# Ed Belfour
**Ed Belfour** (Edward John Belfour, born 1965 in Carman, Manitoba) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 19 [National Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-hockey-league) seasons from 1988 to 2007 and was inducted into the [Hockey Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/hockey-hall-of-fame) in 2011[1](https://hockey-reference.co/players/b/belfoed01.html). Known by the nickname "Eddie the Eagle," he won 484 regular-season games, the third-winningest total in NHL history, and captured the 1999 [Stanley Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-cup) with the Dallas Stars[2](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965, Carman, Manitoba, Canada[1](https://hockey-reference.co/players/b/belfoed01.html) |
| NHL teams | Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers[2](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965) |
| Regular-season record | 963 games, 484 wins, 320 losses, 76 shutouts, 2.50 GAA, .906 save percentage (1988–2007)[3](https://www.nhl.com/player/ed-belfour-8445386/stats) |
| Playoff record | 161 games, 88 wins, 2.17 GAA, .920 save percentage, 14 shutouts[3](https://www.nhl.com/player/ed-belfour-8445386/stats) |
| Major honors | Calder Trophy (1990–91), two Vezina Trophies, three William M. Jennings Trophies, Hockey Hall of Fame (2011)[2](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965) • [1](https://hockey-reference.co/players/b/belfoed01.html) |
| Team and international titles | 1999 Stanley Cup (Dallas), 2002 Olympic gold and 1991 Canada Cup with Canada[2](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965) |
| Path to the NHL | Undrafted; signed as a free agent by Chicago after college hockey at the University of North Dakota[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/belfour-ed) |
## Early career and college
Raised in Carman, Manitoba, Belfour started out as a goaltender in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, playing three years for the Winkler Flyers between 1983 and 1986[5](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/1005296). He was not drafted by any junior hockey league in Canada, so he accepted a full scholarship to the [University of North Dakota](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-north-dakota)[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/belfour-ed).
His single season at [North Dakota](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-dakota) was exceptional. He went 29-4-0, a UND single-season wins record that still stands, with a 2.43 goals against average, a .915 save percentage, and three shutouts. He led the Sioux to a then-NCAA record 40 wins (40-8-0) and the NCAA championship, was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, and was selected a first-team All-American and first-team All-WCHA[2](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965).
Despite this success he was not drafted by an NHL team upon leaving college. A year later the [Chicago Blackhawks](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-blackhawks) signed him as a free agent. His first year was unremarkable, and with Chicago's approval he spent a season in the [Canadian Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/canadian-hockey-league) to refine his skills before returning to win a place with the Blackhawks[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/belfour-ed).
## NHL career
After 23 games with Chicago in 1988-89, Belfour took over the Blackhawks' net in 1990-91 and played 74 games, going 43-19-7 with a 2.47 goals against average, a .910 save percentage, and four shutouts[3](https://www.nhl.com/player/ed-belfour-8445386/stats). That rookie season made him one of the few goaltenders to win the [Calder Memorial Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/calder-memorial-trophy) and the [Vezina Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/vezina-trophy) in the same campaign; the others are Frank Brimsek, Tom Barrasso, and, later, no one else among the award's dual winners[6](https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/public/attachments/2023/11/17405/2023%20Hockey%20Hall%20of%20Fame%20Inductees.pdf).
He went on to play for Chicago, San Jose, Dallas, Toronto, and Florida[2](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965). The peak of his team success came in Dallas, where he backstopped the Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup, a championship the franchise has won only once since relocating to Dallas in 1993[2](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965) • [7](https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2024/05/23/dallas-stars-coach-pete-deboer-stanley-cup-finals).
His career totals place him high on the NHL's all-time goaltender lists: 484 wins (third in league history at the time of his induction), 21,003 saves (fourth all-time), and 76 shutouts (tied for eighth). He appeared in 963 games, a total that ranked fifth in NHL history when Marc-Andre Fleury was approaching it in 2022-23[2](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965) • [8](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2022-23/NHLStatsPack_Approaching_Milestones_in_2022-23_10-06-22.pdf). In the playoffs he was 88-68 with a 2.17 GAA and a .920 save percentage over 161 games[3](https://www.nhl.com/player/ed-belfour-8445386/stats).
## Awards and international play
Belfour's individual honors include the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1990-91, two Vezina Trophies as the league's best goaltender, and three William M. Jennings Trophies for fewest goals against[2](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965). Hockey-Reference's award summary lists four Jennings Trophies[1](https://hockey-reference.co/players/b/belfoed01.html). He was selected to six NHL All-Star Games and named a three-time NHL All-Star first or second team goaltender[2](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965). In 2000 he received the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award for the best save percentage by a regular goaltender[5](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/1005296).
Internationally, he won a Canada Cup championship with Canada in 1991 and a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in [Salt Lake City](https://www.edgepedia.org/salt-lake-city)[2](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965).
## Style and recognition
Belfour played during the period in which the butterfly style replaced the stand-up game as goaltending's dominant technique, and he is regularly grouped with [Patrick Roy](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-roy), Dominik Hasek, and [Martin Brodeur](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-brodeur) among the goaltenders who defined the position in the 1990s[9](https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2225359/when-goalies-were-weird-episode-4-ed-belfour-%F0%9F%8E%A7). The Hockey News ranked him 18th on its list of the top 100 goalies, noting that his choice of the eagle emblem was deliberate: he admired the bird's confidence, independence, and vision as traits of a good goaltender[10](https://thehockeynews.com/news/all-access/top-100-goalies-no-18-ed-belfour).
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011[1](https://hockey-reference.co/players/b/belfoed01.html) and into the University of North Dakota Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010[11](https://fightinghawks.com/honors/hall-of-fame/ed-belfour/72).
## References
1. [Ed Belfour Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Title, Hockey-Reference](https://hockey-reference.co/players/b/belfoed01.html)
2. [Ed Belfour, University of North Dakota Athletics roster profile](https://fightinghawks.com/sports/general/roster/ed-belfour/5965)
3. [Ed Belfour Stats, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/player/ed-belfour-8445386/stats)
4. [Belfour, Ed, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/belfour-ed)
5. [Ed Belfour, Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/1005296)
6. [Fast Facts: The Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023, NHL.com](https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/public/attachments/2023/11/17405/2023%20Hockey%20Hall%20of%20Fame%20Inductees.pdf)
7. [Stars coach Pete DeBoer ready to win the Stanley Cup, Axios Dallas](https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2024/05/23/dallas-stars-coach-pete-deboer-stanley-cup-finals)
8. [NHL Stats Pack: Approaching Milestones in 2022-23](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2022-23/NHLStatsPack_Approaching_Milestones_in_2022-23_10-06-22.pdf)
9. ['When Goalies Were Weird' Episode 4: Ed Belfour, theScore](https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2225359/when-goalies-were-weird-episode-4-ed-belfour-%F0%9F%8E%A7)
10. [Top 100 Goalies: No. 18 — Ed Belfour, The Hockey News](https://thehockeynews.com/news/all-access/top-100-goalies-no-18-ed-belfour)
11. [Ed Belfour (2010), UND Athletics Hall of Fame](https://fightinghawks.com/honors/hall-of-fame/ed-belfour/72)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › Ice hockey players and personnel › Goaltenders*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license