Considered to be one of the greatest goaltenders of all time, Georges
Vezina was born in Chicoultimi, Quebec, He joined the Montreal
Canadiens in 1910-11 and for the next 15 years, he played a total of
328 consecutive games and 39 more in the playoffs.
Nicknamed the "Chicoultimi Cucumber", for his grace and coolness under
pressure, he comes from an era when there were no backup goaltenders on
a team and goaltenders were not permitted to drop to their knees to
stop a puck. He played a stand-up style of goaltending.
He helped the Canadiens to five championship teams and to two Stanley
Cup winning teams in the 1915-16 and the 1923-24 seasons.
His last game was on November 28, despite severe chest pains, which
were the first signs of tuberculosis and he had to retire after one
period. Stories were that when he left the team, what he wanted to take
with him, was his jersey he wore when he helped the Canadiens win the
Stanley Cup. Tuberculosis took his life on March 26, 1926.
In his honor, the Vezina Trophy is awarded to the top goaltender in the
National Hockey League, as decided by the National Hockey League
general Managers. The Trophy was presented to the NHL before the
1926-27 season by Montreal Canadiens owners Leo Dandurand, Leo
Letourneau and Joseph Cattaranich.
Vezina was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945 as one of the
first inductees. In addition, 11 others who were inducted into the Hall
that year. That class includes, Art Ross, for whom the NHL's scoring
title is named after and Lord Stanley of Preston, The "Father" of the
Stanley Cup.
