Terry Sawchuk
Hockey Hall of Fame , 1971 | |
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Date of birth | December 28, 1929 |
place of birth | Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada |
date of death | May 31, 1970 |
Place of death | New York City , New York , USA |
Nickname | Ukey |
size | 180 cm |
Weight | 86 kg |
position | goalkeeper |
number | #1 |
Catch hand | Left |
Career stations | |
1945-1946 | Winnipeg Monarchs |
1946-1947 | Galt Red Wings |
1947-1948 | Omaha Knights |
1948-1950 | Indianapolis Capitals |
1950-1955 | Detroit Red Wings |
1955-1957 | Boston Bruins |
1957-1964 | Detroit Red Wings |
1964-1967 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1967-1968 | Los Angeles Kings |
1968-1969 | Detroit Red Wings |
1969-1970 | New York Rangers |
Terrance Gordon "Ukey" Sawchuk (born December 28, 1929 in Winnipeg , Manitoba , † May 31, 1970 in New York City , New York , USA ) was a Canadian ice hockey goalkeeper who between 1950 and 1970 for the Detroit Red Wings , Boston Bruins , Toronto Maple Leafs , Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers played in the National Hockey League . Sawchuk, who won the Stanley Cup four times in the course of his career and was awarded the Vezina Trophy as best goalkeeper just as often , was considered the best goalkeeper of his time and one of the best ever.
Career
Sawchuk began playing as a center at a young age but was repurposed as a goalkeeper as he grew up. He was nicknamed Ukey because of his Ukrainian descent. As a result of a sports accident during his childhood, his right arm was slightly shorter than his left and restricted mobility for the entire course of his career. At the age of 14, the Detroit Red Wings from the National Hockey League became aware of the goalkeeping talent. After signing an amateur contract, they let him gain his first experience in the lower-tier leagues before giving him a professional contract in 1947 at the age of 18.
For the 1950/51 season Sawchuk moved to the NHL and came as a rookie in 70 games to 44 wins and a goalscoring average of 1.99. He also got eleven shutouts . In the following season 1951/52 he came again to 44 wins in 70 games. His goal average was 1.9. He also had twelve shutouts. Overall, he had at least 40 wins three times and over 30 wins five times in a row. He also had a goal under two five times in a row. In the first six seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, he came to 57 shutouts. There were also nine shutouts in the play-offs . In total, he had 103 shutouts in his NHL career.
In the summer of 1955, Sawchuk left the Red Wings and joined the Boston Bruins . He played for these two years before ending his career due to numerous injuries and illnesses. After Detroit brought him back in a transfer, however, he played another seven years for the Wings in the NHL. This was followed by three years with the Toronto Maple Leafs until 1967, with which he won his last of four Stanley Cups . He was then selected in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft by the Los Angeles Kings , for whom he ran up for a year as well as the Detroit Red Wings and ultimately the New York Rangers again . Until 1962 he played without a mask. By then, he had already had numerous fractures and concussions. In total, his face and head were sewn with 400 stitches.
After an argument with his teammate Ron Stewart at the end of the 1969/70 season , the goalkeeper, who had acquired US citizenship in 1959, was hospitalized and succumbed to his a few weeks later, on May 31, 1970, at the age of 40 serious internal injuries. Sawchuk won 501 NHL games during his career and posted 115 shutouts . He set records in these categories for many years. After his death, he was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1971 and honored his contributions to ice hockey in the United States with the Lester Patrick Trophy .
Achievements and Awards
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NHL statistics
Seasons | Games | Victories | Defeats | draw | Minutes | GT | Shutouts | GTS | |
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Regular season | 21st | 971 | 447 | 330 | 172 | 57194 | 2389 | 103 | 2.51 |
Playoffs | 15th | 106 | 54 | 48 | - | 6290 | 266 | 12 | 2.54 |
( 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
- Terry Sawchuk in the database of the Hockey Hall of Fame (English)
- Terry Sawchuk at eliteprospects.com (English)
- Terry Sawchuk in the database of hockey-reference.com (English)
- Terry Sawchuk at hockeygoalies.org
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Sawchuk, Terry |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sawchuk, Terrance Gordon; Ukey |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian ice hockey goalkeeper |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 28, 1929 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Winnipeg , Manitoba |
DATE OF DEATH | May 31, 1970 |
Place of death | New York City , New York |