Edward (Ed) "Eddie the Eagle" Belfour

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BIOGRAPHY

BORN: Carman, Manitoba, April 21, 1965
HOME: Downers Grove, Illinois
HEIGHT: 5'11"-6'0".
WEIGHT: 170-192 lbs.
UNIFORM #: 1 (Chicago [early]), 30 (Chicago [mostly]), 20 (San Jose, Dallas, Toronto, Florida).
CATCHES: Left.
COLLEGE: University of North Dakota.
SALARY (1997-98): $3,112,223 ($2,750,000 1996-97)

STYLE: Butterfly / standup hybrid.
STRENGTHS: Technically strong. Extremely quick, great desire. Aggressive and very acrobatic. Very stubborn; has an undeniable belief in himself. Trememdous work ethic, and maintains his focus, despite rarely seeing a large number of shots. Maintains good control of rebounds and takes away the low part of the net; in fact, Belfour's nearly impossible to beat low. Good puckhandler and skater - passing skills are top-notch, but he shows restraint in shooting the puck down the ice.
WEAKNESSES: Vulnerable to shots at the top corners. Known for his volatile temper, and there's still the sense that he can be rattled easily and knocked off his game. Ed once had a reputation for failing in big games, but his recent play has demonstrated differently.

OTHER ED BELFOUR SITES:

The Official Ed Belfour Page
Cynthia's Unofficial Ed Belfour Fan Page
Matt's Unofficial Ed Belfour Page

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:

"Was upset with his contractual status and playing time in Chicago. The change of scenery was welcomed by both parties, since the 'Hawks started winning as soon as Eddie the Eagle packed his bags for California." (The Sports Forecaster Hockey '97-'98, p. 224)

"The team [San Jose] needed to re-sign free-agent Ed Belfour, but hadn't by early July. Rumours had the goaltender heading to Dallas for basically the same money that San Jose was offering, but Belfour must like the idea that the Stars are a lot closer to the Stanley Cup than the Sharks are." (The Sports Forecaster Hockey '97-'98, p. 220)

"It could be that the Eagle has landed. The Stars were on the verge of signing the first major free agent of the summer by offering Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour a lengthy, multimillion dollar deal. He's seen better days, but would join Dallas after turning down a similar offer from San Jose." (The Sports Forecaster Hockey '97-'98, p. 158)

"Belfour and Roman Turek have explosive personalities. How the two are juggled could go a long way in determining how they perform." (The Hockey News 1997-98 Yearbook, p. 103)

"The combination of Belfour and Turek could be stellar - or shaky...Belfour is a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, but has had back and knee injuries and his competitive personality can be abrasive. There is a chance both goalies could collapse and the Stars could be in trouble." (The Hockey News 1997-98 Yearbook, p. 103)

"Eddie's like a lot of other goalies in this league now, with Hasek being the prime example: Play the odds and cover the bottom of the net. A lot of times he has his blocker and his paddle flat on the ice. If he has a weakness, it's the one-timer. I try to get him moving and then go five-hole. But mostly, he gives you nothing down low and makes you roof it on him. If you can, all the more power to you. But he knows the odds are in his favor." (Doug Weight, ESPN Sportszone, April 1998)

"After 10 seasons in the NHL, Belfour has made a nice career for himself playing on some NHL powers. A solid technical goalkeeper with an abundance of confidence, Belfour is usually among the league leaders in wins, shutouts and temper tantrums. Belfour is among a group of goalies just a notch below the elite. This is due to a propensity to lose his cool in critical moments. The veteran will once again lead the Stars' hopes for a championship season." (The Sports Forecaster 1999-2000, p. 200)

"Despite failing to win back-to-back championships, Belfour was spectacular during the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs. His abilities have never been questioned but the mental aspect of his game has been. To his credit, however, he has greatly improved that part in recent years. Now that he has reached the 300-win club, Belfour can begin to stake a rightful claim among the game's great goaltenders. Capable of stealing a game, "The Eagle" is now a far more consistent performer. Getting older and better. Belfour should maintain his status among the league's best goalies for a few more seasons - as long as he can keep the mace out of his eyes." (The Sports Forecaster 2000-01, p. 198)

"It's time to give Eddie the Eagle his due - he has usurped Dominik Hasek as the best goalie in the game today. His playoff performance with Dallas last spring leaves no doubt about that." (The Hockey News 2000-01 Yearbook, p. 11)

"Eddie has cemented his status as one of the game's top goalies. A winner who raises his game when it counts. Eddie is the backbone of this hockey club and as he goes, so go the Dallas Stars." (The Sports Forecaster Online 2000-01)

"To say last year was a tough one for "The Eagle" would be somewhat of an understatement. Belfour didn't do himself or the Stars any favors with his brief midseason walkout and wasn't the same goaltender upon his return. Despite all that, you can't argue with his numbers, ability or competitiveness. Again among the Top 10 netminders in wins and shutouts last year, Belfour is still a solid backstop. He's an aggressive goalkeeper that uses his entire body to stop the puck. He loves to roam from his crease, which has been costly in the past. There's no reason to think Belfour can't bounce back and post the kind of numbers he did in his previous three seasons. However, some within the Dallas organization are growing tired of his attitude." (The Sports Forecaster 2001-02, p. 204)

"After losing his starting job to Marty Turco in Dallas, Belfour landed on his feet in the off-season as the replacement to Curtis Joseph in Torotno. While "Eddie the Eagle" had one of his worst NHL seasons in 2001-02, he caught the eye of Toronto GM/coach Pat Quinn during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. His attitude as the third stringer won Quinn over. Belfour may no longer be capable of playing 60 games at an elite level, but should raise his save percentage above .900 in 2002-03. The pressure will be intense in Toronto, since Belfour will try to fill the shoes of the always-popular Joseph." (The Sports Forecaster 2002-03, p. 83)

"At age 40, and with a disturbing back problem, how much does Belfour have left? That could be the biggest question for the Maple Leafs heading into training camp. Ironically, "Eddie the Eagle" enjoyed one of his best seasons in 2003-04 and would probably be considered a blue chipper if he were younger." (The Sports Forecaster 2005-06, p. 98)

TRANSACTIONS:

ACCOLADES:

VEZINA TROPHY BALLOTING:

PTS1st2nd3rdRANKSHARE
1990-91101192010.96
1991-92802240.07
1992-9394156110.78
1993-94501270.04
1994-952524320.19
1997-981001740.08
1998-99501270.04
1999-001420440.10
2002-032825330.19
2003-04610170.04

ALL-STAR TEAM BALLOTING (1983-84 to PRESENT):

PTS1st2nd3rdRANKSHARE
1990-91328651010.99
1991-923208830.10
1992-931702414810.68
1993-94300370.01
1994-953218320.43
1997-9840023430.15
1998-9936081250.13
1999-0042171640.15
2000-01200280.01
2002-0339091230.13
2003-0443351350.08
2006-071001110.00

HART TROPHY BALLOTING:

MILESTONES:

INJURIES:

PENALTY SHOTS:

NHL SHOOTOUTS:

RECORDS

DID YOU KNOW?

SEASON RECORDS

REGULAR SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   T  OL     GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS     3STARS
85-86 Winkler MJHL                48   2880                    124   2.58                    1
86-87 U North Dakota WCHA         34   2049  29   4   0         81   2.37                    3   0   2     6
87-88 Saginaw Hawks IHL           61   3446  32  25   0        183   3.19                    3   0   2    23
88-89 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      23   1148   4  12   3         74   3.87     605   .878     0   0   1     6    31.62  930.39
      Saginaw Hawks IHL           29   1760  12  10   0         92   3.10                    0   0   1    47
89-90 Canadian National Team      33   1808  13  12   6         93   3.08                    0   0   0     0
90-91 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      74   4127  43  19   7        170   2.47    1883   .910     4   0   3    34    27.38  955.34
91-92 Canada CANADA CUP                SPARE GOALTENDER
      Chicago Blackhawks NHL      52   2928  21  18  10        132   2.70    1241   .894     5   0   2    38    25.43  936.02
92-93 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      71   4106  41  18  11        177   2.59    1880   .906     7   0   3    28    27.47  951.64
93-94 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      70   3998  37  24   6        178   2.67    1892   .906     7   0   4    61    28.39  953.24
94-95 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      42   2450  22  15   3         93   2.28     990   .904     5   0   3    11    24.24  946.47
95-96 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      50   2956  22  17  10        135   2.74    1373   .902     1   0   2    36    27.87  948.12            
96-97 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      33   1966  11  15   6         88   2.69     946   .907     1   0   0    26    28.87  955.09
      San Jose Sharks NHL         13    757   3   9   0         43   3.41     371   .884     1   0   0     8    29.41  933.11
97-98 Dallas Stars NHL            61   3580  37  12  10        112   1.88    1335   .916     9   0   0    18    22.37  953.40
98-99 Dallas Stars NHL            61   3536  35  15   9        117   1.99    1373   .915     5   0   0    26    23.30  953.61
99-00 Dallas Stars NHL            62   3620  32  21   7        127   2.10    1571   .919     4   0   3    10    26.04  962.56
00-01 Dallas Stars NHL            63   3687  35  20   7        144   2.34    1508   .905     8   0   1     4    24.54  945.41  11-5-6 (76)
01-02 Dallas Stars NHL            60   3467  21  27  11        153   2.65    1458   .895     1   0   5    12    25.23  937.12
      Canada OLYMPICS                  SPARE GOALTENDER
02-03 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL     62   3738  37  20   5        141   2.26    1816   .922     7   0   2    24
03-04 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL     59   3444  34  19   6        122   2.13    1483   .918    10   0   2    16
05-06 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL     49   2896  22  22       4    159   3.29    1476   .892     0   0   1    12
06-07 Florida Panthers NHL        58   3289  27  17      10    152   2.77    1550   .902     1   0   2    10
SEVENTEEN (17) NHL SEASONS       963  55693 484 320 111  14   2317   2.50   25440  0.909    76   0  34   380
 
POST-SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS     3STARS
87-88 Saginaw Hawks IHL            9    561   4   5   33    3.53                   0
88-89 Saginaw Hawks IHL            5    298   2   3   14    2.82                   0
89-90 Chicago Blackhawks NHL       9    409   4   2   17    2.49    200   .915     0   0   1     6    29.34  963.90
90-91 Chicago Blackhawks NHL       6    295   2   4   20    4.07    183   .891     0   0   0     6    37.22  952.74
91-92 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      18    949  12   4   39    2.47    398   .902     1   0   0     0    25.16  943.95
92-93 Chicago Blackhawks NHL       4    249   0   4   13    3.13     97   .866     0   0   0     2    23.37  904.94
93-94 Chicago Blackhawks NHL       6    360   2   4   15    2.50    191   .921     0   0   0     2    31.83  974.52
94-95 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      16   1014   9   7   37    2.19    479   .923     1   0   0     6    28.34  969.99
95-96 Chicago Blackhawks NHL       9    665   6   3   23    2.08    323   .929     1   0   0     4    29.14  977.36
97-98 Dallas Stars NHL            17   1039  10   7   31    1.79    399   .922     1   0   0    18    23.04  960.71 
98-99 Dallas Stars NHL            23   1544  16   7   43    1.67    617   .930     3   0   0     4    23.98  970.27
99-00 Dallas Stars NHL            23   1443  14   9   45    1.87    651   .931     4   0   0     8    27.07  975.99
00-01 Dallas Stars NHL            10    671   4   6   25    2.24    277   .910     0   0   0     6                    0-1-3  (6)
02-03 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL      7    532   3   4   24    2.71    282   .915     0   0   0     4
03-04 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL     13    774   6   7   27    2.09    379   .929     3   0   0     8
TWELVE (12) NHL POSTSEASONS      161   9945  88  68  359    2.17   4476  0.920    14   0   1    74

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