Andrew Hammond (ice hockey)

Lore & Background

Hammond played junior hockey in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and later attended Bowling Green State University, where he played four seasons with the Falcons. In 111 NCAA games he posted a 30–68–13 record and was named Bowling Green's Most Valuable Player for both the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons. It was at Bowling Green that his ability to 'steal' wins prompted teammate Wade Finegan to start calling him 'Robber,' then 'Burglar,' then 'Burgs,' finally evolving to 'The Hamburglar.' The nickname references the McDonald's mascot, whose likeness—in the guise of MAD magazine's Alfred E. Neuman—Hammond had painted onto his goalie mask.

After signing with the Ottawa Senators as a free agent in 2013, Hammond spent time in the AHL before being recalled in February 2014 for a brief appearance. His breakout came in the 2014–15 season: after being designated to Binghamton to start the season, he made his first NHL start on February 18, 2015, earning a 42-save victory. He then recorded consecutive shutouts against Anaheim and Los Angeles, and by March 17 he became just the second goaltender in NHL history to allow two goals or fewer in his first 12 starts, matching Frank Brimsek's record from 1938–39. Hammond finished the regular season 20–1–2, helping Ottawa clinch a playoff berth. He started the first two games of the first-round series against Montreal before being replaced by Craig Anderson.

Hammond signed a three-year contract extension with Ottawa in May 2015 but struggled in subsequent seasons, appearing in only 24 games in 2015–16 and 6 games in 2016–17 before being placed on waivers and reassigned. After season-ending hip surgery in February 2017, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche as part of a three-way deal in November 2017. He was recalled by the Avalanche multiple times, started one regular-season game, and appeared in three playoff games (starting two). He later played for the Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres (AHL only), and Montreal Canadiens, where in February 2022 he made his first regular-season start since March 2018 and earned his first win since April 2016.

Reader's Guide

Hammond's significance rests almost entirely on his extraordinary 2014–15 run with the Ottawa Senators. Called up from the AHL in February 2015, he posted a 20–1–2 record that single-handedly propelled a team that had seemed out of contention into the Stanley Cup playoffs. His streak of allowing two goals or fewer in his first 12 starts matched a record set by Hall of Famer Frank Brimsek in 1938–39. For his performance, Hammond was named the NHL's First Star for March 2015 and received Ottawa's nomination for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. He finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting and fifteenth in Hart Trophy voting.

After that season, Hammond never recaptured the same level of play. Injuries, including a torn labrum requiring hip surgery, limited his effectiveness. He moved through several organizations—Colorado, Minnesota, Buffalo, Montreal—often serving as a backup or playing in the AHL. His later NHL appearances were sporadic; he did not play an NHL game in the 2020–21 season and made only four appearances with Montreal in 2021–22. Despite his brief peak, the 'Hamburglar' remains a notable figure in Senators history for one of the most improbable goaltending runs in modern NHL history.

Did You Know?

• Hammond's nickname 'Hamburglar' originated from a teammate calling him 'Robber' at Bowling Green State University.
• He matched Frank Brimsek's 1938–39 record by allowing two goals or fewer in his first 12 NHL starts.
• He made his first NHL start on February 18, 2015, stopping 42 shots for a 4–2 win over Montreal.