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Glenn Hall
Glenn Hall
Born October 3, 1931 (1931-10-03) (age 93)
Humboldt, SK, CAN
Height
Weight
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for AHL
Indianapolis Capitals
NHL
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Black Hawks
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 1951–1971
Hall of Fame, 1975


Glenn Henry "Mr. Goalie" Hall (born October 3, 1931, in Humboldt, Saskatchewan) is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. During his National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, and St. Louis Blues, Hall seldom missed a game and was a consistent performer, winning the Vezina Trophy three times, and the Calder Memorial Trophy. Nicknamed "Mr. Goalie", he was the first goaltender to develop and make effective use of the butterfly style of goalkeeping.[1] According to NHL lore, Hall threw up before each game, then drank a glass of orange juice.

Hall was the goalie in Bobby Orr's famous 1970 Stanley Cup winning goal. The goal came off a give-and-go pass with Orr's teammate Derek Sanderson at the 40-second mark of the first overtime period in Game Four, helping to complete a sweep of Hall's St. Louis Blues. The subsequent image of a horizontal Orr flying through the air, his arms raised in victory – as he made the shot, he had been tripped by Blues' defenceman Noel Picard while watching the puck pass by goaltender Hall – became a prize-winning photograph and is arguably the most famous and recognized hockey image of all time.[citation needed]

Professional playing career[]

Detroit stints[]

After finishing his junior years playing for the Humboldt Indians and the Windsor Spitfires, he signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 1949. The first few years of his NHL career were spent playing in Detroit's minor system. In the 1952 playoffs he was called up from the minors to be the backup goalie in the finals, but did not play for Detroit. Detroit still put Hall's name on the Stanley Cup, before he had ever played his first NHL game. He finally made the Red Wings' lineup as their starting goalie in the 1955–56 season, displacing Terry Sawchuk. Hall played in every game of his first full season with the Red Wings, recording twelve shutouts, and winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. He seemed erratic during the Stanley Cup Finals against Montreal.

Black Hawks[]

During his second full season with Detroit, he again played every game, but at season's end, found himself traded to the Chicago Black Hawks along with NHL Players' Association co-organizer Ted Lindsay. Hall continued his stellar play in the Windy City, playing every regular-season game as well as every playoff game. In 1961, Hall backstopped the Black Hawks to their first Stanley Cup Championship since 1938 over Detroit. On November 8, 1962, the record streak finally came to an end against the Boston Bruins, as Hall had back problems. Denis DeJordy replaced him during the game. Hall managed to play 502 consecutive complete games, which spanned eight seasons, an NHL record for goaltenders that is unlikely to ever be broken. He never wore a goaltending mask or helmet during the streak, only doing so late in his career.

Later success[]

File:GlennHallFigure.jpg

Figure of Glenn Hall from his days with the St.Louis Blues.

Despite winning the Vezina Trophy in 1967, Hall was left unprotected for that summer's NHL expansion draft. The 36-year-old veteran was chosen by the St. Louis Blues. The Blues, one of six expansion franchises in their first year in the league, stocked themselves with veteran talent including Red Berenson and Phil Goyette, and won the Western Division playoffs in two seven-game series. Hall's play led them all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. Most hockey fans expected an utter rout when the established Canadiens faced the 1st-year expansion Blues. But this was Hall's fourth trip to the finals, and his goaltending was the most outstanding contribution to the surprisingly good performance of the Blues against the Montreal Canadiens. The Blues lost the best-of-seven series getting swept 4–0, but in 4 exciting 1-goal games (3–2 (OT), 1–0. 4–3 (OT), and 3–2). Hall's remarkable play was recognized by the award to him of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' Most Valuable Player, an award rarely going to a player from a losing team.

In 1968, veteran goaltending legend Jacques Plante joined the Blues, sharing duties with Hall. The two put together a fine season in 1968-69, winning the Vezina Trophy.

Retirement[]

He had retired after the 1968–69 season season, but Hall came out of retirement to play 18 games in 1969–70 season.

Hall's career ended after the 1970–71 season when he announced his retirement at the age of 40. In 1975 he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Hall won his third Stanley Cup as the goaltender coach with Calgary Flames in 1989.

Legacy[]

Hall ended his career with 407 wins, 84 shutouts, a career GAA of 2.49, and was voted to eleven All-Star Games. Hall is widely regarded as one of the first NHL goalies to master the butterfly style of goaltending. He is thought of by many as one of the best goalies to ever play the game. Hall still holds the record for the most First Team All-Star selections (7) which he achieved while playing the same era as other greats, Sawchuk and Plante—as well as other Hall of Famers, such as Johnny Bower and Gump Worsley.

In 1998, he was ranked number 16 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, currently the highest rank for a living former goaltender (No. 13-ranked Jacques Plante died in 1986, and No. 9 Terry Sawchuk in 1970).

In 2005, the City of Humboldt, Saskatchewan erected a permanent monument to Hall's career in Glenn Hall Park on Highway #5 (Glenn Hall Drive). The tribute included highlights of his career from his junior days in Humboldt until his retirement from the NHL.

Awards and achievements[]

  • Calder Memorial Trophy Winner in 1956.
  • Played in 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, and 1969 NHL All-Star Games.
  • Selected to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1957, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1966, and 1969.
  • Selected to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1956, 1961, and 1962.
  • Vezina Trophy Winner in 1963, 1967, and 1969.
  • Conn Smythe Trophy Winner in 1968.
  • Stanley Cup Championship in 1952, 1961, and 1989 (as goaltender coach).
  • Holds NHL record for most consecutive games started with 502 games.
  • Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.
  • In 1998, he was ranked number 16 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Career statistics[]

Regular season[]

Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
1947–48 Humboldt Indians N-SJHL 5 5 0 0 300 17 0 3.40
1948–49 Humboldt Indians N-SJHL 24 13 9 2 1420 86 1 3.63
1949–50 Windsor Spitfires OHA 43 31 11 1 2580 152 0 3.53
1950–51 Windsor Spitfires OHA 54 32 18 4 3240 167 6 3.09
1951–52 Indianapolis Capitals AHL 68 22 40 6 4190 272 0 3.89
1952–53 Edmonton Flyers WHL 63 27 27 9 3780 207 2 3.29
1952–53 Detroit Red Wings NHL 6 4 1 1 360 10 1 1.67
1953–54 Edmonton Flyers WHL 70 29 30 11 4200 259 0 3.70
1954–55 Edmonton Flyers WHL 66 38 18 10 3960 187 5 2.83
1954–55 Detroit Red Wings NHL 2 2 0 0 120 2 0 1.00
1955–56 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 30 24 16 4200 147 12 2.10
1956–57 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 38 20 12 4200 156 4 2.23
1957–58 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 24 39 7 4200 200 7 2.86
1958–59 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 28 29 13 4200 208 1 2.97
1959–60 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 28 29 13 4200 180 6 2.57
1960–61 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 29 24 17 4200 176 6 2.51
1961–62 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 31 26 13 4200 185 9 2.64
1962–63 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 66 30 20 15 3910 166 5 2.55
1963–64 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 65 34 19 11 3860 148 7 2.30
1964–65 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 41 18 17 5 2440 99 4 2.43
1965–66 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 64 31 24 7 3747 164 4 2.63
1966–67 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 32 19 5 5 1664 66 2 2.38
1967–68 St. Louis Blues NHL 49 19 21 9 2858 118 5 2.48
1968–69 St. Louis Blues NHL 41 19 12 8 2354 85 8 2.17
1969–70 St. Louis Blues NHL 18 7 8 3 1010 49 1 2.91
1970–71 St. Louis Blues NHL 31 13 11 8 1761 71 2 2.42
NHL totals 906 407 326 162 53,544 2230 84 2.49

Playoffs[]

Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
1947-48 Humboldt Indians N-SJHL 2 0 2 0 120 15 0 7.50
1948-49 Humboldt Indians N-SJHL 7 3 4 0 420 36 0 5.14
1949-50 Windsor Spitfires OHA 11 6 5 0 660 37 0 3.36
1950-51 Windsor Spitfires OHA 8 480 30 0 3.75
1952-53 Edmonton Flyers WHL 15 10 5 0 905 53 0 3.51
1953-54 Edmonton Flyers WHL 13 7 6 0 783 44 2 3.37
1954-55 Edmonton Flyers WHL 16 11 5 0 1000 43 1 2.58
1955-56 Detroit Red Wings NHL 10 5 5 604 28 0 2.78
1956-57 Detroit Red Wings NHL 5 1 4 300 15 0 3.00
1958-59 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 6 2 4 360 21 0 3.50
1959-60 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 4 0 4 249 14 0 3.37
1960-61 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 12 8 4 772 26 2 2.02
1961-62 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 12 6 6 720 31 2 2.58
1962-63 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 6 2 4 360 25 0 4.17
1963-64 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 7 3 4 408 22 0 3.24
1964-65 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 13 7 6 760 28 1 2.21
1965-66 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 6 2 4 347 22 0 3.80
1966-67 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 3 1 2 176 8 0 2.73
1967-68 St. Louis Blues NHL 18 8 10 1111 45 1 2.43
1968-69 St. Louis Blues NHL 3 0 2 131 5 0 2.29
1969-70 St. Louis Blues NHL 7 4 3 421 21 0 2.99
1970-71 St. Louis Blues NHL 3 0 3 180 9 0 3.00
NHL totals 115 49 65 6899 320 6 2.78

See also[]

  • Butterfly style

References[]

External links[]

Preceded by
Dave Keon
Winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy
1968
Succeeded by
Serge Savard
Preceded by
Ed Litzenberger
Winner of the Calder Trophy
1956
Succeeded by
Larry Regan
Preceded by
Jacques Plante
Winner of the Vezina Trophy
1963
Succeeded by
Charlie Hodge
Preceded by
Gump Worsley
and Charlie Hodge
Winner of the Vezina Trophy
with Denis DeJordy

1967
Succeeded by
Rogatien Vachon
and Gump Worsley
Preceded by
Rogatien Vachon
and Gump Worsley
Winner of the Vezina Trophy
with Jacques Plante

1969
Succeeded by
Tony Esposito
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