Roger Crozier

Roger Crozier
Born	March 16, 1942(1942-03-16) Bracebridge, ON, CAN
Died	January 11, 1996(1996-01-11) (aged 53) Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Right
Played for	Detroit Red Wings Buffalo Sabres Washington Capitals
Playing career	1960–1977

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

Playing career

Early career

Roger Crozier was identified as a special goaltending talent at an early age. He was recruited by his town's senior hockey team to be the starting goaltender at age 14.^[1]

Crozier spent his junior career playing for the St. Catharines Teepees of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1959 to 1962. In 1959-60, Crozier led his team to a Memorial Cup Championship.^[2] The Chicago Black Hawks owned the rights to the Teepees through the NHL sponsorship system, which earned them the rights to all of the team's players.^[3]

During the 1960-61 season, Crozier spent the majority of his time in the OHA. At one point in the season, the Buffalo Bisons starting goaltender, Denis DeJordy was injured. A replacement goaltender was needed so the Bisons called for Crozier to start. Making his professional debut, he appeared in 3 games, recording 2 wins and a 2.31 GAA.

Crozier returned as the starting goaltender to the Teepees for the 1961-62 season but he also made short appearances with the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds in the EPHL, and the Buffalo Bisons in the AHL.

Detroit Red Wings (1963-70)

The Chicago Black Hawks traded Crozier to the Detroit Red Wings in 1963. The young goaltender, turned full-time pro, again spent the season in the minors with the St. Louis Braves in the EPHL and the Buffalo Bisons in the AHL. In 1963-64, he played 44 games with the Pittsburgh Hornets, Detroit's AHL affiliate, before making his NHL debut with the Red Wings. Star goaltender Terry Sawchuk was injured, and like the previous time with the Bisons, Crozier was called up to replace. Crozier made the most of it, and in 15 games, he convinced Red Wings management that he was the next to be. During the off-season, Sawchuk was let go, making Crozier the Red Wings starting goaltender at the age of 22.^[4]

In his rookie season, Crozier debuted in all of his team's games, leading the league with 40 wins and 6 shutouts and his 2.42 GAA was second lowest in the league. Adding to that long list of achievements, Crozier would also be the last NHL goaltender to start all of his team's games during the regular season. At season's end, Crozier was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie and he waw also named to the NHL First All-Star Team.^[5] Following his impresssive rookie season, Crozier missed 6 games due to pancreatitis. Nonetheless, he would return and play the team's remaining 64 games, posting 27 wins and leading the league with 7 shutouts, while also helping the Red Wings clinch a spot in the playoffs. Benefitting from Crozier's strong play in the postseason, the Red Wings made it deep in the playoffs. After eliminating the Chicago Black Hawks, the Red Wings squared off against the Montreal Canadiens in the 1966 Stanley Cup Finals. The Red Wings won the first 2 games, but Montreal came back and won the next 4 to win the Stanley Cup. Even though Detroit lost the series, Crozier was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP, becoming the first goaltender to win the award and the also the first player to win it in a losing effort.^[6]

Plagued from his pancreatitis sickness, Crozier was forced to play in only 58 of the Red Wings games in 1966-67. His production was down as he won only 22 games and recorded a 3.35 GAA. The Red Wings would also miss the playoffs. After another bout of pancreatits in the beginning of the 1967-68 season, Crozier announced his retirement. His announcement was shortlived however, as after 6 weeks, he returned to hockey, playing 3 games with the Fort Worth Wings in the CPHL as conditioning before returning with the Red Wings.^[7] Crozier would spend 2 more seasons on a mediocre Wings team before being traded to the newly formed Buffalo Sabres in 1970.

Buffalo Sabres (1970-76)

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 on October 10, 1970 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Crozier turned away 35 of 36 shots to earn the franchise's first victory, 2-1. On December 6, 1970, Crozier earned the franchise's first shutout in a 1-0 win over the Minnesota North Stars. By late December however, Crozier was deeply exhausted and the majority of the workload was put on goalies Joe Daley and Dave Dryden. Crozier would finish the season with a 9-20-7 record and a 3.68 GAA. The Sabres also missed the playoffs finishing 5th in the East Division.^[8]

The 1971-72 season was even worst for the Sabres as they finished with the least wins in the entire league. Crozier posted a 13-34-14 record and a 3.51 GAA. He also faced 2,190 shots, which is still the team's record for shots faced by a goalie in a single season. After a disappointing season, Crozier and the Sabres looked to bounce back. The 1972-73 season looked much better as the Sabres made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Playing 49 games, Crozier had his first winning record with the Sabres and posted a much improved 2.76 GAA down from last season's 3.51. In the first round they were matched up against the Montreal Canadiens. Crozier played 4 games and won 2, but they were ultimately dispatched in 6 games.

Facing continuing problems with his pancreatitis and the new additions of ulcers and gallbladder problems, Crozier would see his playing time greatly reduced. In 1974-75, Crozier posted 17 wins and 2 losses, helping the Sabres rank 1st in the Adams Division. During the playoffs, Crozier played 5 games including 2 in the Stanley Cup Finals. After eliminating the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens, the Sabres earned a matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals. Crozier started in Game 3 of the Finals and was part of the infamous "Fog Game" in Buffalo. A heat wave in May hit the arena and with no air conditioning inside, the temperature skyrocketed. Fog started to develop and soon visibility was dramatically decreased. After a 4-4 tie in regulation, Rene Robert scored for the Sabres in overtime to win the game.^[9] The series went to Game 6 with the Sabres trailing 3-2. Crozier was allowed to start and he denied the Flyers of any scoring after 2 periods. The third period saw the Flyers score the 2 only goals in the game, and with that the Flyers won the Stanley Cup. For the second time, Crozier was denied a Stanley Cup championship.

In 1975-76, Crozier participated in only 11 games due to his persisting ailments, leaving the starting job to Gerry Desjardins. Seeing no more potential value in Crozier, the Sabres traded him to the Washington Capitals in exchange for cash on March 3, 1977. He would play only 3 games before retiring after 13 seasons in the NHL.

Post-career

After retiring, Crozier served in the Capitals' front office and eventually became interim general manager during the 1981-82 season after Max McNab was relieved of his duties. He was also the head coach of the Capitals for one game during the season.^[10] Under his watch, the Capitals would pick defenceman Scott Stevens during the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

After leaving the Capitals organization in 1983, he moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where he rose to the level of executive vice president and facilities manager of Worldwide Facilities and Construction at MBNA Bank.^[11] Wishing to spread his love of hockey with young kids, Crozier opened and operated the Roger Crozier Enterprises Hockey School in Barrie, Ontario from 1983 to 1993.^[12]

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. The award is co-sponsored by Crozier's last employer, MBNA.

Awards and achievements

• Selected to the OHA-Jr. First All-Star Team in 1960, 1961, 1962.
• Memorial Cup champion in 1960.
• Named on the AHL Second All-Star Team in 1964.
• Winner of the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award (AHL Fewest goals against) in 1964.
• Winner of the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award (AHL Top Rookie) in 1964.
• Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy (NHL Rookie of the Year) in 1965.
• Named on the NHL First All-Star Team in 1965.
• Winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy (NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP) in 1966.

Career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

• Hap Holmes Memorial Award

References

1. ^ Roger Crozier, Daredevil Goalie, T. Cohen, 1967
2. ^ http://gdrinnan.blogspot.ca/2008/05/memorial-cup-history-1960.html
3. ^ http://www.sabreslegends.com/crozier_r_bio.html
4. ^ http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18477
5. ^ http://www.goaliesarchive.com/wings/crozier.html
6. ^ http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SilverwareTrophyWinner.jsp?tro=CST&year=1965-66
7. ^ http://redwingslegends.blogspot.ca/2008/05/roger-crozier.html
8. ^ http://www.sabreslegends.com/crozier_r_bio.html
9. ^ http://www.buffalocurse.com/sabres.htm
10. ^ http://www.rauzulusstreet.com/hockey/nhl/coach.php?name=croziro01c
11. ^ http://www.mastercard.com/ca/company/en/press/2003/07_24_crozier.html
12. ^ http://www.sabreslegends.com/crozier_r_bio.html