Bruce Hoffort was an elite college hockey goaltender for Lake Superior State University, and his outstanding performance during the 1988-89 season earned him a spot as a top-ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Although he was undrafted, Hoffort’s college career was marked by significant team and individual success, including backstopping the Lakers to the 1988 NCAA National Championship, where he was named the NCAA Tournament MVP. His senior year, which earned him the Hobey Baker nomination, also saw him named the CCHA Player of the Year, a First-Team All-American, and a two-time All-CCHA First Team selection. Over his two seasons at LSSU, Hoffort helped the team become a collegiate powerhouse, finishing with a 50 career win total.

Following his time at LSSU, Hoffort embarked on a short professional career that included nine games in the National Hockey League with the Philadelphia Flyers over the 1989–90 and 1990–91 seasons. Notably, Hoffort holds a unique NHL record as the goaltender with the most career games (9) without ever registering a loss, compiling a record of 4 wins, 0 losses, and 3 ties. The rest of his three-year professional playing career was spent in the minor leagues, including time with the Hershey Bears (AHL) and the Kansas City Blades and San Diego Gulls (IHL), before retiring in 1992.