Terry Sawchuk

Terry Sawchuck - Legends of Hockey (Documentary)

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• published: 25 Oct 2013
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Terry Sawchuck - Legends of Hockey (Documentary) Terry Sawchuk (born December 28, 1929) was a Ukrainian-Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers. Sawchuk was born and raised in East Kildonan, a working-class, Ukrainian section of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was the 3rd of 4 sons and 1 adopted daughter of Louis Sawchuk, a tinsmith who had immigrated to Canada as a boy from Galicia, Austria Hungary (now Ukraine), and his wife Anne (nee Maslak), a homemaker. The 2nd son died young from scarlet fever and the oldest, an aspiring hockey goaltender whom Terry idolized, died suddenly of a heart attack at age 17. At age 12, Sawchuk injured his right elbow playing rugby and, not wanting to be punished by his parents, hid the injury, preventing the dislocation from properly healing. Thus, the arm was left with limited mobility and several inches shorter than the left, and bothered him for his entire athletic career. After inheriting his brother's goalie equipment, Sawchuk began playing ice hockey in a local league and worked for a sheet-metal company. His goaltending talent was so evident that at age 14 a local scout for the Detroit Red Wings had him work out with the team, who later signed him to an amateur contract and sent him to play for their junior team in Galt, Ontario in 1946, where he also finished the 11th grade but most likely did not graduate. The Red Wings signed him to a professional contract in 1947, and he quickly progressed through their developmental system, winning honors as the Rookie of the Year in both the US and American Hockey Leagues. Sawchuk also filled in for 7 games when the Detroit goalie Harry Lumley was injured in January 1950. Sawchuk showed such promise that the Red Wings traded Lumley to the Chicago Black Hawks, though he had just led the team to the 1949--1950 Stanley Cup. Nicknamed "Ukey" or "The Uke" by teammates for his Ukrainian ancestry, Sawchuk led the Red Wings to 3 Stanley Cups in 5 years, winning the Calder Trophy as the top rookie (the 1st to win such honors in all 3 professional hockey leagues) and 3 Vezina Trophies for the fewest goals allowed (he missed out the other 2 years by one goal). He was selected as an All-Star 5 times in his first 5 years in the NHL, had 56 shutouts, and his goals-against average (GAA) remained under 2.00. In the 1951--1952 playoffs, the Red Wings swept both the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens, with Sawchuk surrendering 5 goals in 8 games (for a 0.67 GAA), with 4 shutouts. Sawchuk was ordered by Detroit general manager Jack Adams to lose weight before the 1951--1952 season, and his personality changed when he dropped 40 lbs, becoming sullen and withdrawn. He struggled for years to regain weight. Also contributing to his moodiness and self-doubt was the pressure of playing every day despite repeated injuries - there were no backup goaltenders. He frequently played through pain, and had 3 operations on his right elbow, an appendectomy, countless cuts and bruises, broken instep, a collapsed lung, ruptured discs in his back, and severed tendons in his hand. Years of crouching in the net caused Sawchuk to walk with a permanent stoop and resulted in lordosis, which kept him from sleeping. He also received 400 stitches to his face (including 3 in his right eye) before adopting a facemask in 1962. In 1966, Life Magazine had a make-up artist apply stitches and scars to Sawchuk's face to demonstrate all of the injuries to his face over the years. The makeup artist did not have enough room. The Red Wings traded Sawchuk to the Bruins in June 1955 because they had a capable younger goalie in the minors (Glenn Hall), which devastated Sawchuck. During his 2nd season with Boston, Sawchuk was diagnosed with mononucleosis, but returned after only 2 weeks. Physically weak, playing poorly, and on the verge of a nervous breakdown, he announced his retirement in early 1957 and was labeled a "quitter" by team executives and newspapers. Detroit reacquired Sawchuk by trading forward Johnny Bucyk to Boston. After seven seasons, when they had another promising young goalie (Roger Crozier) ready for promotion from the minor leagues, Detroit left Sawchuk unprotected in the intraleague waiver draft, and he was quickly claimed by the Maple Leafs. With Sawchuk sharing goaltending duties with the 40-year old Johnny Bower, the veteran duo won the 1964--1965 Vezina Trophy and led Toronto to the 1966--1967 Stanley Cup. Left unprotected in the June 1967 expansion draft, Sawchuk was the 1st player selected, taken by the LA Kings where he played 1 season before being traded back to Detroit. Sawchuk spent his final season with the NY Rangers, where he played sparingly. On February 1, 1970, in only his fourth start of the season, he recorded his 103rd and final shutout of his career by blanking the Penguins.