Andrew 'The Hamburglar' Hammond: 5 things to know
Meet Ottawa’s new hockey hero
Andrew Hammond is Ottawa’s biggest sports celebrity these days.
A win streak, plus a cheeky moniker will do that for a fella.
The 27-year-old rookie goaltender is on quite a roll. Known as "the Hamburglar” — a take on the old McDonald’s character — Hammond is 10-0-1 in his first NHL starts, including a sparkling 1.39 goals-against average and a pair of shutouts.
In doing so, Hammond has kept the Senators in the playoff race as the team is five points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Will his play catapult the Sens into the playoffs? That will be revealed in less than a month.
For now, he has galvanized a city with his stellar play. He's also reportedly set to receive a special card that will allow him to eat for free for life at several McDonald’s franchises in the Ottawa area.
Here are five other things to know about Ottawa’s new hockey hero:
Humble beginnings
Born in White Rock, B.C., Hammond played junior in the BCHL with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and Vernon Vipers from 2006-09. He played the next four years at the NCAA level at Bowling Green University. Hammond, who posted a 30-68-13 record in college, was twice named the Falcons’ MVP.
He went undrafted, but was signed by the Senators to a two-year contract in 2013. Last season, he played for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, where he went 25-19-3.
The Hamburglar origin
Like many nicknames, Hammond’s Hamburglar moniker didn’t happen overnight. While he was “stealing” wins for Bowling Green, teammate Wade Finegan told the National Post that he initially started calling Hammond Robber, then Burglar, then Burgs. The Hamburglar stuck about a week later.
"For me, it was kind of like he would rob you and he was a big guy, so he’s hungry,” Finegan told the paper. “We throw around so much B.S., as you know. You throw enough at the wall some of it is going to stick.”
Now in Ottawa, Hammond, as part of some creative art work, has the McDonald’s mascot painted on his goalie mask.
His play has also caught the attention of an Ottawa radio station, which wrote a song called Ballad of the Hamburglar to the music of Billy Idol’s White Wedding.
The streak
Hammond’s journey to the Senators wasn’t easy. In fact, it took two injuries for him to crack the Ottawa lineup. First, starter Craig Anderson suffered a bruised hand on his blocker side just before the all-star break. Backup Robin Lehner then sustained a concussion on Feb. 16 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Hammond didn’t take long to make an impact in his pro debut, starting against the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 15 at the Canadian Tire Centre. Hammond was spectacular, making 42 saves in a 4-2 win over the Canadiens, and was named the game’s first star. His latest win — a 2-1 shootout victory over Philadelphia on Sunday — drew a burger celebration from the Ottawa fans.
Joining exclusive company
After his latest victory, Hammond has earned at least a point in each of his first 11 NHL starts, becoming the fifth goaltender in history to reach that milestone, according to Elias Sports Bureau. He joins Patrick Lalime (10-0-1 with Pittsburgh in 1996-97), Bob Froese (10-0-1 with Philadelphia in 1982-83), Ross Brooks (8-0-3 with Boston in 1972-73) and Bill Durnan (9-0-2 with the Montreal Canadiens in 1943-44).
More potential history
Hammond can make more history with his next start, presumably on Tuesday night in a road game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Currently, the Senators goaltender has allowed two goals or fewer in his first 11 starts. Should he continue that feat in his next game, Hammond would equal Frank Brimsek's NHL record of 12 that the Bruins netminder set from Nov. 3 to Dec. 27, 1938, according to Elias.