Remembering Floyd ‘Bud’ Hillman (1933-2020)

By C. Scott Holland

LEAMINGTON — For the Leamington area, 2020 was a devastating year, and along the way we lost a few noted people. One of them was sports figure, Floyd “Bud” Hillman - one of the three Hillman boys who rose to the ranks of the NHL.

Brothers Wayne and Larry both enjoyed lengthy NHL careers.

Born in Ruthven in 1933, his family moved to Kirkland Lake, where he spent much of his childhood.

His hockey career kicked off with the Kitchener-Waterloo franchise.

At 5’11” and 180 lbs., Bud joined the Windsor Bulldogs in the OHA Sr. league for the 1954/55 campaign. Two years later, Hillman joined the NHL’s Boston Bruins and played six games for them.

FLOYD ‘BUD’ HILLMAN

In that short spell, he would not amass any points and had 10 minutes in the sin bin.

After a few years in the IHL and AHL, Bud would re-join the Bulldogs and become a part of the Allan Cup winning 1962/63 squad under head coach Joe Klukay.

He returned a year later and played his final season in the IHL loop.

After retiring from hockey, he spent 30 years working for Chrysler and making Kirkland Lake a favourite spot.

He would also become involved in minor hockey through coaching, refereeing and helping run hockey schools.

More than anything, Bud had an immense love of his family. He and his wife Barb had five children: Karen Newton, Pat Hillman, Kelly Drummond. Kathy Gradwell and Brian Hillman. Bud and Barb had 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.