Gilles Julien Hamel (born March 18, 1960) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
right wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authori ...
. He was drafted in the fourth round, 74th overall, by the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
in the
1979 NHL Entry Draft
The 1979 NHL Entry Draft was the 17th NHL Entry Draft. It took place on August 9, 1979, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 126 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in ...
. Gilles is the brother of
Jean Hamel
Joseph Jean Pierre Hamel (born June 6, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 699 games over 12 seasons in the National Hockey League. He played for the St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, Quebec Nordiques, and Montr ...
.
Biography
Hamel was born in
Asbestos, Quebec
Val-des-Sources (), meaning "Valley of the Springs", formerly known as Asbestos (), is a town in the Estrie (Eastern Townships) region of southeastern Quebec, Canada on the Nicolet River."Asbestos" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chic ...
. As a youth, he played in the 1972 and 1973
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament
The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...
s with a
minor ice hockey
Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from cla ...
team from Asbestos.
He played three seasons of junior hockey in the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...
. Hamel made his professional debut with the Sabres'
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
affiliate, the
Rochester Americans
The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...
, in the
1980 Calder Cup playoffs. After six seasons in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
with Buffalo, during which he scored 92 goals, he was traded to the
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...
in exchange for
Scott Arniel
Scott William Arniel (born September 17, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current associate coach of the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets. Previously, he was the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets and assoc ...
after the
1985–86 season.
Hamel had the most prolific goal-scoring season of his NHL career in
1986–87 with Winnipeg, notching 27 goals. After a mediocre
1987–88, however, and spending much of the early
1988–89 season in the AHL, Hamel was traded to the
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...
in exchange for
Paul Fenton Paul Fenton may refer to:
*Paul Fenton (musician) (born 1946), English drummer
*Paul Fenton (ice hockey)
Paul John Fenton Jr. (born December 22, 1959) is an American former ice hockey forward and executive. He has previously served as the gener ...
. He played just eleven games with the Kings during
that season, and spent the final year of his career playing in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
In his NHL career, Hamel appeared in 519 games. He scored 127 goals and added 147 assists. He also played in 27 NHL playoff games, scoring four goals and five assists.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamel, Gilles
1960 births
Living people
Buffalo Sabres draft picks
Buffalo Sabres players
Canadian ice hockey right wingers
Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) players
Drakkars de Caen players
Ice hockey people from Quebec
Laval National players
Los Angeles Kings players
Moncton Hawks players
New Haven Nighthawks players
People from Val-des-Sources
Rochester Americans players
Trois-Rivières Draveurs players
Winnipeg Jets (1979–1996) players