Player Inductees

Biography

Bruce Stuart was one of the many quality hockey players that came out of the Ottawa Valley in the early days of the sport. He was an all-round player, capable of playing any of the forward positions although he excelled as a rover due to his excellent skating abilities.

His career began to take flight as a member of Ottawa's legendary Silver Seven before he turned professional with the Pittsburgh Victorias of the WPHL in 1902. Stuart led WPHL with 16 goals in his first pro season and was named to the First All-Star team. He furthered his professional career in the IHL with Portage Lakes, counting 68 goals in 65 games over a span of three seasons.

Stuart could well be considered one of the first power forwards of the game. Standing over six feet tall, he was a large man for his era, and it should not go unnoticed that his statistical totals included 162 penalty minutes over the same three-year period. He earned a First All-Star Team selection in 1906 to go along with his Second Team selection in 1905.

In 1908, Stuart hooked up with the Montreal Wanderers and participated in the March Stanley Cup challenge series. He contributed eight goals in the three challenge games including four in one game against Winnipeg and the insurance marker in the Wanderers 6-4 victory over Toronto. He was also with the Wanderers when they defended their Cup title against the Edmonton Eskimos in December 1908.

Stuart returned home to Ottawa in 1908-09 and captained the Senators to Stanley Cup wins in both 1909 and 1910, leading the 1910 post-season scoring parade with ten goals in four games. He finished his playing career with the Senators in 1911 after playing three games in the newly-formed National Hockey Association.

Stuart's health began to fail him in his later years and he was confined almost completely to his bed or an easy chair. He was able to travel to Toronto in August 1961 to attend the official opening of the Hockey Hall of Fame and view his portrait and that of older brother Hod Stuart, for they had been inaugural inductees at the new museum.