OVER the years there have been a solid number of local goaltenders that have made their mark in hockey.
One of the original standouts was Dave Gatherum, who was a stalwart on many of the teams he played for.
Beginning in the local junior ranks at just 16, with the then Fort William Hurricane-Rangers, who eventually morphed into just the Hurricanes, he saw his first action there as an up and coming netminder.
In a span of four years, Gatherum stood tall for the Herks, winning 39 games in the regular season and another 19 in playoff and postseason competition.
The highpoint of his time there was backstopping the Hurricanes organization to their first Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League title in nearly a decade.
That triumph came 70 years back, in 1952, when his club first upended fellow Fort William side, the Columbus Canadiens in the semifinals, before knocking off the four-time defending TBJHL champion Port Arthur West End Bruins, in six games.
The upset of Port Arthur marked the first time the Bruins had lost a local playoff series since prior to them winning the Memorial Cup back in 1948.
Due much in part to Gatherum’s continued stellar play between the pipes, the Herks went on to dethrone the Winnipeg Monarchs in a western Canadian match-up by virtue of three wins, against just one loss and a pair of ties.
Meeting a solid Regina Pats side in the 1952 Abbott Cup west final, Gatherum did all he could, but despite a splendid 46-save performance in the series finale staged in the Saskatchewan capital, the Hurricanes suffered a narrow 2-1 season-ending defeat in the six-game set.
His heroics however earned him a contract with the Detroit Red Wings organization.
Turning pro at 20, Gatherum’s initial campaign there featured stops with such teams as the Shawinigan Cataracts, Edmonton Flyers and the St. Louis Flyers.
Later, in October of 1953, he was called up by the Red Wings to replace an injured Terry Sawchuk, in an era where the six NHL clubs only carried one goalkeeper.
On Oct. 11 of that year, Gatherum made his NHL debut in Detroit and promptly posted a 4-0 shutout versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Not done there, he kept the Chicago Blackhawks off the board into the third period of his next start, which in turn set a then NHL record for most time played without allowing a goal to begin a career at 100 minutes and 21 seconds, as part of a 2-2 tie.
That achievement held for 58 years before finally being surpassed in 2011 by Matt Hackett of the Minnesota Wild.
Gatherum would complete his brief stint with the Wings in edging the Hawks 2-1 on Oct. 17, 1953 before Sawchuk returned to the line-up.
With goaltender roster spots at a minimum, this proved to be end of his NHL career that concluded with two wins and a draw along with a stingy 1.00 goals-against average.
Detroit went on to win the Stanley Cup that season and so indebted were the Red Wings of Gatherum’s contributions, they made sure his name was engraved on the trophy, along with the rest of the players, staff, management and ownership.
After time back in Edmonton as well as with the New Westminster Royals and the fabled Quebec Aces in 1954-55, he then opted to stay out west and went on to have an impressive stretch manning the nets for the Kelowna Packers senior squad.
Next week, we’ll look at some of the other memorable moments Gatherum had, not only in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, but nationally on the Allan Cup trail as well as a stellar performance internationally.