Wayne Wilson Hicks (born April 9, 1937) is an American-born Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

right winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) with the

Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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 (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

and

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

. Hicks was born in

Aberdeen, Washington Aberdeen ( ) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,013 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is the most populous in Grays Harbor County and the region's economic center, bordering t ...

and raised in

Kelowna, British Columbia Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ', ...

. Hicks played one game for Chicago in the

1961 Stanley Cup Finals The 1961 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1960–61 season, and the culmination of the 1961 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Black Hawks. ...

, helping them win the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () 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, and the International Ic ...

. Hicks has the distinction of being the first American-born player to play on the Philadelphia Flyers and was part of the team's starting lineup for the opening shift against the

California Golden Seals The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967–68 NHL season, 1967 to 1975–76 NHL season, 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oa ...

in the franchise's inaugural regular-season game on October 11, 1967. Hicks scored the first goal at the renovated

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

on February 18, 1968. Hicks is the father of

Alex Hicks Alex is a given name. Similar names are Alexander, Alexandra, Alexey or Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Cook (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Forsyth (disambiguation), multiple people * Ale ...

, who also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins. When Alex had his first game for the Penguins, it marked the first time a father and son played for the Penguins franchise.

Awards

* Stanley Cup champion, Chicago Black Hawks (1961) * Inducted to

Regional District of Central Okanagan The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) is a regional district in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, representing two unincorporated Electoral Areas of Central Okanagan East and Central Ok ...

Sports Hall of Fame, 2015

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1937 births Living people American men's ice hockey right wingers Canadian ice hockey right wingers Baltimore Clippers players Boston Bruins players Buffalo Bisons (AHL) players Chicago Blackhawks players Ice hockey people from Washington (state) Montreal Canadiens players People from Aberdeen, Washington Philadelphia Flyers players Phoenix Roadrunners (WHL) players Pittsburgh Penguins players Quebec Aces (AHL) players Salt Lake Golden Eagles (WHL) players Sault Thunderbirds players Ice hockey people from Kelowna Stanley Cup champions {{US-icehockey-winger-stub