Junior Edwards was born in
St. Catharines, Ontario and played with local teams before joining the
Ontario Hockey Association's
St. Catharines Teepees from 1951 to 1955, culminating with a triple win of the
J. Ross Robertson Cup (OHL),
George Richardson Memorial Trophy over
Quebec Amateur Hockey Association Champion
Quebec Frontenacs for the Eastern Canada Championship, and then the
1954 Memorial Cup as Canadian Junior Hockey Champions over
Edmonton Oil Kings. This was the Teepees first Memorial Cup, but not for Edwards; the previous spring, he was added to the
1953 Memorial Cup roster for the
Barrie Flyers, replacing an injured Bill Harrington, and he led this team to victory over the
St. Boniface Canadiens.
Senior Edwards moved into the
OHL Senior ranks in
Chatham, Ontario playing with the
Chatham Maroons. In his rookie season, he lost the
Allan Cup to
Vernon Canadians, and remained another season, before moving to the nearby
Windsor Bulldogs. In 1958–59, he went to
North Bay, Ontario o play for the short-lived North Bay Trappers. The defending
Allan Cup champions
Belleville McFarlands required an additional goalie for the
1959 Ice Hockey World Championships, and Edwards took the position; the team won the Gold. The following year, he turned professional, and began a minor league career, that led up to the NHL Expansion. Edwards started his
National Hockey League career with the
Pittsburgh Penguins in
1968 after playing for several seasons with the
Nashville Dixie Flyers of the
Eastern Hockey League, where in his best season he led that circuit with 15
shutouts. He also later played with the
Toronto Maple Leafs and
California Golden Seals. He retired after the
1973–74 season, at the age of 41. He later served as a goaltender coach with the
OHL Peterborough Petes in the 1990s. ==Death==