Samuel James "Sugar Jim" Henry (October 23, 1920 — January 21, 2004) 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

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 ...

player. A

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 ...

, Henry played 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 ...

(NHL) with 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 ...

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and 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 ...

between 1941 and 1955.

Early life

Henry was born on October 23, 1920, in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, Manitoba, Canada to mother Essie Henry. Growing up, he earned the nickname "Sugar" as the neighbours would dip his

pacifier A pacifier is a rubber, plastic, or silicone nipple substitute given to an infant to suckle upon between feedings to quiet its distress by satisfying the need to suck when it does not need to eat. Pacifiers normally have three parts: an elongate ...

into sugar. During the 1930s, he played for the Brandon Elks in the

Manitoba Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...

and led them to the Turnbull Cup. Following this, Henry joined the Regina Rangers of the

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years of ...

where he led them to the 1941 Allen Cup. During the tournament, Henry gained the attention of

Frank Boucher François Xavier Boucher (October 7, 1901 – December 12, 1977) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. Boucher played the forward position for the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL) a ...

of the

Playing career

Upon winning the 1941 Allen Cup, Henry started his NHL career with the New York Rangers. During his first NHL season, he led the New York Rangers to a first-place but they lost 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 the 1942 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite this, Henry's 29 wins during the season led all goaltenders around the league and set a new franchise record. Following his rookie season,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

broke out and he joined the

Ottawa Commandos The Ottawa Senators, also known as the Ottawa Commandos and Senior Senators, was an amateur, later semi-professional, senior-level men's ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In 1934, the Ottawa Auditorium, owners of the Ottawa Hockey ...

and Red Deer Army. In 1942, while with the Commandos, Henry helped them sweep the competition and win another Allen Cup. He also played with the Red Deer A-16 Army team and was voted the most valuable player in the league. In 1945, Henry was discharged from the army and returned to the National Hockey League. When the

1945–46 NHL season The 1945–46 NHL season was the 29th season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Boston Bruins for the team's sixth championship. League business Since World War II had ended, the NHL and the ...

started, Henry alternated goaltending duties with

Chuck Rayner Claude Earl "Chuck" Rayner (August 11, 1920 – October 6, 2002), nicknamed "Bonnie Prince Charlie", was a Canadian professional hockey goaltender who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Americans and New York Range ...

. However, Rayner eventually took over starting duties and Henry was re-assigned to the

New Haven Ramblers New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL) in January 1946. Following this, he spent numerous seasons alternating between the NHL and AHL. During the 1947–48 season, Henry returned to his original starting position with the Rangers after Rayner suffered a compound fracture of his right cheekbone. Within his first 25 games as the starting goaltender, Henry earned 12 wins, seven losses, and six ties. During the 1952 postseason, Henry recorded a playoff shutout in the semifinal round versus Montreal. At the end of Game #7 of that same series, Henry, sporting a black eye, was photographed shaking hands with Maurice Richard who was bandaged and bloodied. It has been considered one of the iconic NHL photographs. In 2004, Henry was inducted into the

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

Awards and achievements

*Turnbull Cup

MJHL The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...

Championship (1939) *

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 ...

Championships (1941 & 1943) *

USHL The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

First All-Star Team (1950) *Charles Gardiner Memorial Trophy Winner (Top Goaltender

) (1950) *

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 ...

Second All-Star Team (1952) *Played in

All-Star Game (1952) *Honoured Member of the

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named an ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Transactions

* October 7, 1948 - Traded to Chicago Black Hawks by New York Rangers for

Emile Francis Emile Percival Francis (September 13, 1926 – February 19, 2022), nicknamed "The Cat", was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers f ...

and

Alex Kaleta Alexander George "Killer" Kaleta (November 29, 1919 – July 9, 1987) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers and is best known for his part in ...

. * July 13, 1950 - Traded to Detroit Red Wings by Chicago Black Hawks with

Metro Prystai Dmytro "Metro" Prystai ( uk, Дмитро Пристай, November 7, 1927 – October 8, 2013) was a Canadian ice hockey forward. Prystai began his National Hockey League career with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1947. He also played for the Detr ...

Gaye Stewart James Gaye Stewart (June 28, 1923 – November 18, 2010) was a professional ice hockey forward. He played nine seasons as a left winger in the National Hockey League. Playing career Born in Fort William, Ontario, Stewart was called from the min ...

and

Bob Goldham Robert John "Golden Boy" Goldham (May 12, 1922 – September 6, 1991) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman and broadcaster. He played two seasons for the Toronto Marlboros earning the name "Golden Boy". He was later called the "Second Goalie" be ...

for Harry Lumley, Jack Stewart,

Al Dewsbury Albert Percy "Dews" Dewsbury (April 12, 1926 – December 16, 2006) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks between 1946 and 1956. He was born in Goderich, ...

Pete Babando Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to: People * Pete (given name) * Pete (nickname) * Pete (surname) Fictional characters * Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe * Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ...

and Don Morrison. * September 28, 1951 - Traded to Boston Bruins by Detroit Red Wings for cash

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Jim 1920 births 2004 deaths Boston Bruins players Brandon Elks players Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Chicago Blackhawks players Ice hockey people from Manitoba Indianapolis Capitals players New Haven Ramblers players New York Rangers players St. Paul Saints (IHL) players Sportspeople from Winnipeg Warroad Lakers players Winnipeg Maroons players Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame inductees