Terry Sawchuk

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Sawchuk's time in Detroit began after a local scout spotted him working as a sheet-metal installer. Signed to an amateur contract in 1946, he joined the junior team in Galt, Ontario, before earning a professional contract with the Red Wings in 1947. He quickly replaced Harry Lumley, who had just led Detroit to the 1950 Stanley Cup, and went on to win three more Cups in five years. His playing style evolved from a standup goaltender to a crouching stance that allowed him to see through skaters' legs, a technique that eventually caused permanent lordosis (swayback) and forced him to sleep no more than two hours at a time. The physical toll was immense; he received approximately 400 stitches to his face before finally wearing a protective mask in 1962. In the 1951–52 playoffs, he surrendered only five goals in eight games against Toronto and Montreal, recording four shutouts and sparking the tradition of throwing octopuses onto the ice at Olympia Stadium.

In Their Own Story

The pressure on Sawchuk was relentless. Ordered by General Manager Jack Adams to lose weight before the 1951–52 season, he became sullen and withdrawn, struggling for years to regain his strength while playing through severe pain. He endured three operations on a right elbow injured at age twelve that left it shorter than his left, along with a collapsed lung, ruptured discs, and severed tendons. Despite this, he was the sole goaltender for long periods. In 1957, after a season with the Boston Bruins where he suffered from mononucleosis and exhaustion, he announced his retirement but was labeled a "quitter." Detroit reacquired him by trading Johnny Bucyk to Boston. Later, in 1964, when Detroit had a new prospect ready, they left him unprotected; he was claimed by Toronto, where he shared duties with forty-year-old Johnny Bower. Together, they won the 1967 Stanley Cup, with Sawchuk stopping 40 of 41 shots in the clinching Game Six victory over Montreal.

Reader's Guide

Fans looking at Sawchuk's career must note that his "Terrible" reputation often masked a deeply troubled man who struggled with alcoholism and depression. His final years were marked by trades to Los Angeles and New York, where he saw limited action. On February 1, 1970, in only his fourth start of the season with the Rangers, he recorded his 103rd and final shutout against Pittsburgh. His last NHL game was a brief appearance on April 14, 1970, in the playoffs against Boston; after Phil Esposito scored to take the lead, coach Emile Francis inserted Sawchuk for less than a minute before Ed Giacomin returned. Tragically, his life ended shortly after the season concluded. On April 29, 1970, he suffered severe internal injuries during a fight with teammate Ron Stewart over house expenses on Long Island. After multiple surgeries for a bleeding liver and a removed gallbladder at New York Hospital Manhattan, he died of a pulmonary embolism on May 31, 1970, at age 40. A grand jury ruled the death accidental.

Did You Know?

• Sawchuk received approximately 400 stitches to his face before finally adopting a protective facemask in 1962.
• An injury at age twelve left his right arm several inches shorter than his left and with limited mobility, which bothered him for his entire career.
• In the 1951–52 playoffs, he surrendered only five goals in eight games (a 0.625 GAA) while recording four shutouts, sparking the 'Legend of the Octopus.'
• Years of crouching caused him to walk with a permanent stoop and suffer from lordosis, preventing him from sleeping more than two hours at a time.
• He was one of only 10 players for whom the three-year waiting period to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame was waived.