A Look Blackhawks Goalies: The War Years

1939-42: Sam LoPresti

After the suspension of "Iron" Mike Karakas in 1939, Paul Goodman took the reins and finished the season as the Black Hawks netminder.

The following year, the 35 year-old Goodman split the goaltending duties with youngster Sam LoPresti (above). The year after that LoPresti played all but one game for the Hawks.

LoPresti holds a couple of dubious distinctions: He was the first ever goalie in NHL history to be pulled in favor of an extra attacker and he still holds the record for most shots faced in a game. On March 4, 1941 LoPresti allowed 3 goals on a whopping 83 shots faced against the Boston Bruins. After the game, Bruins forward Johnny Crawford had this to say of LoPresti's performance "He was good alright...if he hadn't been good, he wouldn' be alive now."

1942-46: Karakas II

In 1942, Sam LoPresti went off to war. While serving aboard a merchant ship, he was torpedoed and spent an incredible 42 days floating in a lifeboat in the Atlantic before he was rescued. He would return to play hockey again, but his days in Chicago were done.

The Hawks, in need of a goaltender for the 42-43 season, traded cash to the Montreal Canadiens for the rights to Bert Gardiner. Montreal retained the right to re-purchase Gardiner however, and by the end of the 42-43 campaign he was headed back to Montreal.

Chicago opened the 43-44 stretch with young Hec Highton in goal. By midseason the team was floundering at 10-14 and Highton's GAA was at an inflated 4.50. In an attempt to salvage the season, the Hawks brought back a familiar face. On January 7, 1944, the Chicago Black Hawks sent Highton, Gord Buttrey and ten thousand bucks to the AHL's Providence Reds in exchange for "Iron" Mike Karakas (below).

The move paid off as Karakas backstopped the Hawks to a 12-9-5 record to finish the season at 22-25-9. They easily beat Detroit 4 games to 1 to earn a berth in the Stanley Cup Final against a young Maurice "Rocket" Richard and the Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately, Karakas and the Black Hawks weren't able to rekindle the magic of 1938 and were swept in final 4-0.

Karakas had come full circle returning to the club that once suspended him for refusing to report to Providence. In 1939, the Stanley Cup winning goaltender asked the Hawks for 500 bucks and they denied his request opting instead to ship him out.

Iron Mike played the next two seasons as the Hawks number-one, but never made it back to the Stanley Cup Finals. He retired from the NHL in 1946, but went on to play two more years in Providence.

He finally got some due when he was named as an original member of United States Hockey Hall of Fame. RTB isn't sure if he ever got the $500.