1945–46 NHL season
| 1945–46 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 24, 1945 – April 9, 1946 |
| Number of games | 50 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champion | Montreal Canadiens |
| Season MVP | Max Bentley (Chicago Black Hawks) |
| Top scorer | Max Bentley (Chicago Black Hawks) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Runners-up | Boston Bruins |
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.
Contents
League business
Synchronized red lights to signal goals were made obligatory for all NHL rinks.
It was rumoured in the press that Lester Patrick planned to retire as general manager of the New York Rangers. On February 22, 1946, he announced his retirement from the general manager position, however he would stay on as vice president of Madison Square Garden.
Regular season
Veterans came back to their teams this year, as World War II ended, but many found they could not regain their form. One who did regain his form was the man formerly known as "Mr. Zero"—Boston Bruins' goaltender Frank Brimsek. He was shelled in an 8–3 contest with Chicago, but got better game by game. The Bruins had first place at one point, then finished second. Brimsek made the Second All-Star Team as a result.
Max Bentley of Chicago led the league in scoring, and, because of the "Pony Line" including him, his brother Doug and Bill Mosienko, the Black Hawks were in first place at one point. But misfortune hit the Hawks when Doug Bentley injured his knee in a January 23 game and the team sagged.
Frank Patrick, former Pacific Coast Hockey Association president and former managing director for the NHL, suffered a heart attack and was not released from the hospital for several weeks.
A bombshell exploded on January 30, 1946, when defenceman Babe Pratt was expelled from the NHL for betting on games. However, he only bet on his own team and appealed his expulsion. On his promise he would not bet on any more games, he was reinstated. Pratt missed 9 games during his suspension.
Maple Leaf Gaye Stewart led the league in goals with 37, but Toronto finished fifth and missed the playoffs for the first time since playing at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Bill Durnan equalled George Hainsworth's record of three consecutive Vezina Trophies and led the league in shutouts with 4.
Final standings
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 28 | 17 | 5 | 172 | 134 | +38 | 61 |
| 2 | Boston Bruins | 50 | 24 | 18 | 8 | 167 | 156 | +11 | 56 |
| 3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 50 | 23 | 20 | 7 | 200 | 178 | +22 | 53 |
| 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 50 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 146 | 159 | −13 | 50 |
| 5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 50 | 19 | 24 | 7 | 174 | 185 | −11 | 45 |
| 6 | New York Rangers | 50 | 13 | 28 | 9 | 144 | 191 | −47 | 35 |
Playoffs
Playoff bracket
| Semi-finals | Stanley Cup Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | |||||||
| 3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | |||||||
| 2 | Boston Bruins | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Boston Bruins | 4 | |||||||
| 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 1 | |||||||
Montreal vs. Chicago
| March 19 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–6 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Mike Karakas (28 saves) | Goalie stats | Bill Durnan (16 saves) | ||||||
| March 21 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–5 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Mike Karakas (30 saves) | Goalie stats | Bill Durnan (24 saves) | ||||||
| March 24 | Montreal Canadiens | 8–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| Bill Durnan | Goalie stats | Mike Karakas | ||||||
| March 26 | Montreal Canadiens | 7–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| Bill Durnan | Goalie stats | Mike Karakas | ||||||
| Montreal wins 4–0 | |
Awards
The NHL changed the criteria for the Vezina Trophy to award it to the goaltender who plays the most games for the team which gives up the least goals in the season.
| O'Brien Cup: (Playoff runner-up) |
Boston Bruins |
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (Regular season champion) |
Montreal Canadiens |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: (Best first-year player) |
Edgar Laprade, New York Rangers |
| Hart Trophy: (Most valuable player) |
Max Bentley, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Lady Byng Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) |
Toe Blake, Montreal Canadiens |
| Vezina Trophy: (Goaltender of team with lowest GAA) |
Bill Durnan, Montreal Canadiens |
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Bentley | Chicago Black Hawks | 47 | 31 | 30 | 61 | 6 |
| Gaye Stewart | Toronto Maple Leafs | 50 | 37 | 15 | 52 | 8 |
| Toe Blake | Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 29 | 21 | 50 | 2 |
| Clint Smith | Chicago Black Hawks | 50 | 26 | 24 | 50 | 2 |
| Bill Mosienko | Chicago Black Hawks | 40 | 18 | 30 | 48 | 12 |
| Maurice Richard | Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 27 | 21 | 48 | 50 |
| Ab DeMarco | New York Rangers | 50 | 20 | 27 | 47 | 20 |
| Elmer Lach | Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 13 | 34 | 47 | 34 |
| Alex Kaleta | Chicago Black Hawks | 49 | 19 | 27 | 46 | 17 |
| Billy Taylor | Toronto Maple Leafs | 48 | 23 | 18 | 41 | 14 |
Source: NHL[2]
Leading goaltenders
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 | 40 | 2400 | 104 | 2.60 | 24 | 11 | 5 | 4 |
| Harry Lumley | Detroit Red Wings | 50 | 3000 | 159 | 3.18 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 2 |
| Frank Brimsek | Boston Bruins | 34 | 2040 | 111 | 3.26 | 16 | 14 | 4 | 2 |
| Mike Karakas | Chicago Black Hawks | 48 | 2880 | 166 | 3.46 | 22 | 19 | 7 | 1 |
| Turk Broda | Toronto Maple Leafs | 15 | 900 | 53 | 3.53 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Frank McCool | Toronto Maple Leafs | 22 | 1320 | 81 | 3.68 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Chuck Rayner | New York Rangers | 40 | 2377 | 149 | 3.76 | 12 | 21 | 7 | 1 |
| Jim Henry | New York Rangers | 11 | 623 | 42 | 4.04 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1945–46 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Leo Reise, Chicago Black Hawks
- George Gee, Chicago Black Hawks
- Jimmy Peters, Montreal Canadiens
- Cal Gardner, New York Rangers
- Edgar Laprade, New York Rangers
- Tony Leswick, New York Rangers
- Jimmy Thomson, Toronto Maple Leafs
Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1945–46 (listed with their last team):
- Herb Cain, Boston Bruins
- Mike Karakas, Chicago Black Hawks
- Carl Liscombe, Detroit Red Wings
- Earl Seibert, Detroit Red Wings
- Flash Hollett, Detroit Red Wings
- Mud Bruneteau, Detroit Red Wings
- Syd Howe, Detroit Red Wings
- Ott Heller, New York Rangers
- Lynn Patrick, New York Rangers
- Frank McCool, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Bob Davidson, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Sweeney Schriner, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Lorne Carr, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Mel Hill, Toronto Maple Leafs
See also
References
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Notes
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Dinger 2011, p. 148.
