Hockey Heroes of the Past: Alec Connell

Welcome to another blog article, where I will be featuring Hockey Heroes of the Past. For now, I will be focusing on player who played between 1900-1970. Why that time period? Well, it is important to remember these pioneer's, that paved the way for current NHL superstars. Without these legends, who knows where our game would be. So I find it is essential that these Hockey Heroes get the recognition they deserve. Today we look at a Ottawa Senator legendary goalie, Alec Connell

Alec Connell

Born: February 8th, 1900

Birthplace: Ottawa, ON

Died: May 10th, 1958 (58 years old)

Height: 5ft9

Weight: 150 lbs

Position:Goalie

Teams: Ottawa Senators, Detroit Falcons, New York American's, Montreal Maroon's.

Nickname: "The Ottawa Fireman'

NHL Career Stats;

GP = 417

W = 140

L = 106

SO = 64

G.AA = 1.91

*Awards*

-1934-1935 Led the NHL in games played (48), shutouts (9), playoffs game played (7), playoffs wins (5), playoffs shutouts (2) and playoffs GAA (1,12) ... Stanley Cup Champions

***Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958***

Alec Connell was the Bo Jackson of the early 1900's. e was a catcher in the Inter-provincial League (baseball), played lacrosse for the Eastern Canadian champion Ottawa team in the 1920's, and played football with St. Brigid's of the Ottawa City League. Amazingly, he entered hockey almost by accident. With no prior experience to his credit, he was talked into playing the game while stationed at Kingston during World War I. Since he could not skate, he had no option but to be the team's goaltender.

Connell turned pro with the Ottawa Senators for 1924-25 and backstopped Ottawa to the Stanley Cup in 1926-27. The following season saw him establish the National Hockey League record for longest shutout sequence of 461:29 by recording six consecutive shutouts, from January 31 to February 18, 1928. His record stands to this day and may never be broken.

What stands out about Connell is his SO per game statistics. He averaged a shutout for every 6.5 games. in 1927-28, 15 of his 20 victories were shutouts. His 1.91 career goals against average (GAA) is the all-time record among goaltenders of his era. He lived to see himself elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, but died before his formal induction after a lengthy illness on May 10, 1958.A

A superstar that should not be forgotten.