Jimmy Foster, goaltender when Great Britain won gold at the 1936 Winter Olympics, has been inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame.
Foster, who passed away in January 1969, backstopped Team GB to a historic ice hockey gold medal at Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936.
They beat Canada 2-1 in the final and Foster played a starring role, conceding only three goals in seven matches across the tournament.
Born in Glasgow in 1905, Foster went to Canada as a child and learned his craft in Winnipeg.
His international record is the greatest of all time with an unsurpassed 16 shutouts, conceding only 22 goals in international play.
Foster won two World Championship silver medals in 1937 and 1938, with his three global medals making him the most successful goaltender of all time outside the ‘top six’ ice hockey nations.
He didn’t miss a game for Great Britain between 1936 and 1939.
Foster later played for Richmond Hawks and Harringay Greyhounds in English club hockey, recording 24 shutouts in five seasons.
Foster is the fifth British inductee into the IIHF Hall of Fame. He joins his Team GB colleague Carl Erhardt in receiving the honour as well as legendary 1936 team manager Bunny Ahearne.
Tony Hand, who became the first British player to be drafted by an NHL team in 1986, and early pioneer Peter Patton have also been inducted.
The selection was made by the IIHF Historical/Hall of Fame Working Group, led by its chairperson and IIHF Chairman Luc Tardif.
The IIHF Hall of Fame’s 2023 Induction Ceremonies will take place prior to the medal games of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on Sunday 28th May in Tampere, Finland.
Sportsbeat 2022