Al Hill

Alan Douglas Hill (born April 22, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He spent eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers between 1977 and 1988. The remainder of his playing career, which spanned from 1976 to 1989, took place primarily in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Career On February 14, 1977, Hill played his first NHL game with the Philadelphia Flyers, making an impressive debut by tallying two goals and three assists in a 6–4 win over the St. Louis Blues. His five-point performance set an NHL record for the most points in a debut game, (This excludes the five-goal games scored by Harry Hyland and Joe Malone on opening day of the inaugural 1917–18 NHL season.) Hill concluded his hockey career following the 1988–89 AHL season.

Hill transitioned into coaching after his playing career, starting as an assistant coach with the Hershey Bears for one season. He then joined the Binghamton Rangers, where he spent five seasons. During his third year in Binghamton, he was promoted to assistant coach of the New York Rangers on January 17, 1993. Before the 1993–94 season, Hill returned to Binghamton as head coach. However, the Rangers chose not to renew his contract after the 1994–95 season. He then became an associate coach with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the IHL for two seasons. After a brief stint as head coach of the UHL's B.C. Icemen, Hill stepped down and rejoined the Philadelphia Flyers in 1998 as a professional scout, a position he held until retiring in 2023.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1973–74 Nanaimo Clippers BCHL 64 29 41 70 60 — — — — — 1974–75 Victoria Cougars WCHL 70 21 36 57 75 12 5 2 7 21 1975–76 Victoria Cougars WCHL 68 26 40 66 172 15 5 10 15 94 1976–77 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 9 2 4 6 27 — — — — — 1976–77 Springfield Indians AHL 63 13 28 41 125 — — — — — 1977–78 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 1977–78 Maine Mariners AHL 80 32 59 91 118 12 2 7 9 49 1978–79 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 31 5 11 16 28 7 1 0 1 2 1978–79 Maine Mariners AHL 35 11 14 25 59 — — — — — 1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 61 16 10 26 53 19 3 5 8 19 1980–81 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 57 10 15 25 45 12 2 4 6 18 1981–82 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 41 6 13 19 58 3 0 0 0 0 1982–83 Moncton Alpines AHL 78 22 22 44 78 — — — — — 1983–84 Maine Mariners AHL 51 7 17 24 51 17 6 12 18 22 1984–85 Hershey Bears AHL 73 11 30 41 77 — — — — — 1985–86 Hershey Bears AHL 80 17 40 57 129 18 2 6 8 52 1986–87 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 7 0 2 2 4 9 2 1 3 0 1986–87 Hershey Bears AHL 76 13 35 48 124 5 0 1 1 2 1987–88 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 12 1 0 1 10 1 0 1 1 4 1987–88 Hershey Bears AHL 57 10 21 31 62 10 1 6 7 12 1988–89 Hershey Bears AHL 62 13 20 33 63 8 2 0 2 10 AHL totals 655 149 286 435 886 70 13 32 45 147 NHL totals 221 40 55 95 227 51 8 11 19 43