Abie Goldberg Had Box of Matches in His Pocket

Published on August 13rd, 2024 2:41 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


A bizarre but true story that was reported in February of 1930 by multiple news agencies (including the Canadian Press and Reuters) detailed the time that a young goaltender was set on fire during a junior hockey game.

Abie Goldberg (sometimes reported as Abie Goldberry) was playing goal in a Quebec junior game.

For a reason known only to him, Goldberg, who was still a teenager, had a number of items in the pocket of his pants that he was wearing underneath his goaltender pads.

This included a comb as well as a box of matches.

A member from the opposing team fired a blistering slap slot at Goldberg, which he stopped.

The problem?

The puck rubbed against the box of matches in Goldberg's pocket, and he was soon on fire.

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The players in the game, as well as the referees and coaches, were flabbergasted at what they saw.

Was somebody actually on fire during a hockey game?

Goldberg was stunned by what was happening, and didn't immediately know what to do. The flames quickly spread on Goldberg's pads and uniform.

Eventually, Goldberg rushed to his bench where he was doused by water until the fire was put out.

By this point, the damage had been done - according to news reports, the situation left Goldberg "badly burned".

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Goldberg was just a young kid at the time, so you can probably forgive him for doing something as stupid as keeping matches in his pocket while playing in a junior hockey game.

Goldberg remains the only person (as far as we know) to ever be set ablaze during a hockey game.