Tom L. Paton born 1854 - died February 10, 1909 was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 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...

 player of the pre-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...

 era of the sport. He played the position of Goaltender for the Montreal HC (Montreal AAA) and was a member of the first Stanley cup winning team in 1893.

Playing career

Tom was a pioneer goaltender in organized hockey. Tom's hockey career can be traced back to the early Montreal Carnivals prior to the formation of the AHAC in 1885. He would be a founding member of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association hockey team (Montreal HC). His career would be marked by dominance. Throughout every season he played between 1888 and 1893 for the Montreal AAA, his team would win the AHAC championship. Tom is most notable to be the first goaltender in Stanley Cup

Stanley Cup

The 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...

 history to be awarded the trophy. Ultimate Hockey considers his performance in 1890,1891 and 1893 to be worthy of winning the equivalent to the Vezina trophy

Vezina Trophy

The 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...

 that the NHL awards today for top goal tender. He was regarded in many history texts as being undefeated in 1890 and 1891. In 1892 despite a poor regular season effort Paton and the Montreal AAA defeated the Ottawa HC in the final game of the season to win the 1892 AHAC season

1892 AHAC season

The 1892 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted until March 7. The championship changed hands twice during the season. Ottawa defeated the Montreal Hockey Club in January and held the championship until March, defending it six times before Montreal won it in the final challenge of the...

 championship by a score of 1 to 0. Paton would be go on to be awarded the Stanley Cup and retire at the end of the 1893 AHAC season

1893 AHAC season

The 1893 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 7 until March 17. The Montreal Hockey Club was the league and Canadian champion for the sixth season in a row and was awarded the Stanley Cup. They were the first winners of the Cup and did not have to challenge for...

. He is also the first goalie to retire from Stanley Cup hockey competition as a current champion.
Throughout all his pioneering efforts and success in early hockey he is not a member of 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...

. His 1885 Montreal Carnival championship medal recently sold for over $14 000 (CAD) in a 2009 auction.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
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	GA	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....		GP	W	L	GA	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....
1885	Montreal HC	AHAC		2?
1887 1887 AHAC season The 1887 AHAC season was the inaugural season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in challenges. The Montreal Crystals won the final challenge of the season to win the Canadian championship and first league championship.-League Business:...	Montreal HC	AHAC
1888 1888 AHAC season The 1888 AHAC season was the second season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in a series format. The Montreal Hockey Club would win a playoff against the Montreal Victorias to win the Canadian championship for the first time....	Montreal HC	AHAC		7	6	1	7	1.00
1889	Montreal HC	AHAC		4	3	1	6	1.5
1890 1890 AHAC season The 1890 AHAC season was the fourth season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in challenges. The Montreal Hockey Club would win the final challenge of the season to win the Canadian championship for the third season in a row....	Montreal HC	AHAC		7	7	0	13	1.90
1891	Montreal HC	AHAC		6	6	0	6	1.00
1892	Montreal HC	AHAC		3	1	2	7	2.30
1893	Montreal HC	AHAC		8	7	1	18	2.30

Notes:

• Lead league in wins in 1888,89,90,91 and 93 (bold denotes league leader).
• Statistics do not include non regular season tournaments.
• Statistics for Montreal Carnival currently unavailable