Steve Brûlé (born January 15, 1975) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player. He last played competitively with Jonquière Marquis of the

Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey The Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH, ''"North American Hockey League"'') is a semi-Professional sports league organization, professional ice hockey league based in the Canadian province of Quebec. Teams in the LNAH compete for the Vertdu ...

. He played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

with the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

and

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

Playing career

As a youth, Brûlé played in the 1988

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

with a

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

team from

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. Brûlé was drafted 143rd overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the

. He was drafted from St. Jean Lynx of the

QMJHL The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

where he was a prolific scorer as a junior, winning the

Michel Bergeron Trophy The Michel Bergeron Trophy is awarded annually to the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey l ...

in 1992–93. Brûlé made his professional debut at the end of the 1994–95 season with Devils affiliate, the

Albany River Rats The Albany River Rats were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center. History Before the formation of the franchise Without a viable indoor arena with ...

of the AHL, helping the Rats capture the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

with 14 points in 14 playoff games. Brûlé spent the next five years with the River Rats, where he was a dependable scoring force. At the end of the 1999–2000 season with the River Rats, Brûlé was among a handful of players that made up their taxi squad of the Devils in case of injury or slump. During game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

, Brûlé made his NHL debut in place of an injured

John Madden John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American professional football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, leading them ...

, playing on a line with Jay Pandolfo and

Claude Lemieux Claude Percy Lemieux (born July 16, 1965), is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for six teams between 1983 and 2009. Lemieux won four Stanley Cup championships during his car ...

. When the Devils defeated the defending champion

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

in the

2000 Stanley Cup Finals The 2000 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1999–2000 season, and the culmination of the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils agai ...

, Brûlé, without yet playing a regular season game in his career, had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. Brûlé then signed with the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

on July 20, 2000, and failing to make the team was assigned to the Manitoba Moose of the IHL. Brûlé then spent the 2001–02 season with the

Cincinnati Mighty Ducks The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks were a professional ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were members of the American Hockey League, and played their home games at the Cincinnati Gardens. Throughout their existence they were the primary m ...

of the AHL before he signed with the

on July 22, 2002. Steve made the Avalanche's opening night roster for the 2002–03 season and made his NHL regular season debut, but was subsequently sent to affiliate the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

. Brûlé re-signed with the Avalanche on August 26, 2003, but again spent the year with the Bears, placing 2nd on the team in points with 58. During the 2004 NHL Lockout Brûlé left for Europe signing with

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

team Krefeld Pinguine of the

DEL Del, or nabla, is an operator used in mathematics (particularly in vector calculus) as a vector differential operator, usually represented by the nabla symbol ∇. When applied to a function defined on a one-dimensional domain, it denotes ...

on July 22, 2004. After the Lockout Brûlé opted to stay in Europe spending time in the Austrian, and

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

leagues. After seven years abroad on June 23, 2011, Brûlé signed a one-year contract returning to play in Canada with the Saguenay Marquis of the LNAH.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and achievements

References

External links

*
Picture of Steve Brule's Name on the 2000 Stanley Cup Plaque
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brule, Steve 1975 births Albany River Rats players Canadian ice hockey forwards Cincinnati Mighty Ducks players Colorado Avalanche players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Füchse Duisburg players Hershey Bears players Kassel Huskies players Krefeld Pinguine players Living people Manitoba Moose (IHL) players New Jersey Devils players Saint-Jean Lynx players Ice hockey people from Montreal Stanley Cup champions Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Germany New Jersey Devils draft picks Graz 99ers players EHC Visp players HC Thurgau players ECH Chur players