Charlie Gardiner Charles Robert " Chuck " Gardiner ( December 31 , 1904 – June 13 , 1934 ) was a Canadian professional goaltender who played for the Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League . Born in Edinburgh , Scotland , Gardiner moved with his family to Canada as a child . Playing all of his junior hockey in or around Winnipeg , Manitoba , Gardiner joined the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1927 – 28 season . He played seven seasons with Chicago , winning two Vezina Trophies , earning three berths on the First All - Star team , and a berth on the Second All - Start team . In 1934 , Gardiner became the only NHL goaltender to captain his team to a Stanley Cup win . A few months after winning the Cup , Gardiner died from a brain hemorrhage brought on by a tonsillar infection , at the age of 29 . He became posthumously a charter member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945 . Early life . Born in Edinburgh , Scotland , Gardiner moved to Winnipeg , Manitoba with his family at age seven , in 1911 . Gardiner quickly started playing ice hockey , with the same passion as the children who were born in Canada . A poor skater , he played goaltender as a child . Playing on Winnipeg ' s frozen ponds , Gardiner employed an acrobatic style , instead of the nearly - universal stand - up style played in that era , to avoid having his hands and feet frostbitten . By the age of 14 , Gardiner made the intermediate team of the Selkirk Fishermen . Pre - NHL career . Gardiner played junior ice hockey with the Winnipeg Tammany Tigers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League ( MJHL ) for three seasons , from 1921 to 1924 . He joined the Selkirk Fishermen senior team for the 1924 – 25 season . Gardiner appeared in 18 games for Selkirk , posting two shutouts and a 1 . 83 goals against average . However , the Fishermen were eliminated in the 1924 - 25 Manitoba Senior Playoffs , losing the two - game series 2 – 0 . The following season , Gardiner joined the Winnipeg Maroons of the Central Hockey League ( CHL ) , which was later renamed the American Hockey Association ( AHA ) . Playing two seasons in Winnipeg , Gardiner appeared in 74 games , posting 12 shutouts , and 2 . 14 and 2 . 16 goals - against average in the two seasons , respectively . Chicago Black Hawks . Gardiner joined the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1927 – 28 season . In his first season with the Black Hawks , Gardiner played in 40 out of 44 of Chicago ' s games . Posting a 2 . 83 goals average , Gardiner won or tied only eight games , with three of those games being shutouts . The following season , Gardiner appeared in all of 44 of Chicago ' s games . Known as the NHL ' s " goalless wonders " , Chicago scored only 33 goals the entire season , finishing with a 7 – 29 – 28 record . Gardiner posted five shutouts and a 1 . 85 goals against average that season . After being booed by the Chicago fans , Gardiner nearly retired , before being talked out of it by Duke Keats . After the NHL changed its rules to allow forward passing in the offensive zone in the 1929 – 30 season , goal scoring increased league - wide . While Chicago increased its goals scored to 117 , Gardiner ' s goals against average rose by only 0 . 57 , to 2 . 42 . Gardiner ' s total number of shutouts fell only by two , from five to three . Chicago improved its regular season record to 21 – 18 – 15 , placing second in the American Division , and making the playoffs . In the playoffs , the Black Hawks lost to the Montreal Canadiens 3 – 2 in a two - game , total - goal series , losing and tying one game . In the 1930 – 31 season , Chicago placed , once more , second in the American Division , with a 24 – 17 – 3 record . Gardiner recorded one of his best statistical years , recording 12 shutouts to go with a 1 . 73 goals against average . He was also named , for the first time , to the First All - Star team . In the playoffs , Chicago advanced to the Stanley Cup final , losing once more to the Montreal Canadiens , three games to two . Posting a 5 – 3 – 2 record in the playoffs , Gardiner had another two shutouts and a 1 . 32 goals against average . In the 1931 – 32 season , Chicago posted a 18 – 19 – 7 regular season record . Gardiner posted four shutouts and a 1 . 85 goals against average . Gardiner was named to the First All - Star Team , and won the Vezina Trophy for his first time . Placing second in the American Division for the third season in a row , the Black Hawks lost a two - game , total - goal series 6 – 2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs . Gardiner posted a 1 – 1 playoff record , with one shutout and a 3 . 00 goals against average . In the 1932 – 33 season , Chicago missed the playoffs , with a 16 - 20 - 12 record , placing fourth in the American Division . Gardiner recorded five shutouts , with a 2 . 01 goals against average . He was named , for his only time , to the Second All - Star team . Before the beginning of the 1933 – 34 season , Gardiner ' s teammates unanimously elected him captain . During the regular season , Chicago posted a 20 – 17 – 11 record . Gardiner had 10 shutouts , and a 1 . 63 goals against average . He was named for the third time to the First All - Star team , and won the Vezina Trophy for the second time . On February 14 , 1934 , he was a participant of the Ace Bailey Benefit All - Star Team , playing goaltender for the All - Stars , who played against the Toronto Maple Leafs . In the playoffs , Gardiner had a 6 – 1 – 1 record , with two shutouts and a 1 . 33 goals against average , as Chicago won its first Stanley Cup in franchise history . During the Stanley Cup parade , Chicago defenseman Roger Jenkins carted Gardiner in a wheelbarrow around Chicago ' s business district after a pre - playoff bet . Playing with a tonsillar infection for most of the season , Gardiner was often slumped over his crossbar during breaks in games , nearly blacking out . After leaving for a singing lesson in June 1934 , Gardiner , a baritone , collapsed . He went into a coma , from which he never woke . Gardiner died at age 29 , on June 13 , 1934 , from a brain hemorrhage brought on by the infection . Legacy . He is the only NHL goaltender to captain his team to a Stanley Cup victory . In 1945 , Gardiner became a charter member of the Hockey Hall of Fame . In 1998 , he was ranked number 76 on List of 100 greatest hockey players by The Hockey News . Gardiner is an Honored Member of Canada ' s Sports Hall of Fame , Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum , and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame . Overall , he played 316 NHL games , winning 122 , with a goals against average of 2 . 02 goals , and 42 shutouts . In the playoffs , Gardiner appeared in 21 games , with a 1 . 37 goals against average and five shutouts .