Glenn Hall, Hockey Hall of Famer and NHL Ironman, Passes Away at 94
Glenn Hall, a Hockey Hall of Famer whose ironman streak of 502 starts as a goaltender remains an NHL record, has died at the age of 94. Hall, nicknamed “Mr. Goalie,” was a pioneer of the butterfly style of goaltending and played for the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues during his illustrious career.
A spokesperson for the Chicago Blackhawks confirmed the team received word of Hall’s death from his family. According to a league historian in touch with Hall’s son, Pat, Hall died at a hospital in Stony Plain, Alberta, on Wednesday. Hall’s passing has sent shockwaves throughout the hockey community, with many paying tribute to his incredible career and legacy.
A Legendary Career
Hall’s run of more than 500 games in net is one of the most untouchable records in sports, given how the position has changed in the decades since. Second in history is Alec Connell with 257 from 1924 to 1930. Hall’s record, set from 1955-56 to 1962-63, still stands, and it’s likely to remain unbroken for the foreseeable future. As NHL commissioner Gary Bettman noted, “That record, set from 1955-56 to 1962-63, still stands, probably always will, and is almost unfathomable — especially when you consider he did it all without a mask.”
Hall won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1956 when playing for the Detroit Red Wings. After two seasons, he was sent to Chicago along with legendary forward Ted Lindsay. Hall earned two of his three Vezina Trophy honors as the league’s top goalie with Chicago, in 1963 and 1967. The Blues took him in the expansion draft when the NHL doubled from six teams to 12, and he helped them reach the final in each of their first three years of existence, while winning the Vezina again at age 37.
A Lasting Legacy
Hall was in net when Boston’s Bobby Orr scored in overtime to win the Cup for the Bruins in 1970, a goal that’s among the most famous in hockey history because of the flying through the air celebration that followed. He played one more season with St. Louis before retiring in 1971. Hall’s influence extended far beyond the crease, as Blues chairman Tom Stillman noted, “From the very beginning, he brought credibility, excellence, and heart to a new team and a new NHL market.”
A native of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Hall was a seven-time first-team NHL All-Star who had 407 wins and 84 shutouts in 906 regular-season games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975, and his No. 1 was retired by Chicago in 1988. Hall was chosen as one of the top 100 players in the league’s first 100 years. Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz called Hall an innovator and “one of the greatest and most influential goaltenders in the history of our sport and a cornerstone of our franchise.”
The Blackhawks paid tribute to Hall and former coach and general manager Bob Pulford with a moment of silence before Wednesday night’s game against St. Louis. Pulford died Monday. A Hall highlight video was shown on the center-ice videoboard. The lights were turned off for the moment of silence, except for a spotlight on the No. 1 banner for Hall that hangs in the rafters at the United Center.
Fellow Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, the league’s leader in wins with 691 and games played with 1,266, posted a photo of the last time he saw Hall along with a remembrance of him. “Glenn Hall was a legend, and I was a big fan of his,” Brodeur said on social media. “He set the standard for every goaltender who followed. His toughness and consistency defined what it meant to play.”
