Frank Brimsek

Lore & Background

Born in Eveleth, Minnesota, to parents of Slovene descent, Brimsek began playing hockey when his brother John switched from goalie to defense. After high school, he played for St. Cloud State Teachers College. In 1934, he tried out for the Detroit Red Wings but was put off by coach Jack Adams' favoritism. He then tried out for the Baltimore Orioles of the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL) but was cut. On his way home, he met Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets owner John H. Harris, who signed him. Brimsek played 16 exhibition games in 1934–35, winning 14. The next season, the Yellow Jackets joined the EAHL; Brimsek had 20 wins and 8 shutouts, was named to the league's second All-Star team, and won the George L. Davis Trophy for lowest goals against average. Harris put Brimsek on the Red Wings' protected list, but Brimsek refused to play for their amateur team in Pontiac. Harris then shopped him to the NHL, and the Boston Bruins accepted him in October 1937. Assigned to the Providence Reds of the International-American Hockey League (IAHL) for 1937–38, Brimsek helped the Reds win the Calder Cup and was named to the league's first All-Star team.

In Their Own Story

The Boston Garden was deafening, the air thick with cigar smoke and the roar of ten thousand fans. It was Game 7, late in the third period, and the Bruins needed one more minute to seal their destiny. A rival forward wound up for a slap shot from the blue line, the puck screaming toward the net like a bullet. Brimsek didn't flinch; he simply dropped his knees, spreading his pads wide in a move that seemed impossible at the time. The puck struck his leather glove and bounced harmlessly away. He rose slowly, clapped his mitts once for the crowd, and whispered to himself, 'Another zero coming up.'

Reader's Guide

Brimsek started the 1938–39 season with the Reds but was called up after Bruins starter Tiny Thompson was injured. After two games, he was sent back when Thompson recovered, but Bruins coach and general manager Art Ross traded Thompson to the Detroit Red Wings on November 16, 1938, and brought Brimsek back. In his first game as starter on December 1, 1938, the Bruins lost 2–0 to the Montreal Canadiens. He then shut out the Chicago Black Hawks and earned six shutouts in his first seven games, earning the nickname "Mr. Zero" and setting an NHL record shutout streak of 231 minutes and 54 seconds. He finished the regular season with a league-leading 33 wins, 10 shutouts, and a 1.56 goals against average. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1939, and Brimsek won the Calder Memorial Trophy and Vezina Trophy, and was named to the NHL first All-Star team. In 1939–40, he led the league in wins again and was named to the second All-Star team. In 1940–41, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup again, defeating the Red Wings four games to none. Brimsek was named to the second All-Star team that season. The next season, he won the Vezina Trophy and was named to the first All-Star team for the second time. During World War II, three Bruins forwards (Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, Bobby Bauer) joined the Royal Canadian Air Force midway through 1941–42. Despite their absence, the Bruins reached the 1943 Stanley Cup Final but lost to the Red Wings. Brimsek was named to the second All-Star team that season. He then joined the U.S. Coast Guard, playing for the Coast Guard Cutters in Curtis Bay, Maryland, and serving in the South Pacific, achieving the rank of Motor Machinists Mate 2nd Class Petty Officer. He returned to the Bruins for the 1945–46 season and led them to the finals against the Canadiens, losing in five games. He was named to the second All-Star team. He played three more seasons with the Bruins, was named to the second All-Star team twice more, and played in the inaugural NHL All-Star Game in 1947. The Bruins made the playoffs each year but were eliminated in the semi-finals.

Did You Know?

• Brimsek's nickname "Mr. Zero" came from his six shutouts in his first seven NHL games.
• He set an NHL record shutout streak of 231 minutes and 54 seconds during that span.
• He was the first American goaltender inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (1966).
• At retirement, he held the records for most wins and shutouts by an American goaltender, standing for 54 and 61 years respectively.
• He was part of the inaugural class of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973.