He played amateur hockey before joining the NHL, winning the Allan Cup in 1930 with the Montreal AAA senior men's team.[2][3]
Kerr was most notable for his time with the New York Rangers. His four shutouts in a single playoff season in 1937 is a Rangers record (since tied by Mike Richter). In 1937-38, Kerr was selected to the NHL second All-Star team. Kerr won a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1939-40. That year, he won the Vezina Trophy for a Rangers team that led the league in goals allowed, and had a 19-game unbeaten streak (14-0-5). He was also selected to the NHL first All-Star team that year. As a Ranger, he only missed one game between 1934 and 1941, and started every game for five straight seasons (1936-1941).[4]
Kerr also was the NHL season leader in most games played by a goaltender (1936–37, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1939–40, and 1940–41), most shutouts (1937–38 and 1939–40), most playoff games played by a goaltender, most playoff minutes played by a goaltender, most playoff wins, most playoff shutouts, and lowest playoff goals-against average (all 1937 and 1940).[4]
Kerr was the second hockey player on the cover of Time magazine, doing so on the March 14, 1938 edition.[5]
In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Kerr at No. 19 all-time of the roughly 900 New York Rangers who had played during the first 83 seasons (1926–27 to 2008–09) of the franchise‘s existence.[6]
^Kreiser, John; Friedman, Lou (1996). The New York Rangers: Broadway's Longest Running Hit. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing, Inc. ISBN978-1-58261-080-1.