Frank Brimsek

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Frank Brimsek
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1966
Frank_"Mr._Zero"_Brimsek.jpg
Brimsek with the Boston Bruins in the 1940s
Born (1913-09-26)September 26, 1913
Eveleth, Minnesota, U.S.
Died November 11, 1998(1998-11-11) (aged 85)
Virginia, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for
Chicago Black Hawks
Playing career 1938–1950

Francis Charles "Mr. Zero" Brimsek (September 26, 1913 – November 11, 1998) was an

The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players
, the highest ranked American goaltender.

Background

Brimsek was born in

St. Cloud State Teachers College hockey team.[7] He also graduated from college with a machine shop student's degree.[8]

Playing career

Early career

In the fall of 1934, Brimsek was invited to the

Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). Unfortunately, the Orioles cut him, and Brimsek hitchhiked back to Eveleth.[5] On his way back home, he had a chance meeting with the owner of the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets, John H. Harris.[9] The Yellow Jackets were in need of a goaltender and Harris signed Brimsek to the team.[5] Brimsek started playing for the Yellow Jackets in sixteen exhibition games in 1934–35; he won fourteen of them.[10]

The next season, the Yellow Jackets joined the EAHL.

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 and he was named to the league's first All-Star team.[4]

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, so the Bruins called up Brimsek.[13] In his NHL debut, Brimsek helped his new team defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 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, the Bruins' coach and general manager, had seen enough of Brimsek to consider promoting Brimsek to starting goalie with the Bruins.[14] Thompson was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for goaltender Normie Smith and $15,000.00 U.S. cash on November 16, 1938,[15] and Ross brought Brimsek back from Providence.[16] This did not sit well with Bruins fans as Thompson was a favorite and had won the Vezina Trophy.[4]

On December 1, 1938, in Brimsek's first game as the starting goalie, his team fell 2–0 to the

NHL first All-Star team.[10]

In

NHL second All-Star team. This was the first of six berths on the second All-Star team.[10] The Bruins were eliminated in the playoffs by the New York Rangers in the semi-finals.[21] 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 four games to none, and Brimsek had his second Stanley Cup victory.[22] For his efforts during the regular season, Brimsek was named to the NHL second All-Star team for the second year in a row.[4] 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.[23] However, Brimsek's team could not replicate their playoff success as they were eliminated by the Red Wings in the semi-finals.[24]

World War II and aftermath

Upon the outbreak of World War II, three of the Bruins' best forwards – center Milt Schmidt, left wing Woody Dumart, and right winger Bobby Bauer – joined the Royal Canadian Air Force midway through the 1941–42 season.[25] Despite their absence, the Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup Finals the next season. In the finals, they were defeated by the Red Wings four games to none.[26] 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, including Mowers' own coach and general manager, Jack Adams.[27][28]

The next season, Brimsek decided to help the war effort by joining the

South Pacific.[29] 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.[30][5] 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.[31][32]
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.[33] The Bruins made the playoffs all three seasons but were eliminated in the semi-finals every time.[34][35][36] Brimsek was also a finalist for the Hart Trophy in 1947–48, finishing behind Buddy O'Connor of the Rangers.[10] 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.[37] It did not also help that the Boston crowd would occasionally boo Brimsek for his play.[4] 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.[38] Boston granted his request and he was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in exchange for cash.[10]

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.[10] The Hawks finished last in the standings.[39] It was the only season when Brimsek's team did not make the playoffs. He retired at the conclusion of the season.[4]

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.[40] After retiring, Brimsek returned to Minnesota and worked as a railroad engineer.[4] Even after his playing days, Brimsek regularly received fan mail.[18] In 1966, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, 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. Brimsek died on November 11, 1998, in Virginia, Minnesota, leaving behind his wife, Peggy, his two daughters, Chris and Karen, and his five grandchildren.[18]

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.[41] An annual award, to the top high school goaltender in Minnesota, is given in Brimsek's honor.[42] 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 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. .[43][44] Also, Brimsek's eight berths on the NHL All-Star team are the second most among goalies in history, behind only Glenn Hall with ten.[45]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season
 Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T Min GA SO GAA GP W L T Min GA SO GAA
1934–35 Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets X-Games 16 14 2 0 960 39 1 2.44 — — — — — — — —
1935–36 Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets
EAHL
 38 20 16 2 2280 74 8 1.95 8 4 3 1 480 19 2 2.36
1936–37 Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets EAHL 47 19 23 5 2820 142 3 3.02 — — — — — — — —
1937–38 Providence Reds IAHL 48 25 16 7 2950 86 5 1.75 7 5 2 0 515 16 0 1.86
1938–39 Providence Reds IAHL 9 5 2 2 570 18 0 1.89 — — — — — — — —
1938–39 Boston Bruins NHL 43 33 9 1 2610 68 10 1.56 12 8 4 — 863 18 1 1.25
1939–40 Boston Bruins NHL 48 31 12 5 2950 98 6 1.99 6 2 4 — 360 15 0 2.50
1940–41 Boston Bruins NHL 48 27 8 13 3040 102 6 2.01 11 8 3 — 678 23 1 2.04
1941–42 Boston Bruins NHL 47 24 17 6 2930 115 3 2.35 5 2 3 — 307 16 0 3.13
1942–43 Boston Bruins NHL 50 24 17 9 3000 176 1 3.52 9 4 5 — 560 33 0 3.54
1943–44 Coast Guard Cutters EAHL 27 19 6 2 1620 83 1 3.07 5 4 0 — 300 4 1 0.80
1945–46 Boston Bruins NHL 34 16 14 4 2040 111 2 3.26 10 5 5 — 651 29 0 2.67
1946–47 Boston Bruins NHL 60 26 23 11 3600 175 3 2.92 5 1 4 — 343 16 0 2.80
1947–48 Boston Bruins NHL 60 23 24 13 3600 168 3 2.80 5 1 4 — 317 20 0 3.79
1948–49 Boston Bruins NHL 54 26 20 8 3240 147 1 2.72 5 1 4 — 316 16 0 3.04
1949–50
Chicago Black Hawks
 NHL 70 22 38 10 4200 244 5 3.49 — — — — — — — —
NHL totals 514 252 182 80 31,210 1404 40 2.70 68 32 36 — 4395 186 2 2.54

Source[10]

Awards

References

  1. ^ "Hockey Hall of Fame develops". The Ely Echo. 1972-12-13. p. 18. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  2. ^ Sell, Jack (1938-12-21). "Brimsek only 36 minutes from new hockey shutout record". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 44. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  3. ^ "History of Eveleth Hockey". Eveleth Youth Hockey. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "One on one with Frank Brimsek". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
  5. ^
    ISBN 1582613745
    .
  6. The Montreal Gazette
    . p. 36. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
  7. ^ "Frank C. "Mr. Zero" Brimsek". United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  8. ^ Taggart, Bert P. (1936-01-21). "Yellow Jacket players quite handy lot to have around, whether they're on ice skates or not". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 20. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  9. ^
    Toronto Daily Star
    . p. 8. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Frank Brimsek". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
  11. ^ "U.S Hockey League to operate with 5 clubs". The Montreal Gazette. 1935-10-29. p. 13. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  12. ^ Burcky, Claire M. (1937-12-10). "Ex-Jacket clears all but 17 shots". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 54. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  13. ^ "Brimsek strong contender for coveted hockey trophy". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1938-12-20. p. 18. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  14. ^ Burcky, Claire M. (1938-10-31). "Sports Stew–Served Hot". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 22. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  15. ^ "Sport tabloids". The Bend Bulletin. 1938-11-25. p. 12. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  16. ^ "Bruins march on as Frankie Brimsek gets his fourth shutout win". The Lewiston Daily Sun. 1938-12-13. p. 41. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  17. ^ a b McNeil, Marc T. (1938-12-14). "Brimsek overcomes hostility of Boston's fandom". The Montreal Gazette. p. 16. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  18. ^ a b c Goldstein, Richard (1998-10-13). "Frankie Brimsek, 85, a Hall of Fame goalie". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  19. ^
    ISBN 1582615659
    .
  20. ^ "1938–39 NHL season summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
  21. ^ "Bruins-Rangers playoff history". The Boston Globe. 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  22. ^ "1940–41 NHL season summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  23. Lewiston Evening Journal
    . 1942-03-18. p. 5. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  24. ^ "1941–42 NHL season summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  25. ^ "Boston's famous "Kraut" Line to enter Royal Canadian Air Force". Ottawa Citizen. 1942-01-28. p. 12. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  26. ^ "Wings win Stanley Cup in four straight". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 1943-04-09. p. 40. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  27. ^ King, Bill (1943-01-03). "Brimsek rated far over Mowers as goaltender". The Day. p. 8. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  28. Leader-Post
    . p. 17. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  29. ^ "Frank "Mr. Zero" Brimsek". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
  30. ^ Koffman, Jack (1946-01-12). "Brimsek finds it discouraging". Ottawa Citizen. p. 10. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  31. ^ Caroll, Dink (1946-04-09). "No travel hardship". The Montreal Gazette. p. 13. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  32. ^ "Canadiens defeat Bruins 6–3, to take Stanley Cup". Saskatoon Star Phoenix. 1946-04-10. p. 13. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  33. ^ "1947 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  34. ^ "1946–47 NHL season summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  35. ^ "1947–48 NHL season summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  36. ^ "1948–49 NHL season summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  37. ^ "Son of hockey star claimed by asthma". Spokane Daily Chronicle. 1949-01-25. p. 45. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  38. ^ "Bruins' goalie asks to be traded". The Pittsburgh Press. 1949-04-03. p. 124. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  39. ^ "1949–50 NHL season summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  40. ^ "Frank Brimsek". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
  41. ^ Kay, Jason (2015-04-02). "The top 100 NHL players of all-time, throwback style". The Hockey News. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  42. ^ "Minnesota high school goalie award winners". Minnesota Hockey. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  43. Sun Journal
    . 1994-02-14. p. 10. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  44. ^ Grigg, John (2009-07-29). "American-born players". The Hockey News. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  45. ^ "Howe, Hall record choices for hockey All-Star team". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 1966-05-13. p. 18. Retrieved 2015-05-04.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy
1939 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Vezina Trophy
1939 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Vezina Trophy
1942 		Succeeded by
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