I was doing some research and I came across an interesting story of a player I hadn’t heard of before.
Charlie Gardiner was the first and only goalie to captain his team to the Stanley Cup.
Charlie was born in Edinburgh, United Kingdom in 1904.
He moved to Canada as a child and naturally started playing hockey. He joined the Blackhawks organization in 1927. He won the Vezina trophy twice and became the first right handed goalie to win the Vezina trophy.
In 1932 he was diagnosed with a tonsil infection that plagued him with fatigue. He initially tried to keep the illness private but eventually ended up collapsing in the locker room in between periods with a fever well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. He constantly lied to teammates about his condition and focused on just playing the best for his team.
Despite nearly passing out during games, he led his team to win the Stanley Cup in 1934 and became the only goalie to ever captain a Stanley Cup winning team. Tragically 2 months after winning the cup Charlie succumbed to a brain hemorrhage induced by his tonsil infection and died at the age of 29. Charlie Gardiner was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in its inaugural class in 1945.
2 comments
I was doing some research and I came across an interesting story of a player I hadn’t heard of before.
Charlie Gardiner was the first and only goalie to captain his team to the Stanley Cup.
Charlie was born in Edinburgh, United Kingdom in 1904.
He moved to Canada as a child and naturally started playing hockey. He joined the Blackhawks organization in 1927. He won the Vezina trophy twice and became the first right handed goalie to win the Vezina trophy.
In 1932 he was diagnosed with a tonsil infection that plagued him with fatigue. He initially tried to keep the illness private but eventually ended up collapsing in the locker room in between periods with a fever well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. He constantly lied to teammates about his condition and focused on just playing the best for his team.
Despite nearly passing out during games, he led his team to win the Stanley Cup in 1934 and became the only goalie to ever captain a Stanley Cup winning team. Tragically 2 months after winning the cup Charlie succumbed to a brain hemorrhage induced by his tonsil infection and died at the age of 29. Charlie Gardiner was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in its inaugural class in 1945.
Ty for keeping the memories of Charlie Gardiner alive