Detroit Red Wings
Former Red Wings Goalie Hall Was a Fan of the Written Word
Hall of Fame netminder liked to read poetry
Hall of Fame netminder Glenn Hall, who got his start in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings, would become known league-wide for one of the more bizarre pre-game rituals in the history of the game.
“He would throw up before every game,” remembered former Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman. He was Hall’s coach with the St. Louis Blues. “It got to the point where if he didn’t throw up, he didn’t feel like he would play well.”
The Detroit Red Wings are saddened to learn of the passing of Glenn Hall at the age of 94.
Hall began his storied career with the Red Wings from 1952-57. Known as “Mr. Goalie”, Hall won the Calder Trophy in 1956 as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year and was a two-time Stanley Cup… pic.twitter.com/0YqQZReFB8
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 8, 2026
Hall, who died Wednesday at the age of 94, also would partake in another lesser-known, yet arguably equally bizarre pre-game ritual.
He liked to read poetry. Hall felt it calmed his nerves while dealing with the intense pressure involved when someone earns their living as an NHL puckstopper.
It was a passion he sought to share with his goaltending proteges when he moved into his post-playing career as a goalie coach.
“Him and (coach) Tom Watt would sit there and recite poetry to me,” former Red Wings goalie Mike Vernon recalled in Mr. Goalie, the award-winning documentary about Hall’s life. “Something you would never think of from a hockey player, or a goalie.”
Hall was Vernon’s goalie coach with the Calgary Flames when the Flames won the Stanley Cup in 1988-89.
“He never came on the ice once with me,” Vernon remembered. “It was all about the game … the mental preparation. ‘What’s going through your mind at this particular time?’
“In certain plays, or certain situations on the ice, he was wondering what I was thinking at a particular time.”
Remembering Hall’s Red Wings Roots
Hall made his NHL debut for Detroit in a 2-2 tie against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. He was the last surviving member of Detroit’s 1954-55 Stanley Cup-winning team.
He was one of the best goalies in hockey history and that all started with the Red Wings. Glenn Hall, famously was sick to his stomach before playing every game. He has passed at the age of 94. pic.twitter.com/WL5uhJ5H2d
— John Keating (@JohnKeatingTV) January 8, 2026
Hall won the Calder Trophy with the Red Wings in 1955-56. He was also named to the NHL First All-Star Team that season.
Absolutely one of the best of all time. His iron Man streak alone speaks very loudly. i
In those days teams traveled by train and would play back-to-back nights maybe a Saturday night in Montreal and a Sunday night in Chicago or Detroit. And don’t forget those guys had barely had any padding compared to today, and none of them wore masks untill later on in their careers. When today’s generation talks about how more modern goalies are the greatest of all time , I have to laugh. The greatest were several of the original 6 goal tenders. Outstanding goalies like Sawchuk, Plante, Hall, Bower, Crozier ect. They were the all seriously tough men as well. Today’s goalies can’t even play back to back without their effort suffering. You give them Original six equipment , and no masks, and see how many of them actually even show up. And this business about today’s shots being much faster and harder than they were back then is nonsense. Bobby Hull’s shot for one, was clocked at over a hundred miles an hour, against goaltenders with paper thin padding and no masks. Rest in peace Mr Goalie, you truly were, and always will be, one of the greatest ever.
Great person, on and off the ice. I believe he minded the net in appx 540 straight games. Record that will never be broken. Some goalies today have trouble doing back to back games. Those guys were paid peanuts compared to the ones today. RIP, Mr Hall. God speed