| Percy LeSueur | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1961 | |||
 LeSueur, 1910 | |||
| Born |
November 21, 1881 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Died |
January 27, 1962 (aged 80) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg; 10 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for |
Smiths Falls Seniors (OHA/FAHL) Ottawa Senators (ECAHA/CHA/NHA) Toronto Shamrocks (NHA) Toronto Blueshirts (NHA) | ||
| Playing career | 1903–1916 | ||
Percivale St-Helier LeSueur[1] (November 21, 1881 – January 27, 1962), known as "Peerless Percy",[2] was a Canadian senior and professional ice hockey goaltender and later involved in the game as referee, coach, manager and owner. He was a member of the Smiths Falls Seniors for three years, with whom his performance in a 1906 Stanley Cup challenge series attracted the attention of his opponents, the Ottawa Silver Seven. Although his team lost the series, LeSueur excelled in goal, keeping the games close. Nine days after the defeat, he joined the Silver Seven and played in a challenge match against the Montreal Wanderers. He remained with Ottawa through the 1913–14 season where he served as team captain for three seasons, and assumed coaching duties in his final season with the team.
LeSueur was traded to the Toronto Ontarios (who later changed their name to the Toronto Shamrocks mid-season) for the 1914–15 season. After playing the following season for the Toronto Blueshirts, he enlisted in the army and fought for Canada during the First World War. He returned to hockey following the conclusion of the war, serving in various roles including referee, coach, manager, arena manager, and hockey journalist. He coached ten games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Hamilton Tigers. As a journalist, he was the first reporter to include shots on goal statistics in game summaries.
During his playing career, LeSueur improved upon existing ice hockey equipment: he invented the gauntlet-style goaltender glove which protected the forearms, and created and patented the LeSueur net which was designed to catch high-rising shots. LeSueur was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961, and died a few months later following a lengthy illness.