On the latest episode of NBC Sports Chicago's Blackhawks Talk Podcast, legendary Blackhawks goalie Ed Belfour provided the origin story for his equally legendary nickname, "The Eagle".
"In the beginning, when I was a rookie I had a helmet and a screen mask instead of the nice custom-made molded mask that was made for all the veteran goalies," Belfour, who's now the President and CEO of Belfour Spirits, said on the podcast. "So I started out with the helmet, which I was used to. And once I started playing the way I could and I got my opportunity and had a chance to actually be on the team, they allowed me to go get a new mask through Greg Harrison. He was the mask maker back then and he was in Toronto.
"I asked him if he could put a mean-looking bird on the mask and he put these cool-looking eagles on each side. Mike Keenan — head coach of the Blackhawks from 1988-1992 — was the first [person] that called me "Eddie The Eagle." So that was pretty cool and it just stuck with me. I don't call myself "The Eagle", but I'm proud that my fans and my teammates call me "Eagle" and it's really stuck and I'm proud of it."
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Belfour, who won the Calder Trophy (NHL's best rookie) in 1991 and won two Vezina trophies (league's best goalie) with Chicago in '91 and '93, also led the Hawks to the Stanley Cup Final in '92 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.