[6] He was briefly demoted to the Baltimore Skipjacks of the American Hockey League (AHL) after he was caught breaking curfew with teammate Mike Bullard in Montreal.

[8] He made his debut with the Devils in 1986 and appeared in a total of 96 games in two seasons, collecting 19 goals and 26 assists.

[6] In 1987, he took a puck off his face in a game in Chicago, losing five teeth and getting 30 stitches, the first time in his career he would be injured that way.

[13] 43 games into the season, after totalling a career-high 40 points, Brickley was sidelined again when doctors discovered that a muscle in his right leg was calcifying, a condition known as myositis ossificans.

[14][15] Despite the injury and extended time out of action, Brickley was allowed to briefly play in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals by Milbury.

He expressed a desire to remain with the Bruins organization, mixed with uncertainty: "They say they're concerned about my game shape.

[23] He did well with the Mariners and was named team captain out of training camp before rejoining the Bruins in October.

[26] He remained sidelined until February, first appearing in a charity skills competition with his teammates (and winning the shooting accuracy contest)[27] and then returning to the lineup in mid-February against the St. Louis Blues.

[29] After being released by Boston, Brickley signed a two-way contract with the Winnipeg Jets,[30] and began the season with the AHL's Moncton Hawks.

He played in barely more than half of the Hawks' first 56 games while recovering from another rotator cuff injury, but following his brief two-game callup with the Jets, he led the league in shooting at 26.7 percent and collected four assists in a single game against Fredericton the night after scoring the game-tying goal with four seconds remaining in regulation.

Instead, he was assigned to the International Hockey League's Denver Grizzlies, missing the first month and a half of the season with knee trouble.

[33] He returned to score 50 points in 58 games with the Grizzlies[6] and led them to the Turner Cup for the first of two consecutive seasons.

[37] In 1997, UPN 38 selected Brickley as Derek Sanderson's replacement on Bruins television broadcasts.

[38][39][40] He joined NESN while staying with UPN 38 in 2000,[41] initially working primarily road games with former Bruins goalie Gerry Cheevers and then play-by-play announcer Dave Shea.

Brickley also did color commentary for Versus, and has occasionally done the same with NBCSN for their televised NHL games as a guest commentator.