Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour says Dougie Hamilton is 'misunderstood'
It was in 2015 that Hamilton, drafted by the Bruins with the ninth overall pick in 2011, essentially refused to negotiate a new contract with the Bruins. That forced B's general manager Don Sweeney to find a suitor for the 6-foot-6 defender. He ultimately landed in Calgary, where he set career-bests in a three-year run with the Flames before he was traded yet again, this time to the Hurricanes as part of a five-asset swap between the teams. All before Hamilton turned 26 years old.
Strange rumors circled Hamilton in both Boston and Calgary, too.
He was reportedly considered a 'loner' in both stops, or as somebody who kept to himself instead of going out with teammates and enjoying team functions. And according to some, it was with the Bruins that Hamilton essentially demanded that the B's trade for his older brother, Freddie Hamilton. (Freddie, spent some time with the Flames following Calgary's acquisition of Dougie, but has done almost nothing in his NHL career, with four goals and two assists in 75 games between four different organizations. Freddie did not play hockey anywhere in 2018-19.)
In other words, Hamilton could certainly seem like an odd bird.
But 'Canes coach Rod Brind'Amour had a different way of describing Hamilton.
"He’s an interesting guy," Brind'Amour, whose Hurricanes trail their third-round series against the Bruins 1-0 after a 5-2 loss on TD Garden ice on Thursday, began. "I think he’s misunderstood, totally.
"We got him and you hear things, and then you sit down with him and he’s very engaging. He wants to win really badly, as does everybody else. I think his personality is a little more laidback."
It was in 2015 that Hamilton, drafted by the Bruins with the ninth overall pick in 2011, essentially refused to negotiate a new contract with the Bruins. That forced B's general manager Don Sweeney to find a suitor for the 6-foot-6 defender. He ultimately landed in Calgary, where he set career-bests in a three-year run with the Flames before he was traded yet again, this time to the Hurricanes as part of a five-asset swap between the teams. All before Hamilton turned 26 years old.
Strange rumors circled Hamilton in both Boston and Calgary, too.
He was reportedly considered a 'loner' in both stops, or as somebody who kept to himself instead of going out with teammates and enjoying team functions. And according to some, it was with the Bruins that Hamilton essentially demanded that the B's trade for his older brother, Freddie Hamilton. (Freddie, spent some time with the Flames following Calgary's acquisition of Dougie, but has done almost nothing in his NHL career, with four goals and two assists in 75 games between four different organizations. Freddie did not play hockey anywhere in 2018-19.)
In other words, Hamilton could certainly seem like an odd bird.
But 'Canes coach Rod Brind'Amour had a different way of describing Hamilton.
"He’s an interesting guy," Brind'Amour, whose Hurricanes trail their third-round series against the Bruins 1-0 after a 5-2 loss on TD Garden ice on Thursday, began. "I think he’s misunderstood, totally.
"We got him and you hear things, and then you sit down with him and he’s very engaging. He wants to win really badly, as does everybody else. I think his personality is a little more laidback."
