Flat Walsh
Encyclopedia
James "Flat" Walsh was a goaltender in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 for the Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...

 and New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...

.

Walsh was one of the first back-up goaltenders in NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 history, as the Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...

 kept him around as a spare for the great Clint Benedict
Clint Benedict
Clinton Stevenson "Praying Bennie" Benedict was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Maroons. He played on four Stanley Cup-winning squads. He was the first goaltender in the National Hockey League to wear a face mask...

 in case of injury. He played one game in 1926–27 and one game in 1927–28. In 1928–29, Roy Worters
Roy Worters
Roy "Shrimp" Worters was a Canadian professional Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Canadiens and New York Americans, and was notable for recording 66 shutouts in his career and being, at 5'3" tall, the...

 was suspended by NHL president Frank Calder
Frank Calder
-External links:*...

 for not reporting to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Worters was sold to the New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...

, but the Pirates failed to inform Calder of these arrangements and Calder, on his dignity, refused to lift Worters' suspension. As a result, the Americans borrowed Walsh for a few games and he did quite well. In 1929–30, with Clint Benedict getting his nose broken by a Howie Morenz shot, Walsh became the Maroons regular goaltender. The following year, James Strachan felt that Walsh could not handle the goaltending alone and Walsh shared the goaltending with Dave Kerr
Dave Kerr
David Alexander Kerr was a Canadian NHL goaltender who played for the Montreal Maroons, New York Americans and New York Rangers-Playing career:...

. In 1931–32, Walsh shared the goaltending chores with Normie Smith
Normie Smith
Norman "Normie" Smith was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for Montreal Maroons and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League.-Rookie career:...

. Kerr was back to share the goaltending with Walsh in 1932–33, but Walsh came down with influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...

which he suffered for a full two weeks and he decided to retire, which saddened Montreal fans, as he was popular with them.

He served as assistant coach with the Maroons in 1934–35 after his retirement.
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