Charlie Hodge

Charles Edward Hodge (July 28, 1933 – April 16, 2016) was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League between 1954 and 1971 for the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, and Oakland Seals. Born in Lachine, Quebec, Hodge was devoted to becoming a member of the Montreal Canadiens from an early age.

He began his hockey career with the Montreal Jr. Canadiens in 1950. In 1952 he posted a 2.22 goals-against average, and the following year he led the Quebec Junior Hockey League with 35 wins and five shutouts. Hodge then moved to the Cincinnati Mohawks of the International Hockey League, where he led the league in wins and shutouts and helped the Mohawks win the Turner Cup. In the 1954–55 season he played his first game with the Montreal Canadiens.

Hodge's first NHL appearance came in 1954 with Montreal. Because teams of that era carried only one goaltender, and Montreal had Jacques Plante among the best of the period, Hodge was used only in emergency situations, spending most of his time in the American Hockey League. When Plante was traded in 1963, Hodge moved into a larger role with the Canadiens. Over his NHL tenure he also tended goal for the Oakland Seals and the Vancouver Canucks before his career ended in 1971.