Mel Hill
# Mel Hill

John Melvin Hill (February 15, 1915 – April 11, 1996) was an ice hockey right winger who was best known for his record three overtime goals in a playoff series in the 1939 playoffs which earned him the moniker, "Sudden Death". He was born in Argyle, Manitoba.

## Playing career

Hill started playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League in 1937–38, and played only six games, scoring two goals. The next season, he scored ten goals and had twenty points, but it was in the playoffs that year that he rose into prominence. In the semi-finals that year against the New York Rangers, he scored three sudden-death overtime goals to help the Bruins knock off the Rangers and go on to win the Stanley Cup. All in all, he had six goals and nine points in twelve games in the playoffs that year.

Hill was traded to the Brooklyn Americans for cash on June 27, 1941. He only played one season in Brooklyn as the team folded, but he scored 37 points in 47 games. After the season his rights were transferred to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the dispersal draft of Americans' players. The 1942–43 proved to be Hill's best in the NHL, as he scored seventeen goals and forty-four points in forty-nine games. He would go on to produce for the Leafs for three more seasons, before moving down to the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League for his final two professional seasons. Following that, he played four seasons of senior hockey with the Regina Capitals, leading them to the 1949 Allan Cup finals, his last seasons in organized hockey.

## Legacy

Hill finished his NHL career with 89 goals and 198 points in 324 games, and played for three Stanley Cup champions for Boston in 1939 and 1941, and Toronto in 1945. As of 2023, his mark of three overtime winning goals in a single playoff season remains unsurpassed as the NHL record.

Hill was also an accomplished soccer player who played for Saskatoon Legion in the late 1930s. He was selected for the Saskatchewan all star teams that played against the touring Islington Corinthians from England in 1938 and the touring Scottish F.A. team in 1939. Hill played on the left wing.

## After hockey

After his hockey career he owned and operated a Pepsi-Cola and Canada Dry bottling plant in Regina, Saskatchewan. Hill died at the age of 82 in 1996.

## Awards and achievements

* Stanley Cup Championships (1939, 1941 & 1945)
* "Honoured Member" of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

## Career statistics

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1932–33 | Saskatoon Tigers | N-SJHL | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1932–33 | Saskatoon Tigers | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1933–34 | Saskatoon Wesleys | N-SJHL | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 2 |
| 1934–35 | Sudbury Cub Wolves | NOJHA | 10 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1935–36 | Sudbury Frood Miners | NBHL | 10 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1936–37 | Sudbury Frood Miners | NBHL | 15 | 18 | 5 | 23 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1936–37 | Sudbury Frood Miners | AC | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 6 |
| 1937–38 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937–38 | Providence Reds | IAHL | 40 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 1938–39 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 46 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 12 |
| 1939–40 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 38 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940–41 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 41 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1940–41 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1941–42 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1941–42 | Brooklyn Americans | NHL | 47 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1942–43 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 49 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 47 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1943–44 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 17 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1944–45 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 45 | 18 | 17 | 35 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| 1945–46 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 35 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1945–46 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 13 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1946–47 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 62 | 26 | 36 | 62 | 42 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| 1947–48 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 63 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1948–49 | Regina Capitals | WCSHL | 43 | 23 | 30 | 53 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 |
| 1948–49 | Regina Capitals | AC | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 11 |
| 1949–50 | Regina Capitals | WCSHL | 50 | 17 | 21 | 38 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1950–51 | Regina Capitals | MCMHL | 22 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1951–52 | Regina Capitals | SSHL | 17 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 324 | 89 | 109 | 198 | 128 | 43 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 18 |
