Born in Scotland but raised in Calgary, Anderson played in the NHL for the Red Wings and the Americans and after three years in the army finished his career with the Hollywood Wolves where one of his teammates was Bill Barilko. In 1947 he hung up his skates and immediately became coach of the Oshawa Generals, and after three successful seasons there he was named bench boss of the Pittsburgh Hornets, the prime minor-league affiliate for the Maple Leafs, though he never had the chance to coach Toronto itself.
Anderson had some offensive ability but usually played on a team that never went too far in the playoffs. His bad luck was to be with the Wings in 1934-35 only, for the team won the Cup each of the next two years. After Detroit sold him to the Amerks, he recorded four seasons of at least ten goals, but once he enlisted his NHL days were as good as over. When he was discharged, the Americans no longer existed and a new post-war era of stars was starting to shine in the NHL.
