Chris Breen

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| alt =

| image = Chris Breen - Boston Bruins.jpg

| caption = Breen with the Boston Bruins in a 2015 pre-season game

| image_size = 230px

| played_for = Calgary Flames

| position = Defence

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|06|29}}

| birth_place = Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 7

| weight_lb = 224

| shoots = Left

| draft = Undrafted

| career_start = 2010

| career_end = 2020

}}

Chris Breen (born June 29, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. An undrafted player, Breen originally joined the Calgary Flames organization in 2010 and made his NHL debut with the team in 2013. He was later signed by the Boston Bruins as a free agent on July 1, 2014.

Playing career

File:Chris Breen 131223.pngBreen played five Ontario Hockey League (OHL) seasons between 2005 and 2010 with the Saginaw Spirit, Erie Otters and Peterborough Petes. A late-bloomer, he was not an OHL regular until his 18-year-old season and went unselected at the NHL Entry Draft. Noting his height – six feet, seven inches tall – the Calgary Flames took an interest in Breen and brought him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, on a try-out when his junior season with Peterborough ended.{{cite news |last=Pinder |first=Ryan |url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=588308 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015070244/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=588308 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 15, 2011 |title=Late-bloomer Breen impressing Flames |publisher=National Hockey League |date=2011-09-13 |access-date=2013-10-23}}

Though he played only one game at the end of the 2009–10 AHL season and recorded an assist, the Flames signed him to a contract.{{cite news |title=Flames eye draft |first=Randy |last=Sportak |agency=QMI Agency |work=The London Free Press |date=2010-05-31 |url=https://lfpress.com/sports/hockey/2010/05/31/14205936.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029184834/http://www.lfpress.com/sports/hockey/2010/05/31/14205936.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2013-10-23}} Assigned to the Heat for the 2010–11 season, Breen played 74 games, scored four goals and seven assists, and established himself as a prospect in the Flames organization. He spent the following two seasons in Abbotsford, scoring seven points in 70 games in 2011–12 and seven points in 60 games in 2012–13. Breen missed the last 11 games of the latter campaign after suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery to repair.{{cite news |last=Kinvig |first=Dan |title=Heat blueliner Breen back in the fold, signs new one-year deal |work=The Abbotsford News |date=2013-07-18 |url=http://www.abbynews.com/sports/heat/news/216033171.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131023135849/http://www.abbynews.com/sports/heat/news/216033171.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 23, 2013 |access-date=2013-10-22}}

While recovered from the injury, the Flames signed Breen to a one-year, two-way contract extension for 2013–14.{{cite news |last=Gilbertson |first=Wes |title=Breen on board |work=Calgary Sun |date=2013-07-18 |page=S9}} He began the season on a conditioning assignment with Abbotsford, but was recalled to the Flames on October 21, 2013.{{cite web |url=http://flames.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=687705 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131023140012/http://flames.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=687705 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 23, 2013 |title=Flames recall Breen, Horak |publisher=Calgary Flames Hockey Club |date=2013-10-21 |access-date=2013-10-22}} Breen made his NHL debut one night later in a 4–2 loss against the Phoenix Coyotes.{{cite news |last=Cruickshank |first=Scott |title='Too little, too late' in Flames loss |work=Calgary Herald |date=2013-10-23 |page=F1}}

On July 1, 2014, Breen was signed as a free agent to a one-year two-way contract with the Boston Bruins.{{cite press release |title=B's sign D Chris Breen |publisher=Boston Bruins |date=2014-07-01 |url=http://bruins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=724994 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140706153613/http://bruins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=724994 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 6, 2014 |access-date=2014-07-01}} On July 2, 2015, Breen was re-signed by the Bruins to a one-year two-way contract.{{cite web| url=http://nesn.com/2015/07/bruins-sign-defenseman-chris-breen-to-one-year-two-way-contract/ | title=Bruins Sign Defenseman Chris Breen To One-Year, Two-Way Contract | publisher = NESN | date = 2015-07-02 | access-date = 2015-07-06}} On July 6, 2016, Breen was re-signed by the Bruins to a one-year two-way contract.{{cite web |title=Bruins Sign Defenseman Chris Breen To One-Year, Two-Way Contract |publisher=NESN |date=2016-07-06 |url=http://nesn.com/2016/07/bruins-sign-defenseman-chris-breen-to-one-year-two-way-contract/ |access-date=2016-07-06}}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}

During the 2017–18 season, while in his fourth season with the Providence Bruins, Breen was signed to a one-year, two-way NHL contract with parent club, Boston on February 25, 2018; he was then placed on waivers by the parent club and re-assigned to Providence.{{cite press release |title=Bruins Sign Chris Breen To One-Year, Two-Way Contract |publisher=Boston Bruins |date=2018-02-25 |url=https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/bruins-sign-chris-breen-to-one-year-two-way-contract-296348728 |access-date=2024-07-07}} He completed the season, scoring 13 points in 62 games from the blueline.

On June 30, 2018, agreed to return for a fifth season with Providence, accepting another one-year AHL contract.{{Cite tweet |last=Divver |first=Mark |user=MarkDivver |number=1013099847036166144 |date=2018-06-30 |title=As expected, Chris Breen re-signs with @AHLBruins. AHL deal. Has worn 'A' for last 3 seasons. Important veteran in young lineup |location= |access-date=2024-07-07}} In July 2019, after scoring 11 points in the 2018–19 AHL season and becoming the fifth longest tenured player for Providence up to that time, Breen signed what would prove to be his last, one-year, contract with Providence.{{cite news |title=Providence signs six |publisher=American Hockey League |date=2019-07-08 |url=https://theahl.com/providence-signs-six |access-date=2024-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709014228/https://theahl.com/providence-signs-six |archive-date=2019-07-09 |url-status=live}}