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