Ed Belfour facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ed Belfour
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2011
Belfour with Leksands IF in 2008
Born	(1965-04-21) April 21, 1965 (age 60) Carman, Manitoba, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Chicago Blackhawks San Jose Sharks Dallas Stars Toronto Maple Leafs Florida Panthers
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1989–2008
Medal record Men's ice hockey Representing  Canada Olympic Games Gold 2002 Salt Lake City Canada Cup Gold 1991 Canada

Edward John Belfour (born April 21, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. A goaltender is the player who defends the team's goal. Ed Belfour was born in Carman, Manitoba, Canada, and grew up playing hockey.

He played junior hockey before joining the University of North Dakota. There, he helped his college team win the NCAA championship in 1987. Even though he was not picked in the draft, Belfour signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1988. Many people think Belfour was one of the best goaltenders ever. His 484 wins rank fifth among all NHL goaltenders.

Belfour was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. He is also one of only two players to win an NCAA championship, an Olympic Gold medal, and a Stanley Cup. His special face mask, which always featured an eagle, earned him the nickname "Eddie the Eagle". He was also sometimes called "Crazy Eddie" because of his unique style and personality. After wearing number 30 for the Blackhawks, Belfour switched to number 20 to honor his coach, Vladislav Tretiak. He wore number 20 for the rest of his career.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting in Juniors and College

Belfour played for three seasons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He helped the Winkler Flyers finish first in 1986. After that, he joined the North Dakota Fighting Sioux for the 1986–87 season. Even though he was 21 and a freshman, he won 29 games. This helped his team set a new NCAA record with 40 wins and win the National Title. After this success, Belfour signed with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Early Professional Years

For his first professional season, Belfour played for the Saginaw Hawks in the IHL. He won 32 games and helped them reach the semifinals. The next season, he split his time between the IHL and the NHL with the Blackhawks.

In 1989–90, Belfour played for the Canadian national men's hockey team. He was later called up by the Blackhawks for their playoffs. He had a strong record of 4 wins and 2 losses.

Time with the Chicago Blackhawks

In the 1990–91 season, Belfour became the main goalie for the Blackhawks. He had an amazing rookie year, winning 43 games in 74 matches. Both of these were new NHL rookie and Blackhawk team records. He also had a low GAA of 2.47 and 4 shutouts. He led the league in save percentage.

For his great performance, he won several awards:

• The Calder Memorial Trophy for the best rookie.
• The Vezina Trophy for the best goaltender.
• The William M. Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed by his team.

He was also a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player. He won the Vezina and Jennings Trophies again in 1993, and the Jennings Trophy once more in 1995.

Belfour helped the Blackhawks reach the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals in the 1991–92 season. They played against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins won the series, even though Belfour played hard.

By the 1995–96 season, there was a lot of competition between Belfour and his backup goalie, Jeff Hackett. In January 1997, Belfour was traded to the San Jose Sharks. This happened after he turned down a contract extension.

Belfour ended his time with the Blackhawks as one of their top goalies. He ranked third in games played (415) and wins (201) for the team. He also had 30 shutouts and 17 assists. He holds the record for most penalty minutes by a Blackhawks goalie, with 242.

Moving to San Jose and Dallas

After a short time with the Sharks, Belfour signed with the Dallas Stars in July 1997. In his first season with the Stars, he played 61 games and had a very low 1.88 GAA. His team won the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular season record.

The next season, the Stars again had the best regular season record, and Belfour won his fourth William M. Jennings Trophy. In the playoffs, Belfour helped the Stars win the Stanley Cup in 1999. They beat the Buffalo Sabres in six games. The final game was an amazing goalie duel that went into triple overtime, with the Stars winning 2–1. Belfour made 53 saves in that game.

Belfour led his team to another Stanley Cup Finals appearance the next season. They lost to the New Jersey Devils in double overtime. Belfour had 4 shutouts in those playoffs.

After the 2001–02 season, the Stars decided not to re-sign Belfour.

Playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs

On July 2, 2002, Belfour signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had a great comeback season, winning a team-record 37 games. This helped his new team finish second in their division. He was invited to the All-Star Game but missed it due to a back injury. On April 1, he earned his 400th career win. In the playoffs, he played well, but the Leafs lost in the first round. Belfour finished as runner-up for the Vezina Trophy that year.

In 2003–04, he had a record of 34 wins, 19 losses, and 6 ties in 59 games. He recorded 10 shutouts, which was a new personal best for him. In the playoffs, Belfour had three shutouts in the first round against the Senators. However, the Leafs were eliminated in the second round.

Belfour did not play during the NHL lockout in 2004–05. He was recovering from back injuries during this time.

On November 28, 2005, Belfour won his 447th NHL game. This tied him with Terry Sawchuk for second place in career wins at the time. On December 19, 2005, he passed Sawchuk with his 448th win. At the end of the 2005–06 season, Belfour had 457 regular season wins.

On July 1, 2006, the Maple Leafs decided not to re-sign Belfour.

Final NHL Season with Florida

On July 25, 2006, Belfour signed with the Florida Panthers. On February 13, 2007, Belfour tied Hall of Famer Tony Esposito for eighth place on the career shutout list with his 76th shutout. He became the starting goalie for the Panthers and played 27 games in a row, a team record. He finished the season with a 2.79 GAA in 57 games.

Playing in Sweden

On August 27, 2007, it was announced that Belfour would play for Leksands IF in the Swedish second division. He played his first game outside North America in 18 years on October 31, 2007. Belfour then had a shutout streak that lasted for 251 minutes, a club record. He also broke the record for most shutouts in a season with 7.

The Eagle Mask

Throughout his career, Belfour always wore masks with an eagle on them. He said he liked the eagle because it represents strength, individuality, leadership, confidence, and great vision. He also admired its hunting and aggressive nature. His eagle design changed over the years, but it always featured his team's colors.

On the chin of his mask, there was a logo for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, a charity he cared about. The back of his mask showed his love for speed and restored cars. It featured a 1941 Willys car and the words "Carman Racing," which is the name of his car shop. When his first NHL coach, Mike Keenan, saw his eagle mask, he nicknamed him "The Eagle."

International Play

Belfour was chosen to play for Canada at the 1991 Canada Cup Championship as a backup goalie. He was also part of the team for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. In February 2002, Belfour won an Olympic gold medal with the Canadian men's hockey team. Even though he didn't play in any games, he was an important part of the strong Canadian team.

Personal Life

After his playing career, Ed Belfour was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. The Manitoba Junior Hockey League also gives out a special award named after Belfour, called the Ed Belfour Top Goaltender Trophy, to its best goalie each season.

Images for kids

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  Belfour with Leksands IF in 2008