After Kitchener though, Hiller took a different road to the big leagues, via Sudbury senior hockey and a stint in Britain. He eventually landed in the NHL wearing Ranger blue just in time to join the ranks of a tough, speedy lineup with serious designs on the Stanley Cup. His first Ranger games unfolded in 1937 where, as a member of the "Roughneck" line, he joined Phil Watson and Bryan Hextall in making life difficult for the opposition. But references to Wilbert Hiller as a member of the Roughnecks just didn't fly with the Rangers PR department. So Wilbert was out and "Dutch" was in.

By 1940, Hiller and his mates ousted the Leafs to win their second-ever Stanley Cup. But the following year, the Rangers failed to repeat as champs, and Hiller was dispatched on a whirlwind of trades that placed him in Detroit, Boston, Montreal, back to New York and finally, back to Montreal again for his final stint in the NHL.

In his second last season, Hiller racked up a personal best 38 points. But his failing eyesight precipitated his departure from the NHL in 1946. An attempt at using an early, crude version of contact lenses failed to cure his problem. So Hiller wound out his hockey career with the Pittsburgh Hornets and the Kitchener Dutchmen.

Courtesy of the Hockey Hall of Fame