Ed Belfour

Belfour worked hard honing his goaltending skills, and intended to use these skills to create a career in hockey. Unfortunately he was not drafted for any junior hockey leagues in Canada, so he chose to accept an offer he received for a full scholarship to the University of North Dakota. Although he was quite successful throughout his college career, he was not drafted by the National Hockey League upon graduation. A year later he was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks. His first year was unremarkable and he decided to spend a year with the Canadian Hockey League to fine-tune his skills, with the approval of the Blackhawks. He improved during that year and upon returning to the Blackhawks he was able to win their confidence. During the regular season Belfour showed the mental acuity needed to be a goalie, but all of that would unravel in the playoffs. "Teams also learned that this intensity could be played upon to get Belfour off his game," according to a writer for Biography Resource Center On line. It was not until Belfour met the great Russian goalie, Vladislav Tretiak, at a Hawks training

Ed Belfour

camp that he began to change his performance. Vlady, as Belfour calls him, became his friend as well as his mentor, and has made an impact on who Belfour is to this day. Although Belfour was improving, his time with the Hawks was to be short.

He was traded to the San Jose Sharks shortly before he was to become a free agent, but ended up signing with the Dallas Stars. This move angered many Shark fans, but it was a prudent career decision for him. Larry Wigge with the Sporting News stated, "Now it looks like he has joined a group that was made for him." During his tenure with the Dallas Stars he was able to overcome his mental rigidity during high stakes games. He proved this when he led the Stars to winning the Stanley Cup in the 1998-99 season. Wigge went on to say, "Belfour silenced his critics last year by winning his first Stanley Cup, staying focused and poised on the job, something he couldn't do in Chicago." Belfour says of himself, "I've learned not to be as maniacal as I used to be. When you are focused and in control, that's when you play your best." Doug Weight said in the same article, "He's definitely been a hot-tempered guy, one you could try to take him off his game. Keep running him. Keep trash-talking, and we still hope he might snap like he used to."