Paul Johannes Kruse (born March 15, 1970) is a Canadian former

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 ...

left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politic ...

. He played 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

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

, and

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

between 1991 and 2001. He was drafted in the fourth round, 83rd overall, by the

in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

After playing three seasons in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

with the

Moose Jaw Warriors The Moose Jaw Warriors are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Warriors play in the East Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, hosting games at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. The t ...

and

Kamloops Blazers The Kamloops Blazers are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Kamloops, British Columbia. The team plays in the B.C. Division of the Western Hockey League's Western Conference and plays its home games at the Sandman Centre. The Blaze ...

, Kruse joined the International Hockey League's

Salt Lake Golden Eagles The Salt Lake Golden Eagles were a minor professional hockey team based in Salt Lake City from 1969 to 1994. History They played in the Western Hockey League from 1969 to 1974, the Central Hockey League from 1974 to 1984 and the International H ...

. After splitting three seasons between the Golden Eagles and the Flames, he joined the Flames full-time in the 1993–94 season. During the 1996–97 season, Kruse was acquired by the

. At the trade deadline of the 1997–98 season, he was traded, along with Jason Holland, to the

for Jason Dawe. Kruse was a member of the Buffalo Sabres team which went to the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

Finals in the 1998–99 season, appearing in ten playoff games during the run. Kruse's last NHL appearance came when he dressed for one game for the 2000–01

. He went to Europe after the season, playing two years in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

's British Ice Hockey Superleague for the

Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The club's main (tit ...

and the

Belfast Giants The Belfast Giants (known officially as the Stena Line Belfast Giants due to sponsorship) are a professional ice hockey team based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They compete in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League, Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). T ...

and one more year playing in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

playing for

EHC Black Wings Linz The Steinbach Black Wings Linz are a member of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). They play their home games in Linz, Austria at the Linz AG Eisarena. History The EHC Black Wings Linz was founded in 1992. After several years in the Austrian minor ...

before retiring. Kruse and his wife Laurie-Anne have two daughters. Mckinley and sierra kruse.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

External links

* 1970 births Living people Belfast Giants players Buffalo Sabres players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Calgary Flames draft picks Calgary Flames players Canadian ice hockey left wingers Chicago Wolves (IHL) players EHC Black Wings Linz players Ice hockey people from British Columbia Ice Hockey Superleague players Kamloops Blazers players Merritt Centennials players Merritt Warriors players Moose Jaw Warriors players New York Islanders players People from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) players San Jose Sharks players Sheffield Steelers players Utah Grizzlies (IHL) players {{Canada-icehockey-winger-1970s-stub