The Newest K-Wing Has Quite The Red Wings Pedigree

As soon as I saw the tweet announcing the signing, I thought the name sounded familiar. Bruneteau. Yes, that name is a part of hockey history. And an even bigger part of Detroit Red Wings history.

First things first. The Kalamazoo Wings announced Thursday they had signed Nick Bruneteau. The release says "Bruneteau, 28, spent the last five seasons playing in Europe, including the last three in Italy. He posted 58 points (15 goals, 43 assists) in 81 games the last two years skating with SG Cortina in the Alps Hockey League. The Omaha, Nebraska native previously played the 2015-16 season in Norway with the Stavanger Oilers and the 2016-17 campaign in Germany with the Lausitzer Fuechse."

Bruneteau, a defenseman was a high school teammate of K-Wing Tanner Sorenson. That connection paved the way to Kalamazoo. Bruneteau last played in the ECHL six seasons ago for the Indy Fuel, where he was named an All-Star.

But that name, I knew it had history attached to it. Nick's grandfather was Ed Bruneteau, who played multiple seasons with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1940s. And Ed's brother was Modere Fernand "Mud" Bruneteau. That's it. Mud Bruneteau.

Mud Bruneteau as a Red Wings rookie, ended the longest game in NHL playoff history.

According to wikipedia,

"He had been called up to the Red Wings just two weeks earlier and was still trying to adjust to the pace of the NHL when he was thrown into his first playoff series. On March 24, 1936, at the Montreal Forum, against the Montreal Maroons, Mud scored the winning goal at 16:30 of the sixth overtime (116:30 of total overtime) to win the first game of the best-of-five series for Detroit, 1–0. Bruneteau batted a rolling puck past Maroons' goalie Lorne Chabot for the decisive score. Teammate Hec Kilrea was credited with an assist on the play. The game ended at 2:25 a.m."

The Red Wings went on to sweep the Maroons, 3 games to none. (The storied Montreal Canadiens actually finished last that season.) Then, the Red Wings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 (in the final year of best of five series) to win their first Stanley Cup.

Mud Bruneteau won a second Cup with the Red Wings in 1942-43.