Mike Karakas
Born (1910-11-13)November 13, 1910
Aurora, Minnesota, U.S.
Died May 2, 1992(1992-05-02) (aged 81)
Wakefield Township, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 147 lb (67 kg; 10 st 7 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Chicago Black Hawks
Playing career 1935–1946

Michael George Karakas (November 13, 1910 – May 2, 1992) was an American professional ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the league's first American-born and -trained goaltender[1] and the first player of Greek descent. Karakas played six full seasons and parts of two others with the Chicago Black Hawks and appeared in two Stanley Cup Finals, winning once. In 1938, he led Chicago, who had a .411 winning percentage in the regular season, to a second Stanley Cup, playing with a steel-toed boot on one foot in the last two games of the Finals after he had broken it in the last game of the Semi-finals. Karakas is one of the original members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

Biography

Born in Aurora, Minnesota, to a Greek American family, he grew up in nearby Eveleth. Growing up, Karakas and Frank Brimsek, who also became a goaltender in the NHL, were battery mates for their high school baseball team, with Karakas catching.[2]

Karakas played 8 seasons for the Chicago Black Hawks between 1936 and 1945. In his first season with the Black Hawks, Karakas was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy after posting a 1.85 goals-against-average with nine shutouts in 48 games. Karakas was only invited to play for the Black Hawks because their regular goaltender, Lorne Chabot, was injured. After posting four wins in four games, with three shutouts, the Black Hawks made Karakas their starting goaltender; Chabot was later traded to the Montreal Maroons.[2]

Karakas won the Stanley Cup in the 1937–38 season, playing for the first out of two teams which won the Cup with a losing record. For the 1937-38 Chicago Black Hawks season, their owner, Major Frederic McLaughlin, ordered his general manager to "ice [him] a team of all American players."[3] After losing five of its six first games with an all-American roster, some Canadian players were added; however, the team finished the season with a 14–25–9 record for a .411 winning percentage.[4]

In the playoffs, Karakas suffered a broken toe just before the start of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Black Hawks were forced to substitute Alfie Moore for Karakas in the first game. After the first game, Moore was ruled ineligible, and the Black Hawks lost the next game. Karakas returned with a steel-toed boot and won the next two games, leading the Black Hawks to their second Stanley Cup win.[4] Overall in that playoff run, Karakas had a 6–2 record, with two shutouts and a 1.71 goals-against-average.[2] Karakas also surrendered an overtime goal clinching a Stanley Cup by Toe Blake in the 1944 Stanley Cup Finals.

After helping Chicago win the Stanley Cup in 1938, Karakas asked the team's owners for a US$500 raise. The owners refused the raise, and for the next five seasons Karakas played three full seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL), and split two between the AHL and the NHL.[5]

Karakas had 28 shutouts in the regular season, and another three in the playoffs in his six seasons in the NHL.[6] In 5 of his 8 seasons in Chicago Karakas appeared in all 48 games. In 38-39 he played 17 games with Chicago and an additional 5 games with Montreal. In 1973, Karakas was named as an original member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, located in his hometown of Eveleth.[1][7]

Personal life

Mike's younger brother Tommy played college hockey at Illinois, winning a championship in 1943.

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 Min GA SO GAA
1930–31 Chicago Shamrocks AHA 8 5 2 0 435 16 0 2.21 — — — — — — —
1931–32 Chicago Shamrocks AHA 45 29 11 5 2624 65 9 1.59 4 3 1 242 10 0 2.48
1932–33 St. Louis Flyers AHA 43 23 19 1 2702 85 5 1.89 4 2 2 284 6 1 1.27
1933–34 Tulsa Oilers AHA 48 23 25 0 2918 110 7 2.26 4 2 2 260 7 1 1.62
1934–35 Tulsa Oilers AHA 41 20 17 4 2640 77 4 1.52 2 0 2 130 8 0 3.69
1935–36 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 48 21 19 8 2990 92 9 1.85 2 1 1 120 7 0 3.50
1936–37 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 48 14 27 7 2978 131 5 2.64 — — — — — — —
1937–38 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 48 14 25 9 2980 139 1 2.80 8 6 2 525 15 2 1.71
1938–39 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 48 12 28 8 2988 132 5 2.65 — — — — — — —
1939–40 Providence Reds IAHL 14 7 5 2 860 43 1 3.00 8 6 2 545 21 2 2.31
1939–40 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 17 7 9 1 1050 58 0 3.31 — — — — — — —
1939–40 Montreal Canadiens NHL 5 0 4 1 310 18 0 3.48 — — — — — — —
1940–41 Providence Reds AHL 56 31 21 4 3540 171 0 2.97 4 1 3 279 13 0 2.60
1941–42 Providence Reds AHL 56 17 32 7 3470 237 1 4.10 — — — — — — —
1941–42 New Haven Eagles AHL 1 0 1 0 60 7 0 7.00 — — — — — — —
1941–42 Springfield Indians AHL — — — — — — — — 3 0 2 160 7 0 2.63
1942–43 Providence Reds AHL 56 27 27 2 3430 216 2 3.78 2 0 2 130 7 0 3.23
1943–44 Providence Reds AHL 24 6 15 3 1440 67 0 3.63 — — — — — — —
1943–44 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 26 12 9 5 1560 79 3 3.04 9 4 5 549 24 1 2.62
1944–45 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 48 12 29 7 2880 187 4 3.90 — — — — — — —
1945–46 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 48 22 19 7 2880 166 1 3.46 4 0 4 240 26 0 6.50
1946–47 Providence Reds AHL 62 21 31 10 3720 266 0 4.29 — — — — — — —
1947–48 Providence Reds AHL 2 1 1 0 120 7 0 3.50 — — — — — — —
NHL totals 336 114 169 53 20,616 1002 28 2.92 23 11 12 1434 72 3 3.01

References

  1. ^ a b Allen, Kevin; Duff, Bob (2002). Without Fear: Hockey's 50 greatest goaltenders. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 223. ISBN 1-57243-484-8.
  2. ^ a b c Allen, Kevin; Duff, Bob (2002). Without Fear: Hockey's 50 greatest goaltenders. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 224. ISBN 1-57243-484-8.
  3. ^ Pincus, Arthur (2006). The Official Illustrated NHL History. Montreal: Reader's Digest. p. 52. ISBN 0-88850-800-X.
  4. ^ a b Pincus, Arthur (2006). The Official Illustrated NHL History. Montreal: Reader's Digest. p. 53. ISBN 0-88850-800-X.
  5. ^ Allen, Kevin; Duff, Bob (2002). Without Fear: Hockey's 50 greatest goaltenders. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 225. ISBN 1-57243-484-8.
  6. ^ "Mike Karakas (1935-1946)". hockeygoalies.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  7. ^ "Mike Karakas". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
Preceded bySweeney Schriner NHL Rookie of the Year 1936 Succeeded bySyl Apps

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