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Eddie reminisces:
"At first, UND[University of North Dakota] wasn't interested in me. I approached them,
they never scouted me. I'd drive down so that I could play pickup hockey at night at the arena with the guys who were round
there in the summer. It was a two- or three-hour drive, one way for me, and they played so late it was tough getting to work
the next day. I'd get home around 4am."
"I wanted a scholarship, but they wouldn't give me one. They
changed their mind halfway through my final year of junior hockey and offered me a scholarship. They wanted me to come down
and play after Christmas, second semester, but I wouldn't leave my junior team. I told them they'd have to wait. The next
year, they gave me a scholarship."
"I really never considered any other college. I played one year.
We won the NCAA Championship."
***Eddie was 29-4-0 in the 1986-87 season with a 2.43 goals-against average.***
Eddie at UND!
The following summer he was signed as a free agent by the Blackhawks and posted a 32-25-0 record and a 3.19 GAA with Saginaw
(IHL), while playing a league-high 3,446 minutes.
The following season Eddie split time between Chicago and Saginaw.
In the 1989-90 season, Eddie started the year with the Canadian Olympic program. After a solid showing with Team
Canada, he was called to duty for the Blackhawks postseason. Surprisingly, he saw action in nine playoff games, recording
an impressive 4-2 mark with a 2.49 goals-against average.
Eddie's playoff heroics allowed him to have his first full
NHL season at age 26. During his rookie season, Eddie set a club record with 43 victories in 74 regular season games. The
Eagle finished the 1990-91 season with a 2.47 GAA.
Dominating the Goaltending Awards, Eddie received four prizes for his outstanding play during the 1990-91 season. He was
the first goaltender since Tom Barrasso to receive the Calder Memorial Trophy for outstanding play in his first year in the
NHL. Eddie also received the Vezina Trophy as Best Goaltender, the Jennings Trophy for the fewest team goals-against during
the season, and the Trico Goaltender Award for the best save percentage!
Eddie takes home all the awards!
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