Early career In the fall of 1934, Brimsek was invited to the
Detroit Red Wings training camp for a shot at playing in the
National Hockey League (NHL).
Jack Adams, the Red Wings' coach and manager, made a bad impression on Brimsek, who felt that Adams had a habit of favoritism. The Yellow Jackets were in need of a goaltender and Harris signed Brimsek to the team. The next season, the Yellow Jackets joined the EAHL. Brimsek finished with twenty wins and eight shutouts, the most by any goalie in the league. He was named to the league's second All-Star team and awarded the George L. Davis Trophy for the lowest
goals against average (GAA). Harris then shopped Brimsek around the NHL until he was accepted by the
Boston Bruins in October 1937. The Bruins were already well established in net with future hall-of-famer
Tiny Thompson, so Brimsek was assigned to the
Providence Reds of the
International-American Hockey League (IAHL) for the
1937–38 season. In his only full season with the Reds, Brimsek helped his team win the
Calder Cup and he was named to the league's first All-Star team. In his NHL debut, Brimsek helped his new team defeat the
Toronto Maple Leafs 3–2. He played another game, a 4–1 victory against the Red Wings, before being sent back down to the Reds after Thompson recovered.
Art Ross, the Bruins' coach and general manager, had seen enough of Brimsek to consider promoting Brimsek to starting goalie with the Bruins. Thompson was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for goaltender
Normie Smith and $15,000.00 U.S. cash on November 16, 1938, and Ross brought Brimsek back from Providence. This did not sit well with Bruins fans as Thompson was a favorite and had won the
Vezina Trophy. Also, Brimsek wore red hockey pants instead of the team's colors, and he was wearing Thompson's former
jersey number 1. These details did not improve his image with the fans. Brimsek fared better in the next game as he shut out the
Chicago Black Hawks. After shutting out his opponents for the second straight game, the fans warmed up to him immediately. He also won the
Calder Memorial Trophy and the Vezina Trophy, and he was named to the
NHL first All-Star team. In
1940–41, Brimsek backstopped the Bruins to their third consecutive first-place finish in the league. The Bruins defeated the Red Wings in the
1941 Stanley Cup Final four games to none, and Brimsek had his second Stanley Cup victory. For his efforts during the regular season, Brimsek was named to the NHL second All-Star team for the second year in a row. However, Brimsek's team could not replicate their playoff success as they were eliminated by the Red Wings in the semi-finals.
World War II and aftermath With the outbreak of
World War II, three of the Bruins' best
forwards – center
Milt Schmidt, left wing
Woody Dumart, and right winger
Bobby Bauer – joined the
Royal Canadian Air Force midway through the
1941–42 season. Despite their absence, the Bruins made it to the
Stanley Cup Final the
next season. In the finals, they were defeated by the Red Wings four games to none. Due to his play in the regular season, Brimsek was again named to the NHL second All-Star team. However, it was popular opinion at the time that Brimsek deserved the spot on the first All-Star team over
Johnny Mowers, including Mowers' own coach and general manager, Jack Adams. The next season, Brimsek decided to help the war effort by joining the
United States Coast Guard. During his time with the Coast Guard, he played with the Coast Guard Cutters hockey team in
Curtis Bay,
Maryland, and later served in the
South Pacific. While in the Coast Guard, he achieved the rank Motor Machinists Mate 2nd Class Petty Officer. After the war ended, Brimsek returned to the Bruins in time for the
1945–46 season. However, Brimsek was not as sharp as he was before due to having not played any professional hockey for two years. This marked Brimsek's fourth appearance in the finals and it would be his last. Brimsek was also named to the NHL second All-Star team for the fifth time in his career. Brimsek remained with the Bruins for three more seasons. He was named to the NHL second All-Star team twice more and was selected to play in the inaugural
NHL All-Star Game in
1947. The Bruins made the playoffs all three seasons but were eliminated in the semi-finals every time. Brimsek was also a finalist for the
Hart Trophy in
1947–48, finishing behind
Buddy O'Connor of the Rangers. It did not also help that the Boston crowd would occasionally boo Brimsek for his play. Boston granted his request and he was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in exchange for cash. It was the only season when Brimsek's team did not make the playoffs. He retired at the conclusion of the season. ==Retirement and legacy==