Alexander "The Ottawa Fireman" Connell (February 8, 1902 — May 10, 1958) was a Canadian professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
who played for the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
,
Detroit Falcons,
New York Americans
The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...
and
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons (officially the Montreal Professional Hockey Club) were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935. They were the la ...
teams in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
. He is widely believed to be one of the greatest hockey goaltenders of all time.
Amateur career
While in the military in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and stationed in
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...
, Connell was recruited to play for the junior league
Kingston Frontenacs
The Kingston Frontenacs are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The Frontenacs play home games at Leon's Centre, which opened in 2008.
Team history predates the OHA, back to 1945, to a te ...
in 1917. Purportedly then unable to skate, he consequently played two seasons as the backup goaltender for the team.
Other than hockey, Connell starred in several sports. He was a catcher in the Interprovincial League, played lacrosse for the Ottawa team that won the Canadian championship in the 1920s, and played football with St. Brigid's of the senior-level
Ottawa City Hockey League
The Ottawa City Hockey League (OCHL) was an amateur ice hockey league with junior, intermediate and senior level men's teams in Ottawa, Canada. Founded in 1890 by the local Ottawa Hockey Association (Ottawa HA), the OCHL was created to organize p ...
.
By then an accomplished goaltender, Connell played five seasons in the OCHL, principally for the St. Brigid's hockey team, upon being recruited by future Senator and Hall of Famer
King Clancy
Francis Michael "King" Clancy (February 25, 1902 – November 8, 1986) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, referee, coach and executive. Clancy played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Ottawa Senators and Toronto ...
.
NHL career
1920s
Connell joined the Ottawa Senators for the
1924–25 season after the Senators dealt aging star goaltender
Clint Benedict
Clinton Stevenson "Praying Benny" Benedict (September 26, 1892 – November 12, 1976) was a Canadian professional lacrosse goalie, ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Maroons. He played on four Stanley Cup-win ...
to the expansion Maroons. He had an immediate impact with the Senators, guiding them to a third-place finish with a league-leading seven shutouts in 30 games, breaking the NHL record. During that season, Connell was involved in the first 0–0 tie in NHL history, on December 14 against the
Hamilton Tigers
The Hamilton Tigers were a professional ice hockey team based in Hamilton, Ontario. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1920 to 1925. The Tigers were formed by the sale of the Quebec Bulldogs NHL franchise to Hamilton intere ...
, with
Jake Forbes as the opposing goalie.
The
1926 season saw Connell's definite ascension to stardom, as he more than doubled his NHL record total of shutouts to 15, and set a new mark for the lowest goals-against average in league history with 1.12.
In
1927 he was the first goalie to record a 30–win season. In the playoffs, Connell allowed only four goals in six games, as the Senators beat the
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
in the finals. It was the Senators' eleventh and final
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
championship.
In the
1927–28 season he set the NHL record—unbroken as of 2022—for the longest shutout streak at 461:29, by recording seven consecutive shutouts and another 41 minutes in the eighth game, from January 31 to February 22, 1928. During the
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...
that season between the Montreal Maroons and the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
—at which Connell was a spectator—Rangers' goalie
Lorne Chabot
Laurent Edward Chabot (October 5, 1900 – October 10, 1946) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Chabot played in the National Hockey League from 1926 to 1937. He was a member of two Stanley Cup championship teams, the New York Rangers ...
was injured, and New York coach
Lester Patrick
Curtis Lester Patrick (December 31, 1883 – June 1, 1960) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (Western Hockey League after 1924), and t ...
petitioned for Connell to take his place. The Montreal coach refused, and Patrick took the net himself for one of the most famous incidents in league history.
1930s
As a small-market team and badly affected by the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, the Ottawa team fell into decline thereafter, and while the team was on hiatus for the
1932 season, Connell played for the
Detroit Falcons under loan. An unusual incident took place during the season in a game against the
New York Americans
The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...
, owned by notorious bootlegger
"Big Bill" Dwyer. After a disputed call, Connell clashed with a goal judge who was reputed to be a hit man for Dwyer's mob, and required police protection after the game to leave the arena.
He returned to the Senators for
1932–33 season, and was named team
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
. However, he was injured in a game on December 6, 1932, against the
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, coordinates_footnotes =
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, subdivision_name ...
, and only played sporadically thereafter, spelled by
Bill Beveridge
William Stanley Beveridge (July 1, 1909 - February 13, 1995) was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Cougars, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Eagles, Montreal Maroons and New Yo ...
. He was pulled from a December 26 game against the Rangers after allowing four goals, and was incensed enough to announce his retirement, reportedly telling coach
Cy Denneny
Cyril Joseph Denneny (December 23, 1891 – September 10, 1970) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League and the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey As ...
, "Your move was the height of stupidity."
After fully recovering from his injuries in January 1934, the Montreal Maroons reportedly were interested in acquiring Connell's rights, but only on a loan basis. The financially-strapped Senators demanded a straight cash deal only, and rejected the Maroons' offer.
Connell was injured for most of the
1934 season and replaced in net for the Senators by Beveridge. On March 15, 1934, the Senators were playing the
New York Americans
The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...
, when
Roy Worters
Roy Thomas "Shrimp" Worters (October 19, 1900 November 7, 1957) was a Canadian professional Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Canadiens and New York American ...
, the Amerks' goaltender, was injured in the first period and could not continue. Ottawa loaned Connell, who was available, to New York for the remainder of the game, and he led the Amerks to a 3–2 win, being named the star of the game. Ironically, it was the last home game in the Senators' forty-year history, as the team would be relocated to
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
the following year.
Connell's rights being traded by the Senators for
Glenn Brydson, he returned out of semi-retirement to play for the
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons (officially the Montreal Professional Hockey Club) were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935. They were the la ...
in
1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* ...
, at the behest of new Maroons' coach
Tommy Gorman
Thomas Patrick Gorman (June 9, 1886 – May 15, 1961), known as "T.P." or "Tommy", was a Canadian ice hockey executive, sports entrepreneur and athlete. Gorman was a founder of the National Hockey League (NHL), a winner of seven Stanley Cups as ...
, who had won the Cup with Chicago the previous season. Then 33 years old, he rebounded to his old form, leading the NHL in shutouts for the fourth time and finishing second behind Chicago's
Lorne Chabot
Laurent Edward Chabot (October 5, 1900 – October 10, 1946) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Chabot played in the National Hockey League from 1926 to 1937. He was a member of two Stanley Cup championship teams, the New York Rangers ...
for the
Vezina Trophy
The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's (NHL) goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the thirty-two NHL general managers vote to determine the winner. It is named in ...
as leading goaltender. During that season, Connell allowed the first
penalty shot
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
goal in league history—it was newly instituted in that season—to
Ralph Bowman
Ralph Blaylock "Scotty" Bowman (June 20, 1911 in Winnipeg, Manitoba – October 17, 1990) was a Canadian ice hockey player. Bowman played seven seasons in the National Hockey League for the Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Eagles and Detroit Red Wings ...
of St. Louis on November 13.
Connell went undefeated in the 1935 playoffs for the Maroons to lead them to the Stanley Cup, allowing only four goals in the Cup finals. Gorman called his play the "greatest goalkeeping performance in the history of hockey."
As he was unable to gain a leave of absence from his job as Secretary of the Ottawa Fire Department—throughout his playing career, Connell held offseason administrative positions for the Ottawa Fire Department—he retired again, but returned for the
1936–37 NHL season
The 1936–37 NHL season was the 20th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eight teams each played 48 games. The Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the New York Rangers three games to two in the final series.
Lea ...
with the Maroons, to platoon with Beveridge. Fading in form, he played his last game on January 16, 1937.
Awards and achievements
At the time of his retirement, Connell was second in NHL career shutouts, and nearly ninety years later, is still in sixth place, with 81. He is the only goaltender in league history to record 15 or more shutouts in two separate seasons.
Connell's 1.91 career
goals against average
Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on s ...
(GAA) is the lowest for any goaltender in the history of the National Hockey League, a record he has held for over ninety years. He is also the career leader for playoff goals-against average for goalies playing over twenty games.
Connell was also one of the first goaltenders to transition in 1927 from the cricket-style pads of the early days of hockey to the wider modern-style leather-and-kapok pads, pioneered by Hamilton harnessmaker Pop Kenesky.
He was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame
, logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg
, logo_upright = 0.5
, image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg
, caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992
, map_type =
, former_name =
, established = 1943
, location = 30 Y ...
in 1958, but died before his formal induction after a lengthy illness on May 10, 1958. Upon his death, former teammate King Clancy said, "To me, Alec was a grand competitor, a great fellow and a great friend -- one of the outstanding goalies of his time."
The
Society for International Hockey Research
The Society for International Hockey Research (SIHR) is a network of writers, statisticians, collectors, broadcasters, academics and ice hockey buffs. The society, based in Toronto, Ontario, has an international membership. The society cultivates ...
, in compiling a "retroactive"
Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy (french: Trophée Conn Smythe) is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general man ...
(most valuable player in the playoffs) list, deemed that Connell would have won in 1927 had the trophy been awarded back then. Charles Coleman, in ''Trail of the Stanley Cup'', believed that Connell would have won the Vezina Trophy in 1926, in like fashion.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connell, Alexander
1902 births
1958 deaths
Canadian ice hockey goaltenders
Detroit Falcons players
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Ice hockey people from Ottawa
Montreal Maroons players
National Hockey League goaltender captains
New York Americans players
Ottawa Senators (1917) players
Stanley Cup champions
Burials at Notre-Dame Cemetery (Ottawa)