![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Tiny_Thompson.jpg/640px-Tiny_Thompson.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Tiny Thompson
Canadian ice hockey goaltender: first goaltender to stop the puck by catching it (1903-1981) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cecil Ralph "Tiny" Thompson (May 31, 1903 – February 9, 1981) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played 10 seasons with the Boston Bruins and two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. He won the Vezina Trophy, given to the NHL's best goaltender, four times. He was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959. He won the Stanley Cup once, in 1929 with Boston. At the start of the 1938–39 season, after ten entire seasons with Boston, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he played the rest of the season, and played another full one before stopping. During his time in the NHL, Thompson made 81 shutouts. This is the sixth-most of any goaltender. After stopping playing, he coached some lower-league teams before becoming a famous professional scout. Thompson helped to make common the technique of catching the puck as a method of making a save. He was good at using his stick to play the puck. He was the first goaltender in the NHL to record an assist by passing the puck with his stick to a player on his team.
Tiny Thompson | |||
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Hockey Hall of Fame, 1959 | |||
![]() Thompson with the Bruins in the early 1930s | |||
Born |
(1903-05-31)May 31, 1903 Sandon, British Columbia | ||
Died |
February 9, 1981(1981-02-09) (aged 77) Calgary, Alberta | ||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb) | ||
Position | Goaltender | ||
Caught | Left | ||
Played for |
Boston Bruins Detroit Red Wings (NHL) | ||
Playing career | 1928–1941 |