Bruce Affleck

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Position Defence
Shoots Left
Height
Weight
ft 0 in (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
NHL Team
F. Teams
Retired
St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks
New York Islanders
Nationality Flag of Canada Canada
Born May 5, 1954,
Penticton, British Columbia
NHL Draft 21st overall, 1974
California Seals
Pro Career 1974 – 1984

Bruce Affleck (born May 5, 1954 in Penticton, British Columbia) is a retired former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League in the 1970s. Currently he serves as an executive for the St. Louis Blues, the team with which he spent most of his playing career.

Contents

[edit] Playing Career

Affleck was drafted in the 2nd round (21st overall) in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft by the California Seals from the University of Denver. He turned pro the following season, and spent the first half of the year with the Seals' Central Hockey League farm team in Salt Lake, but was dealt to the St. Louis Blues before he ever played a game in California. He finished the season with a 13-game callup to the Blues, recording 2 assists.

In 1975-76, Affleck made the Blues' squad full-time and was a huge success as a mobile, puck-moving defender. He played in all 80 of the team's games, recorded 4 goals and 30 points, and was named the team's Rookie of the Year. His 26 assists were the most of any Blues blueliner.

Affleck would spend three seasons as a regular in the Blues' lineup. However, by 1977-78 he was struggling, as he slumped to 18 points and a -56 rating on a St. Louis team which finished with just 20 wins and missed the playoffs. In 1978-79, he would lose his spot on the Blues, playing only 26 games and spending most of the season in the Central Hockey League, where he was named the league's top defender.

For the 1979-80 season, Affleck was sold to the Vancouver Canucks. However, he again spent most of the season in the CHL, where he was named the league's top defender. He did play in 5 games for the Canucks, recording an assist. He would sign as a free agent with the New York Islanders for the 1980-81 season, but didn't see a game for the Islanders, although he was named the CHL's top defender for the second consecutive season, this time playing for the Indianapolis Checkers.

Affleck would spend the majority of the next two seasons playing in Switzerland, although he returned to Indianapolis for the close of the CHL season and playoffs both years, helping the team to two championships. He returned to Indianapolis full-time for the 1983-84 season, and was named the league's top defender for the third time along with MVP honours. He also received a one-game callup to the Islanders, five years after his last NHL action. He retired at the conclusion of the season.

Affleck finished his NHL career with 14 goals and 80 points, along with 86 penalty minutes, in 280 games.

Following his career Affleck returned to St. Louis, and would eventually get an off-ice job with the Blues' sales staff. He has spent the last two decades working for the Blues in various capacities, and currently serves as the team's Vice President of Sales. He also served as a TV analyst for the Blues for over a decade.

[edit] Career Statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1971-71 Penticton Broncos BCJHL 57 31 69 100 91 -- -- -- -- --
1972-73 University of Denver NCAA 39 6 19 25 30 -- -- -- -- --
1973-74 University of Denver NCAA 38 8 23 31 42 -- -- -- -- --
1974-75 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 35 0 14 14 28 -- -- -- -- --
1974-75 Springfield Indians AHL 8 1 3 4 12 -- -- -- -- --
1974-75 St. Louis Blues NHL 13 0 2 2 4 1 0 0 0 0
1975-76 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 4 26 30 20 3 0 0 0 0
1976-77 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 5 20 25 24 4 0 0 0 0
1977-78 St. Louis Blues NHL 75 4 14 18 26 -- -- -- -- --
1978-79 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 48 8 31 39 30 10 0 4 4 2
1978-79 St. Louis Blues NHL 26 1 3 4 12 -- -- -- -- --
1979-80 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 72 10 53 63 39 -- -- -- -- --
1979-80 Vancouver Canucks NHL 5 0 1 1 0 -- -- -- -- --
1980-81 Indianapolis Checkers CHL 77 8 50 58 41 5 2 6 8 2
1981-82 Indianapolis Checkers CHL 16 5 17 22 4 13 1 17 18 16
1982-83 Kloten Flyers SWI 30 6 12 18 0 -- -- -- -- --
1982-83 Indianapolis Checkers CHL 8 2 12 14 0 13 0 18 18 2
1983-84 Indianapolis Checkers CHL 54 13 40 53 18 2 0 0 0 0
1983-84 New York Islanders NHL 1 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
NHL Totals 280 14 66 80 86 8 0 0 0 0


[edit] Awards and Achievements

  • WCHA First All-Star Team (1972-73)
  • WCHA Second All-Star Team (1973-74)
  • St. Louis Blues' Rookie of the Year (1975-76)
  • Central Hockey League Top Defender (1979-80, 1980-81, 1983-84)
  • CHL co-MVP (1983-84)

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Affleck, Bruce
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Ice Hockey Player
DATE OF BIRTH May 5, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH Penticton, British Columbia
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH