Bruce MacGregor: 5 Unsuccessful Trips To The Stanley Cup Finals

Five times Bruce MacGregor went to the Stanley Cup finals. Five times, he came up empty. Add that to his 1960 Memorial Cup finals loss with the Edmonton Oil Kings and it amounts to a hard luck playing career, championship-wise. However, as assistant general manager of the Edmonton Oilers, he did win the Cup five times.

A checking forward that worked on the PK, MacGregor did finish in the top five for goal scoring in 1966-67. Ultimately, he ended his playing career in the World Hockey Association with the Edmonton Oilers, a franchise whose best times were yet to come.

Junior and Minor Pro

NHL and WHA Career

Hockey Card Collection

Rookie Card

Career Stats

Bruce MacGregor – Junior and Minor Pro

Bruce MacGregor spent two seasons in the CAHL (Central Alberta Hockey League) with the Edmonton Oil Kings, 1958-59 and 1959-60. These were the days before the WHL grouped teams from all four western provinces together in the same league.

In his first year, MacGregor was named CAHL most valuable player. He scored 33 goals and assisted on 39 for 72 points over 37 regular season games. Unfortunately, the Oil Kings finished last in the four team CAHL and did not advance to the post season.

The following year, 1959-60, he helped the Oil Kings to an Abbott Cup championship and the Memorial Cup finals against the St. Catherines Teepees. However, Edmonton came out on the short end, losing the series in six games. Bruce was the team’s captain.

MacGregor’s time in the minors was short. He started the 1960-61 season in the WHL with the Edmonton Flyers, appearing in 54 games. In that time, he scored 20 and assisted on 26 for 46 points. The Detroit Red Wings liked what they saw and brought him for the last portion of the NHL regular season schedule and the playoffs. The Flyers finished out the season seventh in the eight team league, out of the WHL playoffs.

Bruce MacGregor – NHL and WHA

Between 1960-61 and 1973-74, Bruce MacGregor played in 893 regular season National Hockey League games with the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers. Over that time, he scored 213 goals and assisted on 257 for 470 points. MacGregor played in a very respectable 107 Stanley Cup playoff games, adding 47 points.

Bruce MacGregor Collection

His first partial season brought his first trip to the Stanley Cup finals. MacGregor joined the Red Wings late in the 1960-61 season and the team lost in the finals to Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull and the Chicago Blackhawks. In both 1962-63 and 1963-64, Detroit lost in the finals to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 1965-66, Detroit fell to the Montreal Canadiens in the finals. With the New York Rangers in 1971-72, it was the Boston Bruins that handed MacGregor defeat in the championship. This means, he played for two Original Six teams and lost to the other four in a final series.

A 20 goal scorer three times with the Red Wings, MacGregor topped out in 1966-67 with 28. That total tied him for fourth in the National Hockey League with Rod Gilbert, future teammate with the New York Rangers.

On February 1, 1971, midway through the 1970-71 NHL season, Bruce was traded from the Red Wings to the Rangers. Going with him was Larry Brown. Going to Detroit were Arnie Brown, Tom Miller and Mike Robitaille.

In 1974-75 and 1975-76, MacGregor played in the World Hockey Association with the Edmonton Oilers. In 135 regular season WHA games, Bruce scored 37 goals and added 38 assists for 75 points. He played in just four playoff games. MacGregor also played in the 1974 Summit Series, pitting all-stars from the WHA against the Soviet Union.

Bruce was assistant general manager of the NHL Edmonton Oilers, winning five Stanley Cup championships between 1983-84 and 1989-90.

Bruce MacGregor – Rookie Card

The Bruce MacGregor rookie card appears as number 23 in the 1962-63 Parkhurst NHL hockey card set. He is shown with the Detroit Red Wings. His final National Hockey League card shows up in the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee set as a member of the New York Rangers. MacGregor’s final card is included in the 1975-76 O-Pee-Chee WHA set as a member of the Edmonton Oilers.

Bruce MacGregor Career Stats

Season	Team	Lge	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1958-59	Edmonton Oil Kings	CAHL	37	33	39	72	22
1959-60	Edmonton Oil Kings	CAHL	24	24	18	42	15
1960-61	Edmonton Flyers	WHL	54	20	26	46	33
1960-61	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	12	0	1	1	0
1961-62	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	65	6	12	18	16
1962-63	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	67	11	11	22	12
1963-64	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	63	11	21	32	15
1964-65	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	66	21	20	41	19
1965-66	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	70	20	14	34	28
1966-67	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	70	28	19	47	14
1967-68	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	71	15	24	39	13
1968-69	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	69	18	23	41	14
1969-70	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	73	15	23	38	24
1970-71	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	47	6	16	22	18
1970-71	New York Rangers	NHL	27	12	13	25	4
1971-72	New York Rangers	NHL	75	19	21	40	22
1972-73	New York Rangers	NHL	52	14	12	26	12
1973-74	New York Rangers	NHL	66	17	27	44	6
1974-75	Edmonton Oilers	WHA	72	24	28	52	10
1975-76	Edmonton Oilers	WHA	63	13	10	23	13
	NHL Totals		893	213	257	470	217
	WHA Totals		135	37	38	75	23