Former Boston Bruins goaltender and beloved Toronto native sadly passes away
Photo credit: NHLPA
Today, the NHL alumni announced that John Henderson, the beloved former goaltender for the Boston Bruins, passed away tragically at the age of 91.
Following a lengthy illness, John Henderson, who was the Boston Bruins' oldest living goalie, passed away on Friday in White Rock, British Columbia. He was only slightly older than Hall of Fame legend Glenn Hall, who turned 93 on October 3.
Henderson, who went by the nickname "Long John" due to his remarkable 6-foot-5 height, was only nine years younger than the Bruins, who will commemorate the 100th anniversary of their franchise's founding game on December 1.
Born on March 25, 1933, the Toronto native participated in 46 NHL regular-season games, all for Boston. He appeared in 45 games during the 1954-55 season and one more during the 1955-56 season. In the 1955 postseason, he participated twice and lost both times.
Henderson finished the regular season with a 2.58 goals-against average, .857 save percentage, five shutouts, and 15 wins, 14 losses, and 16 ties. Although he didn't play in the NHL for the majority of his career, he did assist Canada in winning the gold medal at the 1958 World Championship in Norway.
Henderson had to get used to his length because he was among the tallest players at the time. Henderson was cited as saying the following while at the Maple Leafs' training camp:
«I tried to play stand-up at camp but I couldn't do it, I was (terrible). I skated off the ice, went into the dressing room, cut the tape off with a knife then went out and started playing well, like I knew I could."
He is referring to the tape that general manager Hap Day required goalies to use in order to play stand-up, something Henderson was unable to accomplish and strongly argued to his coach about:
«(General manager) Hap Day realized what I'd done, called me over to the boards and asked who'd given me permission to cut the tape off. I told him, I did. I tried it your way, I can't adjust to it. I have to crouch. You liked me enough to bring me here, why change me?'
One thing for which Henderson is famous is that he stopped the notorious goal scorer Maurice "Rocket" Richard, who even the most experienced goalies of the era struggled to contain with just two goals in seven games.
He was never able to figure out how he stopped Maurice Richard of the Canadiens, who in seven 1954-55 games only managed two goals against him. On March 13, 1955, at Boston Garden, Henderson remembers stopping Richard on three breakaways en route to a 4-2 victory.
«'Rocket' was red in the face, being stoned by a rookie,» he said.
He played in the minor leagues in North America for an additional 14 seasons, and he also spent a few years winning two Allan Cup titles and the world championship with Whitby.
In 1969-70, he played his final season with the Hershey of the AHL. The Bears honored goalie Henderson, his wife Pat, and their family with a lavish induction into the Hall of Fame one week before Henderson turned 90 years old last year.
In 1970, his career still wasn't done yet. Henderson was working in Vancouver when his old friend Laycoe called. Laycoe, general manager of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, had to replace two of their goalies due to injuries.
Henderson agreed to a minor deal with the Canucks, and on December 3, 1972, he found himself sitting on the bench at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver as Ed Dyck's backup.
Henderson may not have had a lengthy NHL career, but he was regarded by his friends, family, and former teammates as a gracious and humble teammate who was appreciative of the opportunities he had during his career.
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