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ORONO – When he was 12 years old and playing hockey for the South Shore Kings, Bret Tyler ran into the boards doing a drill and injured one of his hands.
Despite the discomfort, he still played three games with the injured hand.
When it was still bothering him the following weekend, he was taken to a local hospital where it was determined that he had not only broken his hand, he also broke his thumb.
That play-through-pain attitude is typical of the University of Maine senior defenseman and assistant captain.
He was involved in a head-on car crash on a snowy road when he was playing for the Boston Junior Bruins and had glass imbedded in his hand along with seat belt marks all across his chest. The air bag deployed late.
He required “12 or 20 stitches” in his hand.
He never missed a game.
As an undersized defenseman (5-foot-8, 196 pounds) with exceptional offensive skills who logs a lot of ice time, Tyler takes more than his share of hits.
And he has had his share of injuries at Maine, including a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for eight games his sophomore year. He has played portions of this season with a tender groin and a back ailment.
But he has still played in 137 career games and has an impressive 86 points to show for it with 25 goals and 61 assists. He is tied for the team scoring lead with 6 & 11 in 28 games this season.
“He has sacrificed his body for the team,” said Maine senior right wing and assistant captain Rob Bellamy. “He’s known for it.”
“He takes a lot of hits because he holds on to the puck to make plays,” said senior left wing and assistant captain Billy Ryan. “After games, he’s got a lot of bumps and bruises. But he always plays and he always plays hard.”
Tyler said he lives by the advice his father, Wade, gave him.
“He told me if I can play and help the team, give it a shot,” said Tyler, the oldest of Wade and Donna Tyler’s four children.
“He’s as tough as nails,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead.
The Maynard, Mass., native has earned the respect of opponents as well as his coaches and teammates.
“He’s a real good player,” said Boston College junior left winger Nathan Gerbe. “He’s very quick. He gets up into the play a lot. He moves the puck very well. He’s been one of the top defensemen in the league the last couple of years.”
“He’s very smart,” said New Hampshire senior goalie Kevin Regan. “He’s tough to play against.”
“First and foremost, what strikes me is he has great competitive fire,” said UMass Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald. “But he’s also been blessed with great instincts.
“He has a real good feel for the game and, typically, the bigger the situation, the better he plays,” added MacDonald.
Tyler earned Hockey East All-Rookie team honors as a freshman when he had 6 & 14 in 36 games.
Despite missing eight games as a sophomore, he still finished with 7 & 16 in 33 games before he had a career-high 26 points (6 & 20) a year ago.
He has been satisfied with his career to date.
“Eighty-six points is pretty good,” he said. “I had to put up the numbers to stay in the lineup. They could have put better [defensive] defensemen in there.”
Offense has come naturally.
“When you’re 5-foot-8, you have to focus on contributing somehow,” said Tyler, who began seeing power-play duty as a freshman.
“It has been a challenge for him [because of his size],” admitted his mother, Donna, who remembers her son wearing skates in the house when he was a toddler. “But it has kept him humble. He doesn’t take anything for granted.”
BU coach Jack Parker said Tyler has skills in all three zones.
“He’s a very smart offensive defenseman who knows when to jump into the play and he’s also a real good player when he stays at the blue line,” Parker said.
Tyler is one of 15 semifinalists for the prestigious 56th annual Walter Brown Award which goes to the best American-born Division I player at a New England school.
“I’m honored. That’s been around a long time,” he said.
This has certainly been a trying year for Tyler and the seniors. After earning back-to-back Frozen Four appearances, the Bears are in danger of not making the Hockey East Tournament.
“I never remember being on a losing team,” said Tyler. “We have a lot of younger guys and we’ve had some key injuries [Billy Ryan, Keenan Hopson, Chris Hahn, Andrew Sweetland]. When you lose guys like we’ve lost, it’s tough to win. Not that we can’t win. We’ve been giving 110 percent.”
He feels he has played pretty well this season.
“I’ve been pretty consistent but I haven’t put up the numbers I’d like to have. We have such a young team,” said Tyler, who has found himself killing penalties for the first time in his career in addition to taking his regular shift and quarterbacking the power play where he is a master of getting the puck to the net.
No matter how the season turns out, Tyler will certainly take fond memories of Orono with him.
The diehard Alfond Arena faithful have provided him with even more of an incentive to put on the uniform despite nagging injuries that might have kept other players in street clothes.
“When you play for a program like Maine’s, you want to get out there every chance you can. Playing in front of our fans for four years has been amazing,” Tyler said..
He is also grateful to Cristina Kerluke and the academic support staff.
Academics haven’t come easy to him but he has remained eligible and will earn a degree.
“Christina has been unbelievable. I’m not going to play in the NHL for 25 years so getting a degree is huge,” said Tyler.
Getting a chance to play in two Frozen Fours, especially facing Wisconsin in Milwaukee two years ago, is a memory he will cherish.
“Playing in Frozen Fours and having the games on ESPN is unbelievable,” said Tyler.
The man nicknamed “Doe,” which is short for bulldozer, hopes to have a pro career after this season. He is an undrafted free agent.
“I hope someone will give me the opportunity to show my skills. Small players are doing a lot better at the pro level these days. That’s encouraging,” Tyler said.
MacDonald feels strongly that Tyler will have a pro career “because he has such a great hockey IQ, great instincts and competitiveness. He’ll be able to play as long as he wants to. The ball is in his court.”
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