Hay’s journey to the NHL and the Hall of Fame began in the mid-1950s, when he was a junior hockey star with the Regina Pats. The Montreal Canadiens owned his rights, but he and a friend hitchhiked from Saskatchewan to Colorado College, where they convinced the school to give them athletic scholarships. Hay would earn a degree in geology and help the Tigers win the 1957 NCAA championship.

“We had good teammates, good Canadians,” he said. “Hockey started to take off very early. Colorado College was kind of a city team. We all had jobs in restaurants and people supported us. We had a great time.”

Returning to Canada after his university studies, the Black Hawks purchased Hay’s NHL rights from the Canadiens and assigned him to Calgary of the WHL in 1958-59. They would bring him to Chicago for the 1959-60 season, his 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) in 70 games giving him preference over Murray Oliver of the Detroit Red Wings for the Calder Trophy awarded to the best rookie in the League .

He was the fourth of 10 Calder winners with Chicago over the years. In reverse chronological order: Connor Bédard, 2023-24; Artémi Panarin, 2015-16; Patrick Kane, 2007-08; Ed Belfour, 1990-91; Steve Larmer, 1982-83; Tony Esposito, 1969-70; Hay, 1959-60; Ed Litzenberger, 1954-55; Cully Dahlstrom, 1937-38; and Mike Karakas, 1935-36.