Hainsworth, George
Hockey
b. June 26, 1895, Toronto, ONT
d. Oct. 9, 1950
Hainsworth succeeded Georges Vezina as the Montreal Canadien goaltender after Vezina's tragic death in 1926 and he won the first three Vezina Trophies, 1927-29.
However, he didn't really win the respect of the tough Montreal fans until halfway through his third season. During a pre-game practice, he was hit in the face by a shot that knocked him out and broke his nose. With one eye virtually swollen shut, he held Toronto to a 1-1 tie and was rewarded with a standing ovation.
In that 1928/29 season, Hainsworth gave up only 43 goals in 44 games and had an incredible 22 shutouts. He was traded to Toronto in 1933 and returned to Montreal briefly at the end of the 1936/37 season before retiring.
Hainsworth had 94 shutouts, second on the all-time list.