Acadia’s Bruton honoured by Spokane Chiefs

Chiefs select Top 25 Players of all time with Bruton named
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 – Spokane Chiefs Sports Information (Spokane, WA) The Spokane Chiefs named the Top 25 Chiefs in 25 Years at a press conference on Friday, February 26th in the Spokane Arena.Β  Sixteen of the 25 were in attendance at the event and were involved in special pre-game ceremonies on Friday night when the Chiefs hosted the Prince George Cougars at 7:30.Β  The ceremonies will began shortly before 7:00.Β 

The Top 25 Chiefs in 25 Years include 13 Memorial Cup Champions, five from 1991 and eight from 2008. Three players went on to win the Stanley Cup as pros, two were NHL All-Stars and the top six scorers in Chiefs history are represented. Fifteen of the 25 players have played in the NHL, including five this season. Four players from the 2009-10 Chiefs are also represented on the team; Jared Cowen, Tyler Johnson, Jared Spurgeon and Mitch Wahl.Β 

2009-10 is the 25th season the Chiefs are skating as a WHL franchise in Spokane after moving from Kelowna prior to theΒ 
1985-86 season. 417 players have worn a Chiefs jersey in the 25 seasons since. The list includes two goaltenders, seven defensemen and 16 forwards.

Chiefs’ fans had the opportunity to help select the top 25 Chiefs through on-line voting and balloting at the games. Other factors in selecting the top 25 Chiefs included career achievements, honors and team success.

Prior to the 2007-08 season, Chris Bruton was named captain of the Chiefs and talked then about leaving a legacy in Spokane. Little did he know that at the end of the season the team would deliver a Memorial Cup Championship and hang the organization’s second such banner in the Spokane Arena. Bruton’s biggest career goal came with the Chiefs trailing the Lethbridge Hurricanes 1-0 in the third game of the WHL Championship series. The captain scored with 2:04 remaining, sending it into overtime for Spokane’s Tyler Johnson to win it.

The Chiefs would eventually sweep the series on their way to the Memorial Cup. You won’t find his name in any of the top 25 lists for major offensive categories, but Bruton was the ultimate leader that did all the little things, getting the most out of his abilities and drawing the same effort out of his teammates. His 20-year-old season was his best offensively, setting career numbers with 26 goals, 37 assists and 63 points, finishing third on the team in scoring. Bruton appeared in 258 career WHL games, tied for 17th all-time in franchise history after he was originally an eight round selection in the 2002 WHL Bantam Draft. The Calgary native was a two time choice as the Chiefs Humanitarian of the Year and a two-time winner of the team’s Player’s Player award.