It’s hard to believe now but there was a time when there was just one U.S. born and raised player in the National Hockey League. Tom Williams was given that distinction on the back of his 1963-64 Topps hockey card. He was the first American to play regular in the league since Frank Brimsek ended his outstanding career after the 1949-50 season.
Charlie Burns was born in the U.S. and was a teammate with Williams in Boston in 1961-62 and 1962-63. However, by 1963-64 Burns was in the WHL with the San Francisco Seals. Besides, Charlie was born in Detroit, Michigan but moved to Toronto at a young age. All of his hockey training came north of the border. The two would again be teammates in the NHL after expansion with the Minnesota North Stars.
Tom Williams – Amateur and Minor Pro
Tom Williams Collection
Tom Williams – NHL
Tom Williams – WHA
Tom Williams – Rookie Card
Tom Williams Career Stats
Tom Williams – Amateur and Minor Pro
Tommy Williams played some junior hockey in Fort Williams, Ontario (Thunder Bay) before joining up with the United States national program. He played with Team U.S.A. for the 1958-59 and 1959-60 seasons, culminating in the 1960 Winter Olympic Games.
The Olympics were held that year in Squaw Valley. Both the U.S. and Canada went undefeated through the round robin and medal round. That is, until the two teams met. The U.S. came out with a 2-1 victory and went on to capture the gold medal, two points ahead of their cross border rivals. Jack McCartan starred between the pipes for the Americans.
Tom Williams Collection
Before his National Hockey League career bloomed, Williams played two years of minor pro in the EPHL with the Kingston Frontenacs in 1960-61 and 1961-62. In his first year, he was teamed with the likes of Orval Tessier, Harry Sinden and Real Chevrefils with the Boston affiliate.
In his second season with the Frontenacs, the team added Ed Chadwick in net and Dick Cherry to the roster. Kingston reached the EPHL finals before falling to the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens.
In 1971-72, before switching over to the World Hockey Association, Tom finished up his season in the AHL with the Boston Braves. He would finish up his career in the American Hockey League in 1975-76 with the New Haven Nighthawks.
Tom Williams – NHL
Between 1961-62 and 1975-76, Tom Williams played 663 regular season games in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars, California Golden Seals and Washington Capitals. Over that time, he scored 161 and assisted on 269 for 430 points.
He played just ten games in the Stanley Cup playoffs, four with the Bruins and six with the North Stars. This equates to 66.3 regular season games per every one playoff game. To compare, players like Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier have a ratio of less than six.
In his first full season, 1962-63, Williams scored 23 goals for the Bruins. It would turn out to be a career best in an injury filled decade and a half. His 52 assists on 1969-70 with Minnesota was a career high and placed him third in the NHL that year behind Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito.
That was his first year with the North Stars after coming over from Boston in an off-season trade that sent Barry Gibbs in the other direction. Minnesota then off-loaded him to the Golden Seals in February of 1971 with Dick Redmond for Ted Hampson and Wayne Muloin.
Tom was traded back to the Bruins on March 5, 1972 for cash. However, he would never play for Boston again, instead opting to join the WHA for the rebel league’s inaugural season.
Williams returned to the National Hockey League for the 1974-75 season to play for the expansion Washington Capitals. He led the Caps in scoring in their inaugural season and even took the team’s first penalty shot.
He and brother Butch have the distinction of being the first American brothers to both play in the NHL. Tom was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981. He would pass away in 1992 from a heart attack.
Tom Williams – WHA
The New England Whalers selected Williams in their 1972 General Draft. He played with the team for the 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons. Over the two years, Tom played 139 regular season games, scoring 31 and assisting on 58 for 89 points.
In the playoffs, he added 20 points in 19 games. In stark contrast to his NHL career, Williams played just 7.3 regular season games for every WHA playoff game. In 1972-73, he helped New England to an Avco World Trophy championship with a win over the Winnipeg Jets in the finals.
At the 1974 WHA Expansion Draft, Williams was picked up by the Phoenix Roadrunners. Instead of heading to Arizona, Tom returned to the NHL and the Washington Capitals. Either way, he would play for an expansion team in 1974-75.
Tom Williams – Rookie Card
The Tom Williams rookie card appears as number 21 in the 1962-63 Topps NHL hockey card set. On the back, it mentions that Williams is the first American born regular on the Bruins since Frank Brimsek.
Mostly all of his hockey cards refer to his being American and his problems with injuries. Often the cards refer to his winning gold at Squaw Valley. Not a lot of specifics are mentioned when it comes to his injuries, except for a fractured arm and problems with his knees.
Tom Williams Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1958-59 | U.S. National Team | Intl | 50 | 21 | 12 | 33 | 22 |
| 1959-60 | U.S. Olympic Team | Intl | — | 21 | 17 | 38 | 0 |
| 1960-61 | Kingston Frontenacs | EPHL | 51 | 16 | 26 | 42 | 18 |
| 1961-62 | Kingston Frontenacs | EPHL | 36 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 35 |
| 1961-62 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 26 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 2 |
| 1962-63 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 69 | 23 | 20 | 43 | 11 |
| 1963-64 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 37 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 8 |
| 1964-65 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 65 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 28 |
| 1965-66 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 31 |
| 1966-67 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 29 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 2 |
| 1967-68 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 68 | 18 | 32 | 50 | 14 |
| 1968-69 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 26 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 19 |
| 1969-70 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 75 | 15 | 52 | 67 | 18 |
| 1970-71 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 41 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 16 |
| 1970-71 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 18 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 8 |
| 1971-72 | Boston Braves | AHL | 31 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 8 |
| 1971-72 | California Golden Seals | NHL | 32 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 |
| 1972-73 | New England Whalers | WHA | 69 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 14 |
| 1973-74 | New England Whalers | WHA | 70 | 21 | 37 | 58 | 6 |
| 1974-75 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 73 | 22 | 36 | 58 | 12 |
| 1975-76 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 20 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 4 |
| 1975-76 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 34 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 6 |
| NHL Totals | 663 | 161 | 269 | 430 | 177 | ||
| WHA Totals | 139 | 31 | 58 | 89 | 20 |