Bruce Driver
Bruce Driver | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 29, 1962 Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey defenceman (retired) |
| Years active | 1983–1998 |
| Known for | NHL player for New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers; 1995 Stanley Cup champion |
Bruce Douglas Driver (born April 29, 1962) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who competed for 15 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1983–84 and 1997–98.
Early life
At the age of 12, Driver took part in the 1975 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing Shopsy's, a youth team affiliated with the Toronto Marlies of the MTHL. Although he was released from his bantam squad at 13 due to concerns about his size, he continued to develop his abilities and was eventually selected by the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League. Choosing to pursue collegiate hockey, Driver spent three seasons at the University of Wisconsin, where he captured two NCAA Championships, served as team captain during his sophomore year, and earned recognition as an NCAA All-Star.
Prior to beginning his NHL journey, Driver played for Team Canada at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, emerging as the highest-scoring defenceman on the roster. The Canadian team advanced to the medal round but concluded the tournament without a podium finish after defeats to both the Soviet Union and Sweden.
Professional career
Selected in the sixth round, 108th overall, by the Colorado Rockies (who later became the Devils) during the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, Driver spent 11 seasons with the Devils franchise. He was part of their Stanley Cup-winning squad in 1995 before moving on to join the New York Rangers following that championship season.
Driver captained the Devils during the 1991–92 campaign before passing leadership duties to Scott Stevens in the subsequent season. From 1987 onward, he was an integral component of his teams’ premier power play units. Upon departing New Jersey, he held the franchise record for most assists by a defenseman with 317—a milestone eventually eclipsed by Stevens. More than half of Driver’s goals from 1987 until his retirement came while on the power play.
Personal life
Now residing in Montville, New Jersey, Driver stays engaged with hockey by participating as a goaltender in adult recreational leagues. He also coaches a girls’ high school hockey team at Morristown-Beard School, which secured a state championship during the 2019-20 season. His coaching efforts were recognized when he was named New Jersey’s girls’ high school Hockey Coach of the Year for 2006–07.
Driver currently oversees operations at Twin Oaks Ice Rink located in Morristown, NJ.
Awards and honors
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association First Team | 1981–82 |
| American Hockey Coaches Association West All-American | 1981–82 |
| NCAA All-Tournament Team | 1982 |
| All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association Second Team | 1982–83 |
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" | "9"|"36"|"45"|"62"|"7"|"1"|"2"|"3"|"12" | |||||||||||
| "1991–92" | "New Jersey Devils" | "NHL" | "7"|"35"|"42"|"66"|"7"|"0"|"4"|"4"|"2" | |||||||||||
| "1992–93" | "New Jersey Devils" | "NHL" | "14"|"40"|"54"|"66" | "1"|"3"|"4"|"4" | ||||||||||
| "1993–94" | "New Jersey Devils" | "NHL" | "8"|"24"|"32"|"63" | "3"|"5"|"8"|"12" | ||||||||||
| "1994–95" | "New Jersey Devils" | "NHL" | "4"|"12"|"16"|"18" | "1"|"6"|"7"|"8" | ||||||||||
| "1995–96" | "New York Rangers" | "NHL" | "3"|"34"|"37"|"42" | "0"| "7"| "7"| "4" | ||||||||||
| \1996–97\ | \New York Rangers\ | \NHL\ | \5\|\25\|\30\|\48\ | \0\|\1\|\1\|\2\ | ||||||||||
| \1997–98\ | \New York Rangers\ | \NHL\ | \5\|\15\|\20\|\46\ | \—\|\—\|\—\|\—\ | ||||||||||
| NHL totals | 922 | 96 | 390 | 486 | 670 | 108 | 10 | 40 | 50 | 64 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Canada | OLY | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | |
| 1987 | Canada | WC | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Senior totals | 15 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 14 | |||