IMAGE INFORMATION
EditModere Fernand "Mud" Bruneteau - Born November 28, 1914 in St. Boniface, Manitoba – Died April 15, 1982 in Houston, Texas was a Canadian/American ice Hockey right winger and coach.
Bruneteau made his NHL debut with Detroit Red Wings on November 10, 1935 vs New York Rangers at The Olympia in a 1-1 OT tie.
Bruneteau scored his 1st NHL goal vs George Hainsworth of Toronto Maple Leafs on December 14, 1935 at 7:27 of the 1st OT at Maple Leaf Gardens in a 4-2 Detroit win.
Bruneteau played for both the Red Wings and their farm team Detroit Olympics during his first NHL season, playing 23 games with the Olympics and 24 with the Red Wings during the regular season. Because both teams played at The Olympia, Bruneteau didn't have far to go when playing for both teams. Bruneteau finished the season with the Red Wings, playing the final 4 games and then the playoffs.
Bruneteau would make NHL history while playing in his 1st NHL playoff game, as on March 24, 1936 vs the defending cup champs Montreal Maroons, he would score the game 1 winning goal at 16:30 of the 6th overtime, wacking in a pass from Hec Kilrea. The puck wedged between the back bar in the top of the net and the netting and never fell. The goal light didn’t go on, but the Red Wings players knew it was in......1-0 Detroit. The game ended at 2:25 a.m, playing 116:30 of overtime Hockey, the longest game in NHL playoff history.........a record which still stands today.
Montreal Maroons goalie Lorne Chabot had pulled the puck out of the netting and later that day went to the Windsor Hotel in Montreal where the Red Wings were staying, asking Detroit GM Jack Adams if "Mud" would like the winning puck. When Adams handed him the puck, Bruneteau is said to have turned it over and over in his hands. “Gee whiz, gee whiz, that’s swell.”
Detroit defeated Montreal in 3 straight games to reach the Stanley Cup finals vs Toronto.
The OT goal by Bruneteau was also the 1st time in NHL history that a rookie scored the game winner in Stanley Cup playoffs.
Bruneteau had 1 goal, 2 assists vs Toronto Maple Leafs, as Detroit won the series 3-1 and the 1936 Stanley Cup championship.
Bruneteau would become a full time Red Wing the next season, helping them win another Prince of Wales Trophy, as American Division regular season champions and the 1937 Stanley Cup championship.
Bruneteau helped the Red Wings win the 1943 Prince of Wales Trophy as NHL regular season champions and the 1943 Stanley Cup championship. Bruneteau had 5 goals, 4 assists in the playoffs, also becoming the 1st NHL player to score a hat-trick in Stanley Cup finals, with 3 goals vs Frank Brimsek of the Boston Bruins on April 1st, in a 6-2 Detroit win.
Bruneteau also scored another NHL playoff OT game winner vs Paul Bibeault of the Boston Bruins on March 29, 1945 in semi-final game 5. He had 2 goals in the game....3-2 Detroit win.
Bruneteau had his finest NHL season point-wise in 1943-44, with 35 goals, 18 assists in just 39 games.
Bruneteau also had 0 penalty minutes in the 1938-39 season, and 5 other seasons receiving just 1 penalty during the season.
Bruneteau scored 141 goals (19 game winners), 139 assists in 410 regular season NHL games, and 23 goals (6 game winners), 14 assists in 72 NHL playoff games.
- Prince of Wales Trophy Champion 1936, 1937, 1943 with Detroit Red Wings.
- Stanley Cup Champion 1936, 1937, 1943 with Detroit Red Wings.
Stanley Cup finalist 1941, 1942, 1945.
- Paul W. Loudon Trophy Champion 1951 as coach of Omaha Knights in the United States Hockey League / USHL.
Bruneteau and the Omaha Knights also won the 1947, 1950, 1951 Directors' Cup, as USHL regular season champions.
After retiring as a player, Bruneteau coached the Omaha Knights in the United States Hockey League / USHL.
Modere (Mud) Bruneteau was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.
NOTE
Interesting Detroit jersey Bruneteau is wearing in the photo, as it's the style of the Detroit Falcons, the Red Wings old name from 1930 to 1932........3 years prior to this photo.