Bruins player on Dougie Hamilton: 'One of the nicest guys I've played with!'
Dougie Hamilton may not have been unpopular in Boston after all.
An anonymous Bruins player contacted CSNNE's Joe Haggerty on Tuesday to dispel rumors the 22-year-old wasn't well-liked by his teammates.
"Dougie is one of the nicest guys I've played with!" the player wrote in a text message. "So if anyone says he wasn't well-liked or anything (like that), it's not true. I just wanted to set the record straight."
Hamilton was traded to the Calgary Flames on Friday, which came as a shocking move, considering he's regarded as one of the best young defensemen in the league.
The former first-round pick reportedly turned down a significant contract offer, which was followed by rumors about his personality in the Bruins locker room.
An NHL assistant general manager told Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald what he'd heard:
(The trade) was surprising. It's obvious there's something going on that we don't know about. From what I've heard behind the scenes, his teammates don't like him. I heard he's a loner and sort of an uppity kid, and that his teammates don't like him and it was unanimous.
Hamilton, who earned 42 points in 72 games last season, now must try and work out a deal with Calgary, a team he looks forward to playing with.