James Foster (ice hockey player)
Encyclopedia
James "Jimmy" Foster was a Scottish
-born Canadian
goaltender
. Born in Glasgow
, Foster emigrated to Winnipeg
, Manitoba
in 1912. He is best known for his role in leading Great Britain
to its only Olympic
gold medal in ice hockey
.
, Foster earned a reputation as "the world's finest goaltender." http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/othersport.cfm?id=220362006 His team won the Manitoba Junior Provincial Championship in 1925, and he was a two-time winner of the Manitoba Championship - in 1927 with the Winnipeg Winnipegs and in 1930 with the Elmwood Millionaires
. Around this time, he suffered a broken leg and had to briefly leave hockey. In 1931, he joined the Moncton Hawks
of the Maritime Senior Hockey League, a team which he led to the Allan Cup
finals in 1932. Foster went an astounding 417 minutes without allowing a goal. He also led the Hawks to victories in the Allan Cup in 1933 and 1934, and during his three seasons with the team, he missed only one game http://www.bihwa.co.uk/hall_of_fame/foster.htm.
, Foster moved to London
to play for the Richmond Hawks. He was selected to the All-Star team, and his new Hawks finished in a tie for first in the league. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
suspended Foster and teammate Alexander Archer
for "leaving the dominion without permission" to play in England.
The International Ice Hockey Federation
upheld the decision and the pair were only cleared to play in the Olympics when the Canadians waived the suspensions for the duration of the games.
, Foster represented Great Britain in ice hockey
. Foster, along with eight other British born players who had learned their hockey in Canada, a Canadian born British resident and two British natives, helped to lead Great Britain to its first and only Olympic gold medal in ice hockey, narrowly beating out Canada. In seven games, Foster allowed only three goals, recording four shutouts http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0300759.html. For sixty years, Foster was the only Scot to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. (In 2002, Rhona Martin
and her curling
team won gold for Great Britain.) In the years following the 1936 Olympics, Foster continued to represent Great Britain in international competition, leading the nation to back-to-back European Championships in 1937 and 1938.After playing a season with the Harringay Greyhounds
, Foster returned to Canada in 1940 to work in an aircraft factory. He later played for the Glace Bay Miners and the Quebec Aces
. He was inducted into the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950. As he once thought of entering the Church, he was nicknamed "The Parson".
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-born Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
. Born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Foster emigrated to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
in 1912. He is best known for his role in leading Great Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to its only Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medal in ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
.
Early career
Foster first rose to prominence as a hockey player in the Winnipeg Junior Hockey League in the early 1920s. With the Winnipeg Argonauts, and later the University of ManitobaUniversity of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
, Foster earned a reputation as "the world's finest goaltender." http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/othersport.cfm?id=220362006 His team won the Manitoba Junior Provincial Championship in 1925, and he was a two-time winner of the Manitoba Championship - in 1927 with the Winnipeg Winnipegs and in 1930 with the Elmwood Millionaires
Elmwood Millionaires
The Elmwood Millionaires is a now defunct Canadian Junior Hockey team in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The Millionaires, based in Elmwood, Manitoba, won 5 straight Turnbull Cup Championships as Manitoba Junior ‘A’ Champions, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 & 1931, and a 6th in 1936. The 1929 Elmwood...
. Around this time, he suffered a broken leg and had to briefly leave hockey. In 1931, he joined the Moncton Hawks
Moncton Hawks
The Moncton Hawks were a professional ice hockey team based in Moncton, New Brunswick. They played in the American Hockey League between 1987 and 1994 operated as a minor league affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. Home games were played at the Moncton Coliseum...
of the Maritime Senior Hockey League, a team which he led to the Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
finals in 1932. Foster went an astounding 417 minutes without allowing a goal. He also led the Hawks to victories in the Allan Cup in 1933 and 1934, and during his three seasons with the team, he missed only one game http://www.bihwa.co.uk/hall_of_fame/foster.htm.
Return to Britain
In 1935, along with the coach of the Moncton Hawks and Foster's longtime mentor, Percy NicklinPercy Nicklin
Percy Harold Nicklin was an ice hockey coach who is best known for putting together and coaching the Great Britain national ice hockey team which won gold at the 1936 Winter Olympics ....
, Foster moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to play for the Richmond Hawks. He was selected to the All-Star team, and his new Hawks finished in a tie for first in the league. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey play in Canada from 1914 until 1994 when it merged with the Canadian Hockey Association or Hockey Canada....
suspended Foster and teammate Alexander Archer
Alex Archer
Alexander "Sandy" Archer was an ice hockey right winger who played in the English National League for the Wembley Lions...
for "leaving the dominion without permission" to play in England.
The International Ice Hockey Federation
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
upheld the decision and the pair were only cleared to play in the Olympics when the Canadians waived the suspensions for the duration of the games.
1936 Olympic Games
In the 1936 Winter Olympics1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
, Foster represented Great Britain in ice hockey
Ice hockey at the 1936 Winter Olympics
At the 1936 Winter Olympics, Great Britain won the men's ice hockey competition. While only one player on the team was born in Canada, nine of the thirteen players on the roster grew up in Canada, and eleven had played previously in Canada.-Medalists:...
. Foster, along with eight other British born players who had learned their hockey in Canada, a Canadian born British resident and two British natives, helped to lead Great Britain to its first and only Olympic gold medal in ice hockey, narrowly beating out Canada. In seven games, Foster allowed only three goals, recording four shutouts http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0300759.html. For sixty years, Foster was the only Scot to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. (In 2002, Rhona Martin
Rhona Martin
Rhona Martin MBE is a Scottish curler who has skipped the Scotland women's team at both the European and World Championships, but is most famous as the skip of the Great Britain team that claimed the gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games in 2002.-Early career:For a long time best known in...
and her curling
Curling at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Curling at the 2002 Winter Olympics took place from February 11 to February 18 in Ogden, Utah:-Medal winners:-Teams:* Hammy McMillan was replaced by Warwick Smith as skip after Draw 4.-Final standings:-Draw 1:February 11, 9:00...
team won gold for Great Britain.) In the years following the 1936 Olympics, Foster continued to represent Great Britain in international competition, leading the nation to back-to-back European Championships in 1937 and 1938.After playing a season with the Harringay Greyhounds
Harringay Greyhounds
Harringay Greyhounds were a British ice hockey club based in Harringay, England.The side was founded in 1936 and initially played alongside Harringay Racers at the Harringay Arena. Both sides entered the English National League, which Greyhounds won in 1938/9 and again in 1939/40...
, Foster returned to Canada in 1940 to work in an aircraft factory. He later played for the Glace Bay Miners and the Quebec Aces
Quebec Aces
The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. The Aces were founded in 1928, and played until 1971. The team played home games at the Quebec Coliseum from 1930 to 1971.The Aces were Allan Cup...
. He was inducted into the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950. As he once thought of entering the Church, he was nicknamed "The Parson".
Awards and achievements
- Turnbull Cup (MJHL) Championship (1925)
- Allan CupAllan CupThe Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
Championships (1933 & 1934) - Inducted into the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950
- “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of FameManitoba Hockey Hall of FameThe Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1985 when the first honoured members were named and plaques were erected in their honour. The first group of inductees was large in order to recognize the accomplishments of Manitoba players, coaches, builders and teams at the...