Thomas Mark "Tommy, The Bomber" Williams (April 17, 1940 – February 8, 1992) was an American 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 h ...

player. A good skater and shooter, he received his nickname due to an incident in the early 1970s when he joked with Toronto customs officials that his bag contained a bomb (he was suspended for one game by the NHL as punishment). During most of the 1960s, Williams was the first regular American player in the NHL.

Amateur career

Born in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, Williams was a member of the U.S. Olympic hockey team that defeated Czechoslovakia and won the Gold Medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. He scored one goal and had four assists while playing on the second line with Bill Christian and Roger Christian.

Professional career

His

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 ...

career began when he joined the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

for the

1961–62 NHL season The 1961–62 NHL season was the 45th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Toronto Maple Leafs were the Stanley Cup champions as they defeated the Chicago Black Hawks four games to two. League business At a meeting of the owners a ...

. After eight seasons with the Bruins (and a serious injury in 1968 that almost ended his career) he joined the

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

, where he played for a season and a half until he was traded to the

California Golden Seals The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The ...

. After just two seasons with the Golden Seals, Williams jumped to the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

(WHA) to play for the

New England Whalers New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

. Upon his return to the NHL he joined the new expansion team

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

, led the team in scoring (22 goals, 36 assists) and was awarded the franchise's first penalty shot on December 5, 1974, against 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 ...

. He retired during the

1975–76 NHL season The 1975–76 NHL season was the 59th season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, defeating the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers in the final. This season also marked the final time that Hockey Night ...

. He and younger brother Butch Williams were the first American brothers to play in the NHL.

Post-career

In 1981, Williams was inducted into the

United States Hockey Hall of Fame The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and ...

. He made an appearance on the American gameshow ''

I've Got a Secret ''I've Got a Secret'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show, ''What's My Line ...

,'' in which his secret was (at the time, in early 1966) that he was the only American-born player in major professional hockey.

Personal life

Williams' life was marred by personal tragedies that also had a negative impact on his playing career. In November 1970 his wife was found dead in a car; it was never determined for certain whether her death was due to accident or suicide. Normally a happy-go-lucky free spirit, he became moody and fought with North Stars manager Jack Gordon, who suspended him before trading him to the Seals. After he had retired from hockey, remarried and found a new career, his 23-year-old son Robert (a

prospect) died in 1987. Williams himself died of a heart attack in

Hudson, Massachusetts Hudson is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, with a total population of 20,092 as of the 2020 census. Before its incorporation as a town in 1866, Hudson was a neighborhood and unincorporated village of Marlborough, Massa ...

on February 8, 1992, at the age of 51.Shorthanded: The Untold Story of the Seals: Hockey's Most Colorful Team (pp.128-130), by Brad Kurzberg, AuthorHouse (2006),

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

*
ESPN Classic - The First Miracle On Ice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Tom 1940 births 1992 deaths American men's ice hockey right wingers Boston Braves (AHL) players Boston Bruins players California Golden Seals players Ice hockey players from Duluth, Minnesota Ice hockey players at the 1960 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Winter Olympics Minnesota North Stars players New England Whalers players New Haven Nighthawks players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in ice hockey United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Washington Capitals players