Bruce Driver
Bruce Douglas Driver (born April 29, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1983–84 until 1997–98.
| Bruce Driver | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
April 29, 1962 Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
New Jersey Devils New York Rangers | ||
| National team |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada | ||
| NHL Draft |
108th overall, 1981 Colorado Rockies | ||
| Playing career | 1983–1998 | ||
Playing career
As a youth, Driver played in the 1975 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Shopsy's minor ice hockey team.[1]
Driver was drafted in the sixth round (108th overall) by the then Colorado Rockies (who became the Devils in 1982) in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the first 11 years of his NHL career with the Devils, winning a Stanley Cup with them in 1995. He was signed by the New York Rangers after the 1995 season.
Driver possessed a strong point shot, heady offensive instincts, smart positional defensive play, and a good stick with which he was adept at poke checking. A natural leader, Driver served as the Devils' captain and also became a power-play quarterback as his career blossomed, registering many of his goals and points with the man advantage.
Personal life
Driver is a resident of Montville, New Jersey.[2] He plays hockey as a goalie in an adult recreational league in New Jersey and coaches a girls' high-school hockey team at Morristown-Beard School[3] that won a state championship in the 2006–07 season. He was also the girls' high-school Hockey Coach of the Year in New Jersey in 2006–07.[3]
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-WCHA First Team | 1981–82 | [4] |
| AHCA West All-American | 1981–82 | [5] |
| All-NCAA All-Tournament Team | 1982 | [6] |
| All-WCHA Second Team | 1982–83 | [4] |
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1978–79 | Royal York Royals | OPJHL | 49 | 10 | 32 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Royal York Royals | OPJHL | 43 | 13 | 57 | 70 | 102 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 42 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 46 | 7 | 37 | 44 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 39 | 16 | 34 | 50 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Canadian National Team | Intl | 68 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 8 | ||
| 1984–85 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 67 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 40 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 15 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 6 | 28 | 34 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 15 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 14 | ||
| 1988–89 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 27 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 75 | 7 | 46 | 53 | 63 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1990–91 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 73 | 9 | 36 | 45 | 62 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 1991–92 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 78 | 7 | 35 | 42 | 66 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1992–93 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 83 | 14 | 40 | 54 | 66 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1993–94 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 66 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 63 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 1994–95 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 41 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1995–96 | New York Rangers | NHL | 66 | 3 | 34 | 37 | 42 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1996–97 | New York Rangers | NHL | 79 | 5 | 25 | 30 | 48 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | New York Rangers | NHL | 75 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 922 | 96 | 390 | 486 | 670 | 108 | 10 | 40 | 50 | 64 | ||||
References
- "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
- Capuzzo, Jill P. "Living in Montville Township, N.J.", The New York Times, July 2, 2010. Accessed February 23, 2011. "IF you moved to Montville Township, it wouldn't be out of the question to find yourself neighbor to a current or former New Jersey Devil (Bruce Driver is one example), or a member emeritus of the paparazzi (Ron Galella), or a Real Housewife of New Jersey (Teresa Giudice)."
- "Ruff always at home on the ice". Retrieved 2007-05-23.
- "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
- "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
- "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kirk Muller |
New Jersey Devils captain 1991–92 |
Succeeded by Scott Stevens |