RE 10-11: Gilbert Brule

Once upon a time, everyone loved Gilbert Brule. He was ranked as a lottery pick his draft year and no one in the entire land had a discouraging word. He was compared in style to Theo Fleury, and the toughest public scouts of all (Redline Report) threw away their cranky thesaurus and gushed:If Brule follows Sidney Crosby as the 2nd overall pick in the draft, it will be the first time since 1981 (Dale Hawerchuk & Doug Smith) the top two picks were both under 6-0. Size isn’t a concern with Brule, because he plays such a big game. At times, he’s actually physically dominating because of his fearless and abrasive style. And let’s not forget about his offensive skills, which are NHL calibre. Brule has one of the hardest, most accurate shots we’ve ever seen in the WHL. As close to the complete package as a 5-10 player can ever be.If we could skip from the day that scouting report was published right to opening night 09-10, the Gilbert Brule story would be a lot easier to explain. Howev...