Joseph Cattarinich
First goaltender of the Montreal Canadiens and later co-owner.
Joseph Jean Étienne Stanislas Cattarinich was born on November 13, 1881, and died on December 7, 1938. He played professional ice hockey in Canada and, alongside business partners, owned horse racing tracks in both Canada and the United States. He also held a stake in the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.
Cattarinich spent his childhood in Quebec City, where he played hockey and lacrosse. He later lived in Levis, near Quebec City. His most notable role on the ice was as the first goaltender for the professional Montreal Canadiens—then called Les Canadiens—during the team’s debut season in the National Hockey Association in 1910. He retired after watching Georges Vézina shut out Cattarinich’s club in an exhibition game; Vézina was playing for an amateur team from Chicoutimi during a pre-season barnstorming tour. Impressed, Cattarinich urged the Canadiens to sign Vézina and voluntarily left his own position. At the time, teams typically carried only one goaltender.
In business, Cattarinich partnered with Leo Dandurand in Montreal’s tobacco wholesaling trade. Their greatest success came from popularizing the parimutuel betting system at local racetracks. After World War I, when race track betting returned to the United States, the duo—known as “Catta-Léo”—expanded into tracks in Chicago, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, New Orleans, St. Louis, and elsewhere. In 1921, Cattarinich, Dandurand, and Louis Letourneau bought the Montreal Canadiens from George Kennedy’s estate for $11,000. Dandurand handled most of the active management; Cattarinich was called “The Silent One,” and Letourneau sold his share in 1930. During their ownership, the Canadiens won three Stanley Cups with players like Howie Morenz, Aurel Joliat, and Georges Vézina. After losing $40,000 in the 1934–35 season alone, Cattarinich and Dandurand sold the club in 1935 to a syndicate of J. Ernest Savard, Maurice Forget, and Louis Gélinas for $165,000.
In 1932, the same three partners bought Blue Bonnets Raceway. Cattarinich also held shares in Arlington Park in Chicago and Jefferson Park in Louisiana, alongside Robert S. Eddy, Jr. and others. In 1934, their group purchased the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans from horseman Edward R. Bradley.
Quick Facts
- Halloffame
- 1977 (Builder)
- Birth Date
- 1881-11-13
- Birth Place
- Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Death Date
- 1938-12-07
- Death Place
- New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 0
- Weight Lb
- 200
- Position
- Goaltender
- Catches
- Right
- League
- Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association, Canadian Hockey Association (1909–1910)
- Played For
- Montreal Canadiens / Montreal Le National / Montreal Hockey Club
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Cattarinich grew up in Quebec City and played ice hockey and lacrosse as a young man, later living in Levis near Quebec City. He is best known as the first goaltender of the professional Montreal Canadiens, then known as 'Les Canadiens', playing for the team during the inaugural 1910 National Hockey Association season. He retired after Georges Vézina shut out Cattarinich's club in a game with Vézina's amateur Chicoutimi team during a pre-season barnstorming tour; Cattarinich was so impressed that he recommended the Canadiens sign Vézina and voluntarily stepped down from his place on the team, as teams then typically carried only one goaltender.
Reader's Guide
With longtime business partner Leo Dandurand, Cattarinich became prominent in the Montreal tobacco wholesaling business, but their greatest commercial success came from popularizing the Parimutuel betting system at local tracks. After World War I, the pair, known as 'Catta-Léo', extended their activities to racetracks in Chicago, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, New Orleans, St. Louis, and further afield. In 1921, along with Dandurand and Louis Letourneau, Cattarinich purchased the Montreal Canadiens from the estate of George Kennedy for $11,000. Although Dandurand was the active partner and Cattarinich was known as 'The Silent One', the Canadiens won three Stanley Cups with players such as Howie Morenz, Aurel Joliat, and Georges Vézina. After losses of $40,000 for the 1934–35 season alone, Cattarinich and Dandurand sold the club in 1935 for $165,000. Cattarinich also co-purchased Blue Bonnets Raceway in 1932, was a shareholder in Arlington Park and Jefferson Park, and in 1934 his group purchased Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. He died of a heart attack on December 7, 1938, in New Orleans while recovering from an eye operation, and is buried in Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977 as a builder.
Did You Know?
- Cattarinich was the first goaltender of the professional Montreal Canadiens during their inaugural 1910 NHA season.
- He voluntarily stepped down from the Canadiens after recommending Georges Vézina to the team.
- He co-owned the Montreal Canadiens with Leo Dandurand and Louis Letourneau, winning three Stanley Cups.
More in Hockey Hall of Fame Builders and Executives 1-24
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