Tobias Francis McCool (October 27, 1918 – May 20, 1973) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...
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 h ...
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
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
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 was born in
Calgary,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
.
Playing career
McCool played minor hockey in his hometown of
Calgary with the
Calgary Bronks of the
Alberta Senior Hockey League Alberta Senior Hockey League (ASHL) may refer to:
*Alberta Senior Hockey League (1936–1941)
*Alberta Senior Hockey League (1965–1978)
See also
*Alberta Junior Hockey League
*Alberta Midget Hockey League
The Alberta Elite Hockey League or AEH ...
. In
1937–38, McCool played in the
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...
with the
Calgary Canadians
The Calgary Canadians were a junior ice hockey team that played in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In 1924, they became the first team from Alberta to play for the Memorial Cup, and in 1926, the first to win it.
In 1924, the Canadians won the Western C ...
. In 1939–40, he enrolled at
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the ...
and played hockey there from 1940 to 1942. In 1942–43, McCool enrolled in the army. He played for one season for the Calgary Currie Army before being discharged as medically unfit to serve.
After returning in
1944–45, he signed a free agent contract with the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
. He was the top goaltender for the Leafs as he led them through the season and all the way to the
Stanley Cup. The Leafs beat the
Detroit Red Wings in seven games and McCool set a franchise record for most
shutouts
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
in the postseason. He also set a
NHL
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 ...
record for most consecutive shutouts in the postseason with three, a record that has been tied but not beaten to this day. He also held another Stanley Cup record for the fewest goals allowed in the Final with nine. This stood until the
2011 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2011 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) , and the culmination of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins defeated the Western Conference champion Vanc ...
, when it was beaten by
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 ...
netminder
Tim Thomas. McCool also set another milestone as he became the first NHL
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 ...
to record an assist. At the end of the season, McCool was the recipient of the
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as ...
.
After just playing in 22 games in
1945–46, he retired after just two years because of severe
ulcer
An ulcer is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected organ. According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin, epithelium or mucous membrane caused by sloughing o ...
s. After his retirement, he became an assistant publisher and general manager for the ''
Calgary Albertan
The ''Calgary Sun'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is owned by Postmedia. First published in 1980, the tabloid-format daily replaced the long-running tabloid-size newspaper ''The Albertan'' soon after it was ...
''. He suffered from ulcers during his career, and it was confirmed that ulcers played a part in his death on May 20, 1973.
Legacy
Frank McCool has an arena named after him in the southeast community of
Lake Bonavista in the city where he was born,
Calgary,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
.
Awards and achievements
*
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as ...
winner in
1945
1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which Nuclear weapon, nuclear weapons Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been used in combat.
Events
Below, ...
.
*
Stanley Cup champion in
1945
1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which Nuclear weapon, nuclear weapons Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been used in combat.
Events
Below, ...
.
*Shares
NHL
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 ...
record for most consecutive
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
s in the
postseason
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
(3).
*Hold
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
record for most shutouts in the postseason (4).
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
References
External links
*
Picture of Frank McCool's Name on the 1945 Stanley Cup Plaque
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCool, Frank
1918 births
1973 deaths
Calder Trophy winners
Canadian ice hockey goaltenders
Canadian military personnel of World War II
Canadian people of Irish descent
Deaths from ulcers
Gonzaga University alumni
Sportspeople from Calgary
Stanley Cup champions
Gonzaga Bulldogs men's ice hockey players
Toronto Maple Leafs players
Ice hockey people from Alberta