Andy Brown
's nickname was "Fearless." It was well-earned.
Brown turned pro in 1965 and for the next dozen years guarded his crease without wearing a mask. From 1971-72 through 1973-74, he had two stints each with the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
His barefaced courage overshadowed his statistics. He played 62 NHL games, going 22-26 with nine ties and a 3.79 goals-against average. He also set the NHL single-season penalty minutes record for goalies with 60 in 1973-74, a total that's still seventh in League history.
Brown's final NHL game, the last in League history to feature a barefaced goalie, came when he and the
Penguins lost 6-3 to the Atlanta Flames
on April 7, 1974. After that, he played three seasons (all without a mask) for Indianapolis of the World Hockey Association before retiring for good.
Perhaps appropriately for a guy nicknamed "Fearless," Brown followed his hockey career by becoming a race car driver before and then a horse breeder.