Tiny Thompson

Early life

Thompson was born in Sandon, British Columbia, a mining community, and grew up in Calgary, Alberta. His brother Paul, also a professional hockey player, was born in 1906. As a child, Thompson played baseball and ice hockey; he initially was not a goaltender but agreed to play the position to get into games. In his teens, he acquired the nickname "Tiny" as a joke because he was the tallest player on the team at 5 ft.

He began his junior career with the Calgary Monarchs in 1919 at age 16, playing in two Memorial Cup games and surrendering 11 goals. After a season with Calgary Alberta Grain, he played three seasons in Bellevue, Alberta. He joined the Duluth Hornets in 1924–25, recording 11 shutouts in 40 games. The following season he moved to the Minneapolis Millers of the American Hockey Association, where over three seasons he appeared in 118 games, posting 33 shutouts with a 1.37 goals-against average.

NHL career

Thompson began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins in 1928–29 after his contract was purchased by manager Art Ross, who had heard of his reputation in Minnesota. In his first game, Thompson posted a shutout, becoming the only Hall of Fame goaltender to do so. He played all 44 games that season, recording 12 shutouts and a 1.15 goals-against average, the fourth-lowest in NHL history at the time. The Bruins finished first in the American Division and won the Stanley Cup, with Thompson allowing only three goals and posting three shutouts in five playoff games.

In the 1929 Stanley Cup Final, he faced his brother Paul, the first time brothers opposed each other in a goaltender-forward combination in Final history. The following season, Thompson again played all 44 games, posting three shutouts and a 2.19 goals-against average as the Bruins finished 38–5–1, the best winning percentage for a season. He won his first Vezina Trophy, awarded for fewest goals surrendered. In the playoffs, the Bruins were swept 2–0 by the Canadiens in the Final, ending Thompson's seven-game playoff winning streak, which as of 2014 remained the longest to start a career.

After ten full seasons with Boston, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings at the start of 1938–39, finishing that season and playing one more before retiring.

Post-NHL career

After retiring, Thompson became head coach of the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League in 1940–41, coaching 56 games over two seasons; the Bisons missed the playoffs both times. He appeared in one game as goaltender in 1940–41. During World War II, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and doubled as coach of the Calgary RCAF Mustangs of the Alberta Senior Hockey League. In 1942–43, injuries to the Mustangs' goaltenders brought him back onto the ice in March; with Thompson in goal, the Mustangs defeated the Calgary Currie Army 8–4 to tie their best-of-five series at two wins. He played the deciding game, but the Mustangs lost 3–1. After the war, Thompson became chief Western Canada scout for the Chicago Black Hawks, one of the few scouts who sought to discover a player's personality along with playing ability, often conversing with players as part of that effort.

Playing style

Tiny Thompson was known as "the first of the great floppers," often throwing himself onto his belly to block the puck. He was an early adopter of catching the puck with his hand to make a save, a technique he helped make popular. His gloves were smaller than those worn by other goalies, yet he was regarded as one of the best at catching the puck in his era. He wore very little padding, putting himself at risk of injury when he reached out to snag the puck rather than just knocking it away.

A common pose in photos shows him on one knee, using the paddle of his stick to cover the five-hole while his glove stretched to guard the left side of the net. His gloves offered nothing close to the protection or comfort of today's blocker and trapper sets. In the 1935-36 season, he became the first goalie to earn an assist by deliberately passing the puck with his stick to a teammate. His .875 points percentage from 1929-30 still stands as a record.

That same season, his 38 wins set a Boston mark that lasted until Pete Peeters won 40 in 1982-83; no Bruins goalie since has topped 37 wins in a season. His 14 straight wins that year set an NHL record later matched by three others. Thompson remains Boston's all-time leader in shutouts and goals-against average. He held the team records for games played (468) and wins (252) until Tuukka Rask broke both in 2019.

His 81 career shutouts rank sixth in NHL history and were second only to George Hainsworth's 94 when he retired. He also recorded seven playoff shutouts and still owns the Bruins franchise record with 74. His career goals-against average of 2.08 places him fifth all-time. He led all NHL goalies in regular-season games played ten times and in wins five times. His former coach, Art Ross, compared him to Georges Vezina, and Jack Adams called him the best goalie in the world.