Hec Kilrea

Hector Joseph "Hurricane" Kilrea (June 11, 1907 — September 8, 1969) was a Canadian ice hockey forward. He played for the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Falcons, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League between 1925 and 1940. After his NHL career Kilrea spent four years in the American Hockey League, and retired in 1943. A noted scorer during his career, Kilrea twice finished in the top ten for scoring, and won the Stanley Cup three times, with the Senators in 1927 and Red Wings in 1936 and 1937. His brothers Ken and Wally, and nephew Brian were also NHL players. After retiring from hockey Kilrea served in the United States Army during World War II, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Later in life Kilrea worked for the Ford Motor Company, and died in 1969.

For other people named Kilrea, see Kilrea (disambiguation).

Hec Kilrea
Born (1907-06-11)June 11, 1907
Blackburn, Ontario, Canada
Died September 8, 1969(1969-09-08) (aged 62)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Ottawa Senators
Detroit Falcons
Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1925–1943

Playing career

Kilrea made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut in 1925 with the Ottawa Senators. In 1929–30 he finished fifth in league scoring with 58 points in 44 games[1] Kilrea spent six seasons with the Senators before the team suspended operations for the 1931–32 season, owing to financial difficulties. The Senators players were dispersed among the other NHL teams, with Kilrea selected by the Detroit Falcons.[2] He played the season there before rejoining the Senators for 1932–33. He was then traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing two seasons there before going to the Detroit Red Wings (the Falcons had renamed themselves in 1932). Kilrea played the last five seasons of his NHL career with Detroit, and followed that with four seasons in the minor American Hockey League (AHL), all with the Indianapolis Capitals.[3] With Indianapolis he won the Calder Cup as AHL champions in 1941–42.[4]

Personal life

Kilrea was born in Blackburn, Ontario. Aside from hockey, he was also a champion speed skater, and once won a race at the Montreal Forum in 1928, circuiting the ice in 16 2/5 seconds.[5] After his playing career Kilrea worked for the Ford Motor Company.[6]

His brothers Ken Kilrea, and Wally Kilrea, and nephew Brian Kilrea also played in the NHL. Brian would later become a coach, and coached the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League for 31 years.[7] Kilrea died on September 8, 1969.

Military career

After his retirement from hockey Kilrea became a U.S. citizen.[6] With the outbreak of World War II he tried to enlist with the Canadian military, but being in his early 30s was considered too old.[8] and like many others, enlisted for duty in World War II, finishing with the rank of staff sergeant. He saw action in Italy, including the Battle of Anzio and went on into France and Germany. On December 12, 1944 he took out a German tank, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (the second highest military decoration of the United States Army) for this. He also received the Purple Heart and French Croix de guerre. He served with Company "K", 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division.[6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1924–25 Ottawa Rideaus OCHL 16549— 30000
1925–26 Ottawa Senators NHL 3550512 20000
1926–27 Ottawa Senators NHL 421171848 61124
1927–28 Ottawa Senators NHL 431942366 21010
1928–29 Ottawa Senators NHL 38571236 —————
1929–30 Ottawa Senators NHL 4436225872 20004
1930–31 Ottawa Senators NHL 441482244 —————
1931–32 Detroit Falcons NHL 471331628 20000
1932–33 Ottawa Senators NHL 471482226 —————
1933–34 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 4310132315 52022
1934–35 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 4611132416 60004
1935–36 Detroit Red Wings NHL 486172337 70332
1936–37 Detroit Red Wings NHL 48691520 103142
1937–38 Detroit Red Wings NHL 48991810 —————
1938–39 Detroit Red Wings NHL 4889178 61230
1939–40 Detroit Red Wings NHL 120000 —————
1939–40 Indianapolis Capitals IAHL 41621276 50119
1940–41 Indianapolis Capitals AHL 4659146 —————
1941–42 Indianapolis Capitals AHL 5613102315 100006
1942–43 Indianapolis Capitals AHL 559101911 72132
NHL totals 633167129296438 48871518
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References
  1. Diamond 2002, p. 143
  2. Kitchen 2008, p. 309
  3. Diamond 2002, p. 739
  4. Smith 2004, p. 121
  5. "Game Report". Montreal Gazette. March 26, 1928. p. 8.
  6. Roose 2013
  7. MacKinnon 2012
  8. Desaulniers 2012

Bibliography
  • Desaulniers, Darren (April 14, 2012), "The Kilrea family's Killer memories", Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa, Ontario
  • Diamond, Dan, ed. (2002), Total Hockey: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Hockey League, Second Edition, New York: Total Sports Publishing, ISBN 1-892129-85-X
  • Kitchen, Paul (2008), Win, Tie, or Wrangle: The Inside Story of the Old Ottawa Senators, 1883–1935, Manotic, Ontario: Penumbra Press, ISBN 978-1-897323-46-5
  • MacKinnon, John (January 2, 2012), "Legendary coach Kilrea not as old school as you might think", Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, Alberta, retrieved May 7, 2020
  • Roose, Bill (November 11, 2013), Wings' Kilrea won medal for bravery, National Hockey League, retrieved May 6, 2020
  • Smith, Andrew (2004), Indianapolis Hockey, Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 0-7385-3336-X
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