Bruce Affleck

Bruce Affleck
Born	May 5, 1954 Penticton, BC, CAN
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	St. Louis Blues Vancouver Canucks New York Islanders
NHL Draft	21st overall, 1974 California Seals
Playing career	1974–1984

Robert Bruce Affleck (born May 5, 1954) is a Canadian 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.

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 did not 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.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1971–72	Penticton Broncos	BCJHL		57	31	69	100	91		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Denver Pioneers	WCHA		39	6	19	25	30		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Denver Pioneers	WCHA		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	NDA		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

Awards and honors

Award	Year
All-WCHA First Team	1972–73	[1]
All-NCAA All-Tournament Team	1973	[2]
All-WCHA Second Team	1973–74	[1]
CHL Top Defender	1979–80 1980–81 1983–84
CHL co-MVP	1983–84

References

1. "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
2. "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.

External links

• Bruce Affleck's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database