Alec Connell

Alex Connell ( born February 8, 1902 in Ottawa, Ontario, † May 10, 1958 ) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Falcons, New York Americans and Montreal Maroons played in the National Hockey League from 1924 to 1937.

Career

Connell, who as "The Ottawa Fireman " was known to the Ottawa Senators during his time, was considered a sport, playing alongside gifted hockey and baseball, lacrosse and American football. Since he could not skate, he played from 1917 as a goalkeeper for the Kingston Frontenacs. Two years later, Connell returned to his hometown and joined for one year the Ottawa Cliffsides, with whom he was active in the Ottawa City Hockey League. Here he succeeded in seven games for the Cliffsides two shutouts. He spent the next four years in the Premier League rivals Ottawa St. Brigid's and Ottawa Gunners. After he finished the season in 1923/24, five out of twelve matches without conceding a goal, Connell went the following year to the Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League. In his first season for the Senators, the Canadians established as a goalkeeper and completed all 30 regular season games and posted seven shutouts. The following season, 1925/26, he improved his performance once again significantly and finished in the regular season 15 of 26 NHL games without conceding a goal, this meant at the time a record.

The following year, in which he recorded 13 shutouts, came in the play-offs after beating the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins winning the Stanley Cup. Connell had here a large part of the success of the Senators when he was just four goals in six games and two matches ended with a shutout. During the 1927/28 season the goalkeeper turned to a previously unmatched record: From January 31 to February 18 he was awarded in six games in a row, no goals, thus expanding his record to 461:29 minutes without conceding a goal from. While this record has not been broken, George Hainsworth surpassed a year later his shutout record and sat with 22 games of the season without conceding a new record. 1931 Connell was selected in the Dispersal Draft by the Detroit Falcons, where he graduated from 48 games. A year later he returned to the Ottawa Senators.

After he had meanwhile announced his retirement from professional sport, Connell 1934 due to an injury by Roy Worters, then as a goalkeeper in the service of the New York Americans, in the short term given to the Americans, for whom he played a game. In October 1934, he left the Senators final and was delivered to the Montreal Maroons. In the 1934/35 season he made back to its previous performance. In the play-offs victories come against the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. The final series ended with three wins in a row for the Maroons, who thereby won the second Stanley Cup their history.

At season's end Connell resigned from active competition in order again to complete the year after 27 games for the Montreal Maroons and to end finally after his career. In 1958 he was honored with induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

NHL stats

Sporting successes

• Stanley Cup: 1927, 1935

Records

• 461:29 minutes in a row without conceding a goal in the regular season (1927 /28)