Eddie Shore

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Shore won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player four times, the most of any defenceman; only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe have won it more often. After the league began naming NHL All-Star teams at the end of Shore's fifth season, Shore was honoured as a First Team All-Star in seven of his last nine seasons, while being named a Second Team All-Star one of the other seasons; in the remaining season he missed over half the schedule due to injury. A bruiser known for his violence, Shore set a then-NHL record for 165 penalty minutes in his second season.

In Their Own Story

The defining incident of Shore's physical dominance occurred early in his tenure when Montreal Canadiens veterans Billy Coutu and Sprague Cleghorn joined the Bruins. During their first practice, Coutu tormented Shore until they collided; Shore held firm while Coutu flew through the air, unconscious for a week. Shore's ear was nearly ripped off in the crash. Doctors wanted to amputate it, but one sewed it back on while Shore watched in a mirror without anesthetic. Later, on March 30, 1933, Shore scored his only career playoff overtime goal against Toronto. His violence sometimes crossed lines; on January 24, 1933, he accidentally punched referee Cooper Smeaton during a fight with Sylvio Mantha and was fined $100. Even off-ice challenges arose when baseball player Art Shires challenged him to a boxing match in 1930, though the match was vetoed by Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Despite the brutality, Shore's skill shone; he recorded a career-high 15 goals and 31 points in 1931, finishing 12th in league scoring that year.

Reader's Guide

Shore started his career with his hometown minor hockey team, the Cupar Canucks. He played for the Melville Millionaires and won the 1923–24 Saskatchewan senior championship. Shore moved up to professional hockey with the Regina Capitals of the Western Canada Hockey League in 1925. His team finished last in the league and moved to Portland after the season. Shore moved to the league champion Edmonton Eskimos in 1926, where he converted from forward to defence and was given the nickname "the Edmonton Express". When the Western Hockey League folded in 1926, Shore was sold to the Boston Bruins. As a rookie, he scored 12 goals and 6 assists for a total of 18 points and accumulated 130 penalty minutes. His first goal came on November 20, 1926, in Boston's 5–1 loss to Chicago. When he joined the Bruins, he was paired with fellow defenceman Lionel Hitchman. The two were quickly recognized as the league’s best defensive pairing. They remained partners for the rest of Hitchman’s career, with Shore’s rushing style complementing Hitchman’s stay-at-home play. During Shore’s second year with the team, he and Hitchman helped lead the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final, though they ultimately lost to the Ottawa Senators. Two years later, the pair anchored a defence that was virtually impenetrable. The Bruins surrendered only 52 goals over 44 games, helping the team capture its first Stanley Cup in 1929. That year he also became one of the highest paid athletes in the country with a $25,000 salary. Shore was named to the NHL First All-Star Team for the first time in 1931 after recording 31 points with a career-high 15 goals. His best statistical season came in 1932–33, when he scored 8 goals and 35 points, earning him the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player for the first time. That year he also finished 12th in the league's scoring race, which was unheard of for a defenceman at that time. He became one of the earliest defencemen to use speed and stick-handling skill to carry the puck deep into the offensive zone, doing so with an upright skating style and a defiant air, daring opponents to try to stop him. Bruins trainer Hammy Moore said, "He was the only player I ever saw who had the whole arena standing every time he rushed down the ice. He would either end up bashing somebody, get into a fight, or score a goal." Shore brought a brand of rough-and-tumble h

Did You Know?

• Shore won the Hart Trophy four times, the most of any defenceman.
• He set a then-NHL record for 165 penalty minutes in his second season.
• Shore scored his only career playoff overtime goal on March 30, 1933, against Toronto.
• He was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in 2017.