Bruce Cline
Canadian ice hockey player (1931–2025)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Allan Bruce Cline (November 14, 1931 – April 24, 2025) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played as a right winger. He logged 30 NHL games for the New York Rangers in the 1956–57 campaign, while the majority of his career, from 1952 to 1968, was spent in the AHL, where he helped his teams win the Calder Cup on four occasions.[1]
| Bruce Cline | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
November 14, 1931 Massawippi, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Died |
April 24, 2025 (aged 93) Drummondville, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Weight | 137 lb (62 kg; 9 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | New York Rangers | ||
| Playing career | 1952–1968 | ||
In his first AHL season in 1955–56, Cline tallied 57 points and helped guide the Providence Reds to a league title. His standout play earned him the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL's rookie of the year. After spending three seasons with Providence, he moved on to the Buffalo Bisons, where he helped the team reach the AHL finals.[1]
Cline's next stop was with the Springfield Indians, where he contributed to three consecutive championship runs (1960–62) and earned First Team AHL All-Star honors in 1961, followed by a Second Team selection in 1963.[1]
Cline wrapped up his AHL career with five seasons as a member of the Hershey Bears, retiring after 13 seasons with totals of 321 goals, 452 assists, and 773 points in 823 regular‑season games, along with 58 points in 89 playoff appearances.[1]
Cline was recognized for his outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey when he was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2016.[1] Years later, in 2023, his legacy was further cemented at the local level when he was named to the Hershey Bears Hockey Club Hall of Fame.[2]
At the age of 93, Cline died on April 24, 2025, in Drummondville, Quebec.[3][4][5]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1950–51 | Quebec Citadelles | QJHL | 46 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 4 | 23 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 13 | ||
| 1951–52 | Quebec Citadelles | QJHL | 50 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 19 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1951–52 | Quebec Citadelles | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 | ||
| 1952–53 | Valleyfield Braves | QSHL | 59 | 15 | 9 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1953–54 | Valleyfield Braves | QSHL | 71 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1954–55 | Valleyfield Braves | QSHL | 62 | 13 | 42 | 55 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 28 | ||
| 1955–56 | Providence Reds | AHL | 64 | 27 | 30 | 57 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | ||
| 1956–57 | New York Rangers | NHL | 30 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1956–57 | Providence Reds | AHL | 36 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1957–58 | Providence Reds | AHL | 70 | 19 | 40 | 59 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1958–59 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 70 | 22 | 39 | 61 | 39 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1959–60 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 70 | 25 | 50 | 75 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 1960–61 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 72 | 40 | 52 | 92 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1961–62 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 70 | 38 | 40 | 78 | 21 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 1962–63 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 72 | 39 | 48 | 87 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963–64 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 64 | 26 | 20 | 46 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1964–65 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 72 | 17 | 28 | 45 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 1965–66 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 53 | 19 | 26 | 45 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1966–67 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 70 | 28 | 42 | 70 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1967–68 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 40 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
| AHL totals | 823 | 321 | 452 | 773 | 217 | 89 | 24 | 34 | 58 | 31 | ||||
| NHL totals | 30 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||