Harry "Apple Cheeks" Lumley (November 11, 1926 – September 13, 1998) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). He played for the Detroit Red Wings,

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

, Chicago Black Hawks,

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

, and

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

between 1943 and 1960. He won the

Vezina Trophy The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's (NHL) goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the thirty-two NHL general managers vote to determine the winner. It is named in ...

for being the goaltender to allow the fewest goals against in 1954, and won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 1950. In 1980 Lumley was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Early life

Born in Owen Sound,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Lumley—known as "Apple Cheeks"—grew up playing local minor sports, but took quickly to hockey and wound up being a top-notch goaltender. Lumley starred for several years with the Owen Sound Mercurys and later with the Owen Sound Orphans (who were called that because they could not find a sponsor) and then the Barrie Colts. He also played with the

Indianapolis Capitals The Indianapolis Capitals were an American Hockey League professional ice hockey team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1939 to 1952. The Capitals were a farm team for the Detroit Red Wings. Indianapolis won the Calder Cup in 1942 and 1950. T ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

, a minor league team of the Detroit Red Wings.

NHL career

Lumley made his professional debut in the National Hockey League, however, with the

in the 1943–44 season, when he was loaned to the Rangers for a single game and appeared in 20 minutes of play. He was (and remains) the youngest goaltender to play in the NHL, as he was 17 years old. In the 1950 playoffs, Lumley led the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup championship, recording three shutouts and a 1.85 GAA in fourteen games. After his performance, however, Jack Adams traded Lumley to the Chicago Black Hawks;

Terry Sawchuk Terrance Gordon Sawchuk (December 28, 1929 – May 31, 1970) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kin ...

became the new goaltender for the Red Wings. After playing with the Black Hawks for two seasons, he was again traded to the

. In 1953–54 season, Lumley won the

, presented annually to the NHL's best goalie, with a GAA of 1.86. His 13 shutouts that year was a modern National Hockey League record that stood until Chicago's Tony Esposito recorded 15 in 1969–70. Lumley was also named First All-Star Team Goaltender in the 7th National Hockey League All-Star Game. In 1956, Lumley was traded back to Chicago. He refused to play in Chicago and played the next year in the

. He played with the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

and the Providence Reds. Lumley would return to the National Hockey League in

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...

with the

. He played irregularly with them from 1957 to 1960 as he rotated his duties with Don Simmons. He would play one final season with the Winnipeg Warriors in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

. He retired after the

1959–60 NHL season The 1959–60 NHL season was the 43rd season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens were the Stanley Cup winners as they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to none for their fifth straight Stanley Cup. Regular season ...

with 330 wins, 329 losses, 142 ties, and a 2.76 GAA. He was the first goaltender to have won 300 games and lost 300 games. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980. After retiring, Lumley was a longtime co-owner of the successful Orangeville Raceway. He died on September 13, 1998, of a heart attack. Lumley originated the tactic of making a pocket at shin level in goalie pads so pucks would drop straight on the ice instead of deflecting off them to an opponent.

Legacy

The community centre in his hometown of Owen Sound, where he continued to live after retiring, was renamed in his honour prior to his death. It is now officially known as the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.

Awards and achievements

* Stanley Cup Championship (

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...

) *Played in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

, 1954, 1955

NHL All-Star Game The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...

* NHL First All-Star Team Goalie ( 1954 & 1955) *

Winner (1954) * Hockey Hall of Fame 1980

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

External links

*
Picture of Harry Lumley's Name on the 1950 Stanley Cup PlaqueHarry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lumley, Harry 1926 births 1998 deaths Barrie Colts (OHA junior A) players Boston Bruins players Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Chicago Blackhawks players Detroit Red Wings players Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Owen Sound New York Rangers players Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players Vezina Trophy winners Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) players Ice hockey people from Ontario