New York Americans defenseman Joe "Bullet Joe" Simpson earned his nickname on the ice and the battlefields of World War I.

Known for his darting moves on the ice, the Simpson was a 5-foot-10 defenseman with a scoring touch for his era who had 40 points (21 goals, 19 assists) in 227 games for the Americans from 1925-26 to 1930-31.

Born August 13, 1893, Simpson said he began skating as soon as he could walk. After playing for the Selkirk Fishermen junior team in 1913-14, he moved on to senior hockey with the Winnipeg Victorias.

Simpson enlisted in the Canadian Army for the war and joined the 61st Battalion team of Winnipeg. He captained the 1916 Allan Cup championship team before he was shipped overseas.

For the war, he was a member of the 43rd Cameron Highlanders unit that was part of the British front along with a unit commanded by Major Winston Churchill.

Simpson was wounded twice during the war, contributing to his nickname, and awarded the Medal of Military Valor before being discharged and returning to Canada in 1919. He made it home in time to play the final four games with the Selkirk Fishermen in the Manitoba Senior League and starred for them the next season.

Simpson went on to play for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Canada Hockey League, where he had 99 points (57 goals, 42 assists) in 113 games from 1920-21 to 1924-25.

When that league folded, Americans owner "Big Bill" Dwyer signed Simpson to a contract. He became a fan favorite, enthralling them with his fearless end-to-end style despite weighing as little as 155 pounds at times.

Bill Corum, a columnist for the New York Journal-American, described the 1962 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee as "a rollicking, rocking man, flashing down the rink with the puck on the end of his stick."

Simpson retired in 1931 and later coached the Americans for three seasons. He died Dec. 25, 1973 in Coral Gables, Florida at age 80.