Bruce Gamble

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
position = Goaltender
caught = Left
height_ft = 5
height_in = 9
weight_lb = 190
played_for = New York Rangers
Boston Bruins
Toronto Maple Leafs
Philadelphia Flyers
nationality = Canada
birth_date = birth date|1938|5|24|mf=y
birth_place = Port Arthur, ON, CAN
death_date = death date and age|1982|12|30|1938|5|24|mf=y
death_place = Niagara Falls, ON, CAN
career_start = 1958
career_end = 1972


image_size =
nickname =

Bruce George Gamble (May 24, 1938 – December 30, 1982) is a former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 10 season in the NHL between 1962 and 1972, with some years in the minor leagues in between. In the NHL he played 2 games with the New York Rangers, 80 for the Boston Bruins, 210 as a Leaf and finally 35 as a Philadelphia Flyer to end his career.

Junior career

Bruce played 3 seasons with the Port Arthur Bruins of the Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League between 1953 and 1955. In the 1955–56 season, he backstopped the Port Arthur North Stars to a Memorial Cup berth. The next season he did so again with the Guelph Biltmores of the OHA, and was elected to the 1957 OHA first All-Star team. He made it to the Memorial Cup a third time with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens, the following year.

Professional career

Gamble played his first year as a pro with the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL, and received his first 2 game call-up with the New York Rangers. His performance impressed other NHL teams, and the Boston Bruins chose him in the 1959 Intra-League Draft. After a year with Providence Reds in the AHL, Gamble was the teams starting goalie in 1960–61. During the next 4 seasons he played mainly in the minors (Portland Buckaroos, Kingston Frontenacs (EPHL) and Springfield Indians) , tallying only 28 games for the Bruins in 1961–62.

After refusing to go back to the minors for Eddie Shore in 1964–65, the Bruins suspended him from Springfield for the entire season. Gamble got his way the following year by being traded to the Leafs.

For the first couple seasons Gamble had trouble trying to establish himself, playing behind Hall of Famers Johnny Bower and Terry Sawchuk. However in 1966–67, the Leafs won the Stanley Cup, and he contributed by playing in 23 regular season games going 5–10–4 with a GAA of 3.39. He was also playing with the Tulsa Oilers.

After this, along with NHL expansion, Gamble had his years of most success playing in 41 games in 1967–68, 62 in 1968–69 (going 28–20–11 and a GAA of 2.80) and 44 in 1969–70, while being traded mid-season to the Flyers in the trade that saw Bernie Parent go to Toronto. He was the MVP of the 21st National Hockey League All-Star Game in 1968.The next season saw his career end after having an on-ice heart attack on February 9, 1972 against the Vancouver Canucks.

Ten years later Gamble died of another heart attack suffered during an old-timers' hockey game, on December 30, 1982, at the age of 44.

ee also

*List of ice hockey players who died young

Resources

* [http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18520 Bruce Gamble's Legends of hockey site]

External links

* [http://www.goaltenders.info/profiles.php?item=197 Goaltenders.info profile of Bruce Gamble]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7986081 Find A Grave Memorial]