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George Hainsworth
George Hainsworth
Position Goaltender
Catches Right
Height
Weight
5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
150 lb (68 kg)
Teams Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
Nationality Flag of Canada Canadian
Born June 26,1895,
Toronto, Ontario, CAN
Died October 9, 1950 (age 55),
 ?
Pro Career 19261937
Hall of Fame, 1961

George Hainsworth (June 26, 1895 – October 9, 1950) was a Canadian professional goaltender who played for the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career[]

Hainsworth played for the Western Canada Hockey League's Saskatoon Crescents and Saskatoon Sheiks before arriving in Montreal. He replaced Georges Vezina, the Canadiens goaltender who had died of tuberculosis, and who had played every game from the 1910–11 NHA season until the opening game of the 1925–26 NHL season, when the illness proved too much for him, inspiring the team to donate the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender.

Hainsworth proved up to the challenge by winning the Trophy for the 1926–27, 1927–28 and 1928–29 NHL seasons. In 1928–29, he set an all-time record with 22 shutouts and a 0.92 goals against average while only playing 44 games. In 1930 he set an NHL record that still stands, going 270 minutes and 8 seconds without allowing a goal during the NHL playoffs for the Canadiens. He backstopped the Canadiens to back to back Stanley Cups in 1930 and 1931.

Hainsworth served as the Canadiens' captain during 1932–33, becoming the second of only eight goalies to serve as an NHL team's captain. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1933 and helped the Maple Leafs reach the Stanley Cup finals in 1935.

GHainsworthKitchenerSr

With the Kitchener senior team in 1917-18

Post career[]

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. In 1998, he was ranked number 46 on the List of 100 greatest hockey players by The Hockey News.

Hainsworth, at the age of 55, was killed in an auto accident on October 9, 1950.

Records[]

  • He was the all-time leader in professional (including both NHL and WCHL/WHL) shutouts with 104 until surpassed by Martin Brodeur.
  • His 94 career NHL shutouts are third on the NHL's all-time list behind Martin Brodeur's 125 and Terry Sawchuk's 103.
  • Has the second lowest career goals against average with 1.93 behind Alex Connell's 1.91.
  • Holds the single-season shutout record with 22 shutouts in 1928–29.
  • Holds the single-season goals against average record with 0.92 in 1928–29.

Career statistics[]

Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1923–24 Saskatoon Sheiks WCHL 30 15 12 3 1849 73 4 2.37
1924–25 Saskatoon Sheiks WCHL 28 16 11 1 1700 75 2 2.65
1925–26 Saskatoon Sheiks WHL 30 18 11 1 1812 64 4 2.12
1926–27 Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 28 14 2 2732 67 14 1.47
1927–28 Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 26 11 7 2730 48 13 1.05 .966
1928–29 Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 22 7 15 2800 43 22 0.92
1929–30 Montreal Canadiens NHL 42 20 13 9 2680 108 4 2.42
1930–31 Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 26 10 8 2740 89 0 1.95
1931–32 Montreal Canadiens NHL 48 25 16 7 2998 110 6 2.20
1932–33 Montreal Canadiens NHL 48 18 25 5 2980 115 8 2.32
1933–34 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 48 26 13 9 3010 119 3 2.37
1934–35 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 48 30 14 4 2957 111 8 2.25
1935–36 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 48 23 19 6 3000 106 8 2.12
1936–37 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 3 0 2 1 190 9 0 2.84
1936–37 Montreal Canadiens NHL 4 2 1 1 270 12 0 2.67
NHL totals 465 246 145 74 29087 937 94 1.93

External links[]

Preceded by
Sylvio Mantha
Montreal Canadiens captains
1932–33
Succeeded by
Sylvio Mantha
Preceded by
New Award
Winner of the Vezina Trophy
1927, 1928, 1929
Succeeded by
Cecil Thompson
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