Four-time Calder Cup winner Bruce Cline spent 13 seasons in the American Hockey League, making his name as one of the AHL’s all-time great scorers.
Making his AHL debut in 1955-56, the Quebec native notched 57 points in 64 games, helping the Providence Reds’ turnaround from last-place finisher the year previous to Calder Cup champions. Cline captured the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding rookie and played 30 games the following season with the New York Rangers, what would be the only National Hockey League stint of his career.
After three seasons with Providence, Cline skated for the Buffalo Bisons in 1958-59, tallying 61 points in 70 games and reaching the Calder Cup Finals. He then began an impressive four-year run with the Springfield Indians, where he was a key member of the greatest dynasty in AHL history. The Indians won three consecutive championships in 1960, 1961 and 1962, and Cline ranked among the league’s top goal-scorers over that time. He was named a First Team AHL All-Star in 1961 and was a Second Team selection in 1963.
Cline joined the Hershey Bears and finished his playing career there, playing five seasons in Chocolatetown. He retired with 321 goals – including eight 20-goal seasons – and 452 assists for 773 points in 823 regular-season games played in the American Hockey League, and was a prolific postseason performer as well: Cline’s 89 games and 58 points in Calder Cup Playoff action still rank among the league’s all-time leaders.