Bruce MacGregor
Hockey Athlete - Inducted 2015
Bruce MacGregor was born in Edmonton and played minor, junior, and pro hockey in the city during his career. From 1957 to 1960, he played for the Edmonton Oil Kings. He was the team's captain during the 1959/60 season. He helped lead the team to one Memorial Cup final and accumulated 114 points during his three playoff seasons with the team. At age19, Bruce turned professional and played with the Edmonton Flyers for 54 games during the 1960/61 season. He was then called up to the NHL by the Detroit Red Wings.
Bruce played for the Red Wings for ten years. In 1971, he was traded to the New York Rangers where he played for four more seasons. As a hockey player, Bruce was a speedy skater and earned the nickname the "Redheaded Rocket." He was also a steady, hard-working player who was a coach's dream and could fill a number of utility roles. He was a mainstay on the penalty kill unit. Bruce reached the 20-goal mark three times during his career and in 893 regular-season games, finished with 213 goals and 257 assists.
Bruce played in 107 playoff games and scored 19 goals and had 28 assists. He made it to the Stanley Cup finals five times, four with the Detroit Red Wings and once with the New York Rangers in 1972.
Bruce played on Team Canada in the 1974 Summit Series against the Soviets – this was a rematch of the exciting 1972 Canada/Russia series. His exceptional skating skills, strong defensive play, and minimal penalty minutes made Bruce a good selection for international-style hockey.
In 1974, Bruce received an offer to play for the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association. Excited to be able to return to his hometown to play hockey, Bruce played for two seasons with the Oilers. He scored 37 goals and added 38 assists during that time.
Bruce’s legacy to hockey came as the Assistant General Manager to Glen Sather as they put together the Edmonton Oilers teams that dominated the NHL in the 1980s. With five Stanley Cups and numerous hockey records broken, they may have arguably assembled the greatest hockey team ever.
