- Ed Bruneteau
Eddie H. Bruneteau (
August 1 ,1919 in St. Boniface,Manitoba –July 30 ,2002 in Omaha,Nebraska ) was anice hockey right winger. Bruneteau played 181 games with theDetroit Red Wings of theNational Hockey League over seven seasons. He also coached theOmaha Lancers for 21 games in the 1986–87 season leading the team to a 0–21 record. Ed is the younger brother of "Mud" Bruneteau, famous for ending the longest overtime game in NHL history, and the grandfather of Matthew andBrett Bruneteau , both hockey players in theUSHL .Professional career
Minor league hockey
Bruneteau played junior hockey with the
Winnipeg Rangers of theMJHL and theDuluth Zephyrs of the TBSHL. He showed promise as a scorer and his rights were traded to the Detroit Red Wings on October 2, 1939 for cash. Detroit allowed Bruneteau to remain in the minors, as a member of the American Hockey Association'sOmaha Knights , who were formed after the Zephyrs home rink roof collapsed during a heavy snowstorm in the winter of 1939. He went on to score 28 points in 37 games that season and along with chipping in two goals during a short playoff run.Playing for the Red Wings
The following season saw Bruneteau starting again with the Knights, being transferred for a short time to the
Indianapolis Capitals of theAmerican Hockey League , and then heading into the big leagues by starting in 11 games for the Red Wings. He rejoined his older brother, Mud, who had joined the team the preceding season. Bruneteau finished the season with a goal and an assist and played in Detroit's first three playoff games before being let go.Back in the minors
Bruneteau was signed as a free agent by the
Quebec Aces of theQuebec Senior Hockey League on November 13, 1941 and began play on the top line for the 1941–42 season. He scored 28 points in the 38 games of the regular season and theAllan Cup championship. Bruneteau also scored four goals and an assist in the Aces' playoff run. The following season, Bruneteau worked on increasing his speed and it showed. Bruneteau ended the 1942–43 season with 37 points in the 31-game regular season and 23 points in the 9-game Allan Cup Championship. In 1943–44, He scored 41 points in just 25 games and helped the Aces win the Allan Cup by adding another 26 points in their 15 playoff games.Playing for the Red Wings, take two
Bruneteau had made himself valuable again and the Quebec Aces traded him back to the Detroit Red Wings for
Bob Thorpe on November 16, 1944. This time Bruneteau made himself a staple on the big team and played three full seasons for Detroit. He often formed a solid line withCarl Liscombe andMurray Armstrong and ended with 77 points over a three year span. After the 1946–47 season, Bruneteau began spending less time in Detroit a more time in the minors. In 1948–49, Bruneteau played his last NHL game, but remained a scoring threat playing for Indianapolis. He knocked in 38 points in 61 games before being moved to rejoin with theOmaha Knights , now of the USHL. He again was reunited with his older brother who washead coach of the Knights. Under his brother's leadership, Bruneteau would score 149 points for Omaha in the two following seasons, including leading the team in scoring in 1949–50 and being named to the USHL Second All-Star Team both years. For the 1951–52 season, Bruneteau would be back with the Indianapolis Capitals, scoring 41 points in 56 games. Detroit released Bruneteau after that season and he found his way to theMilwaukee Clarks of the International Hockey League where he again went on a scoring frenzy, putting up 51 points and being named to the IHL Second All-Star Team. Bruneteau felt he had one more good season in him and spent it playing with theSherbrooke Saints of theQuebec Hockey League . After scoring 49 points that year, Bruneteau retired from playing ice hockey.Awards and achievements
*
Allan Cup Championship (1944)
*USHL Second All-Star Team (1950 & 1951)
*USHL Championship (1951)
*IHL Second All-Star Team (1953)
*“Honoured Member” of theManitoba Hockey Hall of Fame References
External links
*hockeydb|12142
*legendsofhockey|12130
* [http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/honoured/players.html?category=9&id=61 Ed Bruneteau's biography] at [http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/index.html Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9198472 Ed Bruneteau's Memorial on Find-a-grave.com]
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