Bernie Wolfe

Hockey Netminder 

 

Bernie Wolfe was the only Jewish player in professional big time hockey as of the end of 1977. A competent, popular goalie for the Washington Capitals, Wolfe showed moments of brilliance with a weak club - and won consistent attention on the sports pages of the country's newspapers, with particular emphasis on the English-Jewish press, which found him good copy.

In June, 1974, the Capitals sent out a press release which read like this: "The Washington Capitals have signed All Canadian goalkeeper Bernie Wolfe of Sir George Williams University to a multi-year contract . . . The 5'9" 165-pound finance major starred four years on the collegiate team which finished second this year in the Canadian CIAU competition, i.e., second in the nation. In addition to being named to the All Canadian first team, Wolfe was the Most Valuable Player in the CIAU tournament and was a four-time conference all-star. The twenty-two year old Montreal resident played international hockey against the USSR, Czechoslovakia and Sweden, for Quebec all star teams and an all star team from Ontario. As a senior, he had a 3.41 goals against average and a .910 fielding average (saved 91 per cent of all shots against him)."

This is how his professional career began. Clearly, he