1944–45 NHL season | |
---|---|
League | National Hockey League |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Duration | October 28, 1944 – April 22, 1945 |
Number of games | 50 |
Number of teams | 6 |
Regular season | |
Season champion | Montreal Canadiens |
Season MVP | Elmer Lach (Canadiens) |
Top scorer | Elmer Lach (Canadiens) |
Stanley Cup | |
Champions | Toronto Maple Leafs |
Runners-up | Detroit Red Wings |
The 1944–45 NHL season was the 28th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 50 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in seven games versus the Detroit Red Wings.
In October 1944, Lester Patrick sponsored W. G. Hardy to become NHL president, replacing Red Dutton who wanted to step down. Patrick credited Hardy for being largely responsible for the current professional-amateur agreement between the NHL and the amateur associations in the International Ice Hockey Association, and said he was "temperamentally suited and has an excellent record as an executive of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association". [1]
It was the year of the "Punch Line" as Rocket Richard scored 50 goals in 50 games, breaking Joe Malone's record of 44 goals, and when Richard scored his 45th, Malone was on hand to present him with the record-breaking puck. Richard had a five-goal, three-assist night against Detroit at the Montreal Forum on December 28, 1944. His centreman, Elmer Lach, though, won the scoring race with 26 goals and 80 points. Toe Blake finished third with 29 goals, 38 assists, and for the second time, an entire line finished first, second, third scoring. The previous time had been in 1939–40, when the Boston Bruins' Kraut Line of Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart accomplished the feat. Schmidt finished with 52 points in 48 games that year, and Bauer and Dumart 43 apiece.
Montreal dared not loan Paul Bibeault to Toronto again with his fine year the previous season and loaned him instead to Boston. But the Maple Leafs came up with a fine rookie named Frank McCool who won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie. For the first time, a team produced three consecutive top rookies. McCool and Chicago netminder Mike Karakas tied for the league lead in shutouts with four each.
Bill Durnan won his second consecutive Vezina Trophy with Montreal. Flash Hollett became the first defenceman to score twenty goals in one season. [2] The record would stand until Bobby Orr broke it several decades later.
A major trade that occurred this year was Chicago trading their great defenceman Earl Seibert to Detroit for Don Grosso, Cully Simon and Byron "Butch" McDonald. After team owner Frederic McLaughlin died, it was just a matter of time before Bill Tobin would trade Seibert, as the two did not get along.
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 38 | 8 | 4 | 228 | 121 | +107 | 80 |
2 | Detroit Red Wings | 50 | 31 | 14 | 5 | 218 | 161 | +57 | 67 |
3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 50 | 24 | 22 | 4 | 183 | 161 | +22 | 52 |
4 | Boston Bruins | 50 | 16 | 30 | 4 | 179 | 219 | −40 | 36 |
5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 50 | 13 | 30 | 7 | 141 | 194 | −53 | 33 |
6 | New York Rangers | 50 | 11 | 29 | 10 | 154 | 247 | −93 | 32 |
Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||
1 | Montreal | 2 | |||||||
3 | Toronto | 4 | |||||||
3 | Toronto | 4 | |||||||
2 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||
2 | Detroit | 4 | |||||||
4 | Boston | 3 |
The Montreal Canadiens finished first in the league with 80 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished third with 52 points. This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams with Montreal winning the two of the three previous series. They last met in previous year's Stanley Cup Semifinals where the Canadiens won in five games. Toronto won this season's ten-game regular-season series earning eleven of twenty points.
March 20 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–0 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
Ted Kennedy (1) – 19:38 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Frank McCool | Goalie stats | Bill Durnan |
March 22 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–2 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
Ted Kennedy (2) – pp – 04:07 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
Lorne Carr (1) – 10:58 Nick Metz (1) – 15:37 | Second period | 08:15 – pp – Butch Bouchard (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 17:21 – pp – Elmer Lach (1) | ||||||
Frank McCool | Goalie stats | Bill Durnan |
March 24 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
Elmer Lach (2) – 11:14 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
Bob Fillion (1) – sh – 07:58 Dutch Hiller (1) – 11:14 Murph Chamberlain (1) – 18:55 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 09:02 – pp – Bob Davidson (1) | ||||||
Bill Durnan | Goalie stats | Frank McCool |
March 27 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–4 | OT | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | ||
Elmer Lach (3) – 00:23 Maurice Richard (1) – 02:13 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 02:34 – Mel Hill (1) 16:15 – Sweeney Schriner (1) | ||||||
Bob Fillion (2) – pp – 03:47 | Third period | 09:15 – Babe Pratt (1) | ||||||
No scoring | First overtime period | 12:36 – Gus Bodnar (1) | ||||||
Bill Durnan | Goalie stats | Frank McCool |
March 29 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–10 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
Lorne Carr (2) – pp – 07:37 Ted Kennedy (3) – pp – 08:10 | First period | 00:40 – Leo Lamoureux (1) 03:08 – sh – Butch Bouchard (2) 06:02 – Eddie Emberg (1) | ||||||
Moe Morris (1) – 12:16 | Second period | 06:36 – Glen Harmon (1) 13:25 – Maurice Richard (2) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 01:10 – Maurice Richard (3) 01:35 – Elmer Lach (4) 10:48 – Maurice Richard (4) 15:03 – Maurice Richard (5) 19:06 – Bob Fillion (3) | ||||||
Frank McCool | Goalie stats | Bill Durnan |
March 31 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
Maurice Richard (6) – 18:38 | First period | 13:59 – Moe Morris (2) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 07:11 – Sweeney Schriner (2) | ||||||
Butch Bouchard (3) – 15:26 | Third period | 01:53 – Gus Bodnar (2) | ||||||
Bill Durnan | Goalie stats | Frank McCool |
Toronto won series 4–2 | |
The Detroit Red Wings finished second in the league with 67 points. The Boston Bruins finished fourth with 36 points. This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams with Detroit winning the two of the three previous series. They last met in the 1943 Stanley Cup Finals where the Red Wings won in four games. Detroit won this season's ten-game regular-season series earning nineteen of twenty points.
March 20 | Boston Bruins | 4–3 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
Bill Cowley (1) – 06:20 Bill Cupolo (1) – 10:07 Herb Cain (1) – 14:04 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
Jack McGill (1) – 07:22 | Third period | 04:04 – Earl Seibert (1) 09:05 – Joe Carveth (1) 19:04 – Eddie Bruneteau (1) | ||||||
Paul Bibeault | Goalie stats | Harry Lumley |
March 22 | Boston Bruins | 4–2 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
Jack McGill (2) – 02:46 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
Ken Smith (1) – 10:03 Jean-Paul Gladu (1) – 10:18 | Second period | 08:25 – Harold Jackson (1) | ||||||
Pat Egan (1) – 17:05 | Third period | 12:48 – Eddie Bruneteau (2) | ||||||
Paul Bibeault | Goalie stats | Harry Lumley |
March 24 | Detroit Red Wings | 3–2 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
Ted Lindsay (1) – 18:54 Murray Armstrong (1) – 19:35 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 16:05 – Pat Egan (2) | ||||||
Mud Bruneteau (1) – 15:48 | Third period | 17:57 – Gino Rozzini (1) | ||||||
Harry Lumley | Goalie stats | Paul Bibeault |
March 27 | Detroit Red Wings | 3–2 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
Earl Seibert (2) – 17:21 | First period | 08:31 – Ken Smith (2) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 14:38 – Herb Cain (2) | ||||||
Joe Carveth (2) – 05:10 Murray Armstrong (2) – 17:15 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Harry Lumley | Goalie stats | Paul Bibeault |
March 29 | Boston Bruins | 2–3 | OT | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | ||
Herb Cain (3) – 11:52 | First period | 02:51 – Mud Bruneteau (2) 11:41 – Flash Hollett (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
Bill Jennings (1) – pp – 17:00 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | First overtime period | 17:12 – Mud Bruneteau (3) | ||||||
Paul Bibeault | Goalie stats | Harry Lumley |
April 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 3–5 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
Jud McAtee (1) – 00:45 | First period | 12:54 – Bill Cowley (2) | ||||||
Joe Carveth (3) – 03:24 Jud McAtee (2) – 17:12 | Second period | 06:24 – Bill Jennings (2) 07:33 – pp – Herb Cain (4) 10:38 – Jean-Paul Gladu (2) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 09:25 – Bill Cowley (3) | ||||||
Harry Lumley | Goalie stats | Paul Bibeault |
April 3 | Boston Bruins | 3–5 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
Jack McGill (3) – 19:15 | First period | 08:20 – pp – Carl Liscombe (1) | ||||||
Herb Cain (5) – 08:50 Ken Smith (3) – 19:39 | Second period | 03:51 – Carl Liscombe (2) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 02:01 – Eddie Bruneteau (3) 04:09 – Carl Liscombe (3) 19:54 – Carl Liscombe (4) | ||||||
Paul Bibeault | Goalie stats | Harry Lumley |
Detroit won series 4–3 | |
This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams with Toronto winning four of the seven previous series. They last met in the 1943 Stanley Cup Semifinals where Detroit won in six games. Detroit won this season's ten-game regular-season series earning seventeen of twenty points.
April 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–0 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
Sweeney Schriner (3) – 13:56 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Frank McCool | Goalie stats | Harry Lumley |
April 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–0 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
Ted Kennedy (4) – 13:05 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
Moe Morris (3) – 12:03 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Frank McCool | Goalie stats | Harry Lumley |
April 12 | Detroit Red Wings | 0–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 03:02 – Gus Bodnar (3) | ||||||
Harry Lumley | Goalie stats | Frank McCool |
April 14 | Detroit Red Wings | 5–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
Flash Hollett (2) – pp – 08:35 | First period | 09:19 – Ted Kennedy (5) 11:44 – pp – Ted Kennedy (6) | ||||||
Murray Armstrong (3) – 09:20 | Second period | 10:20 – Ted Kennedy (7) | ||||||
Eddie Bruneteau (4) – sh – 01:11 Ted Lindsay (2) – 03:20 Joe Carveth (4) – 17:38 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Harry Lumley | Goalie stats | Frank McCool |
April 19 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0–2 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 08:21 – Flash Hollett (3) 16:16 – Joe Carveth (5) | ||||||
Frank McCool | Goalie stats | Harry Lumley |
April 21 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–0 | OT | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | ||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Eddie Bruneteau (5) – 14:16 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
Harry Lumley | Goalie stats | Frank McCool |
April 22 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–1 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
Mel Hill (2) – 05:38 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
Babe Pratt (2) – pp – 12:14 | Third period | 08:16 – Murray Armstrong (4) | ||||||
Frank McCool | Goalie stats | Harry Lumley |
Toronto won series 4–3 | |
O'Brien Cup: (Stanley Cup runner-up) | Detroit Red Wings |
Prince of Wales Trophy: (Regular season champion) | Montreal Canadiens |
Calder Memorial Trophy: (Best first-year player) | Frank McCool, Toronto Maple Leafs |
Hart Trophy: (Most valuable player) | Elmer Lach, Montreal Canadiens |
Lady Byng Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) | Bill Mosienko, Chicago Black Hawks |
Vezina Trophy: (Fewest goals allowed) | Bill Durnan, Montreal Canadiens |
First team | Position | Second team |
---|---|---|
Bill Durnan, Montreal Canadiens | G | Mike Karakas, Chicago Black Hawks |
Émile Bouchard, Montreal Canadiens | D | Glen Harmon, Montreal Canadiens |
Flash Hollett, Detroit Red Wings | D | Babe Pratt, Toronto Maple Leafs |
Elmer Lach, Montreal Canadiens | C | Bill Cowley, Boston Bruins |
Maurice Richard, Montreal Canadiens | RW | Bill Mosienko, Chicago Black Hawks |
Toe Blake, Montreal Canadiens | LW | Syd Howe, Detroit Red Wings |
Dick Irvin, Montreal Canadiens | Coach | Jack Adams, Detroit Red Wings |
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elmer Lach | Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 26 | 54 | 80 | 37 |
Maurice Richard | Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 50 | 23 | 73 | 46 |
Toe Blake | Montreal Canadiens | 49 | 29 | 38 | 67 | 35 |
Bill Cowley | Boston Bruins | 49 | 25 | 40 | 65 | 12 |
Ted Kennedy | Toronto Maple Leafs | 49 | 29 | 25 | 54 | 14 |
Bill Mosienko | Chicago Black Hawks | 50 | 28 | 26 | 54 | 0 |
Joe Carveth | Detroit Red Wings | 50 | 26 | 28 | 54 | 6 |
Ab DeMarco | New York Rangers | 50 | 24 | 30 | 54 | 10 |
Clint Smith | Chicago Black Hawks | 50 | 23 | 31 | 54 | 0 |
Syd Howe | Detroit Red Wings | 46 | 17 | 36 | 53 | 6 |
Source: NHL [4]
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts
Player | Team | GP | MIN | GA | GAA | W | L | T | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bill Durnan | Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 3000 | 121 | 2.42 | 38 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
Frank McCool | Toronto Maple Leafs | 50 | 3000 | 161 | 3.22 | 24 | 22 | 4 | 4 |
Harry Lumley | Detroit Red Wings | 37 | 2220 | 119 | 3.22 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
Connie Dion | Detroit Red Wings | 12 | 720 | 39 | 3.25 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Mike Karakas | Chicago Black Hawks | 48 | 2880 | 187 | 3.90 | 12 | 29 | 7 | 4 |
Harvey Bennett | Boston Bruins | 24 | 1470 | 103 | 4.20 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
Paul Bibeault | Boston Bruins | 26 | 1530 | 116 | 4.55 | 6 | 18 | 2 | 0 |
Ken McAuley | New York Rangers | 46 | 2760 | 227 | 4.93 | 11 | 25 | 10 | 1 |
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1944–45 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1944–45 (listed with their last team):
The 1947–48 NHL season was the 31st season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 60 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs were the Stanley Cup winners. They defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to none. This season saw the introduction of a new trophy – Art Ross Trophy – that would be handed out to the player who scored the most points during the regular season.
The 1939–40 NHL season was the 23rd season for the National Hockey League. Of the league's seven teams, the Boston Bruins were the best in the 48-game regular season, but the Stanley Cup winners were the New York Rangers, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the best-of-seven final series 4–2 for their third Stanley Cup in 14 seasons of existence. It would be another 54 years before their fourth.
The 1945–46 NHL season was the 29th season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Boston Bruins for the team's sixth championship.
The 1946–47 NHL season was the 30th season of the National Hockey League. The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens in the 1947 Stanley Cup Finals to win their sixth Stanley Cup championship.
The 1932–33 NHL season was the 16th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nine teams each played 48 games. The Ottawa Senators rejoined the league after missing one season, while the Detroit team was renamed the Detroit Red Wings. The New York Rangers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs three games to one for the Stanley Cup.
The 1963–64 NHL season was the 47th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 70 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs won their third consecutive Stanley Cup by defeating the Detroit Red Wings four games to three in the final series.
The 1954–55 NHL season was the 38th season of the National Hockey League. The Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup champions as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens four games to three in the best-of-seven final series. The Canadiens were without star forward Maurice 'Rocket' Richard who had been suspended for the playoffs, a suspension which led to the March 17, 1955 "Richard Riot" in Montreal.
The 1958–59 NHL season was the 42nd season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 70 games. The Montreal Canadiens were the Stanley Cup champions as they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to one in the best-of-seven final series. This marked the fourth consecutive Stanley Cup win for the Canadiens as they became the first team to win four in a row.
The 1929–30 NHL season was the 13th season of the National Hockey League. Ten teams played 44 games each. The Montreal Canadiens upset the heavily favoured Boston Bruins two games to none in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The 1930–31 NHL season was the 14th season of the National Hockey League. Ten teams played 44 games each. The Pittsburgh Pirates moved to Philadelphia and became the Philadelphia Quakers, while the Detroit team was renamed the Detroit Falcons. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Black Hawks three games to two in the best-of-five Stanley Cup Finals for their second consecutive Stanley Cup victory.
The 1935–36 NHL season was the 19th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). The St. Louis Eagles dropped out of the league, leaving eight teams. The Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs three games to one in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The 1936–37 NHL season was the 20th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eight teams each played 48 games. The Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the New York Rangers three games to two in the final series.
The 1938–39 NHL season was the 22nd season of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Montreal Maroons suspended operations prior to the season. With seven teams left playing 48 games, the league reverted back to a one division format. The Boston Bruins were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to one in the final series.
The 1968–69 NHL season was the 52nd season of the National Hockey League. Twelve teams each played 76 games. For the second time in a row, the Montreal Canadiens faced the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Finals. Montreal won their second consecutive Stanley Cup as they swept the Blues in four, an identical result to the previous season.
The 1972–73 NHL season was the 56th season of the National Hockey League. Sixteen teams each played 78 games. Two new teams, the New York Islanders and the Atlanta Flames, made their debuts. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup by beating the Chicago Black Hawks four games to two in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The 1971–72 NHL season was the 55th season of the National Hockey League. Fourteen teams each played 78 games. The Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers four games to two for their second Stanley Cup in three seasons in the finals.
The 1973–74 NHL season was the 57th season of the National Hockey League. The Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup championship, the team's first. The team was the first of the post-1967 teams to win the Cup.
The 1937–38 Chicago Black Hawks season was the team's 12th season in the NHL. They were attempting to bounce off a horrible 1936–37 season, in which the club failed to qualify for the playoffs. In the off-season, the team would replace head coach Clem Loughlin with Bill Stewart. The Black Hawks would struggle again in 1937–38, finishing with 37 points with a 14–25–9 record, but managed to earn a playoff spot by finishing two points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings and clinch third place in the American Division. They would score an NHL low 97 goals, while giving up the 2nd most goals in the league at 139. The Hawks were a .500 team at home with a 10–10–4 record, but would only have a record of 4–15–5 on the road.
The 1961 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1960–61 season, and the culmination of the 1961 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Black Hawks. Chicago was making its first Finals appearance since 1944, and Detroit its first appearance since 1956; both had lost to the Montreal Canadiens in those previous appearances. The Black Hawks won the best-of-seven series, four games to two, to win their third Stanley Cup, their first since 1938. This was the last time Chicago won the Cup until 2010, a 49-year drought.
The 1964–65 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' 39th season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a second-place finish in 1963–64, as Chicago won a team record 36 games and also set a club record with 84 points. The Hawks would defeat the Detroit Red Wings in 7 games in the NHL semi finals, but would fall to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Finals in another hard fought 7-game series.