Roger Crozier

Roger Allan Crozier (b. March 16 1942, Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada – d. January 11 1996) was a Canadian professional hockey goaltender who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals.

Playing career

Crozier spent his junior career playing in goal for the St. Catharines Teepees of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1959 to 1962. In 1960, Crozier led his team to the Memorial Cup Championship. He spent most of his first pro season playing in the EPHL for the Syracuse/St. Louis Braves. In 1963 he joined the Detroit Red Wings organization, playing 44 games for their AHL affiliate, the Pittsburgh Hornets. Crozier also made his NHL debut that season getting called up for 15 games with the parent Detroit Red Wings club.

In his first full NHL season of 1964-1965, Crozier started all 70 games for the Red Wings leading the league with 40 wins and 6 shutouts. At the end of the season, Crozier was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the leagues top rookie. The following season, 1965-1966, Crozier and the Red Wings made it to the Stanley Cup finals against the Montreal Canadiens. Detroit lost the series in six games, but Crozier's heroic efforts in net earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup playoffs Most Valuable Player. He was the first player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing effort. Crozier played eight seasons with Detroit, missing portions of three seasons due to pancreatitis.

In the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft, Buffalo Sabres General Manager "Punch" Imlach drafted Tom Webster from Boston and promptly dealt him to Detroit for Crozier. Crozier started the Sabres' first NHL game ever on October 10, 1970 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Crozier turned away 35 of 36 shots to earn the franchise's first victory 2-1. His early years in Buffalo were marked by games with high numbers of shots. During the 1971-1972 season, he turned away 2,190 shots, which is still the team's record for shots faced by a goalie in a single season.

In the 1974-75 season, Crozier and Gerry Desjardins shared goaltending duties as the Sabres won the Adams Division for the first time in franchise history. The Sabres went on to face the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup finals. Crozier played in two games in the series which the Sabres lost in six.

In 1977, Crozier was traded to the Washington Capitals where he retired after three games. He served in the Capitals' front office and eventually became interim General Manager during the 1981-1982 season after Max McNab was relieved of his duties, and also served as head coach for one game. Under his watch, the Capitals would pick Scott Stevens during the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

In 1980, Crozier was the first player inducted into the "Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame".

In his NHL career, he played in 518 regular season games, earning 206 wins and 30 shutouts. He had a career goals against average of 3.04.

After his career in hockey, he returned to the Buffalo area where he rose to the level of executive vice president at MBNA Bank and held this position at the time of his death.

Roger Crozier died after a battle with cancer on January 11 1996, aged 53. In 2000, the NHL unveiled the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award given annually to the goaltender who posts the best save percentage in each season.

Awards and achievements

* OHA-Jr. First All-Star Team with the St. Catharines Teepees, 1960, 1961, 1962
* Named on the AHL Second All-Star team with the Pittsburgh Hornets, 1964
* Winner of the Harry Hap Holmes Memorial Award (AHL Fewest goals against) with the Pittsburgh Hornets, 1964
* Winner of the Dudley Red Garrett Memorial Award (AHL Top Rookie) with the Pittsburgh Hornets
* 1965 - Calder Memorial Trophy (NHL Rookie of the Year)
* 1966 - Conn Smythe Trophy (NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player)

ee also

* Hap Holmes Memorial Award

References

*cite web | title=Legends of Hockey| work=Legends of Hockey NHL Player Search | url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18477 | accessmonthday=February 18 | accessyear=2005
*cite web | title=Legends of the Buffalo Sabres| work=Legends of the Buffalo Sabres -- Roger Crozier | url=http://www.sabreslegends.com/crozier_r_bio.html | accessmonthday=February 18 | accessyear=2005
*cite web | title=HockeyDB | work=Roger Crozier's profile at Hockeydb.com | url=http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=00001177 | accessmonthday=February 18 | accessyear=2005