Glenn Hall, a Hockey Hall of Famer whose Ironman streak of 502 starts as a goaltender remains an NHL record, has died. He was 94 years old.
Nicknamed “Mr. Goalie”, Hall worked to stop the puck at a time when players in his position were bare-faced, before masks of any kind were common. He did so like no one else of his generation, spanning from the days of the Original Six to the expansion era.
a spokesperson for chicago blackhawks It was confirmed that the team received news of Hall’s death from his family. A league historian who was in contact with Hall’s son, Pat, said Hall died Wednesday at a hospital in Stony Plain, Alberta.
Pioneering the butterfly style of goaltending on his knees, Hall held Chicago back to the Stanley Cup in 1961. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player of the playoffs with St. Louis in 1968, when the Blues reached the finals before losing to Montreal. He was the second of only six Conn Smythe winners from that team not to hoist the cup.
His performance in over 500 games at the net remains one of the most untouched records in sports, considering how the position has changed over the decades. Alec Connell is second in history with 257 from 1924 to 1930.
“Glenn was strong, dependable and a tremendous talent in net,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “That record, held from 1955-56 to 1962-63, still stands, probably always will, and is almost unfathomable – especially when you consider he did it all without a mask.”
Counting the postseason, Hall started 552 consecutive games.
Hall won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1956 while playing for detroit red wingsAfter two seasons, he was sent to Chicago along with legendary forward Ted Lindsay,
Hall earned two of his three Vezina Trophy honors as the league’s top goaltender with Chicago in 1963 and 1967. When the NHL doubled from six teams to 12 the Blues took him in the expansion draft, and he helped them reach the Finals in each of the first three years of their existence, winning the Vezina again at the age of 37.
Hall was in net in 1970 when Boston’s Bobby Orr scored in overtime to give the Bruins the Cup, a goal that became one of the most famous in hockey history because of the celebration that followed. He played one more season with St. Louis before retiring in 1971.
Blues chairman Tom Stillman said, “His influence extended far beyond the crease.” “From the beginning, he brought credibility, excellence and heart to a new team and a new NHL market.”
A native of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Hall was a seven-time first-team NHL All-Star, amassing 407 wins and 84 shutouts in 906 regular season games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975, and his number 1 was retired by Chicago in 1988.
Hall was voted one of the top 100 players in the league’s first 100 years.
Blackhawks president and CEO Danny Wirtz called Hall an innovator and “one of the greatest and most influential goaltenders in the history of our game and a cornerstone of our franchise.”
“We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions to hockey and our club and we will honor his memory today and always,” Wirtz said.
Blackhawks pay tribute to Hall and former coach and general manager bob pulford with a moment of silence before Wednesday night’s game against St. Louis. Pulford died on Monday.
A Hall highlight video was shown on the center-ice videoboard. The lights were turned off for a moment of silence, except for a spotlight on the No. 1 banner for Hall, which hung on the ceiling at the United Centre.
Fellow Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, the league leader in wins with 691 and games played with 1,266, posted a photo of the last time he saw Hall along with his memory.
“Glenn Hall was a legend and I was a big fan,” Brodeur said on social media. “He set the standard for every goaltender. His toughness and consistency defined what it means to play.”
