As part of the American Hockey League’s 70th anniversary this season, theahl.com will be taking a look at some of the legendary careers that have been carved in the AHL over the last seven decades.
The most prolific AHL scorer of the 1980’s, Bruce Boudreau was an offensive force during his American Hockey League playing career, and has emerged as one of today’s most respected and successful head coaches.
A standout junior with the hometown Marlies, the Toronto native was drafted by the Maple Leafs led the 1979-80 New Brunswick Hawks in scoring en route to a berth in the Calder Cup Finals.
Boudreau scored 50 goals and amassed 122 points for the St. Catharines Saints in 1982-83, yet continued to struggle to permanently crack the Maple Leafs lineup. He played in 134 regular-season games for the Leafs, earning recalls in each of his first seven seasons, but after a 109-point effort with St. Catharines in 1983-84, Boudreau bolted for Germany.
When the season ended in Iserlohn in March, Boudreau returned to the AHL and signed with the Baltimore Skipjacks for the remainder of the 1984-85 season, reaching another Calder Cup Final. He inked a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks prior to the ensuing campaign, and had two solid seasons with Nova Scotia.
In 1987-88, Boudreau joined the Springfield Indians and recorded 116 points, claiming the AHL scoring title, earning a First Team All-Star berth and winning the Fred T. Hunt Award for sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey.
Boudreau wrapped up his playing career in 1992, joining the Adirondack Red Wings during the postseason and helping them to a Calder Cup championship.
One of four players in league history to top the 100-point mark three times in his career, Boudreau sits 11th on the AHL’s all-time scoring list with 799 points in 634 games, and his 1.26 career points-per-game average ranks second among the 71 members of the 500-point club.
Boudreau joined the AHL coaching ranks in 1999 and oversaw the Los Angeles Kings’ top prospects in Lowell (1999-2001) and Manchester (2001-05) before heading up the Hershey Bears this year. Through Jan. 14, Boudreau has a career AHL record of 261-209-51 (.550).
| Career AHL Statistics – Bruce Boudreau | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||||||
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1978-79 | New Brunswick Hawks | 49 | 20 | 38 | 58 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 1979-80 | New Brunswick Hawks | 75 | 36 | 54 | 90 | 47 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 23 |
| 1980-81 | New Brunswick Hawks | 40 | 17 | 41 | 58 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 14 |
| 1982-83 | St. Catharines Saints | 80 | 50 | 72 | 122 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1983-84 | St. Catharines Saints | 80 | 47 | 62 | 109 | 44 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| 1984-85 | Baltimore Skipjacks | 17 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 4 |
| 1985-86 | Nova Scotia Oilers | 65 | 30 | 36 | 66 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1986-87 | Nova Scotia Oilers | 78 | 35 | 47 | 82 | 40 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| 1987-88 | Springfield Indians | 80 | 42 | 74 | 116 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1988-89 | Springfield Indians/ Newmarket Saints |
70 | 35 | 52 | 87 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 1991-92 | Adirondack Red Wings | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| AHL Totals | 634 | 316 | 483 | 799 | 418 | 65 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 72 | |
