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Uploaded By: PRESIDENT on May 9th, 2018

Allan Roy Edwards - Born March 12, 1937 in Haldimand, Ontario – Died August 16, 1999 in Buffalo, New York was a Canadian professional ice Hockey goaltender.

Edwards played his junior Hockey with the St. Catharines Teepees from 1955 to 1957.

Edwards then turned pro with the International Hockey League / IHL's Fort Wayne Komets for the 1957-58 season. and in the spring of 1958 left the Komets to join the Whitby Dunlops. Edwards participated in 7 Ontario Hockey Association Senior A games with the Dunlops before the team headed overseas to represent Canada at the 1958 World Ice Hockey Championships, and had a perfect record in the tournament going 7-0-0 with a sparkling 0.86 GAA and three shutouts. The Canadians outscored their opposition 82-6 winning the World Championship.

Edwards, who was originally Chicago Black Hawks property, headed west in 1958-59 to join the Calgary Stampeders of the Western Hockey League / WHL. He led the league in wins with 42 in 63 games, with a respectable 3.05 GAA, winning the Rookie of the Year Award - WHL Prairie Division, and voted to the
WHL Prairie Division First All-Star Team.

Edwards then moved on to the American Hockey League / AHL's Buffalo Bisons, and led the AHL in games played in 1959-60. He appeared in 72 games with a 33-35-4 record. He started the following year in Buffalo too, but ended the year with the EPHL's Sault Ste Marie Thunderbirds.

Edwards name was engraved on the Stanley Cup in 1961 even though he never played a single game for Chicago. (In fact he did not play his first NHL game until 1967.)

Edwards bounced from Sault Ste Marie to the Pittsburgh Hornets, Portland Buckaroos, Calgary Stampeders, Spokane Comets, Buffalo Bisons and St. Louis Braves before returning to the Buffalo Bisons on a full time basis from 1965 to 1967.

Things changed for Edwards in 1967, the year of NHL expansion. Edwards was claimed by the expansion Pittsburgh Penguins, who subsequently traded him to the Detroit Red Wings. Roy started the year with the Wings affiliate, the IHL Fort Worth Wings and was red hot with a 8-0-1 start with 4 shutouts. Edwards got recalled quickly by the Red Wings, finally debuting in the NHL at the age of 30. Edwards played solidly in 41 games in the NHL. He broke even with 15 wins and 15 losses, plus 8 ties.

With the exception of 10 games back in Fort Worth, Roy played the 1968-69 season with the NHL Wings as well. This time he improved to 18-11-6 with a 2.54 GAA, almost a full goal-a-game less than the previous year. He also added 4 shutouts.

Edwards had a strong third year in 1969-70 with a 24-15-6 with a 2.59 GAA. He was named the Red Wings Most Valuable Player in that season, beating out the legendary Gordie Howe in voting.

During the 1970-71 season, Edwards suffered a hair line skull fracture when Craig Cameron of the St. Louis Blues crashed into him after scoring a goal. Edwards was knocked back ward to the ice and his head hit the goal post. Edwards had planned on retiring after the season but was claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He attended the Penguins training camp and was the team's best goalie, but he opted to retire due to the after-effects of his head injury. Nonetheless, he got restless not playing and rejoined the Penguins partway through the season before promptly retiring again after just 15 games.

The Red Wings reacquired Edwards rights before the 1972-73 season. Edwards felt his head woes had seceded enough to give the NHL another try. He played most of the year, posting a career high 27 wins in 52 games. His 2.63 GAA was enhanced by his league leading 6 shutouts.

Edwards would retire for good at the age of 36 after dressing for four games in 1973.

Roy Edwards played in 226 regular season NHL games, winning 97, losing 88 and tying 38 with 12 shutouts. He also played in 4 playoff games without a victory.

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