Jim Henry
Henry, circa 1942
Born (1920-10-23)October 23, 1920
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died January 21, 2004(2004-01-21) (aged 83)
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Boston Bruins
Chicago Black Hawks
New York Rangers
Playing career 1941–1960

Samuel James "Sugar Jim" Henry (October 23, 1920 — January 21, 2004) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. A goaltender, Henry played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks and the Boston Bruins between 1941 and 1955.

Early life

Henry was born on October 23, 1920, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada[1] to mother Essie Henry.[2] Growing up, he earned the nickname "Sugar" as the neighbours would dip his pacifier into sugar.[3] During the 1930s, he played for the Brandon Elks in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and led them to the Turnbull Cup.[4] Following this, Henry joined the Regina Rangers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League where he led them to the 1941 Allen Cup. During the tournament, Henry gained the attention of Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers.[5]

Playing career

Upon winning the 1941 Allen Cup, Henry started his NHL career with the New York Rangers. During his first NHL season, he led the New York Rangers to a first-place but they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1942 Stanley Cup Playoffs.[4] Despite this, Henry's 29 wins during the season led all goaltenders around the league and set a new franchise record.[5] Following his rookie season, World War II broke out and he joined the Ottawa Commandos and Red Deer Army.[1] In 1942, while with the Commandos, Henry helped them sweep the competition and win another Allen Cup.[6] He also played with the Red Deer A-16 Army team and was voted the most valuable player in the league. In 1945, Henry was discharged from the army and returned to the National Hockey League.[7]

When the 1945–46 NHL season started, Henry alternated goaltending duties with Chuck Rayner.[8] However, Rayner eventually took over starting duties and Henry was re-assigned to the New Haven Ramblers of the American Hockey League (AHL) in January 1946.[9] Following this, he spent numerous seasons alternating between the NHL and AHL.[1] During the 1947–48 season, Henry returned to his original starting position with the Rangers after Rayner suffered a compound fracture of his right cheekbone. Within his first 25 games as the starting goaltender, Henry earned 12 wins, seven losses, and six ties.[10]

During the 1952 postseason, Henry recorded a playoff shutout in the semifinal round versus Montreal. At the end of Game #7 of that same series, Henry, sporting a black eye, was photographed shaking hands with Maurice Richard who was bandaged and bloodied. It has been considered one of the iconic NHL photographs.[11]

In 2004, Henry was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

Awards and achievements

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
1937–38 Winnipeg Lombards WJrHL — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1938–39 Brandon Elks MJHL 15 — — — 900 44 1 2.96 7 — — — 420 30 0 4.29
1938–39 Brandon Elks M-Cup — — — — — — — — 6 3 3 — 360 26 1 4.33
1939–40 Winnipeg Lombards MJHL 23 — — — 1380 82 0 3.57 — — — — — — — —
1939–40 Brandon Elks MJHL — — — — — — — — 3 3 0 0 180 6 1 2.00
1940–41 Regina Rangers SSHL 29 — — — 1740 87 2 3.00 8 — — — 480 22 1 2.75
1940–41 Regina Rangers Al-Cup — — — — — — — — 14 9 4 1 840 38 2 2.71
1941–42 New York Rangers NHL 48 29 17 2 2960 143 1 2.90 6 2 4 — 360 13 1 2.17
1942–43 Ottawa Staff Clerks ONDHL 8 — — — 480 53 0 6.63 — — — — — — — —
1942–43 Ottawa Commandos QSHL 23 — — — 1380 84 1 3.65 — — — — — — — —
1942–43 Ottawa Commandos Al-Cup — — — — — — — — 12 9 2 1 740 35 2 2.84
1943–44 Red Deer Army CNDHL 16 — — — 960 52 0 3.25 5 — — — 300 19 0 3.80
1943–44 Calgary Navy CNDHL 15 — — — 900 92 0 6.13 — — — — — — — —
1945–46 New York Rangers NHL 11 1 7 2 623 42 1 4.04 — — — — — — — —
1945–46 New Haven Ramblers AHL 25 8 15 2 1500 96 1 3.84 — — — — — — — —
1946–47 New York Rangers NHL 2 0 2 0 120 9 0 4.50 — — — — — — — —
1946–47 New Haven Ramblers AHL 58 20 28 10 3480 197 5 3.40 3 1 2 — 180 11 0 3.67
1947–48 New York Rangers NHL 48 17 18 13 2880 153 2 3.19 — — — — — — — —
1947–48 New Haven Ramblers AHL 13 6 6 1 780 40 1 3.08
1948–49 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 60 21 31 8 3600 211 0 3.52 — — — — — — — —
1949–50 Kansas City Pla-Mors USHL 68 29 27 12 4080 255 3 3.75 3 0 3 — 180 20 0 6.67
1950–51 Omaha Knights USHL 7 5 2 0 420 18 1 2.57 — — — — — — — —
1950–51 Indianapolis Capitals AHL 58 37 19 2 3520 202 0 3.44 3 0 3 — 190 11 0 3.47
1951–52 Boston Bruins NHL 70 25 29 16 4200 176 7 2.51 7 3 4 — 448 18 1 2.41
1952–53 Boston Bruins NHL 70 28 29 13 4200 172 7 2.46 9 5 4 — 510 26 0 3.06
1953–54 Boston Bruins NHL 70 32 28 10 4200 181 8 2.59 4 0 4 — 240 16 0 4.00
1954–55 Boston Bruins NHL 27 8 12 6 1572 79 1 3.02 3 1 2 — 183 8 0 2.62
1955–56 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds NOHA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1956–57 Winnipeg Maroons X-Games — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1957–58 Winnipeg Maroons X-Games — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
1957–58 Winnipeg Maroons Al-Cup — — — — — — — — 12 10 2 0 720 31 1 2.58
1958–59 Warroad Lakers MHL-Sr. 14 — — — 840 41 0 2.92 — — — — — — — —
1959–60 St. Paul Saints IHL 9 — — — 540 35 0 3.89 — — — — — — — —
1959–60 Winnipeg Maroons Al-Cup — — — — — — — — 3 1 2 0 179 6 0 2.01
NHL totals 406 161 173 70 24,355 1166 27 2.87 29 11 18 — 1741 81 2 2.79

Transactions

References

  1. ^ a b c "Jim Henry". Elite Prospects. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "Mother present". The Ottawa Citizen. November 21, 1953. Retrieved November 1, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Kennedy, Ryan (November 9, 2018). "Top 100 Goalies: No. 79 — Jim Henry". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Morris, Fred (September 8, 2020). "The legend of Sugar Jim". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Grimm, George (October 1, 2019). Guardians of the Goal: A Comprehensive Guide to New York Rangers Goaltenders, from Hal Winkler to Ed Giacomin, Henrik Lundqvist, and All Those in Between. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781683583288. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  6. ^ ""Sugar Jim" Henry in Goal". The Edmonton Bulletin. November 24, 1943. Retrieved November 2, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Sugar Jim Henry To Be Discharged". Calgary Herald. June 8, 1945. Retrieved November 2, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Sugar Jim Henry To Guard Goal When Rangers Start". The Ottawa Journal. October 31, 1945. Retrieved November 2, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Sugar Jim Henry Down to New Haven". The Ottawa Citizen. January 14, 1946. Retrieved November 2, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Rangers Hit .600 Clip With Henry in Nets". The Winnipeg Tribune. January 19, 1948. Retrieved November 2, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Stubbs, Dave (February 2, 2004). "Sugar Jim will always be linked with Rocket". The Leader-Post. Retrieved November 1, 2021 – via newspapers.com.

External links

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