Esteemed Captain Bruce Murray will lead a generally younger but certainly enthusiastic team this season. Bruce joined the team in 2005 in a multi-player trade. A formidable defenseman, he has great strength and size with what might be called deceptive quickness and agility. He checks hard, tenaciously and effectively yet is among the least penalized defensive players. He leads by example, vocally (teammates listen) and by his very presence.Â
Â
Born in New Westminster, Bruce played all of his minor and Junior lacrosse in Coquitlam. In 1996 he was named the Junior A League’s Most Inspirational Player. The next year he was co-winner of the John Urban award as top graduating player and winner of the McEachern Trophy as most sportsmanlike player. He was named to the league’s Second All Star Team both years. His Junior A regular season stats included 61 goals and 115 assists for 176 points and 185 PiM in 98 games, highlighting his skills on transition.Â
Â
Bruce was selected in the first round of the WLA draft by the Salmonbellies in 1999. He was named to the league’s First All Star Team in 2003 and, as an Adanac, to the WLA Second All-Star Team in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and the First All Star team again in 2012. His WLA stats through last season (he missed 2009 due to a severe injury) include 54 goals and 130 assists for 184 points plus 381 PiM in 15 games. Last season he was awarded the league’s Maitland Trophy for best exemplifying outstanding play, sportsmanship and assistance to minor lacrosse.Â
Â
Bruce played three NLL seasons for the Vancouver Ravens, one for the Anaheim Storm, two for the Arizona Sting, three for the Colorado Mammoth and one in Edmonton. His NLL stats include 8 goals, 45 assists, 142 PiM and 268 loose balls retrieved in 146 games.Â
Â
Bruce’s other sports interests include rugby and slo-pitch softball. He also enjoys reading and gardening. He earned a diploma in technology at BCIT before his career as a firefighter for the City of Vancouver. His cooking specialties (at home and in the fire hall) include wonton soup, chili and lasagna. His favourite film is Braveheart. He likes novels by Nelson DeMille and Vince Flynn. He prefers country music. More than anything Bruce enjoys spending time with his lovely wife Kelly, who teaches middle school, and their two sons, Kalen and Keegan. Happily, they take after their mother and have fine heads of hair.Â
Â
Bruce says that the most influential people in his lacrosse career were his first coach, Tom Bevan, and former Adanac and Salmonbellies player and coach, Frank Nielsen.Â