1963 Stanley Cup Finals

1963 Stanley Cup Finals
Teams 1 2 3 4 5 Games Detroit Red Wings  2 2 3 2 1 1 Toronto Maple Leafs  4 4 2 4 3 4
Location: Toronto, ON (Maple Leaf Gardens) (1,2,5) Detroit, MI (Detroit Olympia) (3,4) Format: Best-of-seven Coaches: Detroit: Sid Abel Toronto: Punch Imlach Captains: Detroit: Alex Delvecchio Toronto: George Armstrong Dates: April 9 to April 18, 1963 Series-winning goal: Eddie Shack (13:28, third, G6)
< 1962 Stanley Cup Finals 1964 >

The 1963 Stanley Cup Final was contested by the defending champion Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. The Maple Leafs would win the best-of-seven series four games to one to win the Stanley Cup, their second straight NHL championship.

Paths to the Final

Toronto defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4–1 to advance to the finals and Detroit defeated the Chicago Black Hawks 4–2

The series

Johnny Bower limited the Wings to 10 goals in the five games, and five different Leafs had multiple-goal games: Duff, Nevin, Stewart, Kelly and Keon.

The Leafs had finished first in the regular season, and were installed as 13–5 favourites by oddsmakers.

Game one

In the first 68 seconds, Dick Duff scored twice on Detroit's Terry Sawchuk, the fastest two goals to start a game in Stanley Cup history. The Leafs would suffer a second-period letdown but would win 4–2 to take the lead in the series. Because of the second period letdown, Punch Imlach would put the team through a morning practice the next morning.

April 9

Detroit Red Wings

2–4 0 – 3, 2 – 0, 0 – 1

Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leaf Gardens Attendance: 13,848

Game reference
	Terry Sawchuk	Goalies	Johnny Bower	Referee: Frank Udvari Linesmen: Matt Pavelich Ron Wicks
	Larry Jeffrey 2 (Norm Ullman, Floyd Smith) – 5:36 Larry Jeffrey 3 (Gordie Howe, Norm Ullman) (PP) – 8:05	0 – 1 0 – 2 0 – 3 1 – 3 2 – 3 2 – 4	:49 – Dick Duff 3 (Dave Keon, Allan Stanley) 1:48 – Dick Duff 4 (Tim Horton, Allan Stanley) 14:42 – Bob Nevin 1 (SH) 5:08 – Bob Nevin 2 (Bob Pulford, Eddie Shack)
	23	Shots	30

Game two

The Leafs would again win 4–2 and would again have to have a morning after workout assigned by Imlach.

Game three

The series now moved to Detroit. The team was sequestered out of town in a Toledo, Ohio hotel. The Red Wings, led by rookie centre Alex Faulkner's two goals, including the winner, captured the game 3–2. It was his third game-winning goal and all had been scored on Sundays. Faulkner was a native of Newfoundland and Howie Meeker, excaimed that there would be "dancing in the streets tonight".

Game four

The Leafs felt that they had let game three slip away due to overconfidence and were determined to not repeat the mistake in game four. The game was close, and was tied 2–2 until with ten minutes to go Dave Keon scored. Red Kelly added another to make the score 4–2. On the way to the dressing room the Leafs' players were pelted with paper cups, programs and food containers.

Game five

Back in Toronto, the Red Wings kept the score close. After Keon scored a short-handed goal, Marcel Pronovost scored for Detroit to tie the game. The game and series winner was scored by Eddie Shack with seven minutes to go on a deflection. Shack had scored the goal unintentionally as he later admitted. Keon then scored another short-handed goal to put the game out of reach for Detroit.

The Leafs celebrated their second consecutive Stanley Cup by throwing Imlach, Harold Ballard and Stafford Smythe into the showers fully clothed. The team was given a victory parade along Bay Street with a reception at Toronto City Hall.

Date	Visitors	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 9	Detroit	2	Toronto	4
April 11	Detroit	2	Toronto	4
April 14	Toronto	2	Detroit	3
April 16	Toronto	4	Detroit	2
April 18	Detroit	1	Toronto	3

Toronto wins 1963 Stanley Cup four games to one

Toronto Maple Leafs 1963 Stanley Cup Champions

Roster

  Centres

• 4 Leonard Red Kelly
• 10 George Armstrong (Captain)
• 14 Dave Keon
• 12 Ron Stewart
• 15 Billy Harris

  Wingers

• 8 John MacMillan
• 9 Dick Duff(A)
• 11 Bob Nevin
• 20 Bob Pulford
• 23 Eddie Shack
• 25 Ed Litzenberger
• 27 Frank Mahovlich

  Defencemen

• 2 Carl Brewer
• 7 Miles Tim Horton
• 21 Bob Baun
• 16 Larry Hillman*
• 19 Kent Douglas
• 26 Allan Stanley(A)

  Goaltenders

• 1 Johnny Bower
• 1 Don Simmons

  Coaching and administrative staff

• Stafford Smythe (President/Owner), Harold Ballard (Exe. Vice President/Owner)
• John Bassett (Chairman/Owner)
• George Punch Imlach (Manager-Coach), Frank King Clancy (Asst. Manager-Coach)
• Bob Haggart (Trainer)
• Tom Nayler (Asst. Trainer), Hugh Holton (Stick Boy/Asst. Trainer)

Stanley Cup engraving

• *Larry Hillman played only 5 regular-season games, and spent most of the year in the minors. His name was still engraved on the Stanley Cup.
• Toronto Maple Leafs was engraved as the TORONTO MAPLE LEAES, with an "E" instead of an "F". This mistake was corrected on the Replica Cup.
• John MacMillan was engraved as C. MacMILLAN, but his first name starts with a "J". MacMillan name was not corrected on the Replica Cup created in 1992–93.
• Bob Davidson (Chief Scout), Dr. Karl Elieff (Physiotherapist), Dr. Jame Murphy, Dr. Hugh Smythe (Team Doctors) - left off

See also

• 1962–63 NHL season

References

Preceded by Toronto Maple Leafs 1962

Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Champions 1963

Succeeded by Toronto Maple Leafs 1964