Dougie Hamilton Wanted To Be A Boston Bruin For Life
Dougie Hamilton was shown off to the media today for the first time as a member of the Calgary Flames. The former Bruins defenseman and forward Michael Frolik were both introduced by Flames GM Brad Treliving as the newest members of one of the most improved teams in the Western Conference.
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“I think there’s obviously an expectation to win,” said Hamilton at his introduction. “I think I’m used to that being in Boston, but I think it’s exciting here with moving upwards and a team that maybe struggled in the past and really improved. Hopefully we can keep improving and I think that’s an exciting piece to be a part of.”
Hamilton was the Bruins leading scorer among the defensemen last season, putting up ten goals and forty-two points for the Black and Gold. Those were career highs for the 22-year old blueliner, and he’s expected to perform at that level for his new team.
Hamilton signed a six-year deal with Calgary earlier in the offseason. That contract has a cap hit of $5.75 million a season. There was a lot of talk in Boston about Dougie not wanting to play for the Bruins anymore. That talk escalated when Hamilton turned down a contract that had a cap hit of $5.5 million a year. (It certainly didn’t help that members of the media chose to denigrate Hamilton’s character and work ethic.)
It seemed pretty clear that the Bruins and Hamilton had parted ways, and that parting wasn’t a pretty one. Then Hamilton threw the Bruins a fan base with a curve ball at his introduction.
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“I always thought I was going to be a Bruin for life,” said Dougie Hamilton of his old team. “Like you said and always had that vision that I was only going to wear one jersey in the NHL. I’m really thankful to that organization for the opportunity I got my first few years and the development I got and everything, so it’s an organization … the fans are unbelievable and teammates and everything. It’s something I enjoyed a lot being there.”
Playing Devil’s Advocate for a moment, let’s say everything Dougie said about the Bruins is absolute truth. He liked the fans, he liked his teammates, and he liked the Bruins organization. If that’s the case, what went wrong? Did Dougie want to wear the Canadian Maple Leaf so badly that he was willing to leave Boston? Was there something going on during the last year of the Peter Chiarelli era that made the TD Garden anathema to Hamilton?
Something changed Dougie’s mind, and that change was radical and quick. Moving forward, the Bruins organization needs to have a bigger hand in helping these young players develop. Help them more than just on the ice. Joe Thornton, Phil Kessel, Tyler Seguin, and now Dougie Hamilton. Hopefully, Don Sweeney can help right the ship for the Bruins in this regard moving forward.