George Hill (ice hockey) explained

George Hill
Birth Date:6 February 1941
Birth Place:Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height Ft:5
Height In:9
Weight Lb:174
Position:Center
Played For:Michigan Tech
Green Bay Bobcats
Charlotte Checkers
Omaha Knights
Tulsa Oilers
Los Angeles Blades
Buffalo Bisons
Calgary Stampeders
Career Start:1961
Career End:1972
Draft:Undrafted

George J. Hill is a Canadian retired ice hockey center and coach who was an All-American for Michigan Tech.

Early life

Hill was born in Winnipeg. In 1960, he led the Brandon Wheat Kings to a first-place finish in the MJHL championship, winning the league scoring title, Rookie of the Year, and MVP. Brandon won the league tournament and advanced all the way to the Abbott Cup final, where they fell to the Edmonton Oil Kings 3–4. Hill's team had a near repeat performance the following year, this time losing to Edmonton, 1–4.

Career

After two junior seasons, Hill was recruited to Michigan Tech by John MacInnes. He played on the freshman team in 1962 and watched the varsity club win the program's first National Championship. Hill led the team in scoring and was named both the WCHA Sophomore of the Year[1] and an All-American. The Huskies were unable to overcome North Dakota in the Conference semifinal and did not compete in the national tournament. Hill was named team captain the following year. While he produced nearly identical numbers, the team was unable to defeat Michigan, losing their two-game series 8–9 on aggregate.

Hill left after his second season and pursued a professional career, playing in several senior and minor leagues over the next eight years. He ended his career in Austria, helping Wiener EV to a runner-up finish in 1972. He was inducted into the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.[2]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
1958–59Flin Flon BombersSJHL
1959–60Brandon Wheat KingsMJHL
1960–61Brandon Wheat KingsMJHL
1962–63Michigan TechWCHA29 22 20 42 8
1963–64Michigan TechWCHA27 20 21 41 10
1964–65Green Bay BobcatsUSHL18 19 37
1965–66Charlotte CheckersEHL70 48 57 105 50
1966–67Omaha KnightsCPHL10 3 3 6 0
1966–67Tulsa OilersCPHL38 12 11 23 12
1966–67Los Angeles BladesWHL10 1 2 3 2
1967–68Buffalo BisonsAHL7 1 2 3 2
1967–68Calgary SpursWCSHL
1968–69Calgary StampedersASHL
1969–70Calgary StampedersASHL
1970–71Calgary StampedersASHL
1971–72Wiener EVAUT26 25 11 36 94
NCAA Totals56 42 41 83 18

Awards and honors

AwardYear
All-WCHA First Team1962–63[3]
AHCA West All-American1962–63[4]
All-WCHA Second Team1963–64

Notes and References

  1. News: WCHA Awards . College Hockey Historical Archives . May 19, 2013.
  2. News: George J. Hill . Michigan Tech Huskies . January 6, 2021.
  3. News: WCHA All-Teams. College Hockey Historical Archives. May 19, 2013.
  4. News: 1962-1963 All-American Team . The American Hockey Coaches Association . 2017-06-21.