#56 - Turk Broda

Turk Broda (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #56)

Adjusted Stats

1936-1937   Tor      77 GP, 38-32-7, .539 win%, 4732 min, 226 GA, 2.86 GAA
1937-1938   Tor      82 GP, 41-26-15, .591 win%, 5091 min, 264 GA, 3.11 GAA
1938-1939   Tor      82 GP, 32-34-15, .488 win%, 5108 min, 222 GA, 2.60 GAA
1939-1940   Tor      80 GP, 43-29-9, .586 win%, 4954 min, 227 GA, 2.75 GAA
1940-1941   Tor      82 GP, 48-24-10, .646 win%, 5074 min, 194 GA, 2.29 GAA
1941-1942   Tor*    82 GP, 46-31-5, .591 win%, 5057 min, 229 GA, 2.72 GAA
1942-1943   Tor      82 GP, 36-31-15, .530 win%, 4920 min, 222 GA, 2.71 GAA
1945-1946   Tor      25 GP, 10-10-5, .500 win%, 1476 min, 80 GA, 3.25 GAA
1946-1947   Tor*    82 GP, 42-26-14, .598 win%, 4920 min, 229 GA, 2.79 GAA
1947-1948   Tor*    82 GP, 44-21-18, .639 win%, 4920 min, 205 GA, 2.50 GAA
1948-1949   Tor*    82 GP, 30-34-18, .476 win%, 4920 min, 249 GA, 3.04 GAA
1949-1950   Tor      80 GP, 35-29-14, .538 win%, 4733 min, 220 GA, 2.79 GAA
1950-1951   Tor*    36 GP, 16-13-6, .543 win%, 2140 min, 90 GA, 2.53 GAA
1951-1952   Tor      1 GP, 0-1-0, .000 win%, 35 min, 4 GA, 7.11 GAA

Adjusted Playoff Stats

1936-1937   Tor       2 GP, 0-2, .000 win%, 133 min, 8 GA, 3.42 GAA
1937-1938   Tor       7 GP, 4-3, .571 win%, 452 min, 16 GA, 2.18 GAA
1938-1939   Tor       10 GP, 5-5, .500 win%, 617 min, 28 GA, 2.70 GAA
1939-1940   Tor       10 GP, 6-4, .600 win%, 657 min, 25 GA, 2.32 GAA
1940-1941   Tor       7 GP, 3-4, .429 win%, 438 min, 19 GA, 2.61 GAA
1941-1942   Tor*     13 GP, 8-5, .615 win%, 780 min, 33 GA, 2.53 GAA
1942-1943   Tor       6 GP, 2-4, .333 win%, 439 min, 18 GA, 2.48 GAA
1946-1947   Tor*     11 GP, 8-3, .727 win%, 680 min, 29 GA, 2.55 GAA
1947-1948   Tor*     9 GP, 8-1, .889 win%, 557 min, 19 GA, 2.09 GAA
1948-1949   Tor*     9 GP, 8-1, .889 win%, 574 min, 17 GA, 1.81 GAA
1949-1950   Tor       7 GP, 3-4, .429 win%, 450 min, 13 GA, 1.73 GAA
1950-1951   Tor*     8 GP, 5-1, .833 win%, 492 min, 12 GA, 1.50 GAA
1951-1952   Tor       2 GP, 0-2, .000 win%, 120 min, 10 GA, 5.01 GAA

Career - 955 GP, 461-341-151, .563 win%, 58080 min, 2661 GA, 2.75 GAA
Career-Highs - 82 GP (many times); 48 wins (40-41); .646 win% (40-41); 5108 min (38-39); 2.29 GAA (40-41)
Avg. (14 seasons) - 68 GP, 33-24-11, .563 win%, 4149 min, 190 GA, 2.75 GAA
Peak Avg. (39-49) - 75 GP, 37-26-12, .573 win%, 4530 min, 204 GA, 2.70 GAA, 4 Cups

Playoff Career - 101 GP, 60-39, .606 win%, 6389 min, 247 GA, 2.32 GAA
Playoff-Highs - 8 wins (multiple times); .889 win% (twice); 1.50 GAA (50-51)

Accolades - 2 Vezina Trophies
All-Star Teams - 2-time 1st-team, 1-time 2nd-team
5-time Stanley Cup Champion

Even the most casual of hockey fans is aware of the holy trio of goaltenders from the Original Six Era: Jacques Plante, Terry Sawchuk and Glenn Hall. Some may even be aware of Bill Durnan. But Turk Broda is the forgotten great of the Original Six goalies. Indeed, before I had looked closely at his accomplishments, I had him ranked lower on the Pyramid, but now I realize that he may in fact have been the best goaltender of the 1940s.

I'd still give the nod to Durnan, but it's not the landslide it would appear to be at first. Durnan was the best regular season goaltender of his era, but he only won two Stanley Cups with a superior Habs team. Conversely, Broda never led the Maple Leafs to a dominant stretch in the regular season, but always was the anchor of teams that overachieved throughout the postseason. In the late 1940s, Broda and the Leafs won three straight Stanley Cups, despite having a combined winning% in those regular seasons of .573...solid, but not spectacular. Broda's record in the playoffs in those three years? An incredible 24-5! This disparity was never more evident than in 1949, when the Leafs ended the year with a losing record, then went an amazing 8-1 en route to the Stanley Cup. If Durnan was the Wilt Chamberlain of 1940s goalies, then Broda was the Bill Russell.

Not that Broda's regular season numbers were anything to sneeze at. We're talking Glenn Hall-level durability here, mixed with Martin Brodeur-level consistency. When you look at Broda's accomplishments, it's remarkable that he isn't better known among today's generation. I don't often play the "who knows how great he might have been if not for the war" card, but Broda left for service in the absolute middle of his prime. It's not farfetched to assume he would have had 80-90 more career wins and perhaps another Stanley Cup on his resume if not for the war. Now you're talking 550+ regular season wins and six Stanley Cup wins...certainly worthy of discussion amongst the best goaltenders ever.