'Feels Like Yesterday': Devils' Dougie Hamilton Reaches 800 Games Milestone

When New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton broke into the NHL, he was just 19 years old.

A member of the Boston Bruins, he began his professional hockey career alongside some of the game's greatest players, including Jaromír Jágr, Zdeno Chára, and Patrice Bergeron.

Since he first jumped over the boards for his first NHL shift at TD Garden, he has played 799 games. His hockey journey has taken him from Boston's seaport to the mountains near Calgary, back to the East Coast in Raleigh, North Carolina, and eventually to New Jersey.

On Friday, in a Devils uniform, Hamilton will play his 800th career NHL game.

"Pretty crazy," the defenseman said to The Hockey News. "It is definitely a lot of games (and) it puts stuff into perspective. When you are younger, you maybe don't think you (can) get that far. It is definitely pretty cool."

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Sitting at his stall in New Jersey's locker room, he reflected on what those veteran players used to say during his rookie year in Boston.

"One thing the older guys used to say is when you are a rookie, you got to enjoy it because it goes by really fast, and that is so true," Hamilton said.

Now Hamilton sits in the Devils locker room as one of the veterans.

One young player who always spoke highly of the defenseman is Dawson Mercer, who previously told The Hockey News that during his rookie season, Hamilton would check in on him to make sure things were okay.

"He was an older guy who came to a new team, and I was a younger guy who came to a new team," Mercer said on Thursday. "I guess we were in similar situations, but at different times in our career. He is a very well-rounded human being. A good guy who is there for you."

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From 19-year-old rookie to 31-year-old veteran. Time certainly does fly.

"Being in my 30s now at 800 games is crazy," Hamilton said. "It feels like yesterday that I was playing those early games. Hopefully, I can play many more."

The Hockey News asked the 6-foot-6 defenseman if there was one season over his 13-year career where he felt everything came together and clicked for him as a player.

"There are different challenges every year with what your role is and different things," he began. "My second year in Carolina, I had a really good start, and everything was going really well, and then I got injured. Maybe that season was the first season where it was a different role and all that kind of stuff. I would say that probably that season was the next step for me."

One player who was with Hamilton that season is his current teammate, Brett Pesce.

After Thursday's practice, Pesce spoke about Hamilton's growth, specifically in that second year in Carolina.

"I remember in Carolina the first year he cared more about offense," Pesce said. "Obviously, he is naturally so gifted and special with that. Then, in the second year, he really found his defensive game. I thought, honestly, that year, he was the best two-way defenseman in the league. His game just kind of continued to grow."

He continued to say that Hamilton's defensive game can be considered underrated because there is so much emphasis on his offensive game, including his lethal shot from the point on the power play.

That offensive game is starting to emerge, with Hamilton scoring two goals over his last three games. Over 28 games, he has five goals, including four on the man advantage.

"His offense has started to come, and that is what I expected," head coach Sheldon Keefe said to The Hockey News. "It probably took a little bit longer than I had expected, quite honestly, in terms of him shooting the puck and doing it assertively.

"It is a little bit of a challenge to, at times, be an assertive shooter when you have so much skill around you on our power play, specifically," Keefe continued. "As the season goes along and the power play is succeeding (opponents have) taken away some different channels of our power play and different passing lanes, and such. Inevitably, Dougie is going to be available more, and that is sort of the weapon that we have. Not a lot of teams have that where you can take away other looks, and then all of a sudden, you have got a bomb that can find its way through. Then (opponents) have to start to overthinking that a little bit, and it opens up other things."

Despite leading all defensemen with 21 points, Hamilton still feels he can be better.

"I think it was hard at the start, after not playing for so long," he said.

"Some situations you can replicate in practice, but then there is some game stuff you can't replicate," he continued. "I feel like some of that stuff (I was) working through and getting comfortable with more reps in different situations. I am just trying to keep getting better and working on little things.

"Still a lot of season left, so hopefully I can keep going."

Hamilton and the Devils will host the Seattle Kraken at 7:00 P.M. Friday at Prudential Center.

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