This Day in Hockey History – July 2, 1997 and 2002 – Migrations of the Eagle

Like the eagle of his nickname, goalie Ed Belfour tended to migrate around the same time. On July 2, five years apart, he signed with the Dallas Stars in 1997 and the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2002.

Belfour began his career in the north, signing with the Chicago Blackhawks on September 25, 1987. His rookie season, 1990-1991, was so stunning that he earned the Calder Memorial Trophy, the Vezina Trophy, and the William M. Jennings Trophy. Two seasons later, he repeated as recipient of the Vezina and Jennings. He took home a third Jennings Trophy in 1995. Then, on January 25, 1997 (exactly eight months shy of the tenth anniversary of having signed with them), Chicago traded Belfour to the San Jose Sharks.

When the Sharks failed to make playoffs, Belfour declined a lucrative offer they made to keep him. That season, he had been fourth-highest paid goalie at $2.75 million. Instead, he signed with Dallas as a free agent. Dallas had finished first in their division and hoped that Belfour, unlike his predecessor Andy Moog, could bring them further in the playoffs. Stars president Jim Lites explained, “It’s an important step in our process of building a Stanley Cup champion.” Belfour’s three-year contract totaled $10 million, by increasing the salary each year, and he would receive a deferred bonus of $750,000. Belfour commented, “I really had to look at what my goals were as a professional athlete, and money isn’t everything in my life. My main goal is to win the Stanley Cup and be a part of a team that is heading in that direction at the present time, and that’s the reason why I chose to make myself available to Dallas.”

At the time of the signing, Stars GM Bob Gainey said, “The background Eddie Belfour brings to the goaltending position puts us in strong hands.” As hoped, Belfour’s record that first season (37-12-10) gave the Stars their first Presidents’ Trophy. They made it all the way to the conference finals before losing to the defending champion Detroit Red Wings. In his second season with the Stars, 1998-99, they repeated as winners of the Presidents’ Trophy and then went on to win their only Stanley Cup. Belfour earned his fourth (and final) William M. Jennings Trophy for having the fewest goals scored against. In his third season, the Stars almost repeated but lost the Stanley Cup Final to Detroit in double overtime during Game 6.

Then Belfour’s performance declined as he found himself at odds with coach Ken Hitchcock and having issues with anger management. During the 2001-02, it became obvious that Hitchcock and the Stars favored Marty Turco. Belfour requested a trade, and they traded him to Nashville on June 29. Instead, Belfour went north again by signing as a free agent with the Toronto Maples Leafs on July 2, 2002.

Toronto needed to replace Curtis Joseph, who chose to sign with Detroit to replace Dominik Hasek. For the chance of winning a championship, Joseph accepted a smaller salary than he could have had by staying put. Joseph and Belfour had much in common, from both having been adopted as children to both being in their mid-30s to having similar records. The worry for Toronto fans was that Joseph was beloved and Belfour had a bad reputation for doing crazy things. However, Toronto’s GM, Pat Quinn, had coached them both recently at the Salt Lake City Olympics, where he had to bench Joseph. Belfour came as Canada’s third goalie, impressing Quinn. “He said … it didn’t matter what he had to do, he’d carry the buckets if he had to just to be involved with the Olympic team. His attitude there was outstanding.”

Belfour signed a two-year contract to receive $6.5 million for the first season and $7 million in 2003-04. Maple Leafs president Ken Dryden justified, “We know we have to improve our team, but we think we will contend next year.” The team did make playoffs during both of those seasons. Belfour had 37 wins for a team record, his 400th career victory, and then his 448th victory to put him second behind Patrick Roy in all-time wins. He also was runner-up for the Vezina. In 2005-06, Belfour played one extra season for Toronto.

For his final NHL season, Belfour signed with the Florida Panthers on July 25, 2006. There, he had a record of 27-17-10, 2.77 goals against average, and .902 save percentage. Not quite ready to retire, he crossed over to play for Leksands in a Swedish league for 2007-08. Belfour was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

Additional Sources:

• Mike Commito, Hockey 365: Daily Stories from the Ice(Toronto: Dundurn, 2018), kindle edition.
• “Belfour Turns Down Sharks for Chance to Be a Star,” Los Angeles Times, 3 July 1997, p. C3.
• “Stars sign All-Star goalie Belfour,” Marshall News Messenger, 3 July 1997, p. 2B.
• Ira Podell, “Joseph goes to Red Wings, Belfour to Maple Leafs,” Longview News-Journal, 3 July 2002, p. 2D.
• “Joseph Leaves for a Winner,” Toronto National Post, 3 July 2002, pp. S1 and S5.
• Joe O’Connor, “St. Joseph out, Crazy Eddie in,” Toronto National Post, 3 July 2002, p. S5.