Terry Sawchuk
NHL goaltender with 447 wins and 103 shutouts.
Terrance Gordon Sawchuk was born on December 28, 1929, in Winnipeg’s North End and grew up in East Kildonan, a working-class Ukrainian neighborhood. He was the third of four sons, plus an adopted sister. His father, a tinsmith from what is now Ukraine, and his mother, a homemaker, lost a second son to scarlet fever; the eldest, a goalie Terry looked up to, died suddenly of a heart attack at seventeen. At age twelve, Sawchuk dislocated his right elbow playing rugby but hid the injury to avoid punishment, leaving the joint improperly healed. His right arm remained shorter and less mobile for life. After inheriting a friend’s goalie gear, he played local hockey and worked installing vents for a sheet-metal company. His talent was obvious: at fourteen, a Detroit Red Wings scout had him practice with the team. He signed an amateur deal and played for Detroit’s junior club in Galt, Ontario, in 1946, finishing eleventh grade but likely not graduating. He also excelled in baseball, playing for the Elmwood Giants in Manitoba’s Senior AA League starting in 1948—winning the batting title—and later in the Mandak League, covering both infield and outfield.
Detroit signed Sawchuk to a pro contract in 1947, and he moved up quickly, earning Rookie of the Year honors in both the U.S. and American Hockey Leagues. In January 1950, he filled in for seven games when Detroit goalie Harry Lumley was hurt. Sawchuk’s promise was so strong that the Red Wings traded Lumley—who had just led them to the 1950 Stanley Cup—to Chicago. Nicknamed “Ukey” or “The Uke” for his Ukrainian roots, Sawchuk backstopped Detroit to three Stanley Cups in five years, won the Calder Memorial Trophy as top rookie, and took three Vezina Trophies for fewest goals allowed (missing the other two by a single goal each). He was an All-Star five times in his first five NHL seasons, recorded fifty-six shutouts, and kept his goals-against average under 2.00. In the 1952 playoffs, Detroit swept Toronto and Montreal; Sawchuk allowed just five goals in eight games (a 0.625 GAA) with four shutouts. During the last of those games, the first octopus was thrown onto the ice, starting the Legend of the Octopus.
Before the 1951–52 season, general manager Jack Adams ordered Sawchuk to lose weight.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Goaltender
- Catches
- Left
- Height Ft
- 5
- Height In
- 11
- Weight Lb
- 195
- Played For
- Detroit Red Wings / Boston Bruins / Toronto Maple Leafs / Los Angeles Kings / New York Rangers
- Birth Date
- 1929-12-28
- Birth Place
- Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Death Date
- 31 May 1970 · 1929 · 12 · 28
- Death Place
- New York City, New York, U.S.
- Career Start
- 1949
- Career End
- 1970
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Sawchuk was born in the North End of Winnipeg and raised in East Kildonan, Manitoba. He was the third of four sons of Louis Sawchuk, a tinsmith from Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and Anne Maslak. At age twelve, he injured his right elbow playing rugby and hid the injury, leaving his right arm with limited mobility and several inches shorter than the left. He began playing ice hockey after inheriting a friend's goalie equipment. At age fourteen, a Detroit Red Wings scout had him work out with the team; he later signed an amateur contract and played for their junior team in Galt, Ontario, in 1946. He also played baseball for the Elmwood Giants, winning the Manitoba Senior AA League batting title in 1948.
Sawchuk led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cup wins in five years, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy and three Vezina Trophies. In the 1951–52 playoffs, he surrendered five goals in eight games with four shutouts. He was ordered by Detroit general manager Jack Adams to lose weight before the 1951–52 season, after which his personality became sullen and withdrawn. He played through numerous injuries, including three operations on his right elbow, a collapsed lung, ruptured discs, and severed tendons. He received approximately 400 stitches to his face before adopting a protective facemask in 1962. He was traded to Boston in 1955, retired briefly in 1957, then reacquired by Detroit. He was claimed by Toronto in 1964, shared the Vezina Trophy with Johnny Bower, and won the 1967 Stanley Cup. He was selected by Los Angeles in the 1967 expansion draft, then traded to the New York Rangers in 1969.
Reader's Guide
At the time of his death, Sawchuk was the all-time leader among NHL goaltenders with 447 wins and 103 shutouts. In the decades following his death, his NHL win record has been surpassed by eight goaltenders, and his NHL shutout record has been surpassed by one goaltender, though Sawchuk was the all-time leader in wins and shutouts by goaltenders who played in the Original Six era (1942–1967). In 2017, Sawchuk was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players'. His career was marked by frequent injuries and personal struggles, including untreated depression, alcoholism, and marital difficulties. He died on May 31, 1970, from internal injuries suffered in a physical altercation with teammate Ron Stewart. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame the year after his final season, one of 10 players for whom the three-year waiting period was waived.
Did You Know?
- Sawchuk won the Calder Trophy as top rookie and four Vezina Trophies.
- He recorded 103 shutouts, an NHL record at the time of his death.
- He played through a permanently shortened right arm from a hidden childhood injury.
More in Hockey Hall of Fame Goaltenders 1-24
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