Devils Dougie Hamilton’s Big Game Inspired By Special Stick

NEWARK, NJ – Before his blades touched the ice for Sunday evening’s rivalry game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Dougie Hamilton knew that it was going to be a special night.

He did not know that he would score a goal or tally an assist. And he certainly could not have known that the home team would come away with a convincing 5-2 win at the Prudential Center.
However, in the weeks leading up to the Sunday showdown on Hockey Fights Cancer, Hamilton connected with Pro Stock Sticks to help design a custom hockey stick in honor of his friend, Thea Roelofsen from Calgary, who passed away after her arduous battle with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer in 2017.

"We were visiting the Alberta Children’s Hospital at Halloween and I was dressed as Princess Leia," recalled Hamilton of his first encounter with the radiant little girl in a Sportsnet article published two years ago. "I remember seeing her and she was just so infectious and so smart and smiley and so intelligent for her age. She came to the game and went on the ice and I saw her and remembered her and she remembered me, and it built from there."

Thea’s inspirational fight created a special bond between Hamilton and her while providing a much-needed distraction from the eight-year-old’s struggles that come with battling cancer.
Hamilton’s customized stick included a combination of adornments that he identified his friendship with Thea engrained in the design. The stick first debuted on the Devils Twitter account before taking it to the ice during pre-game warm-ups in his lavender Hockey Fights Cancer jersey. Thea’s name was also inscribed over Hamilton’s stick tape on the blade.

After the game, the stick was donated to the Roelofsen family.

“I think about her every day,” Hamilton said after the game. “I had her name, her signature and some of the stuff we shared together on the stick. Just to be able to recognize her in a way like that is special.”

Just over five minutes into the game, Hamilton redirected a pass from left-winger Andreas Johnsson into the back of the net to put the Devils on the board for an early 1-0 lead. It was Hamilton’s sixth goal of the season and came just seconds after he nearly earlier on the possession when he hit the crossbar on a wrist shot.

Throughout the game, Hamilton was buzzing in the offensive zone, registering a season-high 10 shots on goal.

With the Devils holding a 3-2 lead late into the third period, Hamilton logged a primary assist on Nathan Bastian’s goal on a one-timer pass through the slot.

The Devils added an empty net goal for good measures to seal the game.

“It’s huge,” Hamilton added. “They’re right there in the standings with us. I just try to play my game and it puts you in a good spot if you win.”

This is exactly what the Devils front office expected they would get when they signed the veteran to a seven-year deal in the offseason.

The win improves the Devils record to 9-6-4 on the season with five wins in the last 10 games.

Fans will have the opportunity to bid on the Devils’ Hockey Fights Cancer warm-up jerseys and locker room nameplates. The auction will run through December 8. Fans will be able to place their bid at newjerseydevils.com/HFC. Funds raised will benefit the Cancer Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health Facility.