Mel Hill

John Melvin Hill (February 15, 1914 – April 11, 1996) was an ice hockey right winger who was perhaps best known for his record three overtime goals in a playoff series in the 1939 playoffs which earned him the moniker, "Sudden Death". He was born in Glenboro, Manitoba.

For the Big Brother UK contestant, see Melanie Hill (Big Brother).
Mel Hill
Born (1914-02-15)February 15, 1914
Glenboro, Manitoba, Canada
Died April 11, 1996(1996-04-11) (aged 82)
Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Boston Bruins
Brooklyn Americans
Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career 1932–1952

Playing career

Hill started playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League in 1937–38, and played only six games, scoring two goals. The next season, he scored ten goals and had twenty points, but it was in the playoffs that year that he rose into prominence. In the semi-finals that year against the New York Rangers, he scored three sudden-death overtime goals to help the Bruins knock off the Rangers and go on to win the Stanley Cup. All in all, he had six goals and nine points in twelve games in the playoffs that year.

Hill was traded to the Brooklyn Americans for cash on June 27, 1941. He only played one season in Brooklyn as the team folded, but he scored 37 points in 47 games there. After the season his rights were transferred to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the dispersal draft. The 1942–43 proved to be Hill's best in the NHL, as he scored seventeen goals and forty-four points in forty-nine games. He would go on to produce for the Leafs for three more seasons, before moving down to the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League.

Hill finished his NHL career with 89 goals and 198 points in 324 games, and managed to win three Stanley Cups Boston Bruins 1939, 1941, Toronto 1945.

Hill was also an accomplished soccer player who played for Saskatoon Legion in the late 1930s. He was selected for the Saskatchewan all star teams that played against the touring Islington Corinthians from England in 1938 and the touring Scottish F.A. team in 1939 and played on the left wing.

After hockey

After his hockey career he owned and operated a Pepsi-Cola and Canada Dry bottling plant in Regina, Saskatchewan. Hill died at the age of 82 in 1996.

Awards and achievements

Career statistics
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1932–33 Saskatoon Tigers N-SJHL 3 4 1 5 0 — — — — —
1932–33 Saskatoon Tigers MC — — — — — 3 4 0 4 0
1933–34 Saskatoon Wesleys N-SJHL 4 3 2 5 0 9 12 7 19 2
1934–35 Sudbury Cub Wolves NOJHA 10 9 4 13 8 5 2 1 3 0
1935–36 Sudbury Frood Miners NBHL 10 7 6 13 15 — — — — —
1936–37 Sudbury Frood Miners NBHL 15 18 5 23 10 2 1 0 1 0
1936–37 Sudbury Frood Miners AC — — — — — 14 8 14 22 6
1937–38 Boston Bruins NHL 6 2 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0
1937–38 Providence Reds IAHL 40 13 10 23 0 7 4 2 6 0
1938–39 Boston Bruins NHL 46 10 10 20 16 12 6 3 9 12
1939–40 Boston Bruins NHL 38 9 11 20 19 3 0 0 0 0
1940–41 Boston Bruins NHL 41 5 4 9 4 8 1 1 2 0
1940–41 Hershey Bears AHL 5 1 5 6 4 — — — — —
1941–42 Springfield Indians AHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1941–42 Brooklyn Americans NHL 47 14 23 37 10 — — — — —
1942–43 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 49 17 27 44 47 6 3 0 3 0
1943–44 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 17 9 10 19 6 — — — — —
1944–45 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 45 18 17 35 14 13 2 3 5 6
1945–46 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 35 5 7 12 10 — — — — —
1945–46 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 13 7 8 15 0 6 1 2 3 0
1946–47 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 62 26 36 62 42 13 3 6 9 6
1947–48 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 63 10 22 32 14 2 0 0 0 2
1948–49 Regina Capitals WCSHL 43 23 30 53 11 8 4 6 10 4
1948–49 Regina Capitals AC — — — — — 14 8 6 14 11
1949–50 Regina Capitals WCSHL 50 17 21 38 16 — — — — —
1950–51 Regina Capitals MCMHL 22 3 5 8 6 — — — — —
1951–52 Regina Capitals SSHL 17 7 11 18 16 3 1 0 1 9
NHL totals 324 89 109 198 128 43 12 7 19 18
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