HOH Top 60 Goaltenders of All Time (2024 Edition) - Round 2, Vote 3

Dr John Carlson

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Dec 21, 2011
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Procedure
  • In this vote, you will be presented with 11 players based on their ranking in the Round 1 aggregate list
  • Players will be listed in alphabetical order to avoid creating bias
  • You will submit ten names in a ranked order, #1 through #10, without ties via PM to both @Dr John Carlson and @Professor What. That means one name out of these eleven will be left unranked on your ballot.
  • Use the same private message thread every week rather than starting a new PM
  • Results of this vote will be posted after each voting cycle, but the individual ballots themselves will remain secret until the completion of this project
  • The top 5 players will be added to the final list (unless a very large break exists at the spot between 4&5 (or 3&4!), or the break between 5&6 is minimal)
  • Lists of players eligible for voting will grow as the project continues
  • Voting threads will continue until we have added 60 names to the list, for a total of 12 voting threads

Eligible Voters

Guidelines
  • Respect each other. No horseplay or sophistry!
  • Please refrain from excessive use of the 'laughing' reaction to indicate disagreement
  • Stay on topic and don't get caught up in talking about non-eligible players
  • Participate, but retain an open mind throughout the discussion
  • Do not speculate who cast any particular ballot. Do not make judgments about the mindset of whoever cast that particular ballot. All individual ballots will be revealed at the end of the project
  • Anybody may participate in the discussion, whether they submitted a list or not

House Rules
  • Any attempts to derail a discussion thread with disrespect to old-time hockey will be met with frontier justice
  • Take a drink when someone mentions the number of hockey registrations in a given era
  • Finish your drink when someone mentions that wins are a team stat

The actual voting period will open up on Friday, October 25th at midnight and continue through Sunday, October 27th at 11:59 PM Eastern time. I will release the results of the vote the morning of Monday, October 28th, at which point the next voting thread will begin.


Vote 3 Candidates
  • Ed Belfour
  • Clint Benedict
  • Johnny Bower
  • Turk Broda
  • Bill Durnan
  • Charlie Gardiner
  • Jiri Holecek
  • Henrik Lundqvist
  • Bernie Parent
  • Andrei Vasilevskiy
  • Georges Vezina
 
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Professor What

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Sep 16, 2020
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We had some requests for another week of discussion last time, and in effect we're getting that. We can have more discussion and debate about the various eras of hockey, with only a very clear top three being taken off the list.

Meanwhile, we get Lundqvist and Vasilevskiy, so those are our first "modern" goalies to come up for discussion. I think it'll be interesting to see the comparisons between them and the older guys on the list.
 

jigglysquishy

Registered User
Jun 20, 2011
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Regina, Saskatchewan
This is a great week of names. Love the time spread.

I plan to dig into Durnan and Broda playoffs this week.

Holocek is a big name I want to look more into.

Lundqvist stands out to me for modern goalies. From rookie year to near retirement was always near top for goalies.
 

Michael Farkas

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Jun 28, 2006
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This may end up being off topic, but I figure it can't hurt to ask...

Does anyone have access to: Winnipeg Tribune Weekend Magazine - April 4, 1964? I couldn't immediately get it through the NY public library. It may be available here: The Winnipeg Tribune | digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca - but I'm not a....that.

In there, there's apparently a feature called "Frank Boucher Speaks His Mind" - it was advertised in another newspaper clip from around the same time. He might have some insights that would be valuable...
 
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jigglysquishy

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Jun 20, 2011
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Vezina Shares of post-1972 birth cohorts.

Stolen from @TheDevilMadeMe 's methodology and updated to 2024

GoalieTimesShare
1​
Connor Hellebucyk
5​
2.63​
2​
Pekka Rinne
5​
2.12​
3​
Andrei Vasilevsky
6​
2.05​
4​
Sergei Bobrovsky
6​
1.97​
5​
Henrik Lundqvist
10​
1.93​
6​
Braden Holtby
3​
1.68​
7​
Roberto Luongo
9​
1.66​
8​
Tim Thomas
3​
1.55​
9​
Tuukka Rask
5​
1.5​
10​
Miikka Kiprusoff
7​
1.44​
11​
Carey Price
7​
1.4​
12​
Evgeni Nabokov
6​
1.23​
13​
Igor Shesterkin
3​
1.02​

One thing I will note for Lundqvist, is that he received Vezina votes in 10 separate seasons, the most of any goalie born since Martin Brodeur.

5 times he was a Vezina finalist, which is also the most for any goalie born since Brodeur.


Vezina voting is an issue onto itself, with it being so heavily tied to SV%. But I do think it's relevant to note as Lundqvist has really separated himself for modern goalies with regards to prime length/consistency/longevity.
 

overpass

Registered User
Jun 7, 2007
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I'll follow up on my post from last round. After his retirement, Bill Durnan was maybe the most common choice as the best pre-1950 goalie and the best goalie before Terry Sawchuk.

See the results of the 1958 Sport Magazine all-time team. Voted on by 70 media members, the panel selected Durnan as the goaltender. He received more votes than Brimsek, Broda, Gardiner, Vezina, Benedict, or any other goalie.

It's also notable that when the team was published, halfway through the 1957-58 season, Terry Sawchuk had played as many NHL seasons as Durnan and still received fewer votes.

Durnan also had a remarkable all-star voting record, selected as the first team all-star goaltender six times in seven seasons. Three of those seasons were voted by writers, and three by coaches. If we're putting weight on quotes, why not on votes?

I'll add some quotes about Bill Durnan after his retirement that placed him as the greatest of all time. There were many more I could have added, but I thought these three were particularly good, considering the sources.

Feb 3, 1952 - Le Petit Journal (translated from French)

Frank Boucher had recently called Terry Sawchuk the best goalie of all time. Canadiens and Leafs players gave their opinions, with Bill Durnan most frequently mentioned.

When some members of the Canadiens were questioned, the majority said they hadn't forgotten Bill Durnan, the large and tall goalie of the Tricolour, six time winner of the Vezina trophy in seven years, for a record which has never been approached.

Maurice Richard is of the opinion that he must do justice to Frank (M. Zero) Brimsek, because he always had difficulties against this goalie. Richard, like Floyd Curry, Emile "Butch" Bouchard, Billy Ray, and Elmer Lach, believe Sawchuk is marvellous, but it is too soon to compare him to the best goalies of the league. "Let him prove himself a bit longer" they say. But all must admit that Sawchuk is devilishly good and it would be surprising if he did not continue on to become everything that Boucher claims of him.

Curry says he will never forget Bill Durnan, with his pair of hands, his height, his well-covered angles, the inspiration he provided to the Canadiens. Lach has never seen a better goalie than Durnan and is glad he did not have to play against him. Reay says Durnan was unmatched in maintaining a lead and adds that it was almost impossible to beat him in critical moments. Bouchard is another who admits that Durnan will not be forgotten in a hurry. He does, however, forsee a sensational future for Sawchuk, whom he admires greatly.

When questioned by Red Burnett, the Toronto players largely showed a preference for Durnan too. Ted Kennedy maintains that Durnan was the best goalie he faced. He adds, however, that while Durnan was the ace of aces for regular games, he preferred Turk Broda for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Max Bentley has never faced a better goaile than Durnan, but he also speaks highly of Broda. Fernie Flaman says: "That Durnan used to drive me crazy when he was in the league." Harry Watson: "Durnan is the goalie who gave me the most trouble. When I played for Detroit and the Americans, I was very afraid of Turk Broda."

Cal Gardner: "Turk Broda was the best goalie. I favour Harry Lumley at present." Joe Klukay: "They're all tough to beat, especially Lumley." Howie Meeker: "Bill Durnan, in the past, and Lumley, at present, have always impressed me." Mortson and Juzda: "Durnan was the best." Danny Lewicki: "I've never had to play against that Durnan. Rayner gives me the biggest headache." Sid Smith: "Bill Durnan was the toughest to beat." Tod Sloan: "Jack Gelineau and Jim Henry from Boston are my pet peeves. I think Rayner is even better than them, though." Happy Day: "Frank Brimsek was incomparable, but he wasn't the same when he came back from the Army."

Asked by Burnett, Rangers coach Bill Cook agreed with Boucher, saying that Sawchuk would have no trouble ranking himself as "the best goalie of all time" before long.

Frank Selke, the general manager of the Forum, who always responds with sagacity to all questions, thus expressed his opinion. "I have never seen a better goalie than Sawchuk for the number of years that he is in organized hockey, not yet five complete seasons. He is the best I have ever seen for this period of time. However, I must admit, however, that living in Kitchener during the heyday of the great Georges Vezina, on only saw him at work once and cannot speak at him at greater length. To deserve the title that Boucher gives him, Sawchuk will have to equal Turk Broda's record in the Stanley Cup series and Durnan's in the regular season."


Feb 2, 1958, La Patrie (translated from French) - Jacques Plante rated Sawchuk and Durnan as the two best.

Ellipses were in the original text

Plante: "Sawchuk is the best goalie I've ever seen...No, I shouldn't say that...It's Durnan...Let's say both, because they had such different styles. There was never anyone who could cover an angle like Durnan, and he was ambidextrous. I copied a little bit of Sawchuk's style, who was the first one to lean down low to see the puck between the legs of the players."

Feb 9, 1958, La Patrie (translated from French) - Newsy Lalonde's all-time team

Lalonde declared that he preferred Durnan to Vezina because Bill shone in a tougher era for the goalie. He did credit the late Vezina for some unrivalled saves. Newsy added that Georges made some fantastic stops that no other goaltender has been able to pull off since. "Vezina was so fast that some guys had outmaneuvered him and were about to put the puck in the net when Georges pulled himself together and took the puck away with his stick. Despite these exploits by my old teammate, I am of the opinion that Durnan was better because of his consistency and the perfection of his goaltending technique. In our time, the goalies did not have the benefit of full equipment and of a style as studied as today's."
 

jigglysquishy

Registered User
Jun 20, 2011
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Regina, Saskatchewan
Turk Broda in the Stanley Cup Finals. This one is a doozy since he ultimately played in 9 Cup Finals.

1938 Finals
Coach: Dick Irvin


Chicago beats Toronto 3-1. Chicago is noted for goaltending troubles, as AHLer Alfie Moore is in net for them for the series after Mike Marakas got hurt. Moore is praised much more highly this game than Broda.
Leafs 0 Blackhawks 1

The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix - April 6, 1938

Broda had no chance on the short drive, but the goalkeeper looked bad on Thompson's shot, from 45 feet out. Broda kicked at it and missed.
Broda make a brilliant sliding save.


Leafs dominate 5-1. Moore is deemed ineligible to play because "Hawks had Goodman available. Goodman... played for the Wichita club of the American Association"
Leafs 1 Blackhawks 1

The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix - April 8, 1938
Broda was even better to stop Thompson who got a pass from Romnes six feet in front of the net.
Broda outsmarted Thompson who coasted in all alone and fired from seven feet.

Chicago wins 2-1. Blackhawks goalie Mike Karakas returns. Karakas is highly praised
Leafs 1 Blackhawks 2.

The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix - April 11, 1938
The Hawks ganging attack was so futile while they had the two-man advantage that Broda had only one shot to handle.
Hawks ganging plays were gaining more power and they kept Broda hopping while Leafs were short.
Hawks drove deep into Leaf territory, with Shill, Palangio, and Tudel forcing Broda to make three hard stops.

Chicago wins 4-1. Broda's bad goal is the talk.
Leafs 1 Blackhawks 3

The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix - April 13, 1938
The two successive errors by Broda and Parsons, both comparative youngsters to National League play, proved Toronto's undoing.
Turk Broda, Leaf goalie had little to say about Shill's shot that carried halfway down the rink and through Broda's legs for a goal.
"I should have never come out on it," he said. "I was going down which it hopped through"
All the athletes had a good word for the Hawls' play tonight, praising their checking and particularly the work of goalie Karakas.


Overall, not a great series for Broda. He's blamed for the definitive game loss. Once Chicago gets started Karakas back, he's the clear better goalie.


1939 Finals
Coach: Dick Irvin


Boston defeats Toronto 2-1
Shots: Boston 15 Toronto 17
Bruins 1 Leafs 0
Brimsek highly praised. Broda not.

Toronto beats Boston 3-2 in OT.

Bruins 1 Leafs 1

Saskatoon Star-Phoenix - April 10, 1939
Broda Shines. Goalie "Turk" Broda co-starred with Romnes in the win that sent he team back to Toronto ice all even for the third and fourth contests. After coming from behind to tie the count at two-all, the Bruins bore down on Broda's net repeatedly.

The Vancouver Sun - April 10, 1939
Goalie Turk Broda threw back the charging Bruins at the net time after time, particularly in the extra minutes.


Boston beats Toronto 3-1
Bruins 2 Leafs 1

Neither goalie is given relevant comments



Boston wins 2-0
Bruins 3 Leafs 1

No relevant comment about Broda



Boston wins 3 -1
Bruins 4 Leafs 1

No relevant comment about Broda.


Not really sure what to take from this series. Brimsek and Shore get lots of praised. Broda is barely mentioned throughout the whole series, largely left as a note when he was scored on.



1940 Finals
Coach: Dick Irvin


Rangers win 2-1 in OT
Leafs 0 Rangers 1

No relevant comment about Broda.


Rangers dominate Leafs 6-2
Leafs 0 Rangers 2

The Calgary Herald - April 4, 1940
Rangers had Goaler Turk Broda jumping and falling like a scared rabbit most of the second and third periods.

Leafs wins 2-1
Leafs 1 Rangers 2

No relevant comment about Broda.


Broda gets the shutout in a 3-0 victory
Leafs 2 Rangers 2

The Leader-Post - April 10, 1940
Turk Broda, the Brandon boy played the major role in Toronto's victory over the highly-rated Rangers... the red-hot goalie registered his first shutout in eight playoff games.
There were lapses in the Toronto defensive system, but then the Rangers couldn't organize a successful thrust or Goalie Turk Broda was too red-hot.

The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix - April 10, 1940
Coach Dick Irvin , a cautious fellow when he's handing out compliments Tuesday patted "Turk" Broda on the shoulder and told him he played his best game of his career in a Toronto uniform.
"Gosh, I don't know how I did it, but it seems I picked a good time," said the broadly-grinning "Turk" as his mated swarmed about him. "I've been trying for a shutout since December 4 and I was beginning to think I wasn't going to get another this season."
"But the boys gave me great protection and I was mighty lucky at that. I thought I was a goner in the last period when Bryan Hextall hit the post."


Rangers win 2-1 in OT. Leafs are noted for playing a "wild" game
Shots: Leafs 49 Rangers 33
Leafs 2 Rangers 3

No relevant comments about Broda


Rangers win 3-2 in OT.
Leafs 2 Rangers 4

The Montreal Gazette - April 15, 1940

Broda robbed him of almost certain goals in both the first and second periods.
Broda, who had played sensational hockey throughout, didn't have a chance.


Broda isn't give much in the way of praise in games 1-4, but is the standout Leafs player in games 5 and 6.


1942 Finals
Coach: Hap Day


Red Wings win 3-2
Leafs 0 Red Wings 1

No relevant comments about Broda


Red Wings win 4-2
Shots: Leafs 43 Red Wings 35
Leafs 0 Red Wings 2

No relevant comments about Broda


Red Wings win 5-2
Shots: Leafs 30 Red Wings 40
Leafs 0 Red Wings 3

The Leader-Post - April 10, 1942
Winging a 50-footer past Broda that closed the scoring.

The Calgary Herald - April 10, 1942
Recognized as a standout in his profession, Broda will get another chance at the goal-crazy Detroiters.
"They're too hot," continued Broda. "They can't seem to do anything wrong."

Leafs rebound 4-3
Leafs 1 Red Wings 3

The Windsor Daily Star - April 13, 1942
Undoubtedly a contributing factor in the success of the Leafs was a drastic bit of pre-game masterminding by Coach Hap Day.
The final score does not do justice to the Leafs of last night.
But Broda was unbeatable until his team was again at full strength.

Leafs dominate 9-3. No Broda comments, but the Red Wings were completely outclassed
Leafs 2 Red Wings 3


Leafs tie series after winning 3-0
Leafs 3 Red Wings 3

The Montreal Gazette - April 17, 1942
13,153 Detroit fans see Red Wings stopped by Goaler Turk Broda
Goalie Walter (Turk) Broda meanwhile kept the weary Detroiters in check by the first shutout of the series.


Leafs win 3-1
Leafs 4 Red Wings 3
The Ottawa Citizen - April 20, 1942
Turk Broda, whose final goaltending helped carry Toronto Leafs to pro hockey heights.
There was no stopping the Leafs the rest of the way and they outshot the Wings 16-7 in the final 20 minutes.

Probably Broda's best series so far. Wild comeback


1945 Finals
Coach: Hap Day


Broda did not play because he was in active service.

1947 Finals
Coach: Hap Day


Leafs get thrashed 6-0
Shots: Habs 45 Leafs 20
Leafs 0 Habs 1

The Montreal Gazette - April 9, 1947
Doughty Turk Broda was in no way to blame for the Leafs' defeat. His defence gave him little or no help and his team mates couldn't get a single goal for him. Bill Durnan had a comparatively easy time of it, though he was his usual competent self whenever he was tested.
Even when shorthanded they had the Leafs playing defensive hockey.
Nick Metz and Syl Apps were the only Leafs who did anything for their side apart from Broda.


Toronto blanks Montreal 4-0. Rocket Richard is ejected from the game for hick-sticking Bill Ezinicki.
Leafs 1 Habs 1

The Montreal Gazette - April 11, 1947
Turk Broda had a good night in the Toronto nets and was one of the game's stars.
Durnan had 24 stops and Broda 22, but with the Canadiens being forced to play shorthanded for at least 18 minutes of the 60 they could not get an attack really organized.
Turk Broda was hot and they couldn't get the rubber past him.


Toronto wins 4-2
Leafs 2 Habs 1

The Windsor Daily - April 14, 1947
Both Broda and Durnan performed sensationally in goal, although the latter did not look any too good on that first Leafian market by Mortsen. Defensively, too much praise can not be heaped on the work of the Toronto rearguards.


Toronto wins 2-1 in OT. Apps receives high praise. Durnan receives high praise.
Leafs 3 Habs 1

The Montreal Gazette - April 16, 1947
Both of which received some great goal tending from Turk Broda and Bill Durnan. The Leafs had 35 shots on goal to 30 for the Canadiens.
Bill Durnan was called upon to make a couple tough stops.


Montreal wins 3-1
Leafs 3 Habs 2

No relevant comments about either goalie.


Leafs win 2-1
Leafs 4 Habs 2

The Calgary Herald - April 21, 1947
Veteran Goalie Turk Broda, the fabulous fat man from Brandon, Manitoba, gave one of the most sensational performances of his eight National Hockey League seasons.
Broda's goaltending skill was matched by the display of cool Bill Durnan of the Canadiens.

Overall, a good series from Broda. I will note the defensive prowess of the Leafs shines and Durnan gets as much or more praise as Broda.


1948 Finals
Coach: Hap Day


Leafs win 3-5. Leaf defenseman Gus Mortsen leaves with a broken leg.
Leafs 1 Red Wings 0

No relevant comments about Broda.


Leafs win 4-2
Leafs 2 Red Wings 0

No relevant comments. I'll note games 2 and 3 were played on Saturday/Sunday so both games are in the Monday newspaper and they all highlight the game 3 shutout.


Leafs win 2-0
Leafs 3 Red Wings 0

The Calgary Herald - April 12, 1948
Broda in the Toronto nets turned in one of the finest games of his career to earn the shutout.

The Leader-Post - April 12, 1948
Turk Broda turned away 26 Red Wings shots to score his first shutout of the playoffs.


Leafs win 7-2
Leafs 4 Red Wings 0

The Leader-Post - April 15, 1948
Lumley, who stopped only 14 Toronto shots all night.
Broda kicked out a total of 26 shots in another brilliant performance in the Leaf cage.

This is for sure Broda's best Cup finals yet. The Leafs thoroughly outplay the Red Wings, but he still gets praise.


1949 Finals
Coach: Hap Day

Leafs win 3-2 in OT
Leafs 1 Red Wings 0

No relevant comments about Broda


Leafs win 3-1. AHL callup Sid Smith calls huge praise for the Leafs
Leafs 2 Red Wings 0

No relevant comments about Broda


Leafs win 3-1
Shots: Leafs 37 Red Wings 24
Leafs 3 Red Wings 0

The Leader-Post - April 14, 1949
The Red Shirts were much the best club in the first period, but in the final 20 minute, although they were two goals down, they directed only four shots at Turk Broda, Toronto's steady goaltender.


Leafs win 3-1
Leafs 4 Red Wings 0

The Calgary Herald - April 18, 1949
They outshot the Wings 31-15 and in the third period - when the Wings need to score to retain a chance of victory - they directed only four shots at Goalie Turk Broda.

What can I say, Broda didn't need to be great here. The Leafs shutdown the Red Wings offensive, removing the Red Wings ability to get shots on net most of the series. Broda is barely mentioned across the four game thrashing.



1951 Finals
Coach: Joe Primeau


Toronto wins 3-2 in OT
Leafs 1 Habs 0

The Montreal Gazette - April 12, 1951
They outshot the Canadiens 39 to 22 and controlled the play.
Elmer Lach and the Rocket had good chances early in the overtime, but Broda was too good for them.


Montreal wins 3-2 in OT
Leafs 1 Habs 1

The Ottawa Citizen - April 16, 1951
The shots-on-goal figures reflected Montreal's early drive and Toronto's comeback attempt. The Canadiens had a 10-6 edge int he first period, but the Leafs lead 12-5 in the second and 15-6 in the third with the overtime even at three apiece. The totals were: Montreal 24 Toronto 36.


Leafs win 2-1 in OT
Leafs 2 Habs 1

Al Rollins in net instead of Turk Broda


Leafs win 3-2 in OT
Leafs 3 Habs 1

Al Rollins in net instead of Turk Broda

Leafs win 3-2 in OT
Leafs 4 Habs 1

The Calgary Herald - April 23, 1951

The crowd shouted for veteran Turk Broda, the greatest playoff goalie of them all, who played two games against the Canadiens and all but one period of the six-game semi-final against Boston Bruins.

I don't think 1951 means much. Broda is six years older than any other goalie in the league and was in a backup role. When he played, he was barely tested.




Overall, I was expecting more from a guy who won 5 Cups and went to the finals 4 more times. Lots of easy performances, lots of praise for the Toronto defensive system. Hap Day probably gets more praise than any individual player. Broda certainly had great games and was steady throughout, basically not having a bad game. For a guy with a playoff monster reputation, it certainly doesn't come across that way in the newspaper game reports. That Toronto wins game after game and Broda is barely mentioned is odd after doing these for other goalies.

Durnan jumped out in the 1947 finals.
 

nabby12

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Nov 11, 2008
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This may end up being off topic, but I figure it can't hurt to ask...

Does anyone have access to: Winnipeg Tribune Weekend Magazine - April 4, 1964? I couldn't immediately get it through the NY public library. It may be available here: The Winnipeg Tribune | digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca - but I'm not a....that.

In there, there's apparently a feature called "Frank Boucher Speaks His Mind" - it was advertised in another newspaper clip from around the same time. He might have some insights that would be valuable...
Have at it, son.

1729537477056.jpeg

1729537503299.jpeg

1729537513418.jpeg

1729537527103.jpeg
 

overpass

Registered User
Jun 7, 2007
5,497
3,686
Overall, I was expecting more from a guy who won 5 Cups and went to the finals 4 more times. Lots of easy performances, lots of praise for the Toronto defensive system. Hap Day probably gets more praise than any individual player. Broda certainly had great games and was steady throughout, basically not having a bad game. For a guy with a playoff monster reputation, it certainly doesn't come across that way in the newspaper game reports. That Toronto wins game after game and Broda is barely mentioned is odd after doing these for other goalies.

Here's a quote on Hap Day as a coach from his ATD bio on this site: He was a defensive mastermind and he got a lot of credit for the Leafs' performance in that decade.

Legendary NHL Coaches: Stars of Hockey's Golden Age
"We were meticulously trained," Leafs captain Ted Kennedy said of the system the coach put in place. "It was drilled into us. Day was insistent on doing it his way, leaving as little as possible to chance."

Reporters remarked that Day's training camps more closely resembled prison camps, with the coach clamping down on anyone who made a mistake, most particularly in the defensive zone. They may have cursed him (behind his back, of course) but they learned what they were capable of doing at game time.

Day, having been a defenceman himself, believed in making sure one's check never got away from him. Some opponents complained that the Leafs were nothing but clutch-and-grab artists during Day's tenure, but that style of play proved remarkably effective. Day saw to it that his troops got the puck out of their own zone as quickly as possible. Then they could worry about finding creative new ways to score.

Howie Meeker, who became rookie of the year before his celebrated career as a broadcaster, marveled that a young player could earn himself a regular shift on the Leafs by knowing what to do in his own end. Once that player got the puck over his own blue line, he was in charge, not the coach. Nearly half a century later, Meeker said that Day was a joy to play for because he never put pressure on his men to score goals, but all the pressure in the world to keep the puck out of their own net. Hockey is a simple game; Day imparted that to his Leafs and prospered for it.

Notes on the Leaf victories, and some quotes taken from this thread (which has shot totals for most of Broda's playoff games).


1942 finals: Leafs went down 3-0. Day benched Gordie Drillon (the all-time leader in playoff scoring at that point!) and #1 D Bucko McDonald, who had received a first place Hart vote and several first place votes for the all star team. The Leafs roared back to win 4-3.

1945 finals: With Turk Broda in the service and rookie Frank McCool in goal, Day's Leafs performed a defensive masterclass in beating the heavily favoured Canadiens and the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup.

Andy Lytle of the Toronto Star noticed after the series that Day and Smythe had very little to say about McCool's performance, despite the four shutouts in eight wins. He concluded they must have regarded McCool as a weak goaltender to be protected.

Toronto Daily Star, Apr 24, 1945 – Andy Lytle’s column

Hap Day told me until I reminded him of McCool just for (unclear), that his standouts in the recently completed sprints down the “Golden (unclear)“ were Kennedy, Bodnar, and Pratt. Selke says Kennedy is the best player in the NHL today. That may be a true (unclear), yet it is nothing over which rugged Edward (sic) need regard himself with too much solicitude, though when quality does return to the league, if ever, this young man won’t last by any means.

What struck me most forcibly was an apparent disinclination to regard McCool as anything more than a fortunate accident. He practically shut Detroit off his goal, yet, when it ended, the chants and the hosannas for defeated Lumley outweighed those (unclear) for the McCool. So I have concluded that the playoff strategy of the Leafs, though not publicly reported, was to protect McCool at all costs. In their private book, he must be just a nervous guy with a tummy disorder.


1947: The beginning of the Leaf dynasty. Easy to see in hindsight, but when you look at that roster the defense was incredibly young.

Gus Mortson (age 22)
Jimmy Thomson (age 19)
Garth Boesch (age 26)
Bill Barilko (age 19)

Thomson and Mortson were known as the Gold Dust twins and were excellent defensively. Thomson probably would have been a Hall of Famer if he wasn't put out of the league for his part in organizing the players. Bill Barilko was a standout in the 1951 playoffs before his mysterious death. But look at their ages! Both right defencemen on a Stanley Cup winner had barely turned 20 when the playoffs started. I can't think of any other Cup winners where two key defencemen could have been playing in juniors. Maybe the 2012 Kings were close, as an elite defensive squad with Doughty and Voynov only age 22.

Possibly a sign of the league being weak still. Andy Lytle actually mentioned in the 1945 quote above that Selke said Ted Kennedy, only 19 at the time, was the best in the league. And then Lytle said that Kennedy won't last when quality returns to the league.

Doug Vaughan of the Windsor Daily Star referenced Broda's role in being a leader for the rookies on the team, and named him one of the three stars of the Cup victory together with coach Day and captain Syl Apps.

Windsor Daily Star, Apr 21, 1947 - Doug Vaughan's column

Broda's work in the nets, not only in the playoff but throughout the entire season, was sensational. There were times, hundreds of times, when the rookies in front of him made serious mistakes, and he never let them down. When they slipped he covered them up. When their spirits flagged he cheered them up, or if he felt they needed a straight talk, he gave it to them straight from the shoulder.

Vaughan also praised Durnan's play.

Outstanding feature of the Leafs-Canadiens series was the work of the rival goalies, Broda and Bill Durnan. Cup playoff games are too often dull and uninteresting affairs because of the stress put on defensive hockey. But this one wasn't. In 15 years of watching playoff hockey this writer had never seen two goalies given the opportunity to shine that Broda and Durnan had. And shine they did. Certainly, the three games played in Toronto were strictly duels between two great goalies. It was Broda who performed amazing feats of puck-fending magic to win the series for the Leafs. And, by the same token, it was no fault of Durnan's that Canadiens failed to retain their crown.

1948: The defining feature of this team was the trade for Max Bentley. The 1-2-3 punch down centre of Apps-Kennedy-Bentley was simply overpowering. Broda allowed at least 3 goals in 4 of 9 playoff games. It didn't matter. Leafs went 8-1.

1949: With Syl Apps having retired, the Leafs muddled through the regular season before becoming a playoff juggernaut. Shades of the 95 Devils. They scored 3 goals in all 8 of their playoff wins and allowed only 21 shots per game.

Sid Smith and Fleming Mackell joined for the playoffs from the Pittsburgh Hornets and really boosted their forward line depth. Every one of Toronto's top 9 forwards scored between 5 and 8 points, more than 0.5 points per game.

1950: Leafs couldn't score against Detroit. Gordie Howe's injury in Game 1 may have been a distraction, Game 2 was a penalty-filled fiasco with Detroit trying to settle scores, and then the final five games were closely watched with early penalties called in each game. Leafs scored only 5 goals in games 3-5 and then were shut out in games 6 and 7.

1951: Hap Day was gone as coach and Joe Primeau replaced him. And they were maybe the best defensive squad yet, even without Day. They alternated Turk Broda and Al Rollins in goal, aiming to win the Vezina and have both goalies play 35 games and split the award and prize money. This plan was abandoned late in the season, as Rollins had a considerably better GAA than Broda, and they weren't going to beat Sawchuk and Detroit for the Vezina if Broda kept allowing goals.

In the playoffs, they had the benefit of not facing Detroit, who lost to Montreal. But they once again dominated the two series they did face.

If you want two stats to put Broda's 1951 in context, here they are. Al Rollins had a 1.77 GAA for this team. And Broda faced 16.9 shots against per 60 minutes in the playoffs, the lowest in history that I'm aware of.

One paper quoted on-ice goals for and against after the playoffs. The Leafs top line of Ted Kennedy between Sid Smith and Tod Sloan was absolutely dominant, and the doomed Bill Barilko was a big plus as well.

Overall
I think Broda's contributions in 1948, 1949, and 1951 weren't really needed for the Leafs to win. Their deep forward group and strong four defencemen carried the play.

You could say the same about Durnan in 1944 and 1946 too. So it comes down to evaluating how well they actually played, even if their team could win without them.

1942 and 1947 were much closer and Broda's performance was valuable. Maybe especially in 1947.

But in 1945 Hap Day and the Leafs proved they could win with an untested rookie as well.
 

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