| Gilbert Brulé | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Brulé with theOklahoma City Barons in 2011 | |||
| Born | (1987-01-01)January 1, 1987 (age 38) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 186 lb (84 kg; 13 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Columbus Blue Jackets Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes ZSC Lions Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg KHL Medvescak Zagreb Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk Traktor Chelyabinsk Kunlun Red Star Sibir Novosibirsk TH Unia Oświęcim | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| NHL draft | 6th overall,2005 Columbus Blue Jackets | ||
| Playing career | 2005–2021 | ||
Gilbert Jean Marco Brulé[1] (born January 1, 1987) is a Canadian former professionalice hockeycentre.
Drafted out of theWestern Hockey League (WHL), Brulé playedmajor junior with theVancouver Giants for three seasons. After being named theWHL rookie of the year in2004, Brulé was selected as theWHL playoff MVP andled the Memorial Cup in scoring, as part of the Giants'WHL championship-winning season two years later. Selected sixth overall in the2005 NHL Entry Draft, he began his NHL career with theColumbus Blue Jackets before being traded to theEdmonton Oilers prior to the2008–09 season. After three seasons with the Oilers, he was placed on waivers, then acquired by the Coyotes for the 2011–12 season and playoffs. He then joined the ZSC Lions for the 2012–13 season. Brulé was released by the Zurich-based team in October 2012.
Internationally, Brulé has representedTeam Canada at the2004 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and2004 U-18 Junior World Cup, winning silver and gold medals, respectively. He played for Canada's bronze medal-winning team at the2018 Winter Olympics.[2]
As a youth, Brulé played in the 2001Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with aminor ice hockey team fromNorth Vancouver.[3]
Brulé was selected first overall in the 2002WHL Bantam Draft by theVancouver Giants. The selection was originally possessed by thePrince Albert Raiders, but was dealt to the Giants in exchange for their third overall and third round selections.[4] He debuted in one game with the Giants during thesubsequent WHL season, while playing Junior A[notes 1] in theBritish Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) with theQuesnel Millionaires. Recording 57 points (32 goals and 25 assists) over 48 games in his lone BCHL season, he was named the Interior Conference's recipient of the Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.[5]
In2003–04, Brulé joined the Giants and tallied 60 points in 67 games. He became the first Giants player to win a major WHL award,[6] receiving theJim Piggott Memorial Trophy as league rookie of the year.[7] The distinction made him a nominee forCanadian Hockey League (CHL) Rookie of the Year,[8] which went toQuebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) rookie of the yearSidney Crosby of theRimouski Océanic.[9] He joined Crosby on the CHL All-Rookie Team.[10]
Thefollowing season, Brulé finished third in WHL scoring with 87 points (39 goals and 48 assists),[11] establishing a Giants single-season point-scoring record (surpassed byCasey Pierro-Zabotel in2008–09).[12] During the campaign, he was chosen to a squad of WHL All-Stars against the Russian select team in the 2004ADT Canada-Russia Challenge in November.[13] Several months later, he competed in the 2005CHL Top Prospects Game, where he recorded the firsthat trick in the history of the all-star match and was named TeamCherry's player of the game.[14] At the end of the season, Brulé was named theCHL Scholastic Player of the Year, having taken more high school credits than any other WHL player.[15]
Brulé was selected sixth overall in the2005 NHL Entry Draft by theColumbus Blue Jackets. He remained the highest-drafted Giants player in team history untilEvander Kane was selected fourth overall in2009.[16] Brulé had been the second-ranked prospect behind Crosby by the International Scouting Services (ISS) at the beginning of the 2004–05 season,[17] while theNHL Central Scouting Bureau (CSB) named him the WHL's top prospect in their preliminary rankings.[18] By the end of the season, Brulé was ranked fourth overall by the ISS and fifth among North American skaters by the CSB.[19][20] At the time of his draft, he was touted as an offensively skilled player with a competitive and physical edge.[21] The ISS scouted him as an "outstanding skater with great vision on the ice...a natural goalscorer."[21]
Brulé made the Blue Jackets' lineup in his first NHL training camp and signed with the club to a three-year, entry-level contract on October 3, 2005.[22] He made his NHL debut against theWashington Capitals in the Blue Jackets' season opener two days later, notching an assist on a goal byDan Fritsche in a 3–1 loss.[23] The following game, he suffered afractured sternum after receiving a hit fromCalgary Flames defencemanRoman Hamrlík on October 7.[24] After missing 17 games, he returned to the lineup on November 20.[7] Brulé scored his first NHL career goal that night againstPhoenix Coyotes, his team's lone tally in a 5–1 loss, beating goaltenderDavid LeNeveu with a shot from the left offensive zone faceoff circle.[25] Ten days later, he suffered his second injury in as many months, breaking his leg during a game against theMinnesota Wild.[26]
Upon recovering, he was returned to the WHL on January 13, 2006.[27] By reassigning Brulé before he played 10 NHL games, the Blue Jackets retained the first year of his rookie contract.[28] Another strong factor in the decision to return him to junior was the acquisition of centreSergei Fedorov, making Brulé expendable.[29] Returning to the Giants, Brulé scored at a near-goal-a-game pace. He was named WHL Player of the Week on February 20, 2006, after recording 5 goals and 10 points in 3 Giants wins.[30] He was later chosen as WHL Player of the Month for February with 12 goals and 23 points in 13 games.[31] Completing the season with 23 goals and 38 points in 27 games, he earned WHL Second All-Star Team honours.[7] In the opening round of the WHL playoffs, Brulé was named WHL and CHL Player of the Week by scoring four goals and seven points over three games against thePrince George Cougars.[32] He received his second WHL and CHL Player of the Week honour during the WHL Finals against theMoose Jaw Warriors on May 10, having accumulated five goals and nine points in two games.[33] His award-winning week included a three-goal, four-point performance in Game 1 of the series – a 7–5 win for the Giants.[33] He went on to lead the WHL in scoring with 30 points in 18 games to earn theairBC Trophy as playoff MVP, helping the Giants to their firstPresident's Cup as WHL champions.[34]
Advancing to the2006 Memorial Cup,[notes 2] the Giants tied for third out of four teams after the round-robin. Requiring a tie-breaker game to determine who would play in the semi-final, Brulé recorded five points (two goals, three assists) against thePeterborough Petes, one point short of the tournament single-game record, in a 6–0 win.[35] The Giants were subsequently eliminated in the semi-final by theMoncton Wildcats 3–1.[36] Brulé registered the only Giants goal in the game.[36] Finishing with 12 points in 5 games, Brulé earned theEd Chynoweth Trophy as the national tournament's leading scorer. He was also named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team,[7] alongside Giants teammatePaul Albers.[37]
Four-and-a-half years after his junior career, the club honoured him in a ceremony prior to a game against theKamloops Blazers on January 28, 2011, as part of "Gilbert Brulé Night". Brulé was the fourth alumnus added to the club's Ring of Honour, commemorating the team's best players; a plaque was unveiled inside the stadium bearing his name and the number 17 he wore on his jersey as a Giant.[38] At the end of the Giants'2010–11 WHL season, they released their fan-voted "Top 10 Giants of the Decade", which listed Brulé at #2, behindMilan Lucic.[39]
Still eligible for junior, Brulé made the Blue Jackets' roster for the2006–07 season. A month into the campaign, he was assured by General ManagerDoug MacLean that he would not be returned to the Giants as he had been the previous season.[40] He was scratched several times under head coachGerard Gallant, but after Gallant was replaced byKen Hitchcock in late-November, he began receiving more playing time.[41] Playing mostly on thefourth line in his rookie season,[42] he averaged 10 minutes of ice time per game.[43] He went on to tally 19 points (9 goals and 10 assists) over 78 games in his first full NHL season.
Duringhis second NHL season, Brulé recorded 9 points (1 goal and 8 assists) over 61 games with the Blue Jackets. He was sent down to theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) in January 2008 for a month-long assignment as his play struggled,[7][44] notching 5 goals and 10 points in 16 games with the Blue Jackets' minor league affiliate, theSyracuse Crunch. At the end of the Blue Jackets' regular season, Brulé was reassigned to Syracuse for the club'sCalder Cup playoff run. Helping the Crunch advance to the second round, he recorded 2 goals and 5 points over 13 post-season games.
In the 2008 off-season, Brulé was traded to theEdmonton Oilers for forwardRaffi Torres on July 1, 2008.[45] He was one of the final cuts in his first training camp with the Oilers and was assigned to theSpringfield Falcons, Edmonton's AHL affiliate.[7] On October 17, 2008, he suffered a knee-on-knee hit from opposing defencemanAdam McQuaid during a game against theProvidence Bruins, causing him to miss several contests injured.[46] During a call-up to the NHL later in the season, Brulé scored his first goal with the Oilers on January 11, 2009, in a 2–1 win against theSt. Louis Blues.[47] He was reassigned to Springfield 10 days later.[7] Finishing the season with 3 points in 11 games with the Oilers and 24 points in 39 games with the Falcons, he was re-signed by Edmonton in the off-season to a one-year, two-way contract on August 12, 2009.[48]
Brulé began the2009–10 season as the Oilers' fourth-line centre out of training camp.[49] With improved play and the injury of first-line wingerAles Hemsky,[50][51] Brulé moved up the Oilers' depth chart and recorded his best statistical season in the NHL. However, after suffering from a recurringflu throughout the campaign, which sidelined him for a combined 11 games,[7] he suffered ahigh-ankle sprain during a game against theDallas Stars on April 2, 2010; following a collision with opposing forwardBrian Sutherby, his skate got jammed underneath goaltenderKari Lehtonen's pad. The injury sidelined him for the remaining week of the campaign.[52] He finished the season with a career-high 17 goals, 20 assists and 37 points in 65 games, third in team-scoring.[53] Becoming arestricted free agent in the 2010 off-season, Brulé filed forarbitration with the Oilers after failing to come to terms on a new contract. The two sides managed to avoid their arbitration hearing by signing a two-year, $3.7 million deal on July 27, 2010.[54]
After staying healthy through the first three months of the2010–11 season, Brulé suffered continued injury problems for the rest of the campaign. After being sidelined with a stomach virus for four games, he suffered an abdominal injury the following month and missed 23 additional contests.[7][55] After returning to the lineup, he sustained a concussion during a game against thePittsburgh Penguins on March 13, 2011.[56] In total, Brulé missed 39 games with injuries in 2010–11, limiting him to 7 goals and 2 assists.
On June 24, 2011, it was reported that Brulé had been traded along with a fourth-round draft pick to theLos Angeles Kings in exchange for forwardRyan Smyth.[57] Due to health concerns, the deal never materialized as Brulé had not yet been cleared to play following his concussion (under league rules, an injured player can be traded but cannot be bought out, which is what the Kings had planned on doing). Furthermore, Kings General ManagerDean Lombardi made it apparent to the media that the team wanted someone with a smaller salary cap hit if Brulé could not be bought out.[58] The Oilers ultimately acquired Smyth in exchange for forwardColin Fraser (whose cap hit was over $1 million less) and a seventh-round pick in the2012 draft.[59]
During the off-season, Brulé worked with asports psychologist to address the mental aspect of his game, including his confidence. Near the end of the Oilers' training camp, on October 2, 2011, he was placed onwaivers for the purpose of being assigned to the team's AHL affiliate, theOklahoma City Barons.[notes 3] While the departure ofAndrew Cogliano in July 2011 made room for Brulé to move up the Oilers' depth chart at centre, the performance of Oilers rookiesRyan Nugent-Hopkins andAnton Lander helped make him expendable. Regarding the move, Oilers General ManagerSteve Tambellini described Brulé as having lacked consistency.[60] Brulé cleared waivers two days later; anEdmonton Sun article suggested that he would have likely been picked up by another team if not for his $1.85 million salary.[61]
After recording 18 points (eight goals and ten assists) over 27 games with the Barons, Brulé was recalled by the Oilers on January 9, 2012, in lieu of injured forwards Nugent-Hopkins andJordan Eberle. In order to join the team, however, he needed to clear re-entry waivers and he was consequently claimed by thePhoenix Coyotes the following day.[62] Brulé debuted with the Coyotes on January 12, playing 14 minutes in a 3–2 shootout loss to theDetroit Red Wings.[63] Two games later, he recorded his first two points as a Coyote, a goal and an assist, in a 6–1 win against theColorado Avalanche.[64]
A free agent going into theNHL lockout, Brulé opted to sign as a free agent inSwitzerland withZSC Lions of theNational League A on a one-year contract August 13, 2012.[65] In the2012–13 season, he appeared in only 14 games before he requested an immediate release from his contract with the Lions to return to Canada for personal issues on October 23, 2012.[66]
In the following season, Brulé accepted an invitation to the Coyotes' training camp for the2013–14 season. He was assigned to the Coyotes' AHL affiliate, thePortland Pirates, to begin the season on a try-out contract before on November 30, 2013, re-signing with Phoenix on a one-year, two-way contract. Brulé played three games in his return to the Coyotes before he was reassigned to the Pirates. In declining to report back to the Pirates, Brulé opted to retire from professional hockey on January 1, 2014.[67]
On May 12, 2014, reports surfaced that Brulé opted to resume his playing career after signing a one-year contract withRussian clubAvtomobilist Yekaterinburg of theKontinental Hockey League (KHL).[68] After one year in Yekaterinburg, he joined fellow KHL sideMedvescak Zagreb of Croatia in July 2015[69] and had his contract renewed for the 2016–17 season.
On May 25, 2019, Brulé opted to return as a free agent for a second tenure with Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, agreeing to a two-year contract.[70]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 2018 Pyeongchang | |
| U18 Junior World Cup | ||
 | 2004 Czech Republic | |
| World U17 Hockey Challenge | ||
 | 2004 Canada | |
Brulé made his international debut withHockey Canada representing Team Pacific at the 2004World U17 Hockey Challenge inNewfoundland. During the semi-final, he scored a goal and three assists, leading Team Pacific to a win against theUnited States. His efforts earned him his third player of the game award of the tournament.[71] In the gold medal game, Team Pacific lost to Team Ontario 5–2, earning silver. Later that year, he represented Team Canada in the 2004U18 Junior World Cup as analternate captain. Brulé helped lead Team Canada to gold, scoring thegame-winning goal in the championship match, a 4–1 win against theCzech Republic.[72]
The following year, Brulé participated in theCanadian national junior team's summer development camp in preparation for the2006 World Junior Championships.[73] At the time of the final roster selection in December 2005, however, Brulé was recovering from a leg injury, suffered during NHL play with the Blue Jackets.[7] He was invited to the team's summer camp again in 2006, but declined, choosing to focus instead on making the roster for Columbus.[74]
Brulé was born inEdmonton,Alberta, later moving to North Vancouver,British Columbia, during his childhood. He had a sister named Leah who died at the age of 12 as a result of complications fromcerebral palsy. Brulé was nine years old at the time of his sister's death and later had her name tattooed on his left wrist.[75] Despite growing up in both Edmonton and Vancouver, Brulé was a childhood fan of theLos Angeles Kings.[76]
In May 2010, Brulé donated $10,000 to a fund assisting an Edmonton boy suffering fromlymphatic cystic hydroma. The money was allocated to a costly surgery to be performed in New York, which doctors in Canada were unable to perform.[77] Brulé received further media attention a year later for picking up a pair of hitchhikers who turned out to be Irish rock bandU2 frontmanBono and his assistant in aWest Vancouver neighbourhood on May 31, 2011. In return, Brulé was given backstage passes for him and his mother, for U2's concert in Edmonton on the next day. During the show, Bono thanked Brulé for the ride.[78]
In July 2013, Brulé revealed in an interview that an adverse relationship with his father may have been at least partly to blame for his floundering NHL career.[79]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 | Quesnel Millionaires | BCHL | 48 | 32 | 25 | 57 | 71 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 14 | ||
| 2002–03 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 67 | 25 | 35 | 60 | 100 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 2004–05 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 70 | 39 | 48 | 87 | 169 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2005–06 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 27 | 23 | 15 | 38 | 40 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 44 | ||
| 2006–07 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 78 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 61 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 16 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 44 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 16 | ||
| 2008–09 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 39 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 65 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 41 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Oklahoma City Barons | AHL | 27 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 33 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | ZSC Lions | NLA | 14 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 11 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | KHL | 44 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | KHL Medveščak Zagreb | KHL | 54 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | KHL Medveščak Zagreb | KHL | 16 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk | KHL | 37 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Traktor Chelyabinsk | KHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Kunlun Red Star | KHL | 47 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Sibir Novosibirsk | KHL | 30 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Kunlun Red Star | KHL | 44 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | TH Unia Oświęcim | POL | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 299 | 43 | 52 | 95 | 156 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| KHL totals | 278 | 72 | 87 | 159 | 331 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Canada Pacific | U17 |  | 6 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 14 | |
| 2004 | Canada | U18 |  | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | |
| 2018 | Canada | OG |  | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 25 | |
| Junior totals | 11 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 28 | ||||
| Senior totals | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 25 | ||||
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| BCHL | |
| Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy(Interior Conference) | 2002–03 |
| CHL | |
| All-Rookie Team | 2003–04 |
| Top Prospects Game MVP | 2005 |
| Scholastic Player of the Year | 2004–05 |
| Second Team All-Star | 2004–05 |
| Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 2006 |
| Ed Chynoweth Trophy(Memorial Cup leading scorer) | 2006 |
| WHL | |
| Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy(rookie of the year) | 2003–04 |
| Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy(scholastic player of the year) | 2004–05 |
| West First All-Star Team | 2004–05 |
| Player of the Week | February 20,2006[31] |
| Player of the Month | February 2006[31] |
| West Second All-Star Team | 2005–06 |
| airBC Trophy(WHL playoff MVP) | 2005–06 |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ed Chynoweth Trophy 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | WHL Playoff MVP 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | CHL Scholastic Player of the Year 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Columbus Blue Jackets first round draft pick 2005 | Succeeded by |