Fred Kearney (hockey player)
| Fred Kearney | |
|---|---|
| Fred the Silent | |
| Born | 1897 Pembroke, Ontario |
| Years in Thunder Bay | 1909–1927; from 1934 |
Fred Kearney (born 1897) was a goaltender from Fort William who played professionally in the American Hockey Association and competed in the Allan Cup finals. Fred Kearney was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 as an athlete.[1]
Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
Fred Kearney was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame on 26 September 1998 in the athlete category for hockey, representing Fort William.[1]
Career
Born in Pembroke, Ontario, Kearney relocated to Northwestern Ontario in 1909. He began his hockey career within the amateur system of Fort William in 1913. By 1924, he was playing for the Lakehead Intermediate Hockey Club, with whom he secured the Thunder Bay Intermediate League title. Following this victory, the club competed for the Scotland Woollen Mills Trophy.[1]
In 1927, Kearney was the goaltender for the Fort William Senior Hockey Team, a squad nicknamed the "Thundering Herd." The team captured the Western Canadian Senior Hockey Championships and advanced to the Allan Cup finals held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Facing the Toronto Grads, who were highly favored to win, Kearney and his teammates forced the series to a fourth and final game. Despite his performance in net, the Fort William team lost the deciding match 2-1 in overtime before crowds exceeding 10,000 spectators.[1]
Kearney entered the professional ranks in 1929, joining the St. Louis Flyers of the American Hockey Association. During his two seasons in St. Louis, Missouri, he was noted for his reflexes and recorded multiple streaks of three consecutive shutouts. He set a notable statistical mark by making 103 saves over the course of two games. His professional career concluded in 1931 when the St. Louis Flyers ceased operations due to the Great Depression.[1]
After observing a required three-year waiting period to regain his amateur status, Kearney returned to the Fort William Senior Hockey Team. In 1934, he helped the club win the Thunder Bay District League championship and another Western Canada Senior Championship. At the time of his induction in 1998, he remained a follower of the sport at the age of 101.[1]
Residence in the Thunder Bay area (1909–1927; from 1934) rests on the following dated evidence. He arrived in the area in 1909, played for Fort William teams from 1913 to 1927, played professionally in St. Louis from 1929 to 1931, and returned to play for Fort William in 1934.[1]
Honours and achievements
- Won the Thunder Bay Intermediate League championship in 1924
- Won the Western Canadian Senior Hockey Championship in 1927
- Reached the Allan Cup finals in 1927, losing the deciding game in overtime
- Established a record of 103 saves across two games while playing professionally
- Recorded multiple streaks of three consecutive shutouts in the American Hockey Association
- Won the Thunder Bay District League title in 1934
- Won the Western Canada Senior Championship in 1934[1]
- Possibly the same as Frederick Kearney; the name matches, but too little is shared to merge the pages.
- Possibly the same as Fred Kearney; the name matches and some details fit, but too little is shared to merge the pages.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Fred Kearney", athlete profile, Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, https://www.nwosportshalloffame.com/athlete-profile/f3c39a41-a062-46ab-b57a-d0678b373fe6 (accessed 31 October 2026). Archived copy on datum.locker.