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Tom Williams: Star With The 1960 U.S.A. Forgotten Miracle On Ice

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tom williams minnesota north stars 1970-71 o-pee-chee hockey cardIt’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

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