Ed Belfour

At 59 years old, Ed Belfour has this physical status:

Edward John Belfour (born April 21, 1965) is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender in Canada. Belfour was born in Carman, Manitoba, and grew up playing hockey.

He played junior hockey for the Winkler Flyers before going to the University of North Dakota, where he helped the school win the NCAA championship in the 1986–87 season.

Belfour opted for the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent (after not being selected in the draft) alternating time between them and the Saginaw Hawks of the International Hockey League this year.

Belfour is regarded by many as a top goaltender and one of the finest goaltenders of all time.

His 484 victories rank fourth all-time among NHL goaltenders.

Dayn's son, who plays for the University of Nebraska-Omaha, is also a goaltender.

Belfour was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the 2011 class, his first year of eligibility.

In addition, Belfour is one of only two players to have won an NCAA championship, an Olympic Gold medal, and a Stanley Cup (the other such player is Neal Broten). His distinctive face mask earned him the nickname "Eddie the Eagle," as well as some of his quirks and off-ice antics that earned him the nickname "Crazy Eddie."

Belfour went from #30 to #20 as a San Jose Sharks fan and mentor, after his time with the Blackhawks, after wearing #30 for his Blackhawks tenure.

He'll wear this for the remainder of his playing career.

Personal life

Belfour, a seasoned triathlete who builds and restores classic cars, also holds a private pilot's license.

Belfour pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in which Belfour was arrested by police after a woman he was with became terrified by an intoxicated Belfour in a Dallas hotel room early in the 2000–01 season. Though he was under arrest and being transferred to the local division, he reportedly paid Dallas police officers $1 billion for his freedom without warrants. He apologized to the Dallas Stars organization and the Dallas police officers involved, but was fined $3000 for refusing to arrest.

Belfour, as well as Panthers teammate Ville Peltonen, was arrested on April 9 outside a South Florida nightclub late in the 2006–07 season and charged with disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer without violence. On a $1,500 bond, he was released the same day from Miami-Dade County jail.

Belfour was arrested and booked into the Warren County Regional Jail early in the morning at the Kentucky Grand Hotel and Spa in downtown Bowling Green, Kentucky, on January 28, 2020. Belfour was charged with third-degree criminal offense and alcohol intoxication in a public place. According to the police report, Belfour ruined hotel property and was "manifestly under the influence of alcohol to the point where he was a danger to himself and others."

He was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in his post-playing career. The Manitoba Junior Hockey League also honors a trophy named after Belfour to the nation's top goaltender each season.

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Playing career

Belfour was a member of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League for three seasons, with the Winkler Flyers, assisting the team in 1988 to a first-place finish. Belfour's time as the top goalie of the team came as he was inundated and he joined the North Dakota Fighting Sioux in 1986-87. The 21-year-old Belfour was a freshman, older than most of the upper-classmen on his squad. He played in 29 games this year, assisting UND in a new NCAA record of 40 wins on the year and capture the National Championship. Belfour, as an undrafted player, was able to sign with any team and the Chicago Blackhawks after the season.

Belfour was a member of the Saginaw Hawks in the IHL for his first professional season. He played 32 games for the team and helped the team advance to the IHL semifinals. Belfour split his time between the IHL and NHL by playing 23 games with the parent team this season. He was back to Saginaw, where he aided the team to a 2nd-place finish in the conference, but the Hawks were bounced in the first round after the team suffered in the postseason.

Belfour spent the 1989–90 season with the Canadian national men's hockey team rather than returning to Saginaw. He was called by the Blackhawks for their postseason run and posted a 4–2 record with a 2.49 GAA, much better numbers than the other two Blackhawk netminders.

Belfour was the starting goalie on 1990-91, and he had a good rookie season. He led to 43 victories in 74 games (both NHL rookie and Blackhawk team records), and the Blackhawks finished the season with a 2.47 GAA and 4 shutouts. He has also ranked second in Save% (0.910) in the league. It was the last time a goalie led the league in Wins, Save%, and GAA until Carey Price did the feat in the 2014–2015 season. He was given the Calder Memorial Trophy for outstanding play by a rookie, and he was the first person to receive the award under the Makarov rule because he was under the old eligibility age of eligibility (26), as well as the William M. Jennings Trophy for the fewest team goals (against). He was also a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player, and the first rookie goaltender to do so. In 1993, he would win the Vezina Trophy and Jennings Trophy for the second time, and the Jennings Trophy was awarded to Chicago in 1995.

Belfour was a member of the New York Blackhawks in the 1991–92 season, where the Blackhawks lost in 4 games to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

However, tensions between Belfour and backup goalie Jeff Hackett were also present in the 1995–96 season, which culminated in Haek's move to Buffalo. After turning down a deal extension from the Hawks, Belfour was drafted to the San Jose Sharks midway through the 1996-97 season.

Belfour completed his time with the Blackhawks, placing him among the best teams in multiple goaltending categories. In both categories, Belfour came in third among all Blackhawk goals (415) and wins (201), behind Hall of Famers Tony Esposito and Glenn Hall. Belfour also ranks third in shutouts (30) and second in assists (17). Belfour ranks as the highest penalty minutes leader in the Blackhawks with 242. Esposito had 31 people when he participated in more than twice as many games and minutes as Belfour.

Faced with losing Ed Belfour as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 1997, the Chicago Blackhawks traded Belfour to the San Jose Sharks for right wing Ulf Dahlén, defenseman Michal S. Terreri, and a conditional second-round draft pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

Belfour joined as a free agent with the Dallas Stars on July 2, 1997 after a dismal half-season with the Sharks. Belfour's team won the President' Trophy and made it to the Western Conference Finals, but he lost to the Detroit Red Wings during the season.

The Stars' regular season championship was repeated in the next season, and Belfour claimed his fourth William M. Jennings Trophy. Belfour defeated former Vezina and Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Grant Fuhr and Patrick Roy, respectively, in the playoffs. The Stars won the Stanley Cup after defeating the Buffalo Sabres in six games, highlighted by a spectacular goalie duel against former backup Dominik Haek, which culminated in a 2–1 win in the third overtime. Belfour made 53 saves to Haek's 50th birthday, and the entire Finals had a 1.26 GAA to Ha's 1.68.

Belfour has helped his team reach their second straight final appearance against Patrick Roy of Colorado, winning his second seven-game Western Conference final duel against the Colorado Avalanche. In double-overtime to the New Jersey Devils, the Stars lost the Cup in double-overtime. In game five of the finals series, Belfour had four shutouts in the playoffs, including a triple-overtime blanking of the Devils.

The Stars began to play poorly during the 2001–2002 season, and there was a rift between then-Stars coach Ken Hitchcock and GM Bob Gainey. The Stars decided not to re-sign Belfour and named Marty Turco as the starting goalie for the upcoming season after a poor season.

After then Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph signed with the Detroit Red Wings on July 2, 2002, Belfour became a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Belfour bounced back from a dismal season with the Stars, winning a franchise-record 37 games and helping his new team finish second in the Northeast Division. His 2.26 GAA ranked 11th in the league at 11th place. He had been invited to participate in the mid-season All-Star Game in Florida, but a back injury forced him to miss the game. In a match against the Devils on April 1, he won his fourth match in his career. In seven games against the Flyers, Belfour recorded a 2.71 GAA and a 9.915 Save%. Ed made 72 saves during Game Four at the Air Canada Centre on April 16, before losing 3–2 on overtime by Mark Recchi. Belfour finished runner-up for the Vezina Trophy in 1999, beating Martin Brodeur of the Devils in the Devils' victory that year.

The Maple Leafs finished fourth overall in the conference standings in 2003-2004, with 34-19-6 record in 59 games. Along with ten shutouts, he had a 2.13 GAA and a.918 save percentage. Belfour defeated the Senators 6–0 on April 3 in the first game of the season, giving them a home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. On the season, he was out of ten, setting a new personal record. Belfour had three shutouts in the first round against the Senators, a new record for shutout streaks in a row. Nonetheless, Jeremy Roenick, a former teammate, knocked the Leafs out of the second round by scoring a game 6 overtime goal past Belfour in the second round.

Belfour did not play in the NHL lockout in 2004–05, opting for a minority interest in the projected Dallas Americans team in the World Hockey Association's revival despite recovering and recovering himself from mostly back-related injuries. By October, 2004, the team had been defunct.

Belfour won his 447th NHL game on November 28, 2005, putting him in a tie with Terry Sawchuk for second place in career victories. In the 2–1 victory over the Florida Panthers, Ed made 34 saves.

Belfour defeated Sawchuk 9–6 at the Air Canada Centre on December 19, 2005, beating the New York Islanders 9–6. In a special pre-game ceremony on December 23, 2005, the Boston Bruins took the field at the Air Canada Centre; the Leafs went on to win the match. Belfour had a record of 457-111 in the regular season and 88-68 in the playoffs.

After a lackluster 22-22-4 record and a 3.29 GAA, Maple Leafs General Manager John Ferguson, Jr., released Belfour to free agency on July 1, 2006.

Belfour signed with the Florida Panthers on July 25, the first time they had signed him. Alex Auld was hospitalized in October 2006, when the two goalies were horsing around. Belfour's 76th in the Montreal Canadiens' 1-0 blanking of the Montreal Canadiens tied for eighth place on the career shutout list with his 76th rank. Belfour was given the opportunity to start later this season as a result of another injury to Alex Auld. He played in 27 games in a row, a record for the Panthers. Belfour regained his form during the 2006–07 season by posting a 2.79 GAA,.902 save percentage, and 1 shutout in 57 games.

Belfour would play with Leksands IF in the Swedish second division on August 27, 2007. (HockeyAllsvenskan) In the months that followed, Belfour's signing sparked a lot of frenzies. On October 31, 2007, he won by 4–1 over Sundsvall in his first professional game outside of North America in 18 years. Belfour put together a shutout streak that lasted for 251 minutes, a record in Leksand. With seven shutouts, he also set a new record for the most shutouts in a whole season.

Belfour had a GAA of 1.79, the highest of all goalies in Allsvenskan, during the division round. He had a GAA of 2.59 and a save percentage of.911.

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