Greg Hawgood
A journeyman defenseman whose 14-season NHL career was a testament to adaptability and quiet resilience across eight different teams.
Born 1968 (age 58)·Canadian ice hockey player·Birthday: August 10·Generation X
Biography
Greg Hawgood emerged from the hockey hotbed of Edmonton not as a can't-miss prospect, but as a player whose intelligence and versatility carved out a lasting professional path. Drafted late by the Boston Bruins in 1986, he defied expectations by making the NHL not on sheer size or flash, but on a keen hockey sense and an offensive touch from the blue line. His journey became a map of the league in the 1990s, wearing the sweaters of the Bruins, Oilers, Flyers, Panthers, Penguins, Sharks, Canucks, and Stars. Hawgood's game was defined by utility; he could quarterback a power play, kill penalties, and, when needed, even play forward. His career arc—peaking with a 44-point season for the Whalers' minor-league affiliate before solid NHL years—reflects the less-heralded backbone of professional sports: the reliable player who shows up, adapts, and contributes wherever he lands.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Greg was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Greg Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Greg's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played 474 regular-season games in the NHL across eight different franchises.
- Recorded a career-high 16 goals and 44 points during the 1991-92 season with the Hartford Whalers' AHL affiliate.
- Won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's best defenseman in 1991 while playing for the Cape Breton Oilers.
Did You Know?
He was originally drafted as a forward by the Boston Bruins in the 10th round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft.
Hawgood played for both the Canadian national junior team and the Canadian national men's team at the 1991 World Championships.
After his playing career, he served as a player-coach for several years in the British Elite Ice Hockey League.
“You don't need to be the biggest guy on the ice if you see the play a second faster.”
