{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey and soccer player}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | image = Hec Fowler, Victoria Aristocrats.jpg | image_size = | caption = Fowler with the Victoria Aristocrats | position = Goaltender | catches = Left | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 11 | weight_lb = 190 | played_for = Spokane Canaries <br>Seattle Metropolitans <br>Victoria Aristocrats <br>Victoria Cougars <br>Boston Bruins <br>Edmonton Eskimos | birth_date = {{birth date|1892|10|14}} | birth_place = Peterborough, Ontario, Canada | death_date = {{death date and age|1987|7|30|1892|10|14}} | death_place = Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada | career_start = 1909 | career_end = 1931 }} '''Norman Boswell "Hec" Fowler'''<ref>{{cite book |last=Zweig |first=Eric |author-link= |date=September 12, 2015 |title=Art Ross: The Hockey Legend Who Built the Bruins |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CNCMBgAAQBAJ&q=%22hec+fowler%22+montreal+gazette |publisher=Dundurn |page= |isbn=978-1459730410}}</ref> (October 14, 1892 – July 30, 1987) was a two-sport athlete from Canada. He was a professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and National Hockey League between 1916 and 1925. He was also a soccer goalkeeper for Saskatoon Thistle.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}

He was the last surviving former player of the Spokane Canaries.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}

==Playing career== Fowler played for various senior league teams in his hometown of Saskatoon from 1909 to 1916, appearing in the Allan Cup playoffs in 1916, before turning professional with the Spokane Canaries of the PCHA in 1917. The Canaries, citing poor attendance, disbanded for the following season, and while Fowler had played poorly for Spokane, the defending Stanley Cup champion Seattle Metropolitans was confident enough to sign him as their goaltender. With Fowler at the helm, the Mets won the league championship but were upset in the playoffs by the Vancouver Millionaires.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}

At that point, Fowler enlisted in the military for the last year of World War I, and when he mustered out of the service, signed with the Victoria Cougars for the 1920 season.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Holzman |first1=Morey |last2=Nieforth |first2=Joseph |date=2002 |page=201 |title=Deceptions and Doublecross: How the NHL Conquered Hockey |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=Dundurn Press |isbn= }}</ref> Most spectacularly, he turned aside three penalty shots in a match against the Millionaires on December 12, 1921.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |date=December 13, 1921 |title=Good Old Hec! |url=https://ia802800.us.archive.org/29/items/victoriadailytimes19211213/1921_12_13.pdf |work=Victoria Daily Times |location=Victoria, BC |access-date=18 December 2021}}</ref>

He played five seasons in all for the Cougars before being sold to the expansion Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League in October 1924.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J-1s6iocLwIC&q=Hec+Fowler&pg=PT86|title=Tales from the Boston Bruins Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest Bruins Stories Ever Told|first=Kerry|last=Keene|date=July 29, 2011|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Inc.|via=Google Books|isbn=9781613210581}}</ref> Behind a weak defense, Fowler was repeatedly shelled, and it was reported that he was displeased with the team's direction.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hallahan |first=John |date=December 20, 1924 |title=Bruins Notes |url= |work=Boston Globe |location=Dorchester, MA |access-date=}}</ref> In his last game with Boston, he allowed nine goals in 49 minutes against the Toronto St. Patricks before leaving the ice on his own; he was replaced in net by left winger George Redding.<ref>{{cite book |last=Zweig |first=Eric |author-link= |date=September 12, 2015 |title=Art Ross: The Hockey Legend Who Built the Bruins |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CNCMBgAAQBAJ&q=%22hec+fowler%22+montreal+gazette |location=176 |publisher=Dundurn |page= |isbn=978-1459730410}}</ref> Fowler admitted to a Montreal Gazette reporter afterward that he was deliberately letting in goals, so that the Bruins would be embarrassed enough by the loss to obtain better players. As a result, he was suspended indefinitely by Boston, fined $200, and ultimately released.<ref>{{cite news |last=Duff |first=Bob |date=March 26, 2014 |title=Five other goalies who couldn't take it anymore |url=https://windsorstar.com/uncategorized/five-other-goalies-who-couldnt-take-it-anymore |work=Windsor Star |location=Windsor, ON |access-date=18 December 2021}}</ref>

He signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Canada Hockey League to finish the season, but took the next year off. Fowler played one more season in Edmonton in 1927, then three for the Oakland Sheiks of the professional California Hockey League between 1928 and 1931 – leading the team to consecutive championships his last two seasons – before retiring.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}

On June 11, 1983, Norman "Hec" Fowler was installed into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in Regina Saskatchewan under Norman "Heck" Fowler.

==Lacrosse== As with many other players of the era, Fowler was a lacrosse player in the summers, serving as secretary of the Vancouver Lacrosse Club and acting as an umpire, referee, and timekeeper in matches.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stewart-Candy |first=David |author-link= |date=2017 |title=Old School Lacrosse: Professional Lacrosse In British Columbia - 1909-1924 |url= |location=Vancouver, BC |publisher= |page= |isbn=}}</ref>

==Career statistics== ===Regular season and playoffs=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="width:90%; text-align:center;" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="8" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="8" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! W !! L !! T !! Min !! GA !! SO !! GAA ! GP !! W !! L !! T !! Min !! GA !! SO !! GAA |- | 1909–10 | Saskatoon Rovers | SCJHL | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1909–10 | Saskatoon Bankers | SCSHL | 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 60 || 2 || 0 || 2.00 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | 1910–11 | Saskatoon Westerns | SCHL | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1911–12 | Saskatoon Wholesalers | SKPHL | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 60 || 1 || 0 || 1.00 |- | 1911–12 | Saskatoon Hoo-Hoos | SKPHL | 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 60 || 6 || 0 || 6.00 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1912–13 | Saskatoon Rovers | N-SSHL | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | 1913–14 | Saskatoon R.Jays | N-SSHL | 4 || 2 || 2 || 0 || 240 || 17 || 0 || 4.25 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |-bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1914–15 | Humboldt H/C | N-SSHL | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 60 || 7 || 0 || 7.00 |- | 1915–16 | Saskatoon Pilgrims | SSHL | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1915–16 | Saskatoon Pilgrims | Al-Cup | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | 2 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 120 || 10 || 0 || 5.00 |- | 1916–17 | Spokane Canaries | PCHA | 23 || 8 || 15 || 0 || 1383 || 143 || 0 || 6.20 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1917–18 | Seattle Metropolitans | PCHA | 18 || 11 || 7 || 0 || 1168 || 65 || 1 || 3.34 | 2 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 120 || 3 || 0 || 1.50 |- | 1918–19 | ''Military service'' | | || || || || || || || | || || || || || || || |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1919–20 | Victoria Aristocrats | PCHA | 22 || 10 || 12 || 0 || 1327 || 71 || 1 || 3.21 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | 1920–21 | Victoria Aristocrats | PCHA | 24 || 10 || 13 || 1 || 1541 || 88 || 3 || 3.43 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1921–22 | Victoria Aristocrats | PCHA | 24 || 11 || 12 || 1 || 1468 || 70 || 1 || 2.86 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | 1922–23 | Victoria Cougars | PCHA | 30 || 16 || 14 || 0 || 1846 || 85 || 4 || 2.76 | 2 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 120 || 5 || 0 || 2.50 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1923–24 | Victoria Cougars | PCHA | 30 || 11 || 18 || 1 || 1843 || 103 || 0 || 3.35 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | 1924–25 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 7 || 1 || 6 || 0 || 409 || 42 || 0 || 6.16 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1924–25 | Edmonton Eskimos | WCHL | 8 || 5 || 3 || 0 || 480 || 29 || 1 || 3.63 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | 1926–27 | Edmonton Eskimos | PHL | 32 || 12 || 18 || 2 || 1879 || 127 || 0 || 4.06 | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1928–29 | Oakland Sheiks | Cal-Pro | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |- | 1929–30 | Oakland Sheiks | Cal-Pro | 42 || 24 || 12 || 6 || 2520 || 72 || — || 1.71 | 4 || 3 || 0 || 1 || 250 || 5 || 1 || 1.20 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1930–31 | Oakland Sheiks | Cal-Pro | — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — | 4 || 2 || 1 || 1 || 254 || 11 || 0 || 2.60 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | PCHA totals ! 171 !! 77 !! 91 !! 3 !! 10,576 !! 625 !! 10 !! 3.55 ! 4 !! 1 !! 2 !! 1 !! 240 !! 8 !! 0 !! 2.00 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 7 !! 1 !! 6 !! 0 !! 409 !! 42 !! 0 !! 6.16 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! — !! — !! — !! — |}

==Awards and achievements== * PCHA First All-Star Team in 1917. * PCHA Second All-Star Team in 1918. * Installed into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame June 11, 1983.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{icehockeystats|legends=18514}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, Hec}} Category:1892 births Category:1987 deaths Category:Boston Bruins players Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey people in the United States Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Category:Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Category:Canadian military personnel of World War I Category:Edmonton Eskimos (ice hockey) players Category:Ice hockey people from Saskatoon Category:Seattle Metropolitans players Category:Spokane Canaries players Category:Victoria Aristocrats players Category:Victoria Cougars (1911–1926) players Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen

<ref>https://sasksportshalloffame.com/inductees/norman-heck-fowle/</ref>