Glass Jack Hillen had another short season. He might be a good hockey player, but we just don’t know.
By the Numbers
| 13 | Games played |
| 17.8 | Average time on ice per game |
| 0 | Goals |
| 1 | Assists |
| 42.9% | Shot attempt percentage during 5v5 |
| 22.2% | Goal percentage during 5v5 |
| 2.4% | On-ice shooting percentage during 5v5 |
| 94.3% | On-ice saving percentage during 5v5 |
Peter’s Take
Jack Hillen played 23 games in 2012-13 and just 13 in 2013-14. He’s been… rather unlucky.
A broken tibia sent Hillen off the ice in game two. He returned in March, and to his credit was pretty stellar on that California road trip, but he got knocked out, literally, by Alex Ovechkin on March 25, ending his season.
To the team, losing Hillen might seem minor– he’s a $700k depth D who hovers below 20 minutes of ice a night– but the impact was kind of subtly significant. The Caps lost a vet with 250+ games under his belt, a guy who could’ve been a steadying presence for greener Caps defensemen like Oleksy, Orlov, Urbom, Schmidt, Strachan, Schilling, Wey, Carrick, and Brouillette. Wow, the Caps sure played a lot of young D this season.
Hillen has one more year on his contract. He is only 28 and may still have a long NHL career ahead of him, but he must– he absolutely must— stay healthy. The poor bastard.
Hillen on RMNB
Uh… yeah…
In Pictures
Hillen’s poor leg, slammed into the boards by Lance Bouma.
Hillen’s poor brain, slammed into the chest of Alex Ovechkin by Alex Ovechkin.
Your Turn
Did Hillen get hurt while you read this article? Are you sure? (But seriously, folks.) How much did the Hillen injury hurt the Caps? Do you hold out any hope he’ll be a mainstay next year?
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