Hockey's Greatest Goalies

	Murray Bannerman - Murray Bannerman had the unenviable task of replacing the living legend Tony Esposito in the Hawks' goal crease.
	Tom Barrasso - Right out of high school, Tom Barrasso turned in one of the most amazing rookie seasons in NHL history. He would continue on to have a stellar career complete with 2 Stanley Cups.

Clint Benedict - Praying Bennie was the statistically dominant goalie of the early NHL. He backstopped the Ottawa Senators to the NHL's first dynasty, and wore the very first goalie mask in NHL history.

Bill Beveridge - Bill Beveridge is a long forgotten goaltender of a long forgotten team. There's not many people around anymore that saw the Montreal Maroons play.

	Craig Billington - A true student of the game, Craig Billington went from top prospect, to starter, to backup to Patrick Roy's goalie coach.
	Les Binkley - A long time minor league goalie finally got his chance thanks to 1967 expansion. He was one of the early fan favorites.
	Johnny Bower - "The China Wall" was an aging superstar goalie before he even made it to the NHL. His profile includes war stories and a full version of his song Honky The Christmas Goose.
	Dan Bouchard - Dan Bouchard was the fiery goalie for the Atlanta Flames, and the only original Flame to move to Calgary.
	Turk Broda - This Maple Leaf great was the clutch goalie of his time. Turk was one of the most popular players in Toronto's long hockey history.

Richard Brodeur - Few players have endeared themselves to the Canucks faithful like "King Richard" Brodeur did and continues to do.

Andy Brown - Though his NHL career was largely insignificant, this second generation NHLer goes down in history as the last NHL goalie to play without a mask.

Steve Buzinski - With a nickname like "The Puck Goes In-ski," it should come as no surprise coach Frank Boucher described Steve Buzinski as "one of the worst goalies in NHL history, but he was also one of the funniest."

Gerry Cheevers - Known for his famous mask, Gerry Cheevers is one of the most exciting goaltenders in memory.

Alec Connell - Known as the "Fireman" simply because he was actually a fireman in addition to a hockey player, Alec Connell also put out the fire of opposing NHL sharpshooters.

Ken Dryden - One of hockey's most interesting people, Ken Dryden was Montreal's dominant goal keeper through 6 Stanley Cup championships in the 1970s.

Bill Durnan - An ambidextrous octopus of a goalie, Durnan owned the Vezina trophy during his brilliant career with the Montreal Canadiens.

Tony Esposito - Tony O was an exciting goaltender who gave his all for a Chicago team that never offered him a lot of help.

	Bob Froese - Reliable Bob Froese tutored Ron Hextall and Pelle Lindbergh in Philadelphia. He'd later do the same for John Vanbiesbrouck and Mike Richter in New York.
	Grant Fuhr - The spectacular goaltending of Grant Fuhr landed him many Stanley Cups, world titles and in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
	Charlie Gardiner - Had his life not ended tragically and prematurely, "Bonnie Prince" Charlie Gardiner may have gone on to have the greatest career of all NHL goaltenders.
	Eddie Giacomin - Eddie Giacomin is an immortal legend of Madison Square Gardens. The night he returned to MSG as a member of the Detroit Red Wings was one crazy night.
	Gilles Gratton - They say goalies are some of the flakiest people around. Well "Grattoony The Looney" takes the cake.

George Hainsworth - George Hainsworth, the winner of the first three Vezina trophies, posted a career 94 shutouts, including 22 in one 44-game season!

	"Mr Goalie" Glenn Hall - The grandfather of butterfly goaltending played a record 502 consecutive games without a mask.
	Sugar Jim Henry - This popular goaltender is best remembered shaking hands with a bloodied Rocket Richard in the dramatic photograph.
	Ron Hextall - Rambunctious Flyers goalie Ron Hextall was known for fighting and scoring goals. He was pretty good at preventing goals, too.

	Charlie Hodge - Charlie Hodge had the unfortunate role of being number two goalie to the great Jacques Plante.
	Jiri Holecek - Many in the know will tell you that it was Czech Jiri Holecek who was the best international goalie never to play in the NHL, not Russian Vladislav Tretiak.
	Kelly Hrudey - Now known as the man behind Hockey Night In Canada's feature segment "Behind The Mask," Kelly Hrudey was once one of the top goalies in hockey.
	Mike Karakas - The inconsistent Karakas was hot during the 1938 playoffs, leading the Cinderella Hawks to the Stanley Cup title despite a broken toe.

Dave Kerr - The acrobatic Dave Kerr backstopped the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup in 1940. Two years earlier, he was the first hockey player to grace the cover of Time Magazine.

Hugh Lehman - Arguably the greatest goalie in PCHA history, he is best remembered by NHL audiences as the first goalie in Chicago Blackhawks history.

	Reggie Lemelin - History has already forgotten about Reggie Lemelin, but he was one of the better goalies in the 1980s..
	Percy Lesueur - Peerless Percy was the first great goaltender in Ottawa history.
	Mike Liut - For a brief period of time at the turn of the 1980s, Mike Liut took Ken Dryden's torch as the best goalie in the NHL.
	Harry Lumley - "Apple Cheeks" Lumley is often forgotten about nowadays, but he was once one of hockey's top goaltenders.
	Cesare Maniago - Post-1967 expansion fans in Minnesota and Vancouver loved to Hail Cesare!

Ulcers McCool - An unknown goalie from Gonzaga University led the Toronto Maple Leafs to a surprise war time Stanley Cup.

	Kirk McLean - For a period of about 3 years in the early 1990s, Kirk McLean was one of the top 3 goaltenders in the entire National Hockey League.
	Gilles Meloche - In the 1970s and 1980s he played for the Seals, Barons, North Stars and Penguins. No wonder why his 351 career losses is only 1 loss off of the all time record.

Greg Millen - Greg Millen, the goalie turned broadcaster, was a solid goalie in the 1980s.

	Eddie Mio - Eddio Mio was the best man at Wayne Gretzky's wedding.
	Andy Moog - After backing up too often in Edmonton, Andy Moog had a stellar career with Boston and Dallas.
	Alfie Moore - In the afternoon he was enjoying himself to much at a Toronto tavern, wishing he had tickets to the opening game of the 1938 Stanley Cup finals. By evening he was the starting goaltender.
	Phil Myre - A former Montreal back up, Phil Myre teamed with Dan Bouchard to give the Atlanta Flames instant respectability between the pipes.
	Mike Palmateer - Mike Palmateer wasn't exactly Johnny Bower, but "The Popcorn Kid" was a very popular Maple Leafs goalie in the 1970s.
	Bernie Parent - In 1974 and 1975 Bernie Parent put together perhaps the most impressive back to back NHL campaigns in league history..
	Lester Patrick - Known as the coach who took to the nets in the Stanley Cup finals, that game overshadows Lester Patrick's status as probably the game's greatest contributor.

Pete Peeters - In 1982-83 Pete Peeters won the Vezina trophy and finished second in Hart Trophy balloting.

	Steve Penney - A la Ken Dryden, Steve Penney came out of nowhere to lead Montreal to a Cinderella playoff run in 1984. He disappeared quickly thereafter.
	Jacques Plante - Best known for literally changing the face of hockey, Jake The Snake may be the greatest goalie of all time if not the most important.

	Michel Plasse - Michel Plasse was the first goalie drafted 1st overall. He was also the first modern professional goalie to score a goal by directly shooting it into the opposition's net.
	Bill Ranford - Spectacular Bill Ranford filled the huge skates of Grant Fuhr for both the Edmonton Oilers and Team Canada. .

Dave Reece - Dave Reece will always go down in history as the Bruins goalie who surrendered 10 points in one game to Darryl Sittler.

	Chico Resch - The loveable Chico Resch starred with the New York Islanders and later with the Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils.
	Al Rollins - Chicago's saving grace during the lean 1950s, this superb goalie beat out Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe as league MVP in 1954.

Patrick Roy - The greatest goaltender of all time? The Montreal Forum was St. Patrick's cathedral for many years before moving on to Colorado.

	Terry Sawchuk - Though modern fans will likely choose Patrick Roy or Dominik Hasek, veteran fans will tell you Terry Sawchuk is the greatest goaltender of all time.
	Battlin' Billy Smith - The ornery Billy Smith was as competitive and as clutch of a performer as any goaltender in NHL history.
	Bobby Taylor - As Bernie Parent's back up, Bobby Taylor was probably the least known of the Broad Street Bullies to win back to back Stanley Cups.

Tiny Thompson - As a rookie in 1929, Tiny Thompson backstopped the Boston Bruins to their first Stanley Cup Championship.

	Georges Vezina - The Chicoutimi Cucumber was forever immortalized in hockey history when the NHL debuted the trophy bearing his name to honour the top goaltender each season.
	Rick Wamsley - I suspect Rick Wamsley will always be remembered as the back up goalie who was traded for Brett Hull. In truth, Wamsley had a very interesting career, too.
	Dunc Wilson - "The Rebel" Dunc Wilson definitely helped the old adage that goalies of the 1970s were flakes.
	Bernie Wolfe - Bernie Wolfe was the goaltender for the worst team in hockey. His record shows it.
	Gump Worsley - Rescued from the "jailhouse" known as the New York Rangers, Worsley led Les Canadiens to four Stanley Cup championships in the 1960s..

Shrimp Worters - The smallest man to play in the NHL was also the first goaltender to be named as the league's most valuable player.

International Goalies

	Vladimir Dzurilla - One of Slovakia's greatest hockey players, "Dzurilla the Gorilla" became a legend in Canada too, thanks to the 1976 Canada Cup
	Karl Friesen - Winnipeg born goaltender became one of the top goaltenders in German hockey history.

	Attila Ambrus - One of the worst goalies of all time, Attila Ambrus turned to robbing banks. "The Whiskey Robber" was a huge celebrity in Hungary at the height of his crime wave.
	Pauli Jaks - The Swiss goaltending sensation of the 1991 World Junior Hockey Championships became a cult hero thanks to his amazing performance.

	Steve Janaszak - Jim Craig's backup for the "Miracle on Ice" gold medal USA team, Janaszak was the only competitor in any sport not participate in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
	Ray Leblanc - For two weeks in 1992, Ray Leblanc became the talk of the hockey world. He caught fire as he unexpectedly led Team USA to their best Olympic showing since the Miracle on Ice in 1980.
	Seth Martin - Trail Smoke Eater Seth Martin is a goaltending legend over in Russia and Europe, but he is practically unknown in his native Canada.

Mike Richter - This saving grace may be the single most important player in USA Hockey history. He was the brick wall Team USA leaned on time and time again.

Vladislav Tretiak - Vladislav Tretiak is one of the greatest hockey heroes, not just in Russia but also in Canada and all around the world.

Dunc Wilson

Dunc was as many other goalies considered to be a little odd. He never seemed to be bothered by anything. Defeat not only rested lightly on his shoulders. Often, it didn't rest there at all. He was always loved by the media because he could always be counted on to deliver the mandatory quote from the loser's dressing room with a smile, and usually it was funny. This attitude was of course not very popular among the coaches and might be one of the reasons why he played for 3 junior clubs in 5 seasons and 5 NHL clubs in 10 seasons.

Dunc was born in Toronto and played for Oshawa, Niagara Falls and Peterborough as a junior. He was claimed by Philadelphia from Boston in a special internal amateur draft. He made his NHL debut for Philadelphia during the 1969-70 season appearing in only one game. He spend the rest of the time playing for the Quebec Aces of the AHL.

The Vancouver Canucks claimed Dunc in the 1970 expansion draft. Dunc spend the next three seasons in Vancouver, a place that he really liked. He loved go fishing in the Pacific and mingle around with local celebrities, especially in the music business.

But Dunc could not find a good barber in Vancouver. He had shoulder length hair, which didn't suit Canucks coach Hal Laycoe at all. Dunc later said that the coach didn't rate him by his ability to stop pucks but judged him on the hair and what he was doing off the ice. Several teammates agreed with Dunc.

The writing was on the wall and soon Dunc got traded to Toronto for Larry McIntyre and Murray Heatley on May 29, 1973. In Toronto he had to share the duties with veterans Eddie Johnston and Doug Favell. The three-goalie system didn't give any of the goalies enough ice time, but Dunc played well during the 24 games, recording a 2.79 GAA.

It didn't take long before a rift developed between the coach, Hall of Famer Red Kelly and his goalie. Kelly even bought Dunc a tie to wear on road trips to conform to a club edict. Dunc ditched the Kelly neckwear and wore one of his own - a boot-lace western style model to match his plaid shirt.

The final blow was when Toronto went on a west coast road trip where they were trashed by Los Angeles 8-0 and California 6-1. Some of the guys had a "first-class" team party between the games and when the team were on their way to Vancouver to conclude the road trip, Dunc was asked if he expected a large contingent of fans at the airport to welcome him back.

" I doubt it," he smiled. "But the boys from the North Vancouver booze store undoubtedly will call."

On top of that Dunc missed a curfew, and when Toronto returned from the road trip he was suspended. The NY Rangers eventually claimed him on waivers.

Dunc played a total of 23 games for the Rangers until it was time to move again. Dunc admitted that he hadn't changed that much. "I can't go around being serious all the time and looking down in the dumps at the appropriate times," he said. "I still live the same. I still like rock music, my family, cracking a jar occasionally and having a few laughs."

Dunc was traded to Pittsburgh at the start of the 1976-77 season and had a splendid season, posting a 2.73 GAA in 45 games. It was probably the comeback of the year. Yet, as always, Dunc lasted one more season before Pittsburgh shipped him back to Vancouver where he first had established himself.

Even though Dunc was happy to be back in Vancouver he only played 17 games in the 1978-79 season. It was his last season and he retired 31-years old. Dunc appeared in a total of 287 NHL games, with a career 3.74 GAA.

Dan Bouchard

Patrick Roy's brilliance in nets, especially while with the Montreal Canadiens, established himself as the hero of a generation Quebecois goaltenders.

But did you ever wonder who served as Patrick Roy's idol?

The answer would be Dan Bouchard, a fiery goaltender out of Val d'Or, Quebec best remembered for playing with the Atlanta Flames and later the Quebec Nordiques. Interestingly Roy's first ever NHL shutout came with Bouchard playing at the other end of the ice.

From an early age Dan Bouchard wanted to be a professional hockey player, just like his father. George Bouchard played defense in the American Hockey League, most notably with the Cleveland Barons and Eddie Shore's Springfield Indians. He quit in 1960 and returned to Quebec to raise his family. George would take a job laboring at a brewery for the next 25 years.

The elder Bouchard always kept hockey close to him. In fact he died while playing a recreational game. He passed on his love of hockey to his family. Dan and brother Guy would both make it to the pros as goaltenders, although only Dan would enjoy a NHL career.

Dan first caught NHL attention as a junior. In 1968-69 he captured the Jacques Plante trophy for lowest GAA while leading the QMJHL's Sorel Black Hawks to a Memorial Cup experience. He would switch to London of the Ontario League the following year before being drafted by the Boston Bruins drafted him 27th overall in 1970.

The next two years Bouchard spent apprenticing in the minor leagues. The Bruins were deep in nets with the likes of Gerry Cheevers and Eddie Johnstone, so they allowed Bouchard proper time to hone his craft. But Bouchard was in a hurry, and set the league on its head while leading the league in wins and shutouts and leading the Boston Braves to a regular season title in 1971-72.

Bouchard would never get a chance to play in Boston. The NHL expanded and in the summer of 1972 the Atlanta Flames were quick to select the hot goalie prospect in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft. He would go on to become synonymous with Atlanta hockey, and one of their key players.

Bouchard very well may have been the most important player in the short history of the Atlanta Flames. With his effective butterfly stance he was able to post very respectable numbers during the regular season, including a league best 32 wins in 1978-79, but the team was never able to garner any post season success. That fact probably will forever separate Dan Bouchard from the other elite goalies of his era. He holds practically every significant goaltender record in Atlanta Flames history.

Though he was and still remains a fan favorite in Atlanta, he was not always a favorite of his teammates and coaches. He was very fiery, very argumentative and admittedly too cocky. He quickly gained a reputation as a troublemaker and a poor leader. He never warmed himself to the media either, often ducking interviews. In many ways Bouchard was his own worst enemy.

Through it all, even the franchise's relocation to Calgary, Dan Bouchard remained the Flames goalie. That changed soon after the team's arrival in Alberta. He was playing less frequently and he was frustrated with what he called communication problems with the team. As the team left on a two week road trip, Bouchard was left behind and told to wait for a trade.

That wait may have been the best thing that ever happened to Dan Bouchard. Even though he was spiraling into a deep depression, he quickly found his salvation in the bible. He had always attended church as a kid, in the same way many of us did - reluctantly. But now he was actually reading the scriptures and suddenly finding inner piece.

This turn around was all rather quick in happening. Before the Flames' returned from their road trip Bouchard began practicing with a Calgary area junior team. Soon enough he found he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques.

From 1981 through 1985 Dan Bouchard was the Nords top goaltender. Again, playoff success was not to be found, and his numbers ballooned like most goalies in the high scoring 1980s. But armed with a new found inner peace, Bouchard enjoyed his time in Quebec.

The Nordiques brought in young Mario Gosselin in 1985, pushing Bouchard back to the sidelines. He would play another year in the NHL with Winnipeg before a short stint in Switzerland in 1986-87. He would retire and relocate back to Georgia.

Nowadays Dan Bouchard, along with former Bruins star Cam Neely, has invested into a credit card processing business. He also remains very active in hockey, teaching hockey to kids in Atlanta.