Bullet Joe Simpson
| Bullet Joe Simpson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1963 | |||
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| Born |
August 23, 1893 Selkirk, MB, CAN |
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| Died | December 25, 1973 (aged 80) Coral Gables, FL, USA |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Winnipeg Strathconas Selkirk Fishermen Winnipeg Victorias Winnipeg 61st Battalion Edmonton Eskimos New York Americans |
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| National team |
 Canada
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| Playing career | 1921–1931 | ||
Harold Edward Joseph "Bullet Joe" Simpson (August 23, 1893 – December 25, 1973) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Edmonton Eskimos and New York Americans. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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.
Prior to enlisting in the Canadian Army for World War I, Simpson captained the 1916 Allan Cup Champions 61st Battalion Team of Winnipeg. During the war he served with the 43rd Cameron Highlanders and his unit held part of the British front alongside a battalion commanded by Major Winston Churchill. Simpson was wounded twice during the war, once at the Battle of the Somme, and once at Amiens. He received the Medal of Military Valour.
Simpson returned home in February 1919 having achieved the rank of lieutenant. He was in time to play in 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 1920, at 5'10" and 175 pounds, the right-handed defenceman's break came in a Winnipeg pool room when Kenny MacKenzie of the Big 4's Edmonton Eskimos offered him $3,000 to turn professional. Simpson joined the Eskimos in 1920, signing as a free agent on November 4.
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