There's a great deal to be said for consistency, and that is exactly the term applied to Bruce MacGregor for much of his career. Playing with his hometown Edmonton Oil Kings of the CAHL, MacGregor's team twice went to the Memorial Cup. He was secured by the Detroit Red Wings, who sent him to their Western Hockey League affiliate, the Edmonton Flyers.
Once he joined the Wings in 1960-61, he was there for good, playing ten full seasons with Detroit. While with the Motor City, MacGregor flourished under the mentoring of Ted Lindsay, who had returned to the Red Wings in 1964-65 after a four-year retirement. That season, MacGregor scored 28 goals?his highest NHL output. The next season, he joined Paul Henderson and Norm Ullman on a line that became known as the HUM Line; second to the Production Line as the most explosive in Red Wing history.
When the Red Wings unexpectedly traded him to New York during the 1970-71 season, MacGregor debated whether he should report to Broadway or retire. He decided he still had some solid hockey remaining, though, and went to the Rangers, where he played four more seasons.
Although never a bona fide scorer, MacGregor possessed a tenacity that earned him a spot on Team Canada's 1974 WHA Summit Series roster. That autumn, he had jumped to the WHA, playing with his hometown Edmonton Oilers. Bruce MacGregor has been the longtime assistant general manager of the NHL's Edmonton Oiler franchise.
