He is dead. The head coach of the Hershey Bears team has just announced the death of his best player.

He is dead. The head coach of the Hershey Bears team has just announced the death of his best player.

He has passed away. The Hershey Bears‘ head coach recently revealed the passing of their best player.

PA-HHERSHEY (WHTM): Charles “Chuck” George Hamilton, the former head coach and player for the Hershey Bears, passed away at the age of 84.

From 1963 to 1970, Hamilton spent seven seasons as a player for the Bears, and he leads the team in a number of metrics. Hamilton recorded 77 goals and 161 assists (tied for 32nd) during 459 games (19th most for any Bears), for a total of 238 points (tied for 40th).

In 1969, the native of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, assisted the Bears in winning their fourth Calder Cup. Hamilton scored a career-high 74 points (28 goals, 46 assists) in that season.

Hamilton transitioned to hockey coaching when his playing career ended. On July 21, 1973, Hamilton was hired as the seventh head coach of the Hershey Bears. Hershey won its fifth Calder Cup in only his first season as head coach. The squad went 39-23-14 during the regular season and 12-2 in the postseason under Hamilton’s leadership.

For leading the Bears to their 14th Calder Cup Finals berth, Hamilton was awarded the AHL’s Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award for being the league’s top coach for the 1975–1976 season.

The 2016 Hershey Bears Hockey Club Hall of Fame inductee split his six seasons as a coach between 1973 and 1979. Hamilton had a record of 187-199-52 after 438 games at the end of his career.

Hamilton, whose 187 victories rank second in team history, will go down as one of the Hershey “greats.”