Norm Defelice

Expansion came too late for Norm Defelice.

Defelice was a long time minor league goalie during the Original Six era. For nearly 20 years the tiny Defelice bounced around the minor leagues, finding a nice home with the Clinton Comets of the EHL from 1958 through 1965.

But Defelice would only get a short taste of NHL glory.

The Boston Bruins summoned Defelice from Hershey a couple of weeks before Christmas 1957. The Bruins star goalie Terry Sawchuk was hospitalized for "nervous exhaustion."

Defelice would two call ups to Boston while Sawchuk dealt with his breakdown. In a total of 10 games Defelice's 3-5-2 record and 3.00 GAA did not impress to many NHL observers. Nor did his performance on Toronto's winning goal agains the Bruins in Defelice's first ever game. He let in a shot from center ice courtesy of Leafs defensive defenseman Jimmy Thomson.

When Sawchuk was ready to strap on the pads again, Defelice disappeared to the minor leagues, never to be seen by a NHL team again. The Bruins turned to Don Simmons as their goaltender of the future.

He played until 1970 before turning to coaching. He guided the senior league Galt Hornets to the Allan Cup finals only to suffer a heart attack during the playoffs.

Defelice decided his weakened ticker could not withstand the rigours of coaching. he took a job in public relations for the Ontario Jockey Club before securing a career in the construction business. He later managed a concrete business and a building supply business.