Hec Fowler

Hec Fowler
Fowler with the Victoria Aristocrats
Born (1892-10-14)October 14, 1892
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Died July 30, 1987(1987-07-30) (aged 94)
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Spokane Canaries
Seattle Metropolitans
Victoria Aristocrats
Victoria Cougars
Boston Bruins
Edmonton Eskimos
Playing career 1909–1931

Norman Boswell "Hec" Fowler[1] (October 14, 1892 – July 30, 1987) was a two-sport athlete from Canada. He was a professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and National Hockey League between 1916 and 1925. He was also a soccer goalkeeper for Saskatoon Thistle.[citation needed]

He was the last surviving former player of the Spokane Canaries.[citation needed]

Playing career

Fowler played for various senior league teams in his hometown of Saskatoon from 1909 to 1916, appearing in the Allan Cup playoffs in 1916, before turning professional with the Spokane Canaries of the PCHA in 1917. The Canaries, citing poor attendance, disbanded for the following season, and while Fowler had played poorly for Spokane, the defending Stanley Cup champion Seattle Metropolitans was confident enough to sign him as their goaltender. With Fowler at the helm, the Mets won the league championship but were upset in the playoffs by the Vancouver Millionaires.[citation needed]

At that point, Fowler enlisted in the military for the last year of World War I, and when he mustered out of the service, signed with the Victoria Cougars for the 1920 season.[2] Most spectacularly, he turned aside three penalty shots in a match against the Millionaires on December 12, 1921.[3]

He played five seasons in all for the Cougars before being sold to the expansion Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League in October 1924.[4] Behind a weak defense, Fowler was repeatedly shelled, and it was reported that he was displeased with the team's direction.[5] In his last game with Boston, he allowed nine goals in 49 minutes against the Toronto St. Patricks before leaving the ice on his own; he was replaced in net by left winger George Redding.[6] Fowler admitted to a Montreal Gazette reporter afterward that he was deliberately letting in goals, so that the Bruins would be embarrassed enough by the loss to obtain better players. As a result, he was suspended indefinitely by Boston, fined $200, and ultimately released.[7]

He signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Canada Hockey League to finish the season, but took the next year off. Fowler played one more season in Edmonton in 1927, then three for the Oakland Sheiks of the professional California Hockey League between 1928 and 1931 – leading the team to consecutive championships his last two seasons – before retiring.[citation needed]

Lacrosse

As with many other players of the era, Fowler was a lacrosse player in the summers, serving as secretary of the Vancouver Lacrosse Club and acting as an umpire, referee, and timekeeper in matches.[8]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T Min GA SO GAA GP W L T Min GA SO GAA
1909–10 Saskatoon Rovers SCJHL — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1909–10 Saskatoon Bankers SCSHL 1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00 — — — — — — — —
1910–11 Saskatoon Westerns SCHL — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1911–12 Saskatoon Wholesalers SKPHL — — — — — — — — 1 1 0 0 60 1 0 1.00
1911–12 Saskatoon Hoo-Hoos SKPHL 1 1 0 0 60 6 0 6.00 — — — — — — — —
1912–13 Saskatoon Rovers N-SSHL — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1913–14 Saskatoon R.Jays N-SSHL 4 2 2 0 240 17 0 4.25 — — — — — — — —
1914–15 Humboldt H/C N-SSHL — — — — — — — — 1 0 1 0 60 7 0 7.00
1915–16 Saskatoon Pilgrims SSHL — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1915–16 Saskatoon Pilgrims Al-Cup — — — — — — — — 2 0 2 0 120 10 0 5.00
1916–17 Spokane Canaries PCHA 23 8 15 0 1383 143 0 6.20 — — — — — — — —
1917–18 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 18 11 7 0 1168 65 1 3.34 2 0 1 1 120 3 0 1.50
1918–19 Military service
1919–20 Victoria Aristocrats PCHA 22 10 12 0 1327 71 1 3.21 — — — — — — — —
1920–21 Victoria Aristocrats PCHA 24 10 13 1 1541 88 3 3.43 — — — — — — — —
1921–22 Victoria Aristocrats PCHA 24 11 12 1 1468 70 1 2.86 — — — — — — — —
1922–23 Victoria Cougars PCHA 30 16 14 0 1846 85 4 2.76 2 1 1 0 120 5 0 2.50
1923–24 Victoria Cougars PCHA 30 11 18 1 1843 103 0 3.35 — — — — — — — —
1924–25 Boston Bruins NHL 7 1 6 0 409 42 0 6.16 — — — — — — — —
1924–25 Edmonton Eskimos WCHL 8 5 3 0 480 29 1 3.63 — — — — — — — —
1926–27 Edmonton Eskimos PHL 32 12 18 2 1879 127 0 4.06 — — — — — — — —
1928–29 Oakland Sheiks Cal-Pro — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1929–30 Oakland Sheiks Cal-Pro 42 24 12 6 2520 72 — 1.71 4 3 0 1 250 5 1 1.20
1930–31 Oakland Sheiks Cal-Pro — — — — — — — — 4 2 1 1 254 11 0 2.60
PCHA totals 171 77 91 3 10,576 625 10 3.55 4 1 2 1 240 8 0 2.00
NHL totals 7 1 6 0 409 42 0 6.16 — — — — — — — —

Awards and achievements

  • PCHA First All-Star Team in 1917.
  • PCHA Second All-Star Team in 1918.

References

  1. ^ Zweig, Eric (September 12, 2015). Art Ross: The Hockey Legend Who Built the Bruins. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1459730410.
  2. ^ Holzman, Morey; Nieforth, Joseph (2002). Deceptions and Doublecross: How the NHL Conquered Hockey. Toronto, ON: Dundurn Press. p. 201.
  3. ^ "Good Old Hec!" (PDF). Victoria Daily Times. Victoria, BC. December 13, 1921. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  4. ^ Keene, Kerry (July 29, 2011). Tales from the Boston Bruins Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest Bruins Stories Ever Told. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. ISBN 9781613210581 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Hallahan, John (December 20, 1924). "Bruins Notes". Boston Globe. Dorchester, MA.
  6. ^ Zweig, Eric (September 12, 2015). Art Ross: The Hockey Legend Who Built the Bruins. 176: Dundurn. ISBN 978-1459730410.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. ^ Duff, Bob (March 26, 2014). "Five other goalies who couldn't take it anymore". Windsor Star. Windsor, ON. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  8. ^ Stewart-Candy, David (2017). Old School Lacrosse: Professional Lacrosse In British Columbia - 1909-1924. Vancouver, BC.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)