Terry Sawchuck’s relationship with the New York Rangers might only be a fleeting one; his short stay in 1969-70 is but a footnote to the much decorated player’s career. However, he is widely remembered as one of the greatest goaltenders that hockey has ever seen.
A new documentary— Terry Sawchuck-The Winnipeg Years —is in production which tells his story. And it is one that all hockey fans will want to hear.
Born in Winnipeg in 1929, it is said that at the age of 12, Sawchuck failed to report that he had hurt his arm badly playing a game of rugby. Two years later, it was noticed that he had one arm shorter than the other—a fact that was attributed to the injury not healing properly and affecting his arm’s growth.
It didn’t stop him signing his first deal with the Detroit Red Wings—the team who would later retire his shirt number—and eventually going on to become a legend of the game.
He debuted in the NHL in 1950 and over the course of his 21-year career he won four Stanley Cups and four Vezina trophies and went on to star for the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs among others, before finishing in The Big Apple.
You can enjoy New York Rangers‘ current lineup at Madison Square Garden-and what wouldn’t modern Rangers fans give for a player of his caliber today?
Sawchuck’s prowess as a goalie has stood up to the test of time, despite the spectres of both depression and injury never being far away: bone chips were removed from his elbow in the early fifties, he suffered chest injuries from a car accident and even now, images of his battle-scarred face are testament to how he put himself on the line for his teams.
In fact he is still ranked second in the all-time shutout list and his haul of 103 shutouts was actually only beaten in 2009 by Martin Brodeur, who boasts 119.
Film-maker Danny Schur is a fellow Winnipegger. He is best known for Strike! —a musical set to the backdrop of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919—but he has now set his sights on Terry Sawchuck.
Staying local, his biographical documentary is set to focus on Sawchuck’s formative years. He told CBC:
“Terry Sawchuk, bar none, is the best hockey player that ever came from Winnipeg. General consensus is he was the greatest goalie ever, and he came from here, and I think the Winnipeg story is forgotten, so I’m making a documentary about Terry Sawchuk’s Winnipeg years in particular.”
Sawchuck’s story did not have a happy ending. Along with his legendary status as goaltender, he is also remembered for the tragic circumstances that surrounded his death. He died at the age of 40 of pulmonary embolism, brought on by injuries sustained in a fight with Rangers teammate Ron Stewart—an incident for which Sawchuck only blamed himself.
A year after his death, Terry Sawchuck was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His story is now to be told on the silver screen.