George Hainsworth (June 26, 1895 – October 9, 1950) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Hainsworth played for the Western Canada Hockey League’s Saskatoon Crescents and Saskatoon Sheiks before arriving in Montreal. He replaced Georges Vezina, the Canadiens goaltender who had died of tuberculosis, and who had played every game in team history from the 1910–11 NHA season until the opening game of the 1925–26 NHL season, when the illness proved too much for him, inspiring the team to donate the Vezina Trophy for most valuable goaltender.
Hainsworth proved up to the challenge by winning the Trophy for the 1926–27, 1927–28 and 1928–29 NHL seasons. In 1928–29, he set an all-time record with 22 shutouts and a 0.92 goals against average while only playing 44 games. In 1930 he set an NHL record that still stands, going 270 minutes and 8 seconds without allowing a goal during the playoffs for the Canadiens. He backstopped the Canadiens to back to back Stanley Cups in 1930 and 1931. Hainsworth served as the Canadiens’ captain during 1932–33, becoming the second of only eight goalies to serve as an NHL team’s captain. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1933 and helped the Maple Leafs reach the Stanley Cup finals in 1935.
Post career
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. In 1998, he was ranked number 46 on The Hockey News’ list of the 100 greatest hockey players. Hainsworth, at the age of 55, was killed in an auto accident on October 9, 1950.- He is the all-time leader in professional (including both NHL and WCHL/WHL) shutouts with 104.
- His 94 career NHL shutouts are third on the NHL’s all-time list behind Martin Brodeur’s 101 and Terry Sawchuk’s 103.
- Has the second lowest career goals against average with 1.93 behind Alex Connell’s 1.91.
- Holds the single-season shutout record with 22 shutouts in 1928–29.
- Holds the single-season goals against average record with 0.92 in 1928–29.
