Percy LeSueur

Lore & Background

LeSueur began his playing career as a right winger in Quebec City before moving to Smiths Falls, Ontario, where he switched to goaltender when the team's usual netminder fell ill. In March 1906, his Smiths Falls Seniors challenged the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup; though his team lost, his performance impressed Ottawa, and nine days later he joined the Silver Seven. He played for Ottawa through 1913–14, serving as team captain for three seasons and as coach in his final year. He was traded to the Toronto Ontarios (later Shamrocks) for the 1914–15 season, then played for the Toronto Blueshirts in 1915–16 before enlisting in the army during the First World War. After the war, he worked as a referee, coach, manager, arena manager, and hockey journalist. He coached ten NHL games with the Hamilton Tigers in 1923–24.

Reader's Guide

LeSueur's significance lies in his innovations and contributions beyond playing. He invented the gauntlet-style goaltender glove to protect the forearms and created and patented the LeSueur net, designed to catch high-rising shots. As a journalist, he was the first to include shots on goal statistics in game summaries. He wrote a 48-page booklet titled 'How to Play Hockey', which provided instructions for every position and was popular among youngsters. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961, a few months before his death. His playing career included winning the Stanley Cup with Ottawa in 1909 and 1910–11, and he was the first goaltender to play for two different teams in Stanley Cup challenges in the same season (1906).

Did You Know?

• LeSueur was the first goaltender, and one of only two (with Hugh Lehman, 1909–10) to play for two different teams in Stanley Cup challenges in the same season.
• He invented the gauntlet-style goaltender glove and patented the LeSueur net.