George Henry Hainsworth (June 26, 1893 – October 9, 1950) 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 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
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
and
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 ...
, and the
Saskatoon Crescents
The Saskatoon Sheiks/Saskatoon Crescents were a professional ice hockey team in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and Prairie Hockey League (PrHL) from 1921 to 1928. The team played their home games at the Crescent Arena in Saskatoon, S ...
in the
Western Canada Hockey League
The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926.
The WCHL's Victoria C ...
. He was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame.
Personal
Hainsworth was born in the
Kew Beach area of Toronto in 1893. His parents, John Hainsworth and Mary James, were both from England.
Hainsworth's family moved to
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, where his father was a water commissioner for many years.
Previously, his father had worked as a plumber in Toronto. He also owned a plumbing retail business, Hainsworth Plumbing, in Berlin.
After his playing days were over, Hainsworth returned to Berlin (now named
Kitchener) with his wife Alma and son Bill. Bill played goaltender, like his father, and played in the
Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) as a junior and later as a senior player but never a professional.
Playing career
Hainsworth played junior hockey for the Berlin Union Jacks then moved up to senior hockey with the Berlin City Seniors and the Kitchener Greenshirts.
Hainsworth won the
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are the ...
, as senior amateur champions of Canada, with the Kitchener Greenshirts in
1918. One of the games he played for Kitchener against the Toronto
Argonaut Rowing Club
The Argonaut Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club was founded in 1872. The current junior head coach is Connor Elsdon. In the past, the club fielded teams in ice hockey and football, and the football team ...
in the 1923 OHA playoffs was the first game that
Foster Hewitt
Foster William Hewitt, (November 21, 1902 – April 21, 1985) was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for ''Hockey Night in Canada''. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt.
Biography
...
broadcast. By the end of the 1922–23 season, Hainsworth had played five seasons for the Greenshirts. At that time,
Newsy Lalonde
Édouard Cyrille "Newsy" Lalonde (October 31, 1887 – November 21, 1970) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward in the National Hockey League (NHL) and a professional lacrosse player. Lalonde is regarded as one of hockey's and lacrosse's ...
, manager of the
Western Canada Hockey League
The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926.
The WCHL's Victoria C ...
(WCHL)
Saskatoon Crescents
The Saskatoon Sheiks/Saskatoon Crescents were a professional ice hockey team in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and Prairie Hockey League (PrHL) from 1921 to 1928. The team played their home games at the Crescent Arena in Saskatoon, S ...
, needed a goalie. On the recommendation of
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
' part-owner
Leo Dandurand
Leo or Léo may refer to:
Acronyms
* Law enforcement officer
* Law enforcement organisation
* '' Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky
* Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
Arts a ...
, Lalonde signed Hainsworth to a pro contract of $2,500 per season with Saskatoon. Hainsworth played three seasons with Saskatoon before he was signed by Dandurand to play goal for Montreal in 1926. The Western league was in the process of folding, and Dandurand signed Hainsworth to a $6,500 per year contract before Toronto claimed him from the Western league players who were en masse moving to 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 ...
(NHL).
Dandurand had to pay $5,000 to Saskatoon for the rights to Hainsworth.
There was a need for a top goaltender in Montreal.
Georges Vezina Georges may refer to:
Places
* Georges River, New South Wales, Australia
* Georges Quay (Dublin)
*Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Other uses
*Georges (name)
* ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas
* "Georges" (song), a 19 ...
, the Canadiens goaltender, had recently died of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
. Vezina had played every game in team history from the
1910–11 NHA season until the opening game of the
1925–26 NHL season
The 1925–26 NHL season was the ninth season of the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHL dropped the Hamilton, Ontario team and added two new teams in the United States (US), the New York Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates to bring the total n ...
, when the illness proved too much for him. In his memory, the team decided to create 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 ...
for the team goaltender(s) who allowed the least goals in the NHL.
Hainsworth proved up to the challenge by winning the Vezina Trophy for the
1926–27,
1927–28 and
1928–29 NHL season
The 1928–29 NHL season was the 12th season of the National Hockey League. Ten teams played 44 games each. This was the first Stanley Cup final that saw two United States-based teams compete for the cup. The Boston Bruins defeated the New York ...
s. In 1928–29, he set an all-time record with 22
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 ...
and a 0.92
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 ...
while playing all 44 games. In
1930
Events
January
* January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...
he set an NHL record that still stands, going 270 minutes and 8 seconds without allowing a goal during the
playoffs
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 eit ...
for the Canadiens. He backstopped the Canadiens to back to back
Stanley Cups in 1930 and
1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
. Hainsworth served as the Canadiens'
captain during
1932–33, becoming the second of only eight goalies to serve as an NHL team's captain.
Hainsworth was traded to 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
1933 for
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 ...
in a move by Dandurand to land another French-Canadian on his roster and boost attendance.
He helped the Maple Leafs reach the
1935 Stanley Cup Final. In 1936,
Turk Broda
Walter Edward "Turk" Broda (May 15, 1914 — October 17, 1972) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. A goaltender, Broda played his entire career for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1935 and 19 ...
won the goaltender job for Toronto, and Leaf manager
Conn Smythe
Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe, Military Cross, MC (; February 1, 1895 – November 18, 1980) was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs ...
gave Hainsworth his outright release on November 25, 1936. Hainsworth retired, but was persuaded to join the Canadiens again after goaltender
Wilf Cude
Wilfred Reginald Cude (July 4, 1906 – May 5, 1968) was a Welsh-Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played ten seasons as a goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Quakers, Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, ...
was injured. He played four more games for the Montreal Canadiens, from December 12 to 20, 1936, before retiring for good.
Post career
In 1936, Hainsworth became a radio inspector with Dominion Electrohome Ltd. During World War II, he was a member of Kitchener's civil defence guard. In 1949, he was elected to
Kitchener's city council.
Hainsworth died in a head-on collision between his car and a light panel truck near
Gravenhurst, Ontario, on Monday, October 9, 1950. Hainsworth was pronounced dead at the scene from several broken ribs which punctured his heart. Hainsworth was returning home from
Val D'Or, Quebec, where he and his wife had visited their son Bill.
He was 55. His funeral was held October 13 at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Kitchener and the burial was at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Awards and achievements
*
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 ...
(
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
* January 7
...
,
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...
,
1929
This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
)
*
Stanley Cup Championship (
1930
Events
January
* January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...
,
1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
)
* The Captains Cup (
1933)
* Played in the
1934 NHL All-Star Game
* In 1998, he was ranked number 46 on
The Hockey News
''The Hockey News'' (''THN'') is a Canadian-based ice hockey magazine. ''The Hockey News'' was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Will Cote and has since become the most recognized hockey publication in North America. The magazine has a readers ...
'
list of the 100 greatest hockey players.
* Inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961.
* Inducted into the
Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame is an association dedicated to honouring athletes and personalities with outstanding achievement in sports in Ontario, Canada. The hall of fame was established in 1994 by Bruce Prentice, following his 15-year tenure ...
in 2004.
Records
*He is third all-time in professional (including both NHL and WCHL/WHL)
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 with 104.
*His 94 career NHL shutouts are third on the NHL's all-time list behind
Martin Brodeur's 125 and
Terry Sawchuk's 103.
*Has the second lowest 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 ...
in the NHL with 1.93, behind
Alex Connell
Alexander "The Ottawa Fireman" Connell (February 8, 1902 — May 10, 1958) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Falcons, New York Americans and Montreal Maroons teams in the National Hock ...
's 1.91.
*Holds the NHL single-season shutout record with 22 shutouts in
1928–29.
*Holds the NHL single-season goals against average record with 0.92 in 1928–29.
*Holds the NHL single-playoffs record of time in net without allowing a goal, at 270 minutes and 8 seconds, in 1929-30.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Bibliography
*
References
External links
*
George Hainsworth's statistics and bio at Hockeygoalies.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hainsworth, George
1893 births
1950 deaths
Accidental deaths in Ontario
Canadian ice hockey goaltenders
Canadian people of English descent
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Montreal Canadiens players
National Hockey League goaltender captains
Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League (1890–1979) players
People from Old Toronto
Road incident deaths in Canada
Saskatoon Sheiks players
Sportspeople from Toronto
Stanley Cup champions
Toronto Maple Leafs players
Vezina Trophy winners