Frank Brimsek

Frank Brimsek
Born	(1913-09-26)September 26, 1913 Eveleth, MN, USA
Died	November 11, 1998(1998-11-11) (aged 85)
Height	5 ft 09 in (1.75 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Boston Bruins Chicago Black Hawks Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets Providence Reds
Playing career	1938–1950
Hall of Fame, 1966

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.

Playing career

Born in Eveleth, 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 played his first game for the Bruins in Montreal December 1, 1938, and the Bruins were beaten, 2·0. He played his second game at Chicago, December 4, and won, 5-0. His first game in Boston was December 6 in which he shut out Chicago, 2-0. He went to New York on December 11 and shut out the Rangers, 3-0.

Prior to the Bruins, Brimsek played goal at Eveleth High, where he succeeded Mike Karakas, at St. Cloud’s Teacher's College(now St. Cloud State University), and for the Pittsburgh Yellowjackets. He trained with the Bruins at Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 1937, and was optioned to the Providence Reds for the season. He trained again with the Bruins in the fall of 1938.

He notched 10 shutouts in his first 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 NHL player 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.

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 Six" 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.

Awards and achievements

• Calder Memorial Trophy (1939).
• Stanley Cup (1939, 1941).
• NHL First All-Star Team goalie (1939, 1942).
• Vezina Trophy (1939, 1942).
• NHL Second All-Star Team goalie (1940, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1948).
• NHL All-Star Games (1947, 1948).
• Inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966.
• Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973.
• In 1998, he was ranked number 67 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Career statistics

Regular season

Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA
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	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	Boston Bruins	NHL		43	33	9	1	2610	68	10	1.56
1939-40	Boston Bruins	NHL		48	31	12	5	2950	98	6	1.99
1940-41	Boston Bruins	NHL		48	27	8	13	3040	102	6	2.01
1941-42	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	Boston Bruins	NHL		34	16	14	4	2040	111	2	3.26
1946-47	Boston Bruins	NHL		60	26	23	11	3600	175	3	2.92
1947-48	Boston Bruins	NHL		60	23	24	13	3600	168	3	2.80
1948-49	Boston Bruins	NHL		54	26	20	8	3240	147	1	2.72
1949-50	Chicago Black Hawks	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

See also

• List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame
• List of members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame

External links

• Frank Brimsek's biography at Legends of Hockey
• The Frank Brimsek Award
• Frank Brimsek's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Cully Dahlstrom	Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy 1939	Succeeded by Kilby MacDonald
Preceded by Cecil Thompson	Winner of the Vezina Trophy 1939	Succeeded by David Kerr
Preceded by Turk Broda	Winner of the Vezina Trophy 1942	Succeeded by Johnny Mowers