 11 seasons as an NHL player before becoming a successful junior coach, a longtime Nashville Predators assistant and a broadcaster, died Friday, Sept. 11 after living with Parkinson’s disease for more than two decades. He was 68.
Peterson was born Feb. 15, 1958, in Calgary, Alberta, and emerged as a standout with the Portland Winter Hawks. The Detroit Red Wings selected him 12th overall in the 1978 NHL draft.
Peterson played parts of three seasons in Detroit before moving to the Buffalo Sabres in 1981. With Buffalo, Peterson became a dependable checking-line center and penalty killer, playing alongside Craig Ramsay and Ric Seiling.
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Peterson later played for the Vancouver Canucks and Hartford Whalers. He finished his NHL career with 72 goals and 141 assists in 620 games, adding eight points in 31 playoff games.
Peterson moved into coaching with Hartford after retiring in 1989. He returned to Portland, first as an assistant and then as head coach. His five-season record as the Winter Hawks’ head coach was 198-137-20, and he took the team to the playoffs in each season.
In 1997, Peterson was named WHL Coach of the Year. The following season, Portland won the WHL championship and then the Memorial Cup, giving Peterson the most prominent championship of his coaching career. He was inducted into the Winterhawks Hall of Fame in 2012.
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The Memorial Cup title led Peterson back to the NHL. He joined Barry Trotz’s expansion Predators staff in 1998 and became associate coach in 2003. He remained with Nashville through the 2010-11 season, helping the franchise reach the playoffs six times during an era in which it established itself as a regular postseason team.
The effects of Parkinson’s disease, diagnosed in 2002, eventually made it difficult for Peterson to remain behind the bench.
Peterson moved into broadcasting, working as a Predators radio analyst and remaining a familiar voice around the organization for years. He also served in hockey operations and continued to be involved with the team after his coaching career ended.
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