Former Leafs and Penguins goalie passes away at 87

The NHL Alumni Association announced earlier today that former Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and California Golden Seals goaltender Marv Edwards has passed away at 87 years old.

The St. Catherines, Ontario native played parts of four seasons in the NHL, totaling 61 games between the three aforementioned teams. He also enjoyed a lengthy minor league career playing for literally over a dozen teams over his 22 year professional career. This guy was the absolute definition of a journeyman goaltender before the term even existed.

More on Edwards' life and career from The Toronto Sun:

‘Marvelous’ Marv Edwards, whose long career as a goaltender included 22 different teams, a gold medal for Canada and three NHL stops, one with the Maple Leafs, has died.

The St. Catharines-born Edwards played for the local Teepees and as a 15-year-old, got a chance to work out with the 1950-51 Stanley Cup champion Leafs.

It took 19 years for Edwards to come back to the Leafs, via four different leagues and outposts such as Knoxville, Nashville, Milwaukee and Portland, Oregon. In 1959, he was part of the Belleville McFarlands world champion roster at the tournament in the former Czechoslovakia.

The NHL path for many goalies didn’t open until its 1967 expansion. After winning the Western Hockey League’s outstanding goalie award with the Portland Buckaroos, Edwards got in one game with the Pittsburgh Penguins. When they left him unprotected in 1969, Toronto claimed him to help fill a hole created by Johnny Bower’s retirement. Edwards had a record of 10-9-4 with a 3.25 goals-against average on a team coached by his former Belleville teammate John McLellan.

When the Leafs brought in Jacques Plante and Bernie Parent the next year, Edwards was demoted and finished his NHL career with 35 games for the California Golden Seals.

- The Toronto Sun

RIP, Marv. Gone, but never forgotten.