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Ed Belfour
Edward John Belfour (born April 21, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 17 seasons in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers.
He played junior hockey for the Winkler Flyers before going to the University of North Dakota where he helped the school win the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship in the 1986–87 season. After being undrafted in the 1987 NHL draft, he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks. He played with the Saginaw Hawks of the International Hockey League (IHL) before being called up in the 1988–89 season by Chicago. Playing with Canadian National Team in 1989 rather than returning to Saginaw, the Blackhawks used him for the 1990 playoff run and kept him as the regular starter for the next six seasons, which included winning the Calder Memorial Trophy for his rookie play in 1991, winning the Vezina Trophy twice and backstopping them to the 1992 Stanley Cup Final, their first appearance in 19 years. With free agency looming, he was traded to San Jose late in the 1996–97 season. He subsequently signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars in 1997, where he would backstop the team for five seasons and reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1999 and 2000, winning the former for his only championship. In his first season with Toronto in the 2002–03 season, he reached 400 career wins. He spent his final NHL season with Florida in 2007, where he finished with the third-most wins by a goaltender in NHL history. He played one final season with Leksands IF and retired in 2008.
Many regard Belfour as an elite goaltender and one of the best of all-time. His 484 wins rank fifth all-time among NHL goaltenders. Belfour was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the 2011 class, his first year of eligibility. In addition Belfour is one of only two players to have won an NCAA championship, an Olympic gold medal, and the Stanley Cup (the other such player is Neal Broten).
His characteristic face mask earned him the sobriquet "Eddie the Eagle", and some of his quirks and off-ice antics earned him the nickname "Crazy Eddie".
Belfour played for 3 seasons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League with the Winkler Flyers, helping the team to a first-place finish in 1986. As the starting goalie for the top team, Belfour finally received some notoriety and he joined the North Dakota Fighting Sioux for the 1986–87 season. The 21-year-old Belfour was a freshman, older than many of the upper-classmen on his team. He won 29 games that year, helping UND set a new NCAA record with 40 wins on the year and win the National Title. After the season Belfour, as an undrafted player, was able to sign with any team and signed with the Chicago Blackhawks on September 25, 1987.
For his first professional season, Belfour played for the Saginaw Hawks of the IHL. He won 32 games for the team and helped them reach the IHL semifinals. The following season saw Belfour split his time between the IHL and NHL, playing 23 games with the parent club. He was returned to Saginaw where he helped the team to a 2nd-place finish in the conference but faltered in the postseason and the Hawks were bounced in the first round.
Rather than return to Saginaw, Belfour played the 1989–90 season with the Canadian national men's hockey team. He was recalled by the Blackhawks for their postseason run and produced a 4–2 record with a 2.49 GAA, far better numbers than the other three Blackhawk netminders Alain Chevrier (who was traded earlier to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 6, 1990), Jacques Cloutier, and Greg Millen.
The next season, 1990–91, Belfour became the starting goalie, and had a strong rookie season. He notched 43 victories in 74 games (both NHL rookie and Blackhawk team records), finished the season with a 2.47 GAA and 4 shutouts. He also led the league in Save% (.910). It was the last time a goalie led the league in Wins, Save%, and GAA until Carey Price achieved the feat in the 2014–2015 season. For his success, he received the Calder Memorial Trophy for outstanding play by a rookie, and is the first person to receive the award under the Makarov Rule because he was a year under the new cutoff age of eligibility (26), the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender and the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest team goals-against. He was also a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player, the first rookie goaltender to do so. He would win the Vezina Trophy and Jennings Trophy again in 1993, and the Jennings Trophy once more with Chicago in 1995.
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Ed Belfour
Edward John Belfour (born April 21, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 17 seasons in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers.
He played junior hockey for the Winkler Flyers before going to the University of North Dakota where he helped the school win the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship in the 1986–87 season. After being undrafted in the 1987 NHL draft, he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks. He played with the Saginaw Hawks of the International Hockey League (IHL) before being called up in the 1988–89 season by Chicago. Playing with Canadian National Team in 1989 rather than returning to Saginaw, the Blackhawks used him for the 1990 playoff run and kept him as the regular starter for the next six seasons, which included winning the Calder Memorial Trophy for his rookie play in 1991, winning the Vezina Trophy twice and backstopping them to the 1992 Stanley Cup Final, their first appearance in 19 years. With free agency looming, he was traded to San Jose late in the 1996–97 season. He subsequently signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars in 1997, where he would backstop the team for five seasons and reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1999 and 2000, winning the former for his only championship. In his first season with Toronto in the 2002–03 season, he reached 400 career wins. He spent his final NHL season with Florida in 2007, where he finished with the third-most wins by a goaltender in NHL history. He played one final season with Leksands IF and retired in 2008.
Many regard Belfour as an elite goaltender and one of the best of all-time. His 484 wins rank fifth all-time among NHL goaltenders. Belfour was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the 2011 class, his first year of eligibility. In addition Belfour is one of only two players to have won an NCAA championship, an Olympic gold medal, and the Stanley Cup (the other such player is Neal Broten).
His characteristic face mask earned him the sobriquet "Eddie the Eagle", and some of his quirks and off-ice antics earned him the nickname "Crazy Eddie".
Belfour played for 3 seasons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League with the Winkler Flyers, helping the team to a first-place finish in 1986. As the starting goalie for the top team, Belfour finally received some notoriety and he joined the North Dakota Fighting Sioux for the 1986–87 season. The 21-year-old Belfour was a freshman, older than many of the upper-classmen on his team. He won 29 games that year, helping UND set a new NCAA record with 40 wins on the year and win the National Title. After the season Belfour, as an undrafted player, was able to sign with any team and signed with the Chicago Blackhawks on September 25, 1987.
For his first professional season, Belfour played for the Saginaw Hawks of the IHL. He won 32 games for the team and helped them reach the IHL semifinals. The following season saw Belfour split his time between the IHL and NHL, playing 23 games with the parent club. He was returned to Saginaw where he helped the team to a 2nd-place finish in the conference but faltered in the postseason and the Hawks were bounced in the first round.
Rather than return to Saginaw, Belfour played the 1989–90 season with the Canadian national men's hockey team. He was recalled by the Blackhawks for their postseason run and produced a 4–2 record with a 2.49 GAA, far better numbers than the other three Blackhawk netminders Alain Chevrier (who was traded earlier to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 6, 1990), Jacques Cloutier, and Greg Millen.
The next season, 1990–91, Belfour became the starting goalie, and had a strong rookie season. He notched 43 victories in 74 games (both NHL rookie and Blackhawk team records), finished the season with a 2.47 GAA and 4 shutouts. He also led the league in Save% (.910). It was the last time a goalie led the league in Wins, Save%, and GAA until Carey Price achieved the feat in the 2014–2015 season. For his success, he received the Calder Memorial Trophy for outstanding play by a rookie, and is the first person to receive the award under the Makarov Rule because he was a year under the new cutoff age of eligibility (26), the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender and the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest team goals-against. He was also a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player, the first rookie goaltender to do so. He would win the Vezina Trophy and Jennings Trophy again in 1993, and the Jennings Trophy once more with Chicago in 1995.
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