ATHLETE – HOCKEY – INDUCTED IN 2011
An original member of The Little NHL in Georgetown, Bob Goldham not only went on to play in the NHL but to win five Stanley Cups.
Turning pro at 19, Goldham was in the midst of an all-star season in the American Hockey League when he was called up by Toronto midway through the 1941/42 season. He had an immediate impact, with 11 points in 19 games.
Goldham then played a key role in the Maple Leafs’ historic comeback from a 3-0 series deficit against Detroit in the Stanley Cup final. Goldham scored in Games 5 and 6 and set up the winning goal in a 3-1 win in Game 7.
Goldham missed the three seasons serving with the Royal Canadian Navy in World War II. After returning, he won another Stanley Cup with Toronto in 1947, though a broken arm limited him to just 11 games.
Goldham was part of two blockbuster trades. First, as one of five players Toronto traded to Chicago for Max Bentley in 1947, then as part of a nine-player trade that sent him to Detroit in 1950.
Goldham was a defensive cornerstone as the Red Wings won three Stanley Cups in four years and was named to the NHL second all-star team in 1955.
He retired the following year after Montreal spoiled the Wings’ bid for a third straight Cup. Over 12 seasons, he played 648 games, scoring 28 goals and collecting 171 points.
Considered one of the best shot blockers in NHL history, and nicknamed ‘Second Goalie,’ Goldham was named one of the top 100 defencemen of all-time by The Hockey News in 2020.
After retiring, Goldham worked as an analyst on Hockey Night in Canada from 1960 to 1979.
He was inducted posthumously into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.