Cecil Ralph Thompson (1903 - 1981)

Born 31 May 1903 in Sandon, Central Kootenay, British Columbia, Canada

Ancestors

Died 9 Feb 1981 at age 77 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Cecil Thompson is Notable.

Biography

Ice hockey goaltender: first goaltender to stop the puck by catching it

Thompson was the 1st person born in British Columbia to play in the National Hockey League / NHL. ^[1]

Personal Life and Family

Cecil was the eldest son of William John Thompson & Ada Jane Kenty, born May 31, 1903.^[2] Although he was born in British Columbia, his parents' residence was listed as Alberta on his birth certificate, and he was raised in Calgary, Alberta. Not much is known about his home life, aside from the fact that he spent much of his time at sports rinks. His father was a miner at the time of his marriage to Ada, and was been described as a prominent Calgary sportsman in his obituary.

Cecil was first found in the 1906 census, living in a full household of nine; with his parents, 2 (paternal) aunts, an assistant, cook and boarder.^[3]

By 1911, ^[4] the household was reduced to 4, with the addition of his brother, Paul, who was born in Calgary in 1906.

He lived with his family through 1926,^[5][6] when he began his professional (NHL) career.

Cecil married Edith Shepard Jackson some time before 1934^[7][8] and had 1 daughter.

He died in 1981 and is buried in Calgary at Burnsland Cemetery.^[9][10][11]

Hockey Career

Cecil began his sport career playing baseball, but gained fame as a goalie in ice hockey, specifically for Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings, in the NHL (National Hockey League).

After gaining experience with the Calgary Monarchs, Pacific Grain Seniors and Bellevue Bulldogs of the Alberta Senior Hockey League, Thompson left the nest to further his development. He spent a year with the Duluth Hornets of the United States Amateur Hockey Association before moving on to the Minneapolis Millers. It was in Duluth that Thompson purchased the leg pads he used throughout his pro career. In 1927-28, in the renamed American Hockey Association, he recorded a league-leading 28 wins in 40 matches for the Minnesota squad.^[12]

Cecil was was much taller (standing 5'10") than most goaltenders of the era, and was dubbed “Tiny” ironically – a nickname that stuck with him throughout his career. Thompson played three seasons with the Minneapolis Millers posting a 45-18-15 and was then traded to the Boston Bruins where he had one of the greatest starts of any goaltender in NHL history. As a rookie with the Bruins, Tiny played in all 44 games, led the league in wins (26) posting a 26-13-5 record with a miniscule 1.15 goals against average and recording an impressive 12 shutouts.^[13]

His brother, Paul, was also a professional ice hockey player. In the 1928-29 season, Cecil and his brother Paul, a left wing with the Rangers, were the first sibling combination to face one another in a Stanley Cup playoffs – a unique distinction that wasn’t matched for 40 years when the Hall of Fame Esposito brothers faced each other in 1969-70 postseason.^[13]

On April 3, 1933, Thompson made history as the losing goaltender in the longest playoff game to that date, a match that was dubbed "the Ken Doraty Derby." In the fifth and deciding game of the Bruins' semifinal series with Toronto, both teams were held scoreless throughout regulation time as Tiny and his opposite number, Lorne Chabot, played superbly. The deadlock held through 104 minutes and 46 seconds of overtime before the Leafs' Doraty beat an exhausted Thompson.

During the 1935-36 season, Thompson entered the record book when he fed a pass to defenseman Babe Siebert, who went on to score. Thompson became the first goalie ever to earn an assist in the NHL. In 1938 he and brother Paul, then in Chicago, were both named to the First All-Star Team - only the second such brother act after Lionel and Charlie Conacher. ^[12]

Tiny was traded to Detroit Red Wings in 1939 and played 2 seasons before retiring from playing. He then became the head coach of the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League (AHL) in the 1940–41 season. He coached 56 games in two seasons. The Bisons missed the playoffs both seasons. He appeared in one game as goaltender in the 1940–41 season. During World War II, Thompson served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and doubled as the coach of the Calgary RCAF Mustangs of the Alberta Senior Hockey League. He led the Mustangs to the league championship series in the 1942–43 Alberta Senior playoffs against the Calgary Currie Army team when injuries to the Mustangs' goaltenders brought him back onto the ice in March 1943. With Thompson in goal, the Mustangs defeated Currie Army 8–4 to tie the best-of-five series at two wins apiece. He played the deciding game, but his team fell short of winning the Alberta title with a 3–1 loss to Currie Army. After the war, Thompson became chief Western Canada scout for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of few scouts who sought to discover a player's personality along with their playing ability, often conversing with players as part of efforts to learn about the players he was watching.^[14]

Sources

1. ↑ Hockey Gods
2. ↑ BC Archives, Genealogy, General Search. Birth Registration Ralph Cecil Thompson, 31 May 1903, Sandon, British Columbia, Canada, Reg No. 1903-09-398494. Vital Stat Images(s):004401557_00047.jpg. Accessed 2024.
3. ↑ "Canada, Northwest Provinces Census, 1906," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KHVZ-PRR : 1 April 2016), Caicil Thompson in household of William J Thompson, 8, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario.
4. ↑ "Recensement du Canada de 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV39-Z454 : 16 March 2018), Cecil Thompson in entry for Wm Thompson, 1911; citing Census, Calgary Sub-Districts 1-59, Alberta, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,417,651.
5. ↑ "Canada Census, 1916," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KM5D-MCX : 11 March 2018), Cecil R Thompson in household of William J Thompson, Alberta, Canada; citing p. 5, line 9; Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,434,964.
6. ↑ "Canada, Prairie Provinces Census, 1926," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPJX-SKRG : 24 September 2020), Cecil Thompson in household of Tom Thompson, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; citing Census, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa.
7. ↑ Immigration: "Montana Manifests of Immigrant Arrivals and Departures, 1923-1956"
   citing Affiliate Publication Title: Manifests of alien and citizen arrivals at Babb, Montana, June 1928-October 1956.; Affiliate Publication Number: A3386; Digital film/folder number: 007726015; Image number: 6064
   FamilySearch Record: WCV9-P43Z (accessed 20 February 2024)
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C9B2-R9PC-8
   Name: Edith Shepard Jackson Thompson; Immigration Date: 1939; Immigration Place: Babb, Glacier, Montana, United States; Birth Date: 1909; Birth Place: Calgary, Alta; Age: 30; Husband Cecil R Thhompson, Record Nbr: 0; Vis Status: VISIBLE; System Of Record: SLS.
8. ↑ The National Archives at Washington, D.C; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Card Manifests (Alphabetical) of Individuals Entering through the Port of Detroit, Michigan, 1906-1954; NAI: 4527226; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004 (Arrival at Detroit, Michigan on 10 Nov 1934, lists wife Edith in Calgary as departure contact)
9. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J5B3-Q5S : 7 January 2021), Cecil Thompson, Feb 1981; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
10. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images, memorial page for Cecil Ralph “Tiny” Thompson (31 May 1903–9 Feb 1981), Find A Grave: Memorial #8607309, citing Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Calgary Census Division, Alberta, Canada ; Maintained by Find A Grave .
11. ↑ Calgary Herald; Publication Date: 10 Feb 1981; Publication Place: Calgary, Alberta, Canada; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/482724541/?article=0d2e3723-4f9c-4949-8f5c-44c04152f371&focus=0.4979173,0.4692948,0.6179103,0.5032722&xid=3355
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Hockey Hall of Fame website. Legends of Hockey. Players Biography of Tiny Thompson. Accessed 2021
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} PSA Authentication website. Tiny Thompson.PSA CardFacts Accessed 2021
14. ↑ Fandom. Ice Hockey Wiki:Tiny Thompson

See Also:

• Wikipedia: Tiny Thompson
• Wikidata: Item Q1389891, en:Wikipedia
• "Vermont, St. Albans Canadian Border Crossings, 1895-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKNP-BLG8 : 16 August 2019), Cecil Ralph Thompson, 1924-1952; citing M1463, Soundex Index to Canadian Border Entries through the St. Albans, Vermont, District, 1895-1924, 90, NARA microfilm publications M1461, M1463, M1464, and M1465 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, publication year); FHL microfilm 1,570,803.
• The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Records of Aliens Pre-Examined at Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1922-1954, Prior to Admission at the U.S.-Canada Border; National Archives Microfilm Publication: A3451; NAI Number: 3939303; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; Record Group Number: 85 [2 Nov 1927]
• Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. [Registered in Buffalo, NY on 15 Feb 1942]
• Marriage Announcement, Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alberta, Alberta, Canada. 13 Aug 1930, Wed, Page 14
• Boston Bruins - Goaltending History: Cecil Thompson
• Obituary Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alberta, Alberta, Canada, 11 Feb 1981, Wed, Page 16
• Obituary Sports Section Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alberta, Alberta, Canada, 11 Feb 1981, Wed, Page 45
• Thompson Funeral Red Deer Advocate, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, 12 Feb 1981, Thu, Page 16
• Note from wife Mrs. Edith Thompson after the funeral