John Druce
Born in 1966 and raised in Peterborough, John Druce began playing minor hockey with St. Alphonsus Church. He moved on to AAA in Pee Wee and was later drafted by the Peterborough Petes in 1984, where he played two seasons. John was selected in the second-round, 40thoverall, in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals.
It was with the Washington Capitals that John made a name for himself, scoring 14 goals in just 15 games during the 1990 playoff season. John went on to play with the Winnipeg Jets, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers, who advanced to the 1997 Stanley Cup finals.
During his 10 years in the NHL, he played 531 games, scoring 113 goals and 239 points before joining the Hannover Scorpions of the Elite German league in 1999. He finished his professional playing career in 2000 with the Augsburg Panthers of the same league. John would remain active in the world of hockey, spending five years as a broadcaster with SportsNet; providing colour commentary for games in the OHL, AHL and NHL. Having a personal passion for pediatric cancer research, John joined the Pedal For Hope cycling team in 2005. The city of Peterborough has since named John as an honorary constable. To date the Pedal For Hope team has raised over 5 million dollars and still continues its fight against pediatric cancer.
In 2017 John added OJHL Head Coach to his resume. In his first two seasons as Head Coach in the OJHL, John made back to back national junior championship final game appearances at the RBC Cup, taking home the RBC Cup with the Cobourg Cougars in 2017 and leading the Wellington Dukes to the RBC finals in 2018.
Year Inducted:
2019
Status:
Active
Born in 1966 and raised in Peterborough, John Druce began playing minor hockey with St. Alphonsus Church. He moved on to AAA in Pee Wee and was later drafted by the Peterborough Petes in 1984, where he played two seasons. John was selected in the second-round, 40thoverall, in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals.
It was with the Washington Capitals that John made a name for himself, scoring 14 goals in just 15 games during the 1990 playoff season. John went on to play with the Winnipeg Jets, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers, who advanced to the 1997 Stanley Cup finals.
During his 10 years in the NHL, he played 531 games, scoring 113 goals and 239 points before joining the Hannover Scorpions of the Elite German league in 1999. He finished his professional playing career in 2000 with the Augsburg Panthers of the same league. John would remain active in the world of hockey, spending five years as a broadcaster with SportsNet; providing colour commentary for games in the OHL, AHL and NHL. Having a personal passion for pediatric cancer research, John joined the Pedal For Hope cycling team in 2005. The city of Peterborough has since named John as an honorary constable. To date the Pedal For Hope team has raised over 5 million dollars and still continues its fight against pediatric cancer.
In 2017 John added OJHL Head Coach to his resume. In his first two seasons as Head Coach in the OJHL, John made back to back national junior championship final game appearances at the RBC Cup, taking home the RBC Cup with the Cobourg Cougars in 2017 and leading the Wellington Dukes to the RBC finals in 2018.