Carl Brewer had an interesting journey through the world of hockey. Along the way, he changed the game in many ways. Not only a decent defenseman, Brewer was key in bringing down Alan Eagleson. Not a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Carl is in one country’s Hall after making his mark over a season spent abroad.
Carl Brewer
Brewer played junior hockey for the Toronto Marlboros from 1955-56 to 1957-58. In his first year, he helped the club to a Memorial Cup victory over the Regina Pats. In his final season, he saw his first National Hockey League action, playing two games for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Carl played pro hockey uncontinuously from 1958-59 to 1979-80. Over that time, he took time off to play for Canada’s national team, spend a season in Finland, be the starring attraction in the IHL and spend six years as a retired hockey player.
The world thought he was done after playing the 1973-74 season with the Toronto Toros in the World Hockey Association. However, in 1979-80, he made a short comeback, appearing in three games with the New Brunswick Hawks in the American Hockey League and twenty games with the circus act that was the Maple Leafs.
Over his NHL career, Brewer played in 604 regular season games, scoring 25 goals and totalling 223 points. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, he played an additional 72 games, contributing 20 points. Over his career, he played for the Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues.
Brewer was a member of Toronto team that won three consecutive Stanley Cup championships from 1961-62 to 1963-64. He was also king of the bad boys on two occasions. In 1959-60, he led the NHL with 150 PIM. He led again in 1964-65 with 177 penalty minutes. In 1962-63, he finished second with 168 PIM.
His adventures outside the NHL were nothing short of great. In 1966-67, he played entirely for the Canadian national team. At the 1967 World Hockey Championships, held in Vienna, Austria, Brewer had seven points in seven games as Canada won bronze.
The following year, 1967-68, Carl was the main attraction with the Muskegon Mohawks in the IHL. The team finished first overall during the regular season and Brewer contributed 68 points over 63 games from the blue line. His 55 assists ranked him seventh in the seven team league and he was honoured with the Governor’s Trophy as the IHL’s top defenseman. Muskegon went on to capture the Turner Cup with a 4-1 victory over the Dayton Gems in the finals.
After being a member of Team Canada in previous years, Brewer jumped ship for 1968-69. Carl travelled to Finland to play for HIFK in Finland’s SM-Sarja and was player/coach of the Finnish national team. HIFK was league champs that year. Brewer made such an impact on the country over his short stay that he was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003, two years after his death.
Carl Brewer Hockey Cards
The Carl Brewer rookie card appears as number 3 in the 1959-60 Parkhurst set. The card is valued at $80 or 250 to 300% the value of a common card. The Brewer RC is the most significant rookie card in the series. The set was highlighted by the cards of Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard and Jacques Plante, both of the Montreal Canadiens.
Carl Brewer Collection
Brewer’s final mainstream hockey card came as number 222 in the 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee set. This card shows him as a member of the St. Louis Blues and is valued as a common.
Carl Brewer – The Book
In 2007, Brewer’s long time partner, Susan Foster, published a book titled Power Of Two: Carl Brewer’s Battle With Hockey’s Power Brokers
Carl Brewer Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1955-56 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1956-57 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 48 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 150 |
| 1957-58 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 49 | 10 | 38 | 48 | 0 |
| 1957-58 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-59 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1958-59 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 69 | 3 | 21 | 24 | 125 |
| 1959-60 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 67 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 150 |
| 1960-61 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 51 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 92 |
| 1961-62 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 67 | 1 | 22 | 23 | 89 |
| 1962-63 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 2 | 23 | 25 | 168 |
| 1963-64 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 57 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 114 |
| 1964-65 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 4 | 23 | 27 | 177 |
| 1967-68 | Muskegon Mohawks | IHL | 63 | 13 | 55 | 68 | 82 |
| 1968-69 | HIFK Helsinki | SM-sarja | 20 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 53 |
| 1969-70 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 2 | 37 | 39 | 51 |
| 1970-71 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 19 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 29 |
| 1971-72 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 42 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 40 |
| 1973-74 | Toronto Toros | WHA | 77 | 2 | 23 | 25 | 42 |
| 1979-80 | New Brunswick Hawks | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979-80 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 20 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| NHL Totals | 604 | 25 | 198 | 223 | 1037 | ||
| WHA Totals | 77 | 2 | 23 | 25 | 42 |