One of a mere handful of Northeastern Ohio native sons to ever star in the National Hockey League, Parma-born Brian Holzinger launched his career in this area’s increasingly productive high school program, leading Padua Franciscan High to a pair of Ohio state high school championships in 1988 and 1989. After piling up 72 goals and 65 assists for 137 points in just 35 games, he honed his game for two years in Junior A hockey in Detroit before enrolling at Bowling Green State University in 1991. He netted 14 goals and 8 assists as a BGSU freshman and also earned a berth on the U.S. Junior National team that won the bronze medal in the 1992 World Junior Hockey Association Tournament. He became a second team CCHA All-Star as a sophomore and as a senior his 35 goals and 68 total points earned him first team CCHA All-Star and Player-of-the Year plaudits and NCAA West First Team All-American honors, and culminated with his selection for the 1995 Hobey Baker Award as the top collegiate player in the United States. Picked by the Buffalo Sabres as the 124th selection in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, he made his NHL debut in April 1995, scoring two goals and an assist in four playoff games. He continued to play for the Sabres through 2000, enjoying his best years in 1996-97 with 51 pts. (22-29) in 81 games and 1998-99 when he helped the team to the Stanley Cup finals. Traded to Tampa Bay in March, 2000, he later played with Pittsburgh and Columbus, retiring at the end of the 2003-04 season having scored 93 goals and 145 assists in 547 games. He currently lives in Broadview Heights.