Mario Brunetta (born January 25, 1967) is a Canadian-born Italian former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...
. He played 40 games in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
with the
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) an ...
between 1987 and 1989. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1987 to 2003, was mainly spent in Europe. Internationally Brunetta played for the
Italian national team in several tournaments, including the
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Nagano, Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, with some events ...
and three
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
.
Playing career
Brunetta was born in
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
,
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
. As a youth, he played in the 1979 and 1980
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament
The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...
s with a
minor ice hockey
Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...
team from Quebec City.
Brunetta was drafted 162nd overall by the
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) an ...
during the
1985 NHL Entry Draft. Following three years in the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...
he was promoted to the
Fredericton Express
The Fredericton Express were a professional ice hockey team based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. They played in the American Hockey League between 1981 and 1988. The Express were affiliated with the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks of ...
of the
AHL. He had a 4-1 start with the Express and was promoted to the Nordiques where he played 29 games that season. During the next two seasons he spent the majority of his time in the AHL and was eventually released. He pursued a career in Europe, playing for teams in Italy, Germany and Sweden.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
1967 births
Living people
Asiago Hockey 1935 players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Italy
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Germany
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden
Canadian ice hockey goaltenders
Canadian sportspeople of Italian descent
Eisbären Berlin players
ERC Ingolstadt players
Fredericton Express players
Frölunda HC players
Halifax Citadels players
HC Varese players
Ice hockey people from Quebec City
Ice hockey players at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Italian ice hockey goaltenders
Laval Titan players
Olympic ice hockey players for Italy
Quebec Nordiques draft picks
Quebec Nordiques players
20th-century Canadian sportsmen
Quebec Remparts players
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