Terry Sawchuk

Terrance Gordon Sawchuk (Born - December 28, 1929 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – Died May 31, 1970 in New York, NY, USA) was a Canadian Professional Hockey Goaltender who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers.

Playing Career

Sawchuk is considered by many to be one of the greatest goaltenders to ever play the game, having won 447 games and recorded 103 shutouts. Terry Sawchuk was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and played hockey on an outdoor rink. Nicknamed "Uke" because of his Ukrainian ancestry, Sawchuk began his professional career at age 17, winning rookie-of-the-year honors in the United States Hockey League. He won rookie-of-the-year honors again after being promoted to the Indianapolis Capitals of the American Hockey League. Called up to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League for the 1950-51 season, he won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie, making him the first player to win the rookie-of-the-year award in three different professional leagues.

In 1952, Terry Sawchuk led the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup in the minimum eight games of two best-of-seven series during which he recorded four shutouts and allowed only five goals. In each of his first five years in the NHL, he led the league in wins and was named to the All-Star team. In 1954-55, he was traded to the Boston Bruins where he had difficulty adjusting. During the 1956-57 season he retired from the game, succumbing to severe stress. However, the following year he returned to play after being traded back to Detroit. He was traded again in 1964, this time to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he won another Vezina Trophy in 1964-65 and helped the Leafs win the 1966-67 Stanley Cup.

Sawchuk's ability to play despite painful injuries, a valuable asset in the days before goalies wore protective facemasks, was shown early in his life. A neglected injury he received while playing a friendly rugby match when he was 12 was discovered two years later to have been a broken arm that had healed poorly, leaving Sawchuk with one arm two inches shorter than the other. In his professional hockey career, Sawchuk played for more than a dozen years without a mask and received over 600 stitches to his face.

He struggled with untreated depression, a condition that often affected his conduct. An alcohol-induced shoving match with his New York Rangers teammate Ron Stewart left Sawchuk with internal injuries that led to his death a few weeks later in New York. Sawchuk was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Pontiac, Michigan. Stewart was cleared of any wrongdoing in the incident.

Terry Sawchuk finished his hockey career with 447 wins, a record that stood for thirty years, and his career record of 103 shutouts remains unsurpassed. In 1971, Sawchuk was posthumously elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame and awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contribution to hockey in the United States. In 1997, the book Shutout: The Legend of Terry Sawchuk by sports author Brian Kendall, was published. In 2001, he was honored with his image on a Canadian postage stamp. His number 1 has been retired by the Detroit Red Wings.

Awards & Achievements

1950-51 - Calder Trophy Winner
1951-52 - Stanley Cup Champion
1951-52 - Vezina Trophy Winner
1952-53 - Vezina Trophy Winner
1964-65 - Vezina Trophy Winner
1966-67 - Stanley Cup Champion
1971 - Lester Patrick Trophy Winner
1971 - Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame

Records

NHL Record - Career Shut-Out Leader - 103

Career Statistics

Regular season


Season	Team	GP	Min	GA	W	L	T	SO	GAA
1949-50	Detroit Red Wings	7	420	16	4	3	0	1	2.29
1950-51	Detroit Red Wings	70	4200	139	44	13	13	11	1.99
1951-52	Detroit Red Wings	70	4200	133	44	14	12	12	1.90
1952-53	Detroit Red Wings	63	3780	120	32	15	16	9	1.90
1953-54	Detroit Red Wings	67	4004	129	35	19	13	12	1.93
1954-55	Detroit Red Wings	68	4080	132	40	17	11	12	1.96
1955-56	Boston Bruins	68	4080	181	22	33	13	9	2.60
1956-57	Boston Bruins	34	2040	81	18	10	6	2	2.38
1957-58	Detroit Red Wings	70	4200	207	29	29	12	3	2.94
1958-59	Detroit Red Wings	67	4020	209	23	36	8	5	3.09
1959-60	Detroit Red Wings	58	3480	156	24	20	14	5	2.67
1960-61	Detroit Red Wings	37	2150	113	12	16	8	2	3.10
1961-62	Detroit Red Wings	43	2580	143	14	21	8	5	3.28
1962-63	Detroit Red Wings	48	2775	119	22	16	7	3	2.55
1963-64	Detroit Red Wings	53	3140	138	25	20	7	5	2.64
1964-65	Toronto Maple Leafs	36	2160	92	17	13	6	1	2.56
1965-66	Toronto Maple Leafs	27	1521	80	10	11	3	1	3.16
1966-67	Toronto Maple Leafs	28	1409	66	15	5	4	2	2.81
1967-68	Los Angeles Kings	36	1936	99	11	14	6	2	3.07
1968-69	Detroit Red Wings	13	641	28	3	4	3	0	2.62
1969-70	New York Rangers	8	412	20	3	1	2	1	2.91
	NHL Totals	971	57228	2401	447	330	172	103	2.52

External links

Terry Sawchuk | Terry Sawchuk | テリー・ソーチャック