Andrew Hammond: Always Seeing It Through | PODCAST

Even though Andrew Hammond was the first in his Canadian family to really embrace playing hockey and make a career of it, it was pretty obvious from the moment he acquired his first set of goalie equipment that something was brewing.
"I still remember when (my parents) bought my first set of goalie pads. I slept with them on my legs that night. And I remember I woke up at about 2 am and I couldn't feel my feet or anything."
A night of a little discomfort quickly turned into a passion and career.
"I'm the first person in my family that's really played hockey. And for a Canadian family. That's kind of unusual
Other than that, his early beginnings read like the story of so many goaltenders.
He was the youngest of three kids. The youngest on the block. And so you get 'stuck' playing the goalie position on the street.
New Jersey Devils Official Podcast
·
Andrew Hammond | Speak of the Devils

"I was just the youngest in my family," Hammond shared on the podcast, "As far as being a goalie I think it has to do with I was just the youngest in my family and kind of youngest on my street. So normally, it seems like that's what happens. Like, whenever you talk to a goalie, yeah, I was the youngest person there. So they threw me in."
But for Hammond it wasn't 'being stuck', other than the fact that he stuck with it.
On the Speak of the Devils podcast, Hammond takes the listener through his journey to the NHL, which was filled with roadblocks he seemed to always find his way through.
"When I was 18, I made my first BCHL team but didn't get off to a great start and ended up quitting and enrolling in college that January to try and get started on that next step in life," Hammond said, "I was planning on just going to university when I got a call from one of my old coaches and decided to, because I had already missed the enrollment date, or at least see it through and play a little bit more."
That phone call began the next phase of Hammond's journey, and he still did end up going to university.
The best of both worlds.
"I ended up going to Vernon, Vernon Vipers in the BCHL and winning the national championship that year there, and then kind of parlayed that into a scholarship with Bowling Green and spent for the best years of my life there playing college hockey in the States. And then since then, it's kind of just been working my way around between the American Hockey League and the NHL."
The rest wasn't history, as the saying normally goes because Hammond's journey has taken him so many places, with unbelievably high's like his post-season run with the Ottawa Senators, and moments of questioning whether to move on from the game, Hammond has experienced it all and shares his full journey on the Speak of the Devils podcast.
Other topics Hammond discusses on the podcast...
- His unexpected post-season run with the Ottawa Senators - Is The Hamburglar his only nickname? And does he like it? - Being a Canadian, studying 'Canadian Studies' at an American university - How being a father has changed his perspective on his career - His first game with Montreal this season, and joining the New Jersey Devils