Wilf Cude

Wilf Cude
Born	(1910-07-04)July 4, 1910 Barry, Wales, GBR
Died
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	146 lb (66 kg; 10 st 6 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Philadelphia Quakers Boston Bruins Chicago Black Hawks Detroit Red Wings Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1930–1941

Wilfred Reginald Cude (July 4, 1910 – May 5, 1968) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Quakers, Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, and Montreal Canadiens.

Playing career

Born in Wales, Cude was raised and learned to play hockey in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He would go on to play in the NHL from 1929–30 to 1940–41. He was signed in February 1930 by the Pittsburgh Pirates and moved with that team to Philadelphia. He was the Philadelphia Quakers' goaltender during its only disastrous 1930–31 season. In 1931–32, with the Quakers having suspended operations, Cude had the distinction of being the NHL's spare goaltender, playing for whatever team needed backup. This was a distinguished spot in the 1930s when no more than 10 teams competed in any given year.

In 1933, the defunct Quakers traded Cude to the Montreal Canadiens who already had George Hainsworth as their star goaltender. Before the 1933–34 season, Hainsworth was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for similarly distinguished Lorne Chabot. Cude played one game for the Canadiens before he was loaned to the Detroit Red Wings, where he posted an outstanding campaign. He wound up leading the Red Wings to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance, though they lost to Charlie Gardiner and the Chicago Black Hawks, falling three games to one in the best-of-five series. Cude also surrendered the first overtime goal clinching a Stanley Cup when he was scored on by Mush March at the 10:05 mark of the second overtime in Game 4. He posted a league-leading 1.52 goals against average for the year.

The Canadiens were so impressed by Cude's work with the Red Wings that they traded Chabot and made Cude their number one goaltender through the 1937–38 season. He split duties with Claude Bourque in 1938–39 and ceded the starter job to Bourque in 1939–40, and to Bert Gardiner in 1940–41.

The Canadiens did not win a Stanley Cup during Cude's tenure as their starting goaltender. These were among the team's worst years, on the ice as well as in the state of their finances. The worst of these years, 1935–36, a year during which the Montreal Maroons were defending Stanley Cup champions, the Canadiens won 11, lost 26 and tied 11, though Cude posted six shutouts in those 11 victories.

Awards and achievements

• NHL Second All-Star Team (1936 & 1937)
• “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

Career statistics

Regular season

Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA
1927–28	St. Vital AC	MAHA		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1928–29	Winnipeg Wellingtons	WSrHL		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1929–30	Melville Millionaires	S-SSHL		20	13	6	1	1290	40	3	1.86
1930–31	Philadelphia Quakers	NHL		30	2	25	3	1850	130	1	4.22
1931–32	Boston Bruins	NHL		2	1	1	0	120	6	1	3.00
1931–32	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		1	0	0	0	41	9	0	13.17
1931–32	Syracuse Stars	IHL		1	0	0	1	70	1	0	0.86
1931–32	Boston Cubs	Can-Am		15	7	7	1	900	46	1	3.00
1932–33	Philadelphia Arrows	Can-Am		32	21	9	2	1950	64	4	1.97
1933–34	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		1	1	0	0	60	0	1	0.00
1933–34	Syracuse Stars	IHL		19	—	—	—	1140	39	3	2.05
1933–34	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		29	15	6	8	1860	47	4	1.52
1934–35	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		48	19	23	6	2960	145	1	2.94
1935–36	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		47	11	26	10	2940	122	6	2.49
1936–37	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		44	22	17	5	2730	99	5	2.18
1937–38	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		47	18	17	12	2990	126	3	2.53
1938–39	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		23	8	11	4	1440	77	2	3.21
1939–40	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		7	1	5	1	415	24	0	3.47
1939–40	New Haven Eagles	IAHL		44	23	18	1	2690	146	3	3.26
1940–41	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		3	2	1	0	180	13	0	4.33
NHL totals				282	100	132	49	17,586	798	24	2.72

Playoffs

Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA
1929–30	Melville Millionaires	S-SSHL		2	1	1	0	120	3	1	1.50
1932–33	Philadelphia Arrows	Can-Am		5	2	3	0	300	15	1	3.00
1933–34	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		9	4	5	0	593	21	1	2.12
1934–35	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		2	0	1	1	120	6	0	3.00
1936–37	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		5	2	3	—	352	13	0	2.22
1937–38	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		3	1	2	—	192	11	0	3.44
1939–40	New Haven Eagles	IAHL		3	1	2	—	180	11	0	3.67
NHL totals				19	7	11	1	1257	51	1	2.43

See also

• List of National Hockey League players from the United Kingdom

External links

• Wilf Cude's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Wilf Cude at Hockey-Reference.com
• Wilf Cude's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Wilf Cude's player profile at NHL.com
• Wilf Cude 's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame