The Hall of Fame Legacy of Fred "The Fox" Thurier

Jan 28, 2020

Like many other kids across Northeast Ohio, Greg Thurier used to attend Cleveland Barons games with his father growing up, but his experience was a bit more unique. To Greg, the guy he was with was just his dad, but to the people of Cleveland he was Fred “The Fox” Thurier, the former Cleveland Barons legend that helped the team claim multiple Calder Cups.

 

“When I used to go down to the games, people who knew hockey used to ask me, ‘any relations to Fred the Fox?’ or if I was his kid,” said Greg. “My father retired from the Barons in 1952 but he was a [on-ice official] from 1953 to 1964, so I did see him out on the ice skating with the people he used to play with.”

 

Fred “The Fox” Thurier played with the Cleveland Barons for seven seasons at the end of his extensive career that began in 1937 and featured stops in the National Hockey League, American Hockey League and International-American Hockey League.

 

After helping the Barons to a fourth Calder Cup Championship in 1948, Fred continued to leave his mark on the AHL record book cumulating with the final game of the 1950-51 regular season when he scored his 300th goal and 700th career point. After helping the Barons to their fifth Calder Cup in the postseason that followed, Fred played one more season before retiring in 1952.

 

Fred retired as one of the best professional hockey players of his era posting 319 goals, 425 assists and 744 points over 642 career games played in the AHL. Though the last game he played in was over 65 years ago, the Granby, Quebec, native can still be found among the all-time leaders in the AHL record book for points (21st), goals (15th) and assists (25th).

 

“I was very proud of my dad... [Growing up] I did not really know how famous he was in the hockey world,” said Greg. “He took a lot of pride in his game, but he did not brag a lot to us about it. [Listening to people talk to him] I heard a lot of stuff I did not know about, but I learned more and more every time he talked to someone.”

 

Fred passed away at the age of 82 in 1999, but his legacy lives on both in Cleveland and across the hockey world. Greg received a first-hand look at the legacy his father left behind along with his wife, Mary, and daughter, Jacqui, when they traveled to the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic and represented Fred for his induction into the AHL Hall of Fame.

 

“It is such an honor to be able to see my father inducted into the Hall of Fame,” said Greg. “He lived and breathed hockey… he started playing as young child on the ice ponds in Quebec and did not speak any English until he was 20 years old. He loved to talk about [his hockey life] and really enjoyed it all very much… What a legacy this has all become.”