The five greatest out-of-shape goalies in NHL history
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
For starry-eyed Leksand fans, signing goalie Ed Belfour may have given them a billion reasons to believe their Swedish second-division club could secure promotion to the Elitserien next season.
But with the news that the former Vezina Trophy winner’s current physical condition is less than impressive, they’ll just have to pray 19-year-old Leksand prospect Eddie Lack maintains his stellar early-season performance, or their dreams could come crashing down like hockey players purportedly roughhousing on a marble floor on which a bottle of water has purportedly been spilled. (If only this story were fiction, I’d nominate myself for the Bulwer-Lytton Prize for that last flabby, strained sentence.)
Still, history provides a basis for hope. Even in the NHL, being out of shape doesn’t automatically put a goalie out of contention.
Here are the five greatest out-of-shape goalies in NHL history, listed in descending order with the clubs where they achieved their Stanley Cup breakthroughs.
1) Grant Fuhr, Edmonton Oilers: Fuhr arrived at training camp around 30 pounds overweight to start his sophomore NHL season of 1982-83, and was demoted to the minors. According to Marty McSorley, Fuhr was required to run up and down arena stairs wearing a garbage bag to help him shed the pounds. The lesson may not have sunk in, as he was later suspended by St. Louis GM-coach Mike Keenan for showing up overweight prior to the 1995-96 season. Won five Stanley Cups (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990) and one Vezina Trophy (1988).
2) Walter “Turk” Broda, Toronto Maple Leafs: He famously waged the “Battle of the Bulge” on the orders of Leafs owner Conn Smythe, who insisted the 5-foot-9 Broda reduce his weight below 200 pounds. Won five Stanley Cups (1942, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951) and two Vezina Trophies (1941, 1948).
3) Lorne “Gump” Worsley, Montreal Canadiens: “Gump” owned arguably the best-known beer belly in NHL history, since his coach with the New York Rangers, Phil Watson, called him out on it in the 1950’s. Worsley riposted: “I’m strictly a rye man.” Won four Stanley Cups (1965, 1966, 1968, 1969) and one Vezina Trophy (1966).
4) Gerry Cheevers, Boston Bruins: His gut-swelling consumption of beer and cigarettes was nearly as legendary as the “stitches” that covered his white fiberglass mask. Won two Stanley Cups (1970, 1972).
5) Manny Legace, Detroit Red Wings: Take it from the man himself, who told NHL.com’s Larry Wigge last year: “My first five years as a pro, I was out of shape and never got an opportunity to play. That’s why I was stuck in the minors for seven years. I used to struggle to bench press 185 pounds. Now, I can do at least 13 repetitions of 200 pounds.” It’s almost superfluous to point out this nine-year NHL veteran still lags well behind the other members of the Phat Five. Won one Stanley Cup (2002).
HockeyAdventure.com brings you the best of Lucas Aykroyd's current blog entries and archived articles. Based in Vancouver, Aykroyd has written about NHL, international, and junior hockey for The Hockey News, The Sporting News, the NHL Yearbook, Rinkside, NHL.com, Eishockey News, and Prospects Hockey. As an editor and journalist, he has covered three Olympics, ten World Championships, three World Junior Championships, one World Women's Championship, and one World U18 Championship for IIHF.com and HockeyCanada.ca. He was one of 56 experts chosen to vote for the IIHF's Centennial All-Star Team.
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