By: Andrew Lindroth | Follow me on Twitter! @andrewlindrothh
Red Hamill was born on January 11th, 1917, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He began playing juniors as a 20-year-old forward for the Copper Cliff Jr. Redmen (NOJHA) and was instantly a star, scoring 20 goals and 24 points in only 15 games. After his phenomenal performance, the Boston Bruins wasted no time offering Hamill a multi-year contract. After both parties agreed to contract terms, the Bruins assigned the forward to develop with the Providence Reds (IAHL) for the 1937-1938 season, collecting eight goals and 17 points in 40 games.
Before the end of the 1937-1938 season, Hamill was summoned by the Bruins for his first NHL experience. The 5’11, 180-pound forward suited up for the final half-dozen games of the season and collected his first NHL point. The following season, Hamill continued to develop in the IAHL but this time with the Hershey Bears (IAHL), putting up 12-12-24 numbers in 45 games. He was once again called up for a brief stint with the Bruins at the tail end of the 1938-1939 season, appearing in six games while registering one point during that time. The Bruins decided to utilize the forward for their Stanley Cup run during the 1939 playoffs and played in 11 playoff games but failed to register a point. Although he could not contribute anything to his statistics, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1939, making Red Hamill a Stanley Cup champion as a 22-year-old.
The following season, Hamill first appeared with the Hershey Bears (IAHL), producing 9-10-19 numbers in just 22 games. From that point, the Bruins once again requested the forward’s services and finished the season by notching ten goals and 18 points through 30 appearances. He continued the laborious process of being sent down and being called back up the next few seasons with the Bruins until he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on December 18th, 1941, in exchange for cash.
The Bruins would miss out on Hamill’s prime-version, with the forward finishing the 1941-1942 campaign by producing offensive career-highs with 24 goals and 36 points in 43 games. Hamill would go on to having his best year as a player during the 1942-1943 season, suiting up for all 50 games while recording 28 goals and 44 points. After concluding the season, the forward would not return to play in the NHL until 1945, due to most American players serving the military during World War 2. In 1943-1944 though, Hamill was able to suit up for the Kingston Army (OHA-Sr.) during this time and blew the competition away, racking up ten goals and 26 points in just 14 games.
The 29-year-old forward returned to the NHL in 1945 and picked up where he left off with the Chicago Blackhawks organization. Although he was absent from the ice for over a year, Hamill hardly missed a beat and continued to be a regular contributor during the 1945-1946 season, notching 20 goals and 37 points in 48 appearances.
In 1946, Hamill was named captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, cementing his legacy in Chicago forever. The captain went on to have another strong performance that season, tallying 21 goals and 40 points in 60 appearances. Hamill continued his journey with Chicago until 1950 when he played just two games during the 1950-1951 season before being reassigned to the United States Hockey League (USHL). He finished the season with the Milwaukee Seagulls (USHL) with seven goals and 34 points in 52 contests. Hamill officially retired from the Hockey world in 1951.
Throughout his 12-year tenure in the NHL, Hamill racked up 128-94-222 numbers in 429 games. He also became a Stanley Cup champion with the Bruins in 1939, while later cementing his legacy in Chicago as captain for several seasons. Red Hamill passed away on December 12th, 1985, at the age of 68.
Leave a Reply