Charlie Hodge | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Lachine, QC, CAN |
July 28, 1933||
Died | April 16, 2016 Vancouver, BC, CAN |
(aged 82)||
Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) | ||
Weight | 150 lb (68 kg; 10 st 10 lb) | ||
Position | Goaltender | ||
Caught | Left | ||
Played for |
Montreal Canadiens Oakland Seals Vancouver Canucks Providence Reds |
||
Playing career | 1955–1971 |
Charles Edward "Charlie" Hodge (July 28, 1933 – April 16, 2016) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played as a goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, and Oakland Seals of the National Hockey League.
Charlie Hodge was born in Lachine, Quebec. Hodge was devoted to becoming a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Charlie Hodge began his hockey career with the Montreal Jr. Canadiens in 1950. In 1952, Hodge began showing his true skills finishing with a 2.22 GAA. The next year, he led the Quebec Junior Hockey League with 35 wins and 5 shutouts. Hodge then moved on to the Cincinnati Mohawks in the International Hockey League. There, he led the league in wins and shutouts and helped the Cincinnati Mohawks win the Turner Cup. In 1955, he played his first game with the Montreal Canadiens.
Hodge's first NHL game occurred in 1954 with Montreal. But because teams in that era only carried one goalie, and Montreal had perhaps the best goalie of the era in Jacques Plante, Hodge was only used in emergency situations. During this time, he played mostly in the AHL. When Plante was traded in 1962, Hodge got his chance to play full-time. He twice won the Vezina Trophy for being the goaltender of the team allowing the fewest number of goals during the regular season, once outright in 1963–1964 and shared with Gump Worsley in 1965–1966. Hodge's name appears on the league championship Stanley Cup six times, although he only actually played in one of those finals. He also played 1 game in the finals in 1955, but lost to Detroit. In 1967, young goaltender Rogatien Vachon was called up by the Canadiens. Vachon played superbly, and there was no more room for Hodge. Hodge was left unprotected in 1967 and he was picked up by the Oakland Seals in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft.