Game 010
Arenas 5, Canadiens 3
Saturday, March 2, 1918
Arena Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
Although the Canadiens were without the services of Malone and Pitre, their two star forwards, they had a difficult task to allow Toronto to win their National Hockey League fixture by 5 to 3 at the Arena Saturday night.
The Blue Shirts started out as if they intended playing “regular” hockey, and in the first few minutes of play, tallied twice. Before the period ended, however, the visitors scored three goals, and were playing the local team off their feet.
Toronto scored again in the second period, and the teams entered the final period with the score tied, three all. The local team added two more goals in the final chapter, and the visitors, by dint of hard work, were successful in going through the last twenty minutes of play without a tally.
The hockey displayed by both teams was of the listless, indifferent, up and down style that has characterized many NHL games this season. And the spectators appreciated the evident lack of interest of the players, and voiced their disapproval in no uncertain manner.
The efforts of one of Toronto’s star forwards were ludicrous, and cries of “take him off, send somebody else in” were frequently heard, particularly in the last period. The player referred to had a number of opportunities to score, but apparently ignored the chances presented deliberately. On one occasion, he was directly in front of Vézina in the Canadiens’ goal without an opposing player nearer than fifteen feet. From approximately eight feet in front of the goal, the player shot carefully, and the puck bounded out of the corner. This is only one instance of many that occurred throughout the game.
The Canadiens, too, brought forth much merriment because of their haphazard style of play. “Newsy” Lalonde was the chief clown, and when after a clever rush through the entire Toronto team and directly in front of the net, he shot the puck fifteen feet over the head of Holmes in the Toronto goal, he aroused burst after burst of satirical laughter from the spectators.
There was much to cause amusement throughout the exhibition. With the puck in the centre of the ice and no immediate danger of scoring, the Canadiens showed some clever hockey. They displayed their usual smooth working combination, checked back well, and gave an exhibition of finished skating, but at all times when it appeared as if a goal was imminent, they played like witless youngsters.
Jack McDonald gave a good exhibition for his team, while Cameron and Crawford’s spectacular rushes and Mummery’s effective defensive work were the only redeeming features of the locals’ play. On one occasion Cameron carried the puck past the Canadiens forwards, beat Hall and Malone in clever fashion, and scored with a backhanded shot. It was one of the few redeeming features of a game that was lacking in almost every essential of good hockey.
Story originally published in The Globe, March 4, 1918
BOXSCORE
1st Period
TOR GOAL – 08:00 – Cameron
TOR GOAL – 10:00 – Skinner
MTL GOAL – 14:00 – Lalonde (Berlinquette)
MTL GOAL – 16:00 – Berlinquette (Lalonde)
MTL GOAL – 18:00 – McDonald (Corbeau)
2nd Period
TOR GOAL – 11:00 – Cameron
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – 03:00 – Randall (Noble)
TOR GOAL – 18:00 – Cameron (Meeking)
Penalties
TOR – Crawford (2)
MTL – Corbeau, Lalonde, Laviolette
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Holmes (W)
MTL – Vézina (L)
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Hap Holmes. Defence: Harry Cameron, Harry Mummery. Forwards: Jack Adams, Rusty Crawford, Corb Denneny, Harry Meeking, Reg Noble, Ken Randall (C), Alf Skinner.
MTL – Goaltenders: Georges Vézina. Defence: Bert Corbeau, Billy Coutu, Joe Hall, Jack Laviolette. Forwards: Louis Berlinquette, Newsy Lalonde (C), Jack McDonald.
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 13-8-0 (.619)
MTL – 13-9-0 (.591)
Two Solitudes 