Frank Brimsek
Encyclopedia
Francis Charles "Mister Zero" Brimsek (September 26, 1913 — November 11, 1998) was an American
professional
ice hockey
goaltender
who played for the Boston Bruins
and Chicago Black Hawks
in the National Hockey League
.
, Minnesota
, Brimsek was one of the first great American hockey players. In the 1938–39 season, he was promoted to the Bruins following an injury to goaltender Tiny Thompson
. He notched 10 shutouts that season, earning him the nickname "Mr. Zero." He won the Calder Memorial Trophy
as NHL Rookie of the Year, and helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1938-39
, and again in 1940-41
.
In 1943, the Second World War interrupted Brimsek's career, and he joined the Coast Guard. He played on the Coast Guard "Cutters" hockey team and then served aboard a Coast Guard supply ship in the Pacific until the end of the war.
He resumed his career with the Bruins in 1945-46
and played with them until 1948-49
, when he was sold to the Chicago Black Hawks
where he played his final year in the NHL. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1966 (the first American to earn HHOF membership) and was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1973. In 1998, shortly before his death, he was ranked number 67 on The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
" teams not to have retired the number (or, in the case of the Toronto Maple Leafs
, hung banners indicating it is an "Honoured Number" while leaving it in circulation).
An annual award given to the top high school goaltender in the state of Minnesota
is given in Brimsek's honor. Brimsek, who won 252 games, held the record for winningest American-born netminder until Tom Barrasso
of the Pittsburgh Penguins
broke his long-held record on February 15, 1994 by beating the Winnipeg Jets.http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/PIT/1994_games.html
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
who played for the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
and Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
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...
.
Playing career
Born in EvelethEveleth, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,865 people, 1,717 households, and 971 families residing in the city. The population density was 611.0 people per square mile . There were 1,965 housing units at an average density of 310.6 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Brimsek was one of the first great American hockey players. In the 1938–39 season, he was promoted to the Bruins following an injury to goaltender Tiny Thompson
Tiny Thompson
Cecil Ralph "Tiny" Thompson was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League , first for the Boston Bruins, and later for the Detroit Red Wings. A four-time Vezina Trophy winner, Thompson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959...
. He notched 10 shutouts that season, earning him the nickname "Mr. Zero." He won the Calder Memorial Trophy
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League." The Rookie of the Year trophy has been awarded 79 times since its creation for the 1936–37 NHL season...
as NHL Rookie of the Year, and helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1938-39
1939 Stanley Cup Finals
-Boston Bruins 1939 Stanley Cup champions:-References & notes:* Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame . Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7...
, and again in 1940-41
1941 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1941 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series between the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings. Boston would win the series 4–0 to win their third Stanley Cup.-Paths to the Final:...
.
In 1943, the Second World War interrupted Brimsek's career, and he joined the Coast Guard. He played on the Coast Guard "Cutters" hockey team and then served aboard a Coast Guard supply ship in the Pacific until the end of the war.
He resumed his career with the Bruins in 1945-46
1945-46 NHL season
-NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:...
and played with them until 1948-49
1948-49 NHL season
-NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:...
, when he was sold to the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
where he played his final year in the NHL. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1966 (the first American to earn HHOF membership) and was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the rich history of the game in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams....
in 1973. In 1998, shortly before his death, he was ranked number 67 on The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
Legacy
Despite the success of Thompson and Brimsek, both of whom were elected to the Hall of Fame and wore uniform number 1, the Bruins are the only one of the NHL's "Original SixOriginal Six
The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that composed the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. These six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the...
" teams not to have retired the number (or, in the case of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, hung banners indicating it is an "Honoured Number" while leaving it in circulation).
An annual award given to the top high school goaltender in the state of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
is given in Brimsek's honor. Brimsek, who won 252 games, held the record for winningest American-born netminder until Tom Barrasso
Tom Barrasso
Thomas Patrick Barrasso is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons for the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and St...
of the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
broke his long-held record on February 15, 1994 by beating the Winnipeg Jets.http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/PIT/1994_games.html
Awards and achievements
- Calder Memorial TrophyCalder Memorial TrophyThe Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League." The Rookie of the Year trophy has been awarded 79 times since its creation for the 1936–37 NHL season...
(1939). - Stanley CupStanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
(19391939 Stanley Cup Finals-Boston Bruins 1939 Stanley Cup champions:-References & notes:* Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame . Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7...
, 19411941 Stanley Cup FinalsThe 1941 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series between the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings. Boston would win the series 4–0 to win their third Stanley Cup.-Paths to the Final:...
). - NHL First All-Star Team goalie (1939, 1942).
- Vezina TrophyVezina TrophyThe Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the 30 General Managers of the teams in the National Hockey League vote to determine the goaltender who was the most valuable to his team...
(1939, 1942). - NHL Second All-Star Team goalie (1940, 1941, 19431942–43 NHL season-NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:...
, 1946, 1947, 1948). - NHL All-Star Games (1947, 1948).
- Inducted to the Hockey Hall of FameHockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1966. - Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of FameUnited States Hockey Hall of FameThe United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the rich history of the game in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams....
in 1973. - In 1998, he was ranked number 67 on The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
Regular season
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA Goals against average Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender.... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935-36 | Pittsburgh Yellowjackets | EAHL | 38 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 2280 | 74 | 8 | 1.95 |
| 1936-37 | Pittsburgh Yellowjackets | EAHL | 47 | 19 | 23 | 5 | 2820 | 142 | 3 | 3.02 |
| 1937-38 | Providence Reds Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League between 1926–1936 and the American Hockey League from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The team won the Calder Cup in 1938, 1940, 1949, and 1956... |
IAHL | 48 | 25 | 16 | 7 | 2950 | 86 | 5 | 1.75 |
| 1938-39 | Providence Reds | IAHL | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 570 | 18 | 0 | 1.89 |
| 1938-39 1938-39 NHL season The 1938–39 NHL season was the 22nd season of the National Hockey League . Seven teams each played 48 games. The Boston Bruins were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to one in the final series.-League business:... |
Boston Bruins Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the... |
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... |
43 | 33 | 9 | 1 | 2610 | 68 | 10 | 1.56 |
| 1939-40 1939-40 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points-Leading goaltenders:Note: GP = Games played; Min - Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = ShutoutsPlayoffs-Playoff scoring... |
Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 31 | 12 | 5 | 2950 | 98 | 6 | 1.99 |
| 1940-41 1940-41 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 27 | 8 | 13 | 3040 | 102 | 6 | 2.01 |
| 1941-42 1941-42 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
Boston Bruins | NHL | 47 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 2930 | 115 | 3 | 2.35 |
| 1942-43 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 50 | 24 | 17 | 9 | 3000 | 176 | 1 | 3.52 |
| 1945-46 1945-46 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
Boston Bruins | NHL | 34 | 16 | 14 | 4 | 2040 | 111 | 2 | 3.26 |
| 1946-47 1946-47 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
Boston Bruins | NHL | 60 | 26 | 23 | 11 | 3600 | 175 | 3 | 2.92 |
| 1947-48 1947-48 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points-Leading goaltenders:GP = Games Played, TOI = Time On Ice , GA = Goals Against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals Against Average-Debuts:... |
Boston Bruins | NHL | 60 | 23 | 24 | 13 | 3600 | 168 | 3 | 2.80 |
| 1948-49 1948-49 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
Boston Bruins | NHL | 54 | 26 | 20 | 8 | 3240 | 147 | 1 | 2.72 |
| 1949-50 1949-50 NHL season -NHL awards:This was the last season that the O'Brien Cup was awarded to the Stanley Cup runner up - in this season, the New York Rangers - as it went into retirement for the second and final time at season's end... |
Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10... |
NHL | 70 | 22 | 38 | 10 | 4200 | 244 | 5 | 3.49 |
| NHL totals | 514 | 252 | 182 | 80 | 31,210 | 1404 | 40 | 2.70 | ||
Playoffs
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935-36 | Pittsburgh Yellowjackets | EAHL | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 480 | 19 | 2 | 2.36 |
| 1937-38 | Providence Reds | IAHL | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 515 | 16 | 0 | 1.86 |
| 1938-39 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 12 | 8 | 4 | — | 863 | 18 | 1 | 1.25 |
| 1939-40 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 6 | 2 | 4 | — | 360 | 15 | 0 | 2.50 |
| 1940-41 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 11 | 8 | 3 | — | 678 | 23 | 1 | 2.04 |
| 1941-42 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 5 | 2 | 3 | — | 307 | 16 | 0 | 3.13 |
| 1942-43 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 9 | 4 | 5 | — | 560 | 33 | 0 | 3.54 |
| 1945-46 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 10 | 5 | 5 | — | 651 | 29 | 0 | 2.67 |
| 1946-47 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 5 | 1 | 4 | — | 343 | 16 | 0 | 2.80 |
| 1947-48 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 5 | 1 | 4 | — | 317 | 20 | 0 | 3.79 |
| 1948-49 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 5 | 1 | 4 | — | 316 | 16 | 0 | 3.04 |
| NHL totals | 68 | 32 | 36 | — | 4395 | 186 | 2 | 2.54 | ||