Bullet Joe Simpson

Harold Edward Joseph "Bullet Joe" Simpson (August 13, 1893 – December 26, 1973) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Edmonton Eskimos and New York Americans between 1920 and 1931. He later served as coach of the Americans between 1932 and 1935. Simpson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Biography Simpson, sitting third from left, in 1916 with the Winnipeg 61st Battalion and the Allan Cup. Simpson was born in Selkirk, Manitoba. Nicknamed "Bullet" because of very fast skating ability, he started his career in the Canadian west. He learned the sport of ice hockey on a frozen slough, near his house, during the early 1900s. As Simpson once stated, Manitoba Avenue ran east and west in the middle of Selkirk. The boys living in the north end were the northern team and those south of Manitoba Avenue made up the southern team. After graduating from the Selkirk Fishermen Juniors, Simpson played senior ice hockey with the Winnipeg Victorias of the NHA in 1914–15.

On August 26, 1915 Simpson enlisted in the Canadian military, joining the 31st Battalion. Remaining in Canada, he transferred to the 61st Battalion and played the 1915–16 season with their hockey team, helping them win the 1916 Allan Cup, the amateur championship of Canada. Two weeks after winning the Cup Simpson was sent overseas, and arrived in the United Kingdom in early April 1916. He was hospitalized in August 1916 with gonorrhea, but was sent to the Western Front in time to take part in the Battle of Somme, where he was wounded in the left leg and back, being hospitalized again.

Back in Manitoba by early 1919, Simpson played the last four games of the ice hockey season for his hometown Selkirk Fisherman Seniors of the Manitoba Seniors League. He started again for the Seniors the following year.

In 1994, the Marine Museum of Manitoba in Selkirk was donated a 1963 flat-bottomed freighter which is on display named the Joe Simpson.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1912–13 Winnipeg Strathconas MHL — — — — — 2 0 0 0 0 1913–14 Selkirk Fishermen WJRHL 11 12 0 12 — — — — — — 1914–15 Winnipeg Victorias MHL 8 8 2 10 16 — — — — — 1915–16 Winnipeg 61st Battalion MHL 8 9 2 11 24 2 1 0 1 4 1915–16 Winnipeg 61st Battalion Al-Cup — — — — — 5 4 2 6 2 1918–19 Selkirk Fishermen MHL 4 0 0 0 0 4 3 2 5 2 1919–20 Selkirk Fishermen MHL 10 19 4 23 6 — — — — — 1920–21 Edmonton Eskimos Big-4 15 2 6 8 21 — — — — — 1921–22 Edmonton Eskimos WCHL 25 21 12 33 15 2 1 0 1 2 1922–23 Edmonton Eskimos WCHL 30 15 14 29 6 2 0 0 0 0 1922–23 Edmonton Eskimos St-Cup — — — — — 2 0 1 1 0 1923–24 Edmonton Eskimos WCHL 30 10 4 14 6 — — — — — 1924–25 Edmonton Eskimos WCHL 28 11 12 23 16 — — — — — 1925–26 New York Americans NHL 32 2 2 4 2 — — — — — 1926–27 New York Americans NHL 43 4 2 6 39 — — — — — 1927–28 New York Americans NHL 24 2 0 2 32 — — — — — 1928–29 New York Americans NHL 43 3 2 5 29 2 0 0 0 0 1929–30 New York Americans NHL 44 8 13 21 41 — — — — — 1930–31 New York Americans NHL 42 2 0 2 13 — — — — — WCHL totals 113 57 42 99 43 4 1 0 1 2 NHL totals 228 21 19 40 156 2 0 0 0 0

Head coaching record Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GC W L T Finish GC W L T Result 1932–33 New York Americans NHL 48 15 22 11 4th in Canadian — — — — — 1933–34 New York Americans NHL 48 15 23 10 4th in Canadian — — — — — 1934–35 New York Americans NHL 48 12 27 9 4th in Canadian — — — — — 1938–39 Miami Clippers THL 13 7 6 0 2nd, THL — — — — — NHL totals 144 42 72 30 — 0 0 0 0 —

Awards and achievements Allan Cup championship (1916) WCHL First All-Star Team (1922) Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963 Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame