THE GARY BROMLEY COLLECTION
About Gary (Garry) Bromley
Garry Bromley was born January 19, 1950.
Yes – that is not a typo – Gary Bromley’s real name is actually Garry Bromley. It turns out that Garry admits to being a lazy student when he was young, and having to write two R’s in his name was too much work, so he shortened his name to Gary with one R to save time and effort. And that’s how the junior and professional hockey worlds came to know Garry – as Gary Bromley. In fact, it wasn't until recent years that Garry went back to the proper spelling of his first name.
So forgive me Garry, but for our purposes we’re going to go with your “stage” name – Gary Bromley.
Gary Bromley played an impressive four seasons for the Junior A Regina Pats. Moreover, he played in two Memorial Cup tournaments - in 1969 for his own Regina Pats, then 1970 as an emergency call up for the Weyburn Tigers.
Goaltender Gary Bromley spent six years in the NHL in the 1970s and '80s chiefly as a second stringer. In addition to his NHL tenure, he was solid in junior, the minor leagues, and the WHA.
The native of Edmonton, Alberta played junior with the Regina Pats. He was signed as a free agent by the Buffalo Sabres in September 1971 and then spent two full years in the minors. His first minor league season was spent with the Charlotte Checkers of the Eastern Hockey League, and it was there that he was given the nickname “Bones” for being so skinny (5' 10", 145 lbs). The nickname has stayed with Gary his entire life.
Bromley moved on to play for the Cincinnati Swords of the AHL, and he helped the Swords win the Calder Cup in 1973. He then appeared briefly with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres in 1973-74. The loss of Dave Dryden to the WHA and the health concerns surrounding Roger Crozier gave Bromley a chance to shine in 1974-75. He posted a 26-11-11 record with four shutouts but was relegated to back up status when Buffalo acquired Gerry Desjardins late in the season.
After an injury-riddled season in 1975-76, Bromley joined the Calgary Cowboys of the WHA the next season. After the Calgary franchise folded, he spent the 1977-78 campaign with the high-flying Winnipeg Jets where he played the majority of the games in the Jets’ Avco Cup winning season. A day after winning the Cup in May 1978, he signed as a free agent with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Bromley played parts of three seasons with the Canucks where he shared time with Glen Hanlon, Dunc Wilson, and Richard Brodeur.
It was while he was with the Canucks that his mask maker, Greg Harrison, came up with the Skull and Bones motif for his mask.
In May 1981 Gary was traded to the Los Angeles Kings by Vancouver to complete a transaction that sent Doug Halward to Vancouver (March 8, 1981). He retired after spending the 1981-82 season with the New Haven Nighthawks of the AHL.
In total Gary played 136 regular games in the NHL and another 7 playoff games. He recorded 7 shutouts.
Primary Source: The Hockey Hall Of Fame’s Player Search.
Here is what our friends at Wikipedia have to say about Gary.
Here are Gary’s lifetime stats courtesy of HockeyDB.com.