Bill Durnan

Dominant Canadiens goaltender who won six Vezina Trophies and set a long-standing shutout record.

William Ronald Durnan (January 22, 1916 – October 31, 1972) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played with the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1943 and 1950. He was one of the best goaltenders in his time, winning the Vezina Trophy for fewest goals allowed six times, being named First All-Star team as best goaltender six times, and helping the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup twice. Durnan retired in 1950, citing the stress of playing professional hockey.

However, in his final season he suffered a severe laceration of the scalp, but was only sidelined 12 days and returned heroically for the playoffs. When the series was all but lost (down 0-3 to the Rangers), he stepped away from the game. He served as the captain of the Canadiens in 1948, the last goaltender to be allowed to do so. In 1964 Durnan was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 2017 he was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Quick Facts

Hall of Fame: 1964
Born: 22 January 1916
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died: 31 October 1972
Place of death: North York, Ontario, Canada
Position: Goaltender
Catches: Right/Left
Played for: Montreal Canadiens

Lore & Background

Durnan entered the NHL at age 27 and played only seven seasons. He won the Vezina Trophy in each of his first four seasons (1943–44 to 1946–47), becoming the first to capture the award in four consecutive years. He won the Vezina again in 1948–49 and 1949–50. He was selected to the First All-Star Team six times, including four consecutive selections from 1944 to 1947.

During the 1947–48 season, Durnan served as Canadiens captain, but left the crease so often to argue calls that other teams claimed he was giving unscheduled timeouts; after the season, the NHL passed a rule barring goaltenders from performing as captain, known as the 'Durnan Rule.' He set a modern NHL record between February 26 and March 6, 1949, with four consecutive shutouts and 309 minutes, 21 seconds without allowing a goal, a record that stood until 2004.

Durnan retired following the 1949–50 season at age 34 due to injuries (severe scalp laceration and infection that turned into a staph infection, a shot in the eye in preseason, a severe knee injury that still hampered him 20 years later, and various other minor injuries) and being no longer able to stand the stress of playing professional hockey. He went into coaching, most notably with the Ottawa Senators of the QSHL in 1950–51 and the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen of the OHA in 1958–59.

In 383 regular-season games, he recorded 208 wins, 112 losses, 34 shutouts and a 2.36 goals-against average. In 45 playoff games he had 27 wins, 12 losses, two shutouts and a 2.07 average. Before the NHL he won the 1940 Allan Cup with the Kirkland Lake Blue Devils.

Reader's Guide

Durnan was an ambidextrous goalie, equally adept at catching and stickhandling with either hand; he wore gloves designed to let him switch hands instantly. He was a stand-up goaltender due to his relatively tall stature for his time.