Kenneth Raymond Hodge, Sr. (born 25 June 1944) is an English-born Canadian former

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

player who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL) for the

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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 ...

and

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...

. He was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, England, but grew up in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Ontario.

Playing career

One of the few British-born players in NHL history, Ken Hodge was signed by the Black Hawks as a teenager, and had a stellar junior league career with the St. Catharines Black Hawks of the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...

(OHA), leading the league in goals and points in the 1965 season before being called up for good to Chicago the next year. Stereotyped as a grinding policeman — at 6'2", 215 lbs, Hodge was one of the larger forwards of his era — the rangy right wing played two mediocre seasons with the Black Hawks before being sent to Boston in a blockbuster deal with teammates

Phil Esposito Philip Anthony Esposito ( , ; born February 20, 1942) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach and executive, and current broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he played 18 seasons in ...

and

Fred Stanfield Frederic William Stanfield (May 4, 1944 – September 13, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1964 until 1978. He won two Stanley Cups with the Boston Bruins, in 1970 ...

. The trade made the Bruins into a powerhouse, as Esposito centred Hodge and left wing

Ron Murphy Robert Ronald Murphy (April 10, 1933 – March 6, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins over the course of an 889-game National Hock ...

in the season to break the NHL record for points in a season by a forward line, and Hodge scored an impressive 45 goals and 45 assists to complement Esposito's record season of 126 points. His production fell off significantly the next season (although Boston won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

bolstered by Hodge's skilled play), but the season saw the Bruins launch the greatest offensive juggernaut the league had ever seen, breaking dozens of offensive records. In that flurry, on one of the most feared forward lines of the era (with linemates Esposito and

Wayne Cashman Wayne Cashman (born June 24, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played seventeen seasons for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) and helped them win the Stanley Cup twice, and was the last ac ...

), Hodge would break the league record for points in a season by a right winger with 105, and finish fourth in NHL scoring.

(with 152 points),

Bobby Orr Robert Gordon Orr (born March 20, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest of all time. Orr used his ice skating speed, scoring, and play-making abilities to revolutionize the pos ...

(with 139),

Johnny Bucyk John Paul Bucyk (born May 12, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Having played most of his career with the Boston Bruins, he has been associated in one capacity or another with th ...

(116) and Hodge finished 1–2–3–4 in league scoring, the first time in NHL history the season's top four scorers all played for one team. The season saw Hodge slowed down by injuries, although he recovered again in the playoffs to help the Bruins to their second

in three years. In , he scored 50 goals and 105 points to place third in league scoring, and with Esposito (145), Orr (122) and Cashman (89) likewise finished 1–2–3–4 in league scoring for the only other time in NHL history the season's top four scorers all played for one team. His offensive production negatively impacted by Esposito's trade to the

in early-November 1975, Hodge's remaining time with the Bruins was spent in head coach

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

's doghouse. Hodge was reunited with Esposito on May 26, 1976, when he was dealt to the Rangers who were hoping for a replication of their successes with the Bruins. The transaction cost the team

Rick Middleton Richard David "Nifty" Middleton (born December 4, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. Playing career As a youth, Middleton played in the 1966 Que ...

who was ten years younger and a swifter skater than Hodge.Eskenazi, Gerald. "Rangers Acquire Hodge Of Bruins for Middleton," ''The New York Times'', Thursday, May 27, 1976.
/ref>

Retirement

Hodge had only modest success in New York in the 1976–77 season, and tailed off badly the following year before being sent down to the

New Haven Nighthawks The New Haven Nighthawks were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1972 to 1992. They had affiliations with the Minnesota North Stars (1972–1977), New York Islanders (1972–1973), New York Rangers ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

(AHL). Hodge retired thereafter, but came out of retirement in 1979–80 to play for the

Binghamton Dusters The Binghamton Dusters were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. The team logo was designed by Johnny Hart, artist of the comic strip " B.C." a ...

of the AHL, in his final professional season. Hodge finished his NHL career with 881 games, 328 goals, 472 assists and 800 points. He still lives in the Boston area, and remains active with the Bruins' alumni team and in alumni affairs. Most recently, Hodge has been working as a broadcaster in Boston. He served as the radio colour commentator for the

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified ...

men's hockey team throughout their 2007–08

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

Championship season, working alongside play-by-play man

Jon Rish Jon Rish (born 1973) is an American former radio personality, best known for his work in the Boston area. Career Rish was a radio host for WEEI-FM in Boston. Rish attended Boston College and began his sportscasting experience on WZBC, the school ...

on flagship station WTTT (1150AM).

Personal life

Hodge lived in Lynnfield, Massachusetts during his career with the Bruins; his home was instantly recognisable and well known to local residents by its large swimming pool in the back yard in the shape of his Bruins' uniform number, 8. Hodge's son,

Ken Hodge, Jr. Kenneth David Hodge Jr. (born April 13, 1966) is a Canadian born-American former professional ice hockey player for the Minnesota North Stars, Boston Bruins, and Tampa Bay Lightning. Born in Canada and raised in the United States, he is the son ...

, was also a professional hockey player from 1987 to 1998. Hodge Jr. went on to coach the

Tulsa Oilers The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tuls ...

, whose roster included his younger brother Brendon, who wore their father's number 8. Brendon Hodge is now the assistant coach of the Rapid City Rushmore Thunder varsity hockey team, who won the 2014 state championship. Another son, Dan Hodge, was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the ninth round (194th overall) in the

1991 NHL Entry Draft The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was the 29th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The worst team in the previous 1990–91 season, the Quebec Nordiques, was g ...

, and played in the American Hockey League and International Hockey League, and won the 2000

Kelly Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...

championship in the East Coast Hockey League with the

Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen is the name of four minor league hockey clubs: *Peoria Rivermen (IHL), named as such 1984–1996, formerly the Peoria Prancers 1982–1984 * Peoria Rivermen (ECHL), 1996–2005 *Peoria Rivermen (AHL), 2005–2013 *Peoria Rivermen (S ...

Achievements

* Named a First Team All-Star in 1971 and 1974. * Played in the All-Star Game in 1971, 1973 and 1974. * Two time Stanley Cup champion (1970 and 1972)

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hodge, Ken 1944 births Living people Binghamton Dusters players Boston Bruins players Buffalo Bisons (AHL) players Canadian ice hockey right wingers Chicago Blackhawks players Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) coaches English emigrants to Canada English ice hockey players Ice hockey people from Ontario New Haven Nighthawks players New York Rangers players Portland Winterhawks coaches St. Catharines Teepees players St. Catharines Black Hawks players Sportspeople from Birmingham, West Midlands Sportspeople from Toronto Stanley Cup champions Canadian ice hockey coaches