( Photo Credit: Last Word on Hockey | lastwordonhockey.com )
By: Andrew Lindroth | Follow me on Twitter @andrewlindrothh
Happy 54th Birthday To Former Boston Bruins Forward Ken Hodge Jr.!
Ken Hodge Jr. was born on April 13th, 1966, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He began playing for his high-school team as a 16-year-old forward for the St. John’s Prep Eagles (High-MA) and played for two years, appearing in 44 games and recording 47-71-118 numbers. After graduating, he entered the 1984 NHL Entry Draft and was selected in the third round by the Minnesota North Stars.
Hodge Jr. decided to continue his education and committed to Boston College in 1984. He played for the Boston College Eagles from 1984-1987, suiting up for 99 games and contributing 60-94-154 numbers. He forged his senior year to sign his entry-level contract with Minnesota and reported to the International Hockey League (IHL) to play for the Kalamazoo Wings. During his second year in the IHL, the forward was called up for his first National Hockey League action with the Wild and suited up for just five games before being reassigned to Kalamazoo (IHL) for the remainder of the season. He continued to play in the IHL in 1989-1990 for Kalamazoo, scoring 33 goals and 86 points in 68 games played.
In 1990, Hodge Jr. was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for their fourth-round pick (Jere Lehtinen) in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. The forward reported to the American Hockey League to play for the Maine Mariners, and after recording seven goals and 17 points in just eight games, he was called up to play for the Bruins. The 6’1, 200-pound forward played in 70 games that season and had an impressive rookie year, scoring 30 goals and 59 points with a +11 rating. The following season, Hodge Jr. suited up for 42 games with the Bruins, collecting 6-11-17 numbers and a -8 rating before being reassigned to the Maine Mariners (AHL) for the remainder of the year. On September 4th, 1992, the left-winger was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning with Matt Hervey in exchange for Darin Kimble and future considerations.
Hodge Jr. went on to play just 25 games with the Lightning and was reassigned to the IHL and split his time between the Atlanta Knights (IHL) and San Diego Gulls (IHL) that season. In 1993, he was signed by the New York Rangers as a free agent and reported to the AHL, playing in 79 games for the Binghamton Rangers (AHL) and posting 22-56-78 numbers. From 1994-1996, he returned to the IHL and played for the Kansas City Blades (IHL) and Minnesota Moose (IHL) before joining Germany’s professional league in 1996-1997.
From 1996-1998, Hodge Jr. played for Britain’s professional league, suiting up for a total of 83 games with the Cardiff Devils (Britain and BH-Cup) and posting 51-121-172 numbers before officially retiring from the hockey world in 1998.
Throughout his four-year career in the NHL, Hodge Jr. played in 142 games and recorded 39-48-87 numbers. Happy birthday, Ken Hodge Jr.!
Check out the new Black N’ Gold Hockey Podcast episode 174 that we recorded below on 4-12-20! You can find our show on many worldwide platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
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