Hilliard Graves of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia had quite a few things going for him, his determination to be a professional hockey player and NHL expansion. He parlayed both into a 10-year major league career during which he played 556 NHL games scoring 281 points. He was a defensive specialist that left his calling card as one of the hardest hitters.

Graves played junior “B” in Port Hawksbury in 1967-68 and then went to Charlottetown to play junior A. He gained a reputation as a tough competitive right winger with a scoring touch. By the 1970-71 season, Graves signed as a free agent with the Oakland Golden Seals. He played 14 games in the NHL and 26 more with the AHL Providence Reds. In his first full season with Oakland, 1972-73, he scored 27 goals and 25 assists for a total of 52 points.

Graves made stops throughout his career in Atlanta, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. He left his mark in the NHL as a superb checker, an excellent penalty killer, and a player who could produce goals in important situations. Hilliard Graves was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 1991.