This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons.com for more sports history.
This is Don Drysdale. A professional athlete has to face many tough moments during his playing career,
but the very hardest may be the day he takes the field as a young replacement for a beloved old pro.
Today, I'll tell you about one such young man and how he met the challenge.
This program is brought to you as a public service of the station on behalf of today's Army.
In the Army, you can learn basic useful skills that will last you a lifetime.
See your local Army recruiter soon. And now, today's story.
It's about a young farmhand named Frankie Brimsek.
He was a promising young hockey goalie when he was brought into the National Hockey League in 1938 for the season opener.
The regular goalie, Tiny Thompson, had been injured and the Boston Bruins needed someone to fill in.
Frankie had never been in an NHL game before, and he was petrified.
And when he hit the ice, Frankie helped beat Toronto in the opener and then stayed with the Bruins for one more game.
By then, the regular goalie was ready for action and Brimsek was sent to Providence.
Thompson, the Bruin goalie for eight years, had won the Vizena Trophy as the league's outstanding player four times,
including the preceding season. He was good, he was strong, and he was popular.
Bostonians loved him.
So you can imagine how furious they were when he was sold to Detroit for $15,000 after only playing in five games.
Frankie Brimsek was recalled to replace the popular player.
Newspaper and fan reaction was horrible. The Boston manager, Art Ross, was hanged in effigy.
But Ross had a very good reason for selling off his popular star and bringing in the unknown.
I'll tell you what that reason was in just a moment. First, here's a good reason to thank Army.
During World War II, many Europeans were surprised to see combat-hardened American troops taking time out to play a game of baseball.
Well, it's much the same today. American soldiers from Texas to Thailand still take time out for their jobs to participate in athletics.
Today's Army knows you have to be fit mentally and physically to meet the challenges of a modern world.
Train hard, play hard, see your Army representative, and join the people who've joined the Army.
Now back to our story. It's the true tale of a young, unknown hockey player who was called on to replace one of the most popular goalies of all time.
The young man was Frankie Brimsek. The old pro was Tiny Thompson, who had been sold to the Detroit Red Wings.
When the press heard about the sale, they mobbed the offices of the Boston Bruins.
Everyone wanted to interview the manager, Art Ross. Art locked himself in the office and called Brimsek in.
He figured he'd give a press conference and introduced his new protege to the press.
Well, Frankie didn't help much. He got on a train to Providence and rode to Boston.
And when he arrived there, he passed a movie theater showing the latest Gene Autry movie.
So instead of heading for the hockey arena, he went to see the show while Art Ross and the reporters waited.
When he finally arrived two and a half hours late, he helped even less.
Frankie was very nervous unless he had a hockey stick in his hand. So most of his answers were the one syllable kind.
As you might guess, the press blasted him the next day. If he didn't deliver, well, he'd be run out of town.
What nobody knew was that Art Ross, the manager, had tested Frankie on the ice.
Ross had fired 25 shots directly at him from 10 feet away. Not one shot scored.
Later, Ross had tested the old goalie the same way. Six shots scored. And that was why the change had been made.
When he skated on the ice for his first game at home, the stands grew silent.
Instead of applause or cheers, no one in the arena made a sound when Brimsek was introduced.
With an introduction like that, well, most people would have folded.
Instead, Bridget Frankie, as he was known, shut out his opponents for three games in a row.
He set an NHL record of 232 minutes of continuous goal-tending without being scored on.
That year, he won their Vizina Cup, and the Bruins won their first Stanley Cup in 10 seasons.
His public relations never needed help again. But then, they never do, if you're good.
This is Don Drysdale, and if you think you're good, join the people who've joined the Army.
Until next time, so long everyone.