Ed Belfour

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CanadaCanada  Ed Belfour Ice hockey player
Hockey Hall of Fame , 2011
Ed Belfour
Date of birth April 21, 1965
place of birth Carman , Manitoba , Canada
Nickname Eddie the Eagle
size 183 cm
Weight 98 kg
position goalkeeper
Catch hand Left
Career stations
1983-1986 Winkler Flyers
1986-1987 University of North Dakota
1987-1988 Saginaw Hawks
1988-1997 Chicago Blackhawks
1997 San Jose Sharks
1997-2002 Dallas Stars
2002-2006 Toronto Maple Leafs
2006-2007 Florida panthers
2007-2008 Leksands IF

Edward John Belfour (born April 21, 1965 in Carman , Manitoba ) is a former Canadian ice hockey goalkeeper . During his career he played for the Chicago Blackhawks , San Jose Sharks , Dallas Stars , Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League .

Career

In contrast to most NHL professionals, Ed Belfour was not drafted , but signed a contract in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Blackhawks in the summer of 1987 as a so-called " free agent " (free player) . In his first season in Chicago, however, he was not yet used. He should first gain experience on the Blackhawks' farm team. In the following season he played a total of 23 times, but remained the substitute goalkeeper.

In the 1990/91 season Ed Belfour was number 1 in the Chicago Blackhawks and he brought outstanding performance, which was also rewarded accordingly. He got the Calder Memorial Trophy as best rookie , the William M. Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals conceded, the Trico Goaltender Award for the best catch rate and the Vezina Trophy as the best goalkeeper of the year. Belfour played in the NHL All-Star Game for the first time in 1992 and was called up several times in the following years. In the 1992/93 season he managed again the double with the William M. Jennings Trophy and the Vezina Trophy.

However, he still lacked a title win with the team. Although he made it to the Stanley Cup finals with Chicago in 1992 , the Blackhawks were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins led by Mario Lemieux .

In January 1997 Belfour was transferred to the San Jose Sharks in an exchange deal , where he played the current season to the end. In the summer he signed a contract with the Dallas Stars . The second season in Dallas earned him the title and he won the Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 . He also won the William M. Jennings Trophy together with substitute goalkeeper Roman Turek , Belfours fourth overall.

In 2002 he was allowed to attend the Olympic Winter Games with Team Canada . Canada prevailed against the USA in the final and won the gold medal, but Belfour did not play a single minute.

In the summer of 2002 he signed a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs for which he played with good performances, but without much success in the championship. After Belfour struggled with severe back problems in the 2005/06 season and could only complete 49 games, the Maple Leafs dissolved his contract in the summer. His position was taken over by Andrew Raycroft in 2006/07 .

Ed Belfour's negotiations for a contract with the Detroit Red Wings failed, after which Belfour signed with the Florida Panthers . There he should form the goalkeeper duo of equal rights with Alexander Auld . After Auld injured himself, Belfour became the sole number one for the season. He played a solid season, scored 27 wins versus 17 losses in 58 games and was voted Most Valuable Player of the Panthers. However, they could not reach the playoffs and Belfour did not receive a new contract.

After he had not signed an NHL team in the summer of 2007, Belfour moved to Sweden in the HockeyAllsvenskan to Leksands IF .

In 2011 he was honored with the induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame .

Milestones and something special

  • Ed Belfour is also called "The Eagle", which comes from the eagle motif on his goalie mask, which he has been wearing since his time in Chicago.
  • In San Jose, Dallas, Toronto and Florida he wore the number 20 in honor of the legendary Russian goalkeeper Vladislav Tretyak .
  • During the 2005/06 season Ed Belfour achieved the 457th victory in his career, making him second in NHL history . In the meantime he has been overtaken by Martin Brodeur and has 484 victories. He is also the goalkeeper with the fourth most appearances in NHL history with 963 games. (Status: end of season 2014/15)

Negative headlines

When Ed Belfour was playing for the Dallas Stars in 2000, an argument broke out in the bar of an upscale hotel with a security guard and Belfour refused to be taken away by police. He received a two-year suspended sentence and a $ 3,000 fine. On April 8, 2007, a few hours after the last game of the season, there was another scuffle between Belfour and a police officer in a bar in Florida. At the direction of security, Belfour should be expelled from the bar by the police. The goalie of the Florida Panthers was intoxicated and resisted. Belfour was finally arrested along with teammate Ville Peltonen and only allowed to go after paying bail.

Achievements and Awards

International

Career statistics

Regular season Play-offs
season team league GP GA SO ATM Sv% GP GA SO ATM Sv%
1988-89 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 23 74 0 3.87 .877 - - - - -
1989-90 Chicago Blackhawks NHL - - - - - 9 17th 0 2.49 .915
1990-91 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 74 170 4th 2.47 .910 6th 20th 0 4.07 .891
1991-92 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 52 132 5 2.71 .894 18th 39 1 2.47 .902
1992-93 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 71 177 7th 2.59 .906 4th 13 0 3.13 .866
1993-94 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 178 7th 2.67 .906 6th 15th 0 2.50 .921
1994-95 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 42 93 5 2.28 .906 16 37 1 2.19 .923
1995-96 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 50 135 1 2.74 .902 9 23 1 2.07 .929
1996-97 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 33 88 1 2.69 .907 - - - - -
San Jose Sharks NHL 13 43 1 3.41 .884 - - - - -
1997-98 Dallas Stars NHL 61 112 9 1.88 .916 17th 31 1 1.79 .922
1998-99 Dallas Stars NHL 61 117 5 1.99 .915 23 43 3 1.67 .930
1999-00 Dallas Stars NHL 62 127 4th 2.10 .919 23 45 4th 1.87 .931
2000-01 Dallas Stars NHL 63 144 6th 2.34 .905 10 25th 0 2.23 .910
2001-02 Dallas Stars NHL 60 153 1 2.65 .895 - - - - -
2002-03 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 62 141 7th 2.26 .922 7th 24 0 2.71 .915
2003-04 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 59 122 10 2.13 .918 13 27 3 2.09 .929
2005-06 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 49 159 0 3.29 .892 - - - - -
2006-07 Florida panthers NHL 58 152 1 2.77 .902 - - - - -
NHL overall 963 2317 76 2.50 .906 161 359 14th 2.17 .920

( Legend for the goalkeeper statistics: GP or Sp = total games; W or S = wins; L or N = defeats; T or U or OT = draws or overtime or shootout defeats; min. = Minutes; SOG or SaT = shots on goal; GA or GT = goals conceded; SO = shutouts ; GAA or GTS = goals conceded ; Sv% or SVS% = catch quota ; EN = empty net goal ; 1  play-downs / relegation ; italics : statistics not complete)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Belfour, Ed
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Belfour, Edward John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian ice hockey goalkeeper
DATE OF BIRTH April 21, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH Carman , Manitoba