Eddie Shore (born November 25, 1902 in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada - died March 16, 1985) was a professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL). His nickname was "The Edmonton Express". In 1924, Shore began his hockey career with the Regina Capitals in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally a forward, he converted to defense while playing for the Edmonton Eskimos.
When the WHL folded in 1927, Shore was sold to the Boston Bruins of the NHL. As a rookie, he scored 12 goals and 6 assists for a total of 18 points. This was during an era when defensemen scored few goals.
Named to the NHL All-Star team for eight of the team's first nine years, Shore was the only NHL defenseman to win the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player four times. While playing for the Bruins, he won two Stanley Cups.
A bruiser known for NHL violence, Shore set an NHL record for 165 penalty minutes in his second season. He frequently ran over players and skated in a trademark crouch so that it was hard for rivals such as Billy Coutu to knock him down. In the 1925/26 season, defensemen Coutu and Sprague Cleghorn of the Montreal Canadiens were traded to the Boston Bruins. During their first practice with the Bruins, Eddie Shore strutted back and forth in front of Coutu and Cleghorn, presumably to show his authority as lead defenseman. Coutu body-slammed Shore, headbutting his skull and severing the ear. Shore visited several doctors who wanted to amputate the ear, but, at the end of that day, finally found one who sewed it back on. After refusing anaesthetic, Shore used a mirror to watch the doctor sew on the ear. Shore claimed Coutu used his hockey stick to cut off the ear, and Coutu was fined $50. However, Shore later recanted and Coutu's money was refunded. Coutu is quoted as saying he always gave Shore a "limp hand" after that. He also ended the career of Toronto Maple Leafs star Ace Bailey with a vicious body check.
When he retired, Shore bought and operated the American Hockey League's Springfield Indians for thirty-five years. Today, the trophy given annually to the AHL's best defenceman is named in his honour. Shore was also mentioned in the movie Slap Shot.
Eddie Shore was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947.
