Cesare Maniago
A pioneering goaltender who became the face of the Minnesota North Stars franchise, guarding their net for a decade with a distinctive stand-up style.
Born 1939 (age 87)·Canadian ice hockey player·Birthday: January 13·The Silent Generation
Biography
Cesare Maniago carved out a significant NHL career through resilience and a classic, upright goaltending technique that defied the era's trend toward the butterfly. A Vancouver native, he broke into the league with the Toronto Maple Leafs but found his true home when the Minnesota North Stars selected him in the 1967 expansion draft. In the land of 10,000 lakes, Maniago became a fixture, playing more games in goal for the North Stars than all but one other netminder in team history. His tenure spanned the club's rise to contender status, including their trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1981. Standing tall in his crease with his trademark chest protector, he was a calming influence for a defensively-minded team. While he never won a Vezina Trophy, his consistency and durability made him a beloved figure in Minnesota hockey. After his playing days, he remained connected to the game in his home province of British Columbia, his career a testament to the lasting impact an expansion-era goalie could have on a new franchise and its fans.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Cesare was born in 1939, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cesare Was Born
The biggest hits of 1939
#1 Movie
Gone with the Wind
Best Picture
Gone with the Wind
Cesare's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1939Born
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1944Started school
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1952Became a teenager
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Could drive
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1957Could vote
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Turned 21
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1969Turned 30
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 40
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 50
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 60
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 70
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 80
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 87 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played 410 regular season games for the Minnesota North Stars, the second-most by any goaltender in franchise history.
- Backstopped the Minnesota North Stars to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1981.
- Recorded 30 shutouts over his 15-season NHL career.
- Was the first goaltender in NHL history to be credited with a goal, though it was an opposing team's own goal credited to him in 1979.
Did You Know?
He is of Italian descent, and his first name, Cesare, is the Italian form of Caesar.
He was famously scored on by Bobby Orr during Orr's iconic flying Stanley Cup-winning goal in 1970, while Maniago was playing for the St. Louis Blues.
He played junior hockey for the St. Catharines Teepees, a team once coached by Hall of Famer Turk Broda.
After retirement, he worked for many years in the wine and spirits distribution business in British Columbia.
“I stood up in the net because that's how you stopped the puck then.”
