Number 41 (Retired on the 5th September 1999)
Born in Winnipeg, Canada, on the 11th of June 1970, Brad Rubachuk began his pro-career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Canadian Western Hockey League (WHL). Three seasons later, Ruby as he was affectionately known, then joined the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Rochester Americans for a further three seasons, before splitting the next season between the now-defunct International Hockey League’s (IHL) Fort Wayne Comets, and the AHL’s Binghamton Rangers.
The 1995/96 season saw Rubachuk make the leap across the pond to Europe, where he joined the British First Division (BD1) Swindon Wildcats for a season, before moving to the Manchester Storm for the inaugural Ice Hockey Super League (ISL) season. In little under 3 full seasons with the Storm, Rubachuk played 196 games and amassed 72 goals and 88 assists for a total of 173 points. This, along with 508 penalty minutes, shows the determination and quality of Ruby.
However, this impressive career was tragically cut short when Rubachuk broke his neck while playing against the Bracknell Bees in a collision with the Bees’ Paxton Schulte. Luckily, the doctors assured Rubachuk that he would be able to lead a normal life, go golfing, and skate with his family… but his career as an Ice Hockey superstar had come to an end at the age of just 29 years old.
“Brad Rubachuk encapsulated everything that is Manchester Storm. He was the type of player every team craves, he always gave 100% effort on the ice and he always had plenty of time for the fans off the ice. It’s because of this he was loved by everyone at Storm, players and fans alike. He was the kinda player you’d know had his teammates’ back, never afraid to be in the mix when the rough stuff was being dished out but also there on the score sheet plenty of times too. Those kinds of players don’t come around too often, so the fact his career was cut short through injury is still a sore point with Storm fans. The number 41 was always the jersey you could rely on game in and game out, and number 41 for Manchester Storm will always belong to Brad Rubachuk.”
For more details about the career of Rubachuk, please visit the Elite Prospects website by clicking HERE.
