Durnan, "Bill" (William R.)
Hockey
b. Jan. 22, 1915, Toronto, ONT
d. Oct. 31, 1972
In seven seasons in the NHL, all with the Montreal Canadiens, Durnan won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender six times. He quit abruptly during the 1950 Stanley Cup series against the New York Rangers because his health was being destroyed by the emotional pressures of the position. He said afterward, "It got so bad that I couldn't sleep on the night before a game. I couldn't even keep my meals down. I felt that nothing was worth that kind of agony."
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Durnan was ambidextrous and his ability to shift the goalie stick from one hand to another was a great asset throughout his career. He played amateur hockey for eight seasons before joining the minor-league Montreal Royals in 1940. The Canadiens called him up in 1943/44, when he was twenty-eight years old, and he won his first Vezina as a rookie that season. The only year he didn't win it while in the NHL was 1948, when it went to Turk Broda of Toronto.
In 383 regular-season games, Durnan had 34 shutouts and a 2.35 goals-against average. He had 2 shutouts and a 2.20 average in 45 playoff games.