By: Steve McClure | Follow me on Twitter / X @stmcclure1993
Mike “Krusher” Krushelnyski is celebrating his 64th birthday today. Happy birthday to the former Boston Bruins left-winger!
The Montreal native made the Bruins’ starting lineup during the 1982-83 season after a brief stint of seventeen games in 1981-82. His 23-42-65 production placed him sixth in points scored on the Bruins’ squad that rookie year. Playing with the Barry Pederson-Rick Middleton line, the 22-year-old also added fourteen points over the course of seventeen playoff games that year. In 1983-84, Krush scored 25 goals, but his total production dropped to 45 points as he missed fourteen games with a separated shoulder.
Boston traded Krushelnyski to Edmonton in exchange for Ken Linseman on June 21, 1984. While the trade worked out for Boston, as Linseman became an important cog in the offense for years to come, Krushelnyski made an immediate impact in Edmonton. He scored 43 goals and added 45 assists in that first season with the Oilers, making the NHL All-Star team and winning the first of his three Stanley Cups with Edmonton. Krush would later win a fourth Cup as the assistant coach of the Detroit Red WIngs’ 1996-97 team.
Bruins’ fans of the early 1980s will recall play-by-play announcer Fred Cusick often referring to Krushelnyski’s “long reach” when describing the lanky left-winger’s stick extension and ability to win puck battles. Mike lit the lamp 241 times in his career and totaled 569 regular-season points.
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