He was born in Toronto and grew up playing minor hockey in St. Catharines.
But when it comes to the NHL, Dougie Hamilton will take the Bruins over the Maple Leafs in a heartbeat.
“I’m just happy to be here (in Boston) and happy I’m not in Toronto,” Hamilton told the Toronto Sun.
Who can blame him? If you were a 19-year-old defenceman with a team that won the Stanley Cup just 19 months ago and had the chance to play alongside Zdeno Chara, wouldn’t you feel the same?
Of course, he can’t completely escape the Toronto scene.
With friends and family in attendance, the Bruins will visit the ACC next Saturday for a Feb. 2 showdown with the Leafs. Having been selected ninth overall in 2011 with a pick acquired by Boston in the Phil Kessel trade, he can expect to be swarmed by reporters from the moment he arrives at the rink.
Having been through the same experience two years ago, Brampton’s Tyler Seguin, another remnant of the Kessel trade, was asked if he had any advice for Hamilton in handling the Toronto media onslaught.
“You can’t prepare for that,” Seguin chuckled. “How?
“He’ll have fun with it.”