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Francis Charles "Mr. Zero" Brimsek (September 26, 1913 – November 11, 1998) was an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
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 ten seasons 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) for 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 ...
and
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 ...
. He won 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 ...
as a rookie, and 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 ...
twice, and he was named to the NHL All-Star team eight times (twice on the First Team and six times on the Second Team). He was also a member of two
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 ...
championships (
1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...
and
1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...
). At the time of his retirement in 1950, he held the records for most wins and shutouts recorded by an American goaltender; these records stood for 54 years and 61 years respectively. In 1966, 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 ...
, the first American goalie to be inducted; and in 1973, he was part of the inaugural class of the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and ...
. In 1998, Brimsek was ranked number 67 on ''The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, the highest ranked American goaltender.


Background

Brimsek was born in the hockey hotbed of
Eveleth Eveleth is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,718 at the 2010 census. U.S. Highway 53 and State Highway 37 (MN 37) are two of the main routes in Eveleth. Eveleth was the site of the conflict that resu ...
,
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
on September 26, 1913. His parents were of Slovene descent. The town of Eveleth produced at that time four other hockey players who would play 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):
Mike Karakas Michael George Karakas (November 13, 1910 – May 2, 1992) was an American professional ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the league's first American-born and -trained goaltender and the first player of Greek ...
,
Sam LoPresti Samuel Leo LoPresti (January 30, 1917 – December 11, 1984) was an American ice hockey goaltender. He played several senior and professional seasons between 1937 and 1951, including two seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago ...
,
Al Suomi Albert William Suomi (October 29, 1913 – September 23, 2014) was an American NHL player, who played with the Chicago Black Hawks for the 1936–37 NHL season. Although he did not aspire to play at a professional level, Suomi nevertheless spent ...
and John Mariucci. Brimsek and Karakas played on the same baseball team in high school. Brimsek first started playing hockey when his brother, John, the second-string goalie on the Eveleth High School team, switched to defense, and Frank replaced him in the net. Soon, Brimsek found himself spending most of his spare time playing hockey. Unlike most of his friends who wanted to be high-scoring forwards, Brimsek never showed any desire to play any other position than goalie. Just before every winter, Brimsek and his friends would get on a dry lot and they would practice shooting at him. After graduating from high school, Brimsek played for the
St. Cloud State Teachers College St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Its enrollment in 2020 was approximatel ...
hockey team. He also graduated from college with a machine shop student's degree.


Playing career


Early career

In the fall of 1934, Brimsek was invited to the
Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
training camp for a shot at playing 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).
Jack Adams John James Adams (June 14, 1894 – May 1, 1968) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach and general manager in the National Hockey League and Pacific Coast Hockey Association. He played for the Toronto Arenas, Vancouver Millionaire ...
, the Red Wings' coach and manager, made a bad impression on Brimsek, who felt that Adams had a habit of favoritism. This led him to try out for another professional team, the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
of the
Eastern Amateur Hockey League The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart, ...
(EAHL). Unfortunately, the Orioles cut him, and Brimsek hitchhiked back to Eveleth. On his way back home, he had a chance meeting with the owner of the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets, John H. Harris. The Yellow Jackets were in need of a goaltender and Harris signed Brimsek to the team. Brimsek started playing for the Yellow Jackets in sixteen exhibition games in 1934–35; he won fourteen of them. The next season, the Yellow Jackets joined the EAHL. Brimsek finished with twenty wins and eight shutouts, the most by any goalie in the league. He was named to the league's second All-Star team and awarded the George L. Davis Trophy for the lowest
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). Impressed by Brimsek, Harris wanted to protect his interests in the goalie so he had the Red Wings put Brimsek on their protected list. Harris then tried to get the Red Wings to call Brimsek up. However, the Red Wings wanted Brimsek to first play one year for their amateur team in
Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality **Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...
, but Brimsek turned down the offer, choosing to stay with the Yellow Jackets instead. Harris then shopped Brimsek around the NHL until he was accepted by 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 October 1937. The Bruins were already well established in net with future hall-of-famer
Tiny Thompson Cecil Ralph "Tiny" Thompson (May 31, 1903 – February 9, 1981) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), first for the Boston Bruins, and later for the Detroit Red Wings. A ...
, so Brimsek was assigned to the
Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a ice hockey, hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) between 1926 and 1936 and the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Re ...
of the International-American Hockey League (IAHL) for the 1937–38 season. In his only full season with the Reds, Brimsek helped his team win the
Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...
and he was named to the league's first All-Star team.


Boston Bruins


Pre World War II

Brimsek started the 1938–39 season with the Reds, but he would not stay long with them. During an NHL exhibition game, Thompson got injured and it was unlikely that he would recuperate in time for the beginning of the
regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...
, so the Bruins called up Brimsek. In his NHL debut, Brimsek helped his new team defeat 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 ...
3–2. He played another game, a 4–1 victory against the Red Wings, before being sent back down to the Reds after Thompson recovered.
Art Ross Arthur Howe Ross (January 13, 1885 – August 5, 1964) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive from 1905 until 1954. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his era by his peers, he was one of the first to skate with the puck ...
, the Bruins' coach and general manager, had seen enough of Brimsek to consider promoting Brimsek to starting goalie with the Bruins. Thompson was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for goaltender
Normie Smith Norman Eugene Smith (March 18, 1908 – February 2, 1988) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Montreal Maroons and the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League. Rookie career Smith enjoyed much success in h ...
and $15,000.00 U.S. cash on November 16, 1938, and Ross brought Brimsek back from Providence. This did not sit well with Bruins fans as Thompson was a favorite and had won 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 ...
. On December 1, 1938, in Brimsek's first game as the starting goalie, his team fell 2–0 to 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 ...
in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
. On that same night, Thompson won his first game with the Red Wings. Also, Brimsek wore red hockey pants instead of the team's colors, and he was wearing Thompson's former
jersey number In team sports, the number, often referred to as the uniform number, squad number, jersey number, shirt number, sweater number, or similar (with such naming differences varying by sport and region) is the number worn on a player's uniform, to ...
1. These details did not improve his image with the fans. Brimsek fared better in the next game as he shut out the
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 ...
. After shutting out his opponents for the second straight game, the fans warmed up to him immediately. Brimsek went on to earn six shutouts in his first seven games, and the fans and the media began to call him "Mr. Zero". During that seven game span, he also set the NHL record for the longest shutout streak, 231 minutes and 54 seconds. At the end of the regular season, Brimsek had backstopped the Bruins to a first-place finish in the league, and he recorded the most wins (33), the most shutouts (10) and the lowest GAA (1.56) in the league. In the playoffs, Brimsek and his team defeated 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 ...
in the semi-finals and the Maple Leafs in the 1939 Stanley Cup Finals. He also won 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 ...
and the Vezina Trophy, and he was named to the
NHL first All-Star team The National Hockey League All-Star teams were first named at the end of the 1930–31 NHL season, to honor the best performers over the season at each position. Representatives of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the all-st ...
. In 1939-40, Brimsek finished first in the league in wins again and he was named to the NHL second All-Star team. This was the first of six berths on the second All-Star team. The Bruins were eliminated in the playoffs by the New York Rangers in the semi-finals. In 1940–41, Brimsek backstopped the Bruins to their third consecutive first-place finish in the league. The Bruins defeated the Red Wings in the
1941 Stanley Cup Finals The 1941 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven series between the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings. Boston would win the series 4–0 to win their third Stanley Cup. Paths to the Finals Boston defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in a best ...
four games to none, and Brimsek had his second Stanley Cup victory. For his efforts during the regular season, Brimsek was named to the NHL second All-Star team for the second year in a row. Continuing on the previous season's success, Brimsek won the Vezina Trophy and was named to the NHL first All-Star team for the second time in his career. However, Brimsek's team could not replicate their playoff success as they were eliminated by the Red Wings in the semi-finals.


World War II and aftermath

Upon the outbreak of
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 ...
, three of the Bruins' best forwards – center
Milt Schmidt Milt is the seminal fluid of fish, mollusks, and certain other water-dwelling animals which reproduce by spraying this fluid, which contains the sperm, onto roe (fish eggs). It can also refer to the sperm sacs or testes that contain the semen. ...
, left wing
Woody Dumart Woodrow Wilson Clarence Dumart (December 23, 1916 – October 19, 2001) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, most notably for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Dumar ...
, and right winger Bobby Bauer – joined the
Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
midway through the 1941–42 season. Despite their absence, the Bruins made it to 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 ...
the next season. In the finals, they were defeated by the Red Wings four games to none. Due to his play in the regular season, Brimsek was again named to the NHL second All-Star team. However, it was popular opinion at the time that Brimsek deserved the spot on the first All-Star team over
Johnny Mowers John Thomas "Mum" Mowers (October 29, 1916 – December 7, 1995) was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender who played for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1940 and 1947. In 1943 he won the Vezina Trophy for allowing th ...
, including Mowers' own coach and general manager, Jack Adams. The next season, Brimsek decided to help the war effort by joining the
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
. During his time with the Coast Guard, he played with the Coast Guard Cutters hockey team in Curtis Bay,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, and later served in the South Pacific. While in the Coast Guard, he achieved the rank Motor Machinists Mate 2nd Class Petty Officer. After the war ended, Brimsek returned to the Bruins in time for the 1945–46 season. However, Brimsek was not as sharp as he was before due to having not played any professional hockey for two years. In his first season back, Brimsek guided the Bruins to the finals against the Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins were defeated in five games, three of which went to overtime. Brimsek was applauded for his performance in the playoffs, compensating for his team's weak defence. This marked Brimsek's fourth appearance in the finals and it would be his last. Brimsek was also named to the NHL second All-Star team for the fifth time in his career. Brimsek remained with the Bruins for three more seasons. He was named to the NHL second All-Star team twice more and was selected to play in the inaugural NHL All-Star Game in
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
. The Bruins made the playoffs all three seasons but were eliminated in the semi-finals every time. Brimsek was also a finalist for the Hart Trophy in 1947–48, finishing behind Buddy O'Connor of the Rangers. Personal problems plagued Brimsek during his final years in Boston. His ten-month-old son had died in January 1949, and his coach and longtime teammate, Dit Clapper, had resigned from his coaching duties. It did not also help that the Boston crowd would occasionally boo Brimsek for his play. After the 1948–49 season, Brimsek requested a trade from Boston to Chicago in order to be closer to home, and to the new blueprint business he had started there. Boston granted his request and he was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in exchange for cash. Brimsek's 32 career playoff wins for Boston was the team record until surpassed by Gerry Cheevers in 1977. Brimsek presently ranks fourth in team history as of 2021. His 230 regular-season wins puts him in third place in Bruins' history as of 2021. Brimsek played one season with the Black Hawks, recording 22 wins, 38 losses and 10 ties in 70 games. The Hawks finished last in the standings. It was the only season when Brimsek's team did not make the playoffs. He retired at the conclusion of the season.


Retirement and legacy

Brimsek played a stand-up style of goaltending, in which a goalie usually stays on his feet instead of dropping down on his knees to make a save. Brimsek is also remembered for having a quick catching hand and for "taking the feet out" of opposing players that were being a nuisance in front of his net. After retiring, Brimsek returned to
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
and worked as a railroad engineer. Even after his playing days, Brimsek regularly received fan mail. In 1966, 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 ...
, the first American-born goalie to be so honoured, and in 1973 he was an inaugural inductee of the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and ...
. Brimsek died on November 11, 1998, in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, Minnesota, leaving behind his wife, Peggy, his two daughters, Chris and Karen, and his five grandchildren. In 1998, Brimsek was ranked number 67 on ''The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, and was the highest ranked American goaltender. An annual award, to the top high school goaltender in Minnesota, is given in Brimsek's honor. Brimsek's 252 wins and 40 shutouts each stood for a long time as the most ever recorded by an American netminder. His wins record was finally broken by Tom Barrasso on February 15, 1994, and his shutouts record has only been equaled by
John Vanbiesbrouck John Vanbiesbrouck (born September 4, 1963), nicknamed "the Beezer" and "JVB", is an American professional ice hockey executive and former player. As a goaltender, he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. Vanbiesbrouc ...
and Jonathan Quick. Brimsek's 35 shutouts with Boston places him third on that team's career list behind only Tiny Thompson and Tuukka Rask. . Also, Brimsek's eight berths on the NHL All-Star team are the second most among goalies in history, behind only
Glenn Hall Glenn Henry Hall (born October 3, 1931) (aka Gunner Hall) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. During his National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, and St. Louis Blues, Hall seldom missed a ...
with ten.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs

*
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 ...
Champion. Source


Awards

;
EAHL The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart, ...
;
IAHL The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...
;
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 ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brimsek, Frank 1913 births 1998 deaths American men's ice hockey goaltenders American people of Slovenian descent Boston Bruins players Calder Trophy winners Chicago Blackhawks players Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Ice hockey players from Minnesota Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets (EHL) players St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey players Sportspeople from Eveleth, Minnesota Stanley Cup champions United States Coast Guard Cutters players United States Coast Guard non-commissioned officers United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Vezina Trophy winners