Brendan was born in Mimico, Ontario, on January 23, 1969. He was New Jersey's 1st pick and 2nd overall in the 1987 Entry Draft. Brendan was signed as a free agent by the St. Louis Blues on July 25, 1991, and then traded to Hartford by St. Louis for Chris Pronger on July 27, 1995. He was then traded to Detroit on October 9, 1996, along with Brian Glynn for Keith Primeau and Paul Coffey. Brendan scored his first goal as a Red Wing on October 21 vs. LA. He collected his first point as a Red Wing with an assist on October 12 vs. Buffalo. It was his 600th career point. Last season with Hartford, he led the club with 44 goals, 34 assists for 78 points in 74 games. Also, in 1995-96, he led the Whalers in power play points and finished second on the team with 6 game-winning goals. He is a two-time All-Star (1994, 1996) and posted back-to-back 50 goal seasons with St. Louis (51 in 1992-93, 52 in 1993-94).
