Memorable journey ends here
KITCHENER, Ontario – The moment isn’t lost on Chris Bruton, but if it has truly hit the Chiefs captain that tonight he will suit up for his final shift in a Spokane sweater, he isn’t letting on.
That makes perfect sense. Bruton will have ample time to look back and reflect on the ups and downs of a memorable four-year career in the Western Hockey League later.
Today it’s business.
Today Bruton will lace his skates and put on his No. 12 jersey for the 289th time.
In a country where hockey is religion and in a town where the home team is today’s enemy on the ice, Bruton and the Chiefs will try and win one more hockey game – and not just any game.
If they can come up with their second victory this week over the Kitchener Rangers and their 70th of the season, the Chiefs will be Memorial Cup champions for the first time in 17 years and just the second time in franchise history.
“It’s very rare and it means a lot,” Bruton said. “The organization has stuck by me and I’ve given a lot back to them, so it’s worked out really well. I’ve fallen in love with Spokane, I’ve loved every minute of it – it’s been the best way for my career to have gone and now it’s a pretty good success story when we’re here at the Memorial Cup
“I guess for any guy that’s playing in his final game in the league, or for me as a Chief, I would want it to be the Memorial Cup, so I feel lucky.”
Luck has had little to do with Bruton’s career. Hard work, dedication and a true passion for the game were predominant factors. His love for the game is rooted throughout his childhood.
Growing up in Calgary, Alberta, Bruton and his two brothers would go out to a family friend’s farm and play on outdoor rinks out on the slews.
“Ever since I could walk, I think I’ve been on ice. My dad coached us all throughout those years,” Bruton said. “I have one older and one younger brother, so I used to beat the crap out of one and get beat on by the other.”
Maybe that’s what prepared him to battle through the difficult years.
The 21-year-old Bruton (20 by WHL standards) paid his dues in his first two seasons in Spokane. Originally an eighth-round pick in the 2002 Bantam Draft, he played 62 games as a rookie in 2004-05 on a Chiefs team that missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The next year, they skipped the postseason again.
“Those years were tough for sure. It’s always hard when you’re losing,” Bruton said. “But we worked through it, and that was the main thing.”
The turning point came last season, when the Chiefs ended their playoff drought. They were knocked out quickly by the Everett Silvertips, but Bruton had big ideas for the final season of his junior career.
The way the Chiefs made their run to the WHL title this season was impressive, to say the least. The same goes for the career season Bruton has had. As a 19-year-old, he scored nine goals and finished with 21 points. This season, he scored 26 goals and finished with 63 points.
“I played with some great linemates,” Bruton said of teammates Mitch Wahl and Drayson Bowman. “For me, I had my sights set on finishing strong, being a leader on this team and going out on the highest note possible.”
The young Chiefs’ success this season has been said by many to be a year ahead of schedule, but Bruton doesn’t buy that for a second.
“I knew we’d be good, I told (Chiefs general manager) Tim (Speltz) last summer,” Bruton confidently said. “It’s because I knew what we had coming in and I knew the way the guys were. We’re a mature group and we’re competitive, and everyone was working really hard wanting to build off the last season.”
But no one expected this.
“It’s a dream – to play my final junior game on the last possible day of the season,” Bruton said. “I mean I knew we’d be better this season, but this has been unreal.”
So would hoisting the storied Memorial Cup.