Introduction
Bruce Douglas Driver (born April 29, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1983–84 until 1997–98.
Playing career
As a youth, Driver played in the 1975 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Shopsy's minor ice hockey team.
Driver was drafted in the 6th round (108th overall) by the then Colorado Rockies (who became the Devils in 1982) in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the first 11 years of his NHL career with the Devils, winning a Stanley Cup with them in 1995. He was traded to the New York Rangers after the 1995 season.
Driver possessed a strong point shot, heady offensive instincts, smart positional defensive play, and a good stick with which he was adept at poke checking. A natural leader, Driver served as Devils' captain and also became a power play quarterback as his career blossomed, registering many of his goals and points with the man advantage.
Personal life
Driver has been a resident of Montville, New Jersey. He plays hockey as a goalie in an adult recreational league in New Jersey and coaches a girls high school hockey team at Morristown-Beard School that won states in the 2006–07 season. He was also the girls high school hockey coach of the year in New Jersey in 2006–07.
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-WCHA First Team | 1981–82 | |
| AHCA West All-American | 1981–82 | |
| All-NCAA All-Tournament Team | 1982 | |
| All-WCHA Second Team | 1982–83 |
Career statistics
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 | Canada | 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 | 73 | 9 | 36 | 45 | 62 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 1991–92 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 78 | 7 | 35 | 42 | 66 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1992–93 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 83 | 14 | 40 | 54 | 66 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1993–94 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 66 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 63 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 1994–95 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 41 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1995–96 | New York Rangers | NHL | 66 | 3 | 34 | 37 | 42 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1996–97 | New York Rangers | NHL | 79 | 5 | 25 | 30 | 48 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | New York Rangers | NHL | 75 | 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 | OG | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | |
| 1987 | Canada | WC | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Senior totals | 15 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 14 | |||