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7 NHL goalies with the most consecutive shutouts win ft. Brian Boucher
Any time an NHL goalie records a shutout, it is a special occasion. According to statistics from the National Hockey League's website, 872 netminders have played a game in the league, with 485 (55%) pitching a shutout at some point in their careers.
In 107 NHL seasons, a goalie has recorded back-to-back shutouts on 538 occasions, including most recently by Winnipeg Jets' Laurent Brossoit. After a 3-0 win over the Seattle Kraken on March 8 and a 6-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks on March 15, he is now only a handful of shutouts from the NHL record.
NHL record for most consecutive shutouts by a goalie
7) Bill Durnan (Montreal Canadiens) - Four Games in 1949
Bill Durnan was one of the game's best goalies during his seven-year run in the NHL from 1943 to 1950. Besides winning the Vezina Trophy six times, he won the Stanley Cup in 1944 and 1946 while playing in six All-Star Games.
In 1949, Durnan registered four consecutive shutouts, which began on Feb. 26, with a 1-0 Montreal Canadiens win against the Detroit Red Wings. He followed up that performance with a 2-0 blanking of the Toronto Maple Leafs (March 2) and back-to-back shutouts over the Boston Bruins on March 5 (4-0) and March 6 (1-0).
Eventually, Durnan entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1964 after collecting 34 shutouts in 383 games and compiling a record of 208-112-64.
6) Charlie Gardiner (Chicago Blackhawks) - Four Games in 1931
Charlie Gardiner is another Hall of Fame netminder who recorded four consecutive shutouts, achieving the feat during 1930-31 while playing with the Chicago Blackhawks. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner won a single Stanley Cup title (1934) and played in four All-Star Games.
In early January 1931, Gardiner shut out the Philadelphia Quakers (4-0) on Jan. 8, extending his streak in a 2-0 win over the New York Rangers on Jan. 11. While in New York City, he blanked the Americans 1-0 two nights later before reaching four straight shutouts with a 2-0 win over the Bruins on Jan. 15.
Gardiner played seven seasons in the NHL, retiring at 29 in 1934 with a championship and Vezina Trophy. A decade later, he entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945 despite a losing record of 112-151-52 with 42 shutouts.
5) Roy Worters (New York Americans) - Four Games in 1930
Roy Worters became the first goalie to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, achieving the historic feat in 1928-29 while playing with the Americans. Besides appearing in two All-Star Games, he also won the Vezina Trophy in 1930-31, the same season he recorded four straight shutout victories.
After losing the 1930 season opener to the Bruins by a score of 1-0, Worters wouldn't surrender another goal until the Americans' fifth game against the Montreal Maroons on Nov. 22. Interestingly, during his streak against the Maple Leafs, Maroons, Rangers and Maple Leafs, he picked up only one win, with three games ending in 0-0 ties.
During a 12-year career in the NHL, Worters had a 171-230-82 record with 67 shutouts. Almost 30 years after retiring, he entered the Hall of Fame in 1969.
4) George Hainsworth (Montreal Canadiens) - Four Games in 1929
George Hainsworth was the first winner of the coveted Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goalie in 1927. He was so dominant during his era that he won the award again in 1928 and 1929.
When Hainsworth retired in 1937, he held the record for most career shutouts at 94, a mark only surpassed by Terry Sawchuk (1970) and Martin Brodeur (2015). During the 1928-29 season with the Canadiens, he recorded four straight shutouts, beginning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Feb. 26 and ending against the Ottawa Senators on March 7.
In one of the most historic seasons by a goalie, Hainsworth set the NHL record with 22 shutouts in 44 games, a milestone that remains unchallenged almost a century later. The Hall of Famer (class of 1961) had a career record of 246-144-74 with a 1.93 goals-against average.
3) Lorne Chabot (New York Rangers) - Four Games in 1928
Lorne Chabot is one of two netminders on the list who isn't in the Hockey Hall of Fame. During an 11-year career in the NHL, he played for six teams, winning the Stanley Cup twice while earning the Vezina Trophy in 1934-35.
Outside of those accomplishments, his other claim to fame is four consecutive shutouts from 1927 to 28. He became the second goalie in league history to have a shutout streak of that length. After shutting out the Pirates on Feb. 23, he didn't give up a goal in the next three games against the Blackhawks, Detroit Cougars or Maple Leafs.
In 412 games, his NHL totals were 200-146-62 with 72 shutouts and a 2.03 goals-against average. To this day, he remains the only retired goalie with more than 70 shutouts not yet in the Hall of Fame, besides Marc-Andre Fleury, who is still actively playing.
2) Brian Boucher (Phoenix Coyotes) - Five Games in 2004
Brian Boucher was a first-round pick (22nd overall) to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1995, debuting in 1999-2000, earning All-Rookie honors. Outside of that first season, he bounced around the league, skating with seven clubs over 13 years, only playing in the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.
Although he never won any awards or had a winning record, 120-139-45, Boucher's claim to fame included a modern-day NHL record of five consecutive shutouts, achieved in 2003-04. After beginning the season with a 1-2-4 record, he picked up a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 31.
Next, he blanked the Dallas Stars 6-0 on Jan. 2 before extending his streak to three games with a 3-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 4. A few nights later, he reached four consecutive shutouts with a 3-0 victory over the Washington Capitals on Jan. 7.
On Jan. 9, he set the modern-day NHL record with five consecutive shutouts thanks to a 2-0 victory against the Minnesota Wild. As of 2024, he remains the only goalie in league history to go five contests without surrendering a goal, coming one game short of the record.
1) Alec Connell (Ottawa Senators) - Six Games in 1928
Alec Connell played 12 years in the NHL, earning a 193-156-68 record while winning two Stanley Cup titles in 1927 and 1935. Although he never won any awards or earned an All-Star Game selection, he entered the Hall of Fame in 1958.
Despite the lack of pomp and circumstance surrounding his career, Connell remains the only goalie in NHL history to record six consecutive shutouts. He set the mark in his fourth season, 1927-28. That year, he finished with 15 shutouts, tying his previous record from 1925-26, and is only one of three netminders ever to record 15 shutouts in a single season.
This historic streak started on Jan. 31 with a 4-0 win over the Maple Leafs. A couple of days later, Connell won 1-0 over the Maroons before drawing a 0-0 tie with the Rangers on Feb. 7. He shut out New York in back-to-back games before a 0-0 tie with the Pirates on Feb. 16.
On Feb. 18, back home in Ottawa Auditorium, Connell set an NHL record with his sixth consecutive shutout, 1-0, over the Canadiens. Almost a century later, no one has come close to matching his outstanding streak, which remains one of the game's most unbreakable records.
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