Leslie John Binkley (born June 6, 1934) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) for the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

and in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

(WHA) for the Ottawa Nationals and

Toronto Toros The Toronto Toros were an ice hockey team based in Toronto that played in the World Hockey Association from 1973 to 1976. History The franchise was awarded to Doug Michel in 1971 for $25,000 to play in the WHA's inaugural 1972–73 WHA season, 19 ...

between 1967 and 1976. He later served as a scout for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets.

Career

Les Binkley spent his early career in the minor leagues and did not play in the NHL until his thirties. After spending the 1960–61 season as the trainer and emergency goalie for the Cleveland Barons of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL), he won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL's top rookie in 1962 and was awarded the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award four years later for allowing the fewest goals in the league. Binkley was the starting goaltender for the

in the team's inaugural season in the NHL. During the 1970 Stanley Cup playoffs, Binkley won six games--the first postseason victories for the Penguin franchise. After five seasons with the Penguins, he played in the WHA with the Ottawa Nationals and

. Binkley played in 196 NHL regular season games and retired with a career GAA of 3.12. He won two

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

championships in

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

and

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

as a scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Personal life

Binkley currently resides in Walkerton, Ontario. His wife Eleanor passed away in September 2021. He has two children, Randall and Leslie, five grandchildren, Curtis, Jana, Jonathan, Kara and Jordan and one great-grandchild, Clara. Curtis Binkley is also a goaltender and was drafted by the Guelph Storm of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

in 2002.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Achievements and awards

*EHL Second All-Star Team (1957) * Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award (Rookie of the Year - AHL) (1962) *AHL Second All-Star Team (1964, 1966) * Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award (fewest goals against - AHL) (1966) *WHL Second All-Star Team (1967) *Two

championships as a scout for the

(1991 and 1992) *First NHL goaltender to wear contact lenses (1967) *First player signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins club in its first NHL season

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Binkley, Les 1934 births Living people Baltimore Clippers (1954–56) players Buffalo Norsemen players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Charlotte Clippers players Cleveland Barons (1937–1973) players Fort Wayne Komets players Galt Black Hawks players Kitchener Greenshirts players New York Rangers scouts Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League (1890–1979) players Ottawa Nationals players Pittsburgh Penguins players Pittsburgh Penguins scouts San Diego Gulls (WHL) players Ice hockey people from Owen Sound Stanley Cup champions Toledo Mercurys players Toronto Toros players Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996) coaches Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996) scouts 20th-century Canadian sportsmen