Turk Broda (Walter Edward Broda)

Turk Broda

Turk 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. In 1935-36, he was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs for $7500. Broda was starting to emerge as one of the league’s top goaltenders. In the 1940-41 NHL season, he led the league in wins with 28 in 48 games. In 1941-42, he won his first Stanley Cup with the Leafs. The Leafs won the Cup when they were down 3 games to none against the Detroit Red Wings. The Maple Leafs made one of the greatest comebacks in NHL history and took the Cup by winning the next 4 games. In 1942-43, Broda joined the army for 2 and a half years during World War II. In 1945-46, Turk Broda returned to the Maple Leafs roster and was instrumental in the team’s Stanley Cup victories in 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49 and in 1950-51. Turk Broda would retire in 1951-52, at 38 years of age. The “Battle of the Bulge” was a battle between him and the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs Conn Smythe about Broda losing weight. This argument brought a lot of attention from the media in Toronto. Smythe ordered Broda to lose 10 lbs. in a week and brought Al Rollins and Gilles Mayer from the minor leagues just to pressure Broda into losing weight. If Turk Broda could not lose weight, then he would be removed from his goalkeeping duties. In the end, Broda lost enough weight to keep his job, though Broda admitted years later that the scales were rigged in his favour. He died in 1972 at the age of 58 from a heart attack.

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Born

  • May, 15, 1914
  • Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

Died

  • October, 17, 1972
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Cause of Death

  • heart attack

Cemetery

  • Glendale Memorial Gardens
  • Rexdale, Ontario, Canada

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