Turk Broda

Turk Broda
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1967
Broda (pictured in 1948), with the Stanley Cup and Vezina Trophy
Born	(1914-05-15)May 15, 1914 Brandon, Manitoba
Died	October 17, 1972(1972-10-17) (aged 58) Toronto, Ontario
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	1935–1943 1946–1951

Walter Edward "Turk" Broda (Ukrainian: Володимир Брода; May 15, 1914 – October 17, 1972) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. A goaltender, Broda played his entire career for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1935 and 1951, taking a brief hiatus from 1943 to 1946 to fight in the second World War. After retiring from active play, Broda coached minor league and junior ice hockey teams. On January 1, 2017, in a ceremony prior to the Centennial Classic, Broda part of the first group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Broda was born in Brandon, Manitoba to a Ukrainian family. Although he is commonly referred to as Polish by mistake (to the extent of him being inducted in the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame recently), Publicity Director Stan Obodiac of the Maple Leafs, who knew Broda, dispelled this and confirmed Broda's Ukrainian origin.

Broda acquired the nickname of "Turkey Egg" during his school days in Brandon because of his many freckles. "Turkey Egg" soon became "Turk", and the name followed him.

Broda started his playing career with the Brandon Athletics and the Brandon Native Sons. After playing a few years with them he played for the Winnipeg Monarchs, Detroit Farm Crest and the Toronto St. Michael's Majors. In 1932-33, he won the Memorial Cup. In 1933-34, the Detroit Red Wings invited Turk Broda to their training camp. But with, Normie Smith and John Ross Roach already in Detroit, there was no way Broda could start in the NHL. Instead, he would start his professional career with the Detroit Olympics.