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Glenn Hall, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame whose streak of 502 starts as a goaltender remains an NHL record, has died. He was 94.
A spokesman for the Chicago NHL team confirmed that the team received word of Hall's death from his family. A league historian contacted by Hall's son, Pat, said Hall died at a hospital in Stony Plain, Alta., on Wednesday.
Hall helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup in 1961 and was named playoff MVP in 1968 with St. Louis as the Blues reached the finals before losing to Montreal.
Hall's streak of more than 500 games online is one of the most untouchable records in sports, given how things have changed over the decades. Including the postseason, Hall started 552 consecutive games.
“Glenn was tough, reliable and a tremendous talent in the game,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “That record, set from 1955-56 to 1962-63, still stands, and probably always will, and it is almost incomprehensible, especially considering he did it all without a mask.”
Nicknamed “Mr. Goalie,” Hall won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1956 while playing for the Detroit Red Wings. After two seasons, he was sent to Chicago along with legendary forward Ted Lindsay.
Hall earned two of the three Vezina Trophies as the league's top goaltender with Chicago in 1963 and 1967. The Blues took him in the expansion draft when the number of NHL teams doubled from six to 12, and he helped them reach the finals in each of their first three years.
Hall was in goal when Boston's Bobby Orr scored in overtime to win the Bruins Cup in 1970. The goal became one of the most famous in hockey history as the airborne celebration ensued.
A native of Humboldt, Sask., Hall was a seven-time NHL First-Team All-Star and had 407 wins and 84 knockouts in 906 regular-season games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975, and his number 1 was retired by Chicago in 1988.
Hall was selected as one of the top 100 players in the league's first 100 years.
Chicago chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz called Hall an innovator and “one of the greatest and most influential goalies in the history of our sport and a cornerstone of our franchise.”
“We are grateful for his outstanding contributions to hockey and our club, and we will honor his memory today and always,” Wirtz said.
