Harry Lumley (ice hockey)

Lore & Background

Lumley made his NHL debut with the New York Rangers in the 1943–44 season at age 17 years and 38 days, becoming the youngest goaltender to appear in an NHL game—a record that cannot be broken under modern rules. On December 7, 1944, at age 18 and 26 days, he became the first goaltender to record his first win, a 3-2 road victory against the Rangers, and a month later became the youngest goaltender with a shutout against Toronto. In the 1950 playoffs, he led the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup championship with three shutouts and a 1.85 GAA in fourteen games, but was subsequently traded to the Chicago Black Hawks as Terry Sawchuk became Detroit's new goaltender. After two seasons with Chicago, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where in 1953–54 he won the Vezina Trophy with a 1.86 GAA and set a modern NHL record of 13 shutouts in a season, a mark later broken by Tony Esposito. Lumley originated the tactic of creating a pocket at shin level in goalie pads to allow pucks to drop straight onto the ice instead of deflecting to opponents.

Reader's Guide

Lumley's significance lies in his pioneering achievements as a goaltender. He was the second NHL goaltender to reach 300 wins, doing so in 1958, and also the first to both win and lose 300 games. His 13 shutouts in the 1953–54 season stood as a modern NHL record until 1969–70. He was named First All-Star Team Goaltender in 1954 and 1955, and played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1951, 1954, and 1955. After retiring, Lumley became a businessman in Owen Sound, co-owning an auto dealership and a standardbred racing stable, and was a longtime co-owner of the Orangeville Raceway. He played senior hockey for six years and coached the Owen Sound seniors. The community centre in Owen Sound was renamed the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre in his honor before his death. A trophy named after him is awarded to the goalie with the best goals against average in the Ontario Sr.A lacrosse league. His election to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980 came as a surprise to him, as he remarked, 'Sure, it’s something you think about occasionally but when it came, it was a great feeling to know that somebody remembered that you could play a little.'

Did You Know?

• Lumley was the youngest goaltender to appear in an NHL game, at age 17 years and 38 days.
• He was the first goaltender to record his first win, on December 7, 1944.