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Terry Sawchuk
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1971
Terry Sawchuk 1963.JPG
Sawchuk with the Detroit Red Wings in 1963
Born (1929-12-28)December 28, 1929
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died May 31, 1970(1970-05-31) (aged 40)
New York City, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Detroit Red Wings
Boston Bruins
Toronto Maple Leafs
Los Angeles Kings
New York Rangers
Playing career 1949–1970

Terry Sawchuk (born December 28, 1929 – died May 31, 1970) was a famous Canadian ice hockey goalie. He played for 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, and New York Rangers. Terry won many awards, including the Calder Trophy and the Vezina Trophy four times. He also won the Stanley Cup four times. He was so good that he was put into the Hockey Hall of Fame very quickly after he stopped playing.

When he passed away, Terry Sawchuk held the record for most wins (447) and most shutouts (103) for an NHL goalie. A "shutout" means the goalie didn't let the other team score any goals. Even today, only a few goalies have passed his records. But Terry is still the top goalie from the "Original Six" era of hockey (1942-1967). In 2017, he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" ever.

The Amazing Hockey Career of Terry Sawchuk

Terry's Early Life and First Steps in Hockey

Terry Sawchuk was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He grew up in a working-class area. Terry was one of four sons. His older brother, who was also a goalie, sadly died young from a heart attack. Terry looked up to him a lot.

When Terry was 12, he hurt his right elbow playing rugby. He hid the injury from his parents. Because of this, his elbow didn't heal right. His right arm ended up shorter and had trouble moving. This bothered him throughout his sports career. After getting his friend's old goalie gear, Terry started playing ice hockey. He was so talented that a scout for the Detroit Red Wings noticed him at age 14. They signed him to a contract. He then went to play for their junior team in Galt, Ontario, in 1946. Terry was good at many sports, including baseball.

Becoming a Star with the Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings signed Terry to a professional contract in 1947. He quickly moved up through their teams. He won "Rookie of the Year" awards in two different leagues. Terry even played seven games for the Detroit Red Wings when their main goalie was hurt. He was so promising that the Red Wings traded their old goalie to make room for Terry.

His teammates called him "Ukey" because his family was from Ukraine. Terry led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups in five years. He won the Calder Trophy as the best rookie. He also won the Vezina Trophy three times for letting in the fewest goals. In his first five years, he was chosen as an All-Star five times. He had 56 shutouts, meaning he didn't let the other team score at all in those games. His goals-against average (GAA) was also very low.

In the 1952 playoffs, the Red Wings won every game. Terry only let in five goals in eight games, with four shutouts! During one of these games, the famous "Legend of the Octopus" began. Fans started throwing octopuses onto the ice.

Terry faced a lot of pressure and injuries during his career. He often played even when he was hurt. He had many operations on his elbow, a broken foot, and a collapsed lung. He also had about 400 stitches on his face before he started wearing a mask in 1962. Years of crouching as a goalie made him walk with a stoop. This also made it hard for him to sleep.

Moving to Other Teams: Boston, Toronto, and Los Angeles

In 1955, the Red Wings traded Terry to the Boston Bruins. This made him very upset. While playing for Boston, he got sick with mononucleosis. He tried to play again quickly but was weak. He felt very tired and decided to retire in 1957. Some people called him a "quitter."

But the Red Wings brought Terry back to Detroit. After seven more seasons, Detroit left Terry open for other teams to pick him. The Toronto Maple Leafs quickly chose him. Terry shared goalie duties with another older goalie, Johnny Bower. Together, they won the Vezina Trophy in 1965. They also led Toronto to win the Stanley Cup in 1967. In his last game with the Maple Leafs, Terry was amazing. He stopped 40 shots in a 3-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens. This win secured the Stanley Cup for Toronto.

After that, Terry was picked by the Los Angeles Kings in a special draft. He played one season there before being traded back to Detroit.

Final Season with the New York Rangers

In 1969, the Red Wings traded Terry to the New York Rangers. He didn't play much for the Rangers. On February 1, 1970, he got his 103rd and final shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins. This was also his last NHL win. His last playoff game was on April 14, 1970. He briefly played in a game against the Boston Bruins.

Terry's Personal Life

Terry Sawchuk married Patricia Ann Bowman Morey in 1953. They had seven children together. The couple later divorced in 1969.

Terry's Passing

Tombstone of Terry Sawchuk
Tombstone of Terry Sawchuk, at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Pontiac, Michigan.

Terry struggled with sadness and difficult feelings. After the 1969-70 season, Terry had an accident with his Rangers teammate, Ron Stewart. Terry was badly hurt during the incident. He had to have surgery on his gallbladder and liver. The news called it "horseplay." Terry told the police he was responsible for what happened.

Terry had more surgery on his liver but did not get better. He passed away on May 31, 1970, at age 40, from a blood clot. A grand jury later decided that Terry's death was an accident. Terry Sawchuk was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Pontiac, Michigan.

Terry Sawchuk's Amazing Legacy

Terry Sawchuk was a truly special goalie. During his career, he won 501 games (447 in the regular season and 54 in the playoffs). He also had 115 shutouts (103 in the regular season and 12 in the playoffs). He set the standard for how goalies were measured. In 1952, a rival team's general manager even called him the "best goalie ever."

His record of 447 wins stood for 30 years. His record of 103 shutouts was not beaten until 2009 by Martin Brodeur. In 1971, Terry was honored by being put into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He also received the Lester Patrick Trophy for helping hockey in the United States. The Red Wings retired his jersey number 1 in 1994, meaning no other player on the team can wear that number.

Many books and even a movie have been made about Terry Sawchuk's life. In 2001, he was honored with his picture on a Canadian postage stamp. The Terry Sawchuk Arena in his hometown of Winnipeg is named after him. In 2019, a film about his life called Goalie was released.

When he joined the Maple Leafs, Terry first wore jersey number 24. He then switched to number 30. Because of him and other goalies like Patrick Roy, many NHL goalies today choose numbers in the 30s.

Awards and Achievements

Records

  • NHL record - Career ties leader - 172.
  • Sawchuk's NHL record for career shutouts (103) stood until Martin Brodeur broke it in 2009. Sawchuk held this record for 46 years. He passed George Hainsworth with his 95th shutout on January 18, 1964.

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1945–46 Winnipeg Rangers MJHL 10 8 2 1 600 58 0 5.80 — 2 0 2 120 12 0 6.00 —
1946–47 Galt Red Wings OHA 30 — — — 1800 94 4 3.13 — 2 0 2 125 9 0 4.32 —
1947–48 Windsor Spitfires IHL 3 3 0 0 180 5 0 1.67 — — — — — — — — —
1947–48 Omaha Knights USHL 54 30 18 5 3248 174 4 3.21 — 3 1 2 180 9 0 3.00 —
1948–49 Indianapolis Capitals AHL 67 38 17 2 4020 205 2 3.06 — 2 0 2 120 9 0 4.50 —
1949–50 Indianapolis Capitals AHL 61 31 20 10 3660 188 3 3.08 — 8 8 0 480 12 0 1.50 —
1949–50 Detroit Red Wings NHL 7 4 3 0 420 16 1 2.29 — — — — — — — — —
1950–51 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 44 13 13 4200 138 11 1.97 — 6 2 4 463 13 1 1.68 —
1951–52* Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 44 14 12 4200 133 12 1.90 — 8 8 0 480 5 4 0.63 —
1952–53 Detroit Red Wings NHL 63 32 15 16 3780 119 9 1.89 — 6 2 4 372 21 1 3.38 —
1953–54* Detroit Red Wings NHL 67 35 19 13 4004 129 12 1.93 — 12 8 4 751 20 2 1.60 —
1954–55* Detroit Red Wings NHL 68 40 17 11 4040 132 12 1.96 — 11 8 3 660 26 1 2.36 .893
1955–56 Boston Bruins NHL 68 22 33 13 4078 177 9 2.60 .916 — — — — — — — —
1956–57 Boston Bruins NHL 34 18 10 6 2040 81 2 2.38 .920 — — — — — — — —
1957–58 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 29 29 12 4198 206 3 2.94 .905 4 0 4 252 19 0 4.53 .855
1958–59 Detroit Red Wings NHL 67 23 36 8 4019 207 5 3.09 .896 — — — — — — — —
1959–60 Detroit Red Wings NHL 58 24 20 14 3476 154 5 2.66 .909 6 2 4 405 19 0 2.82 .899
1960–61 Detroit Red Wings NHL 37 11 17 8 2148 112 2 3.13 .897 8 5 3 465 18 1 2.32 .921
1961–62 Detroit Red Wings NHL 43 14 21 8 2580 141 5 3.28 .888 — — — — — — — —
1962–63 Detroit Red Wings NHL 48 21 16 7 2760 117 3 2.54 .912 11 5 6 660 35 0 3.18 .893
1963–64 Detroit Red Wings NHL 53 25 20 7 3139 138 5 2.64 .916 13 6 5 677 31 1 2.75 .912
1964–65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 36 16 13 7 2160 92 1 2.56 .915 1 0 1 60 3 0 3.00 .923
1965–66 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 27 10 11 3 1519 80 1 3.16 .903 2 0 2 120 6 0 3.00 .917
1966–67* Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 28 16 6 3 1409 66 2 2.81 .917 10 6 4 563 25 0 2.66 .931
1967–68 Los Angeles Kings NHL 36 10 17 5 1934 99 2 3.07 .891 5 2 3 280 18 1 3.86 .871
1968–69 Detroit Red Wings NHL 13 4 5 3 640 28 0 2.63 .912 — — — — — — — —
1969–70 New York Rangers NHL 8 3 1 2 412 20 1 2.91 .893 3 0 1 80 6 0 4.51 .872
NHL totals 971 445 336 171 57,156 2,385 103 2.50 — 106 54 47 6,288 265 12 2.53 —

* Stanley Cup Champion.

Images for kids

  • Red Wings retired Banners

    Sawchuk's #1 banner hanging in Joe Louis Arena.

See also

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