Game 095
Canadiens 6, Maple Leafs 2
Thursday, February 27, 1930
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
With Roy Worters, the American goalkeeper, in the net playing spectacular hockey, the Montréal Canadiens earned a 6 to 2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs here tonight. The Canadiens, led by the flashy Howie Morenz, had the edge on the Torontonians from the start, and after the first period, the outcome of the game was never in doubt.
Howie Morenz, in leading his team to victory, scored three goals and played true to his old time form throughout. The whole Canadien team seemed to be at top form, and the Leafs bothered them practically not at all.
What the game lacked in first class hockey, it made up in speed. There were comparatively few penalties. The Canadiens at times made attempts at passing, but most of the time seemed to confine themselves to individual efforts to score goals. The Canadiens did not suffer much from the penalties, but the Leafs felt the effect, and several times the Canadiens scored while their opponents were a man short.
Roy Worters in the Canuck nets performed wonders, letting but two goals past him all evening. This was a contrast to Saturday, Roy being in goal for the Americans when the Canucks scored nine goals.
The game opened with the Canadiens rushing Chabot. Joliat came close to scoring after coming down in company with Morenz and Sylvio Mantha, but Chabot managed to save. Bailey and Cotton tried to get in on Worters in the Canadiens’ net, but could not pass the defence. The pace was fast, and both goalkeepers had several hard shots to stop. The Canadiens got through more often than the Leafs, but could not manage to score.
Art Smith was sent off for dumping Morenz, as the latter came down the right boards, and while he was off the Canadiens got their first tally. Leduc took the puck through the whole team to drill a hot one at Chabot. It bounced off his pads, and Morenz came in fast to slap in the rebound. Duncan tripped Morenz near the Leaf net and was benched. This meant another goal to the Canadiens, Lépine’s shot glancing off “Red” Horner’s skate into the net.
In the intervals Roy Worters was being peppered with shots, but saved magnificently. The period ended with the Leafs swarming the Canadiens’ net.
Sylvio Mantha made it three for the Canucks in a lone effort, skating through the whole Leaf defence less than a minute after the start of the period. Bailey and Joliat were chased for roughing, and they had just returned to the ice when Joliat took a pass from McCaffrey at the goal mouth to score the Montréalers’ fourth tally.
Primeau and “Red” Horner made a pretty effort, but Roy Worters fell out to save what looked to be a certain score. Several efforts of this kind were followed by the Leafs’ first score. Blair took the puck down centre ice and passed it to Cotton behind the Canadien net. Cotton skated around the net and slipped it past Roy Worters after two attempts.
The Canadiens got their fifth goal following a scramble in front of the Toronto net. Morenz got credit for the shot, with assists going to Wasnie and Mantha. Shortly afterward, the Leafs got their second goal. Jackson took a pass from Bailey to beat the diminutive Worters with a dribbling shot.
The Canadiens lost Larochelle and Toronto Smith for roughing tactics, and the Leafs took the offensive, but the bell rang without a goal being scored, with the offenders still off.
The Canucks went into action fast at the start of the third period, evidently trying to repeat their record of Saturday night when they defeated the American 9-2. Morenz and Joliat repeatedly bored in on Chabot, who was hard put to save several times. Horner, Larochelle and Day received penalties, but returned to the ice before any damage had been done.
The action was fast and both teams changed lines frequently. Play was mostly centred in the middle of the ice, owing to the heavy poke checking on both sides. Horner and Day on one side and Sylvio Mantha on the other provided almost impregnable defences, slowing up the play.
Howie Morenz got his third goal of the game and the sixth for his team in a lone effort from the left wing, which Chabot didn’t even see.
Roy Worters was called upon several times to make spectacular saves, and did not disappoint his adopted team.
As the period drew to a close, the game became more or less a free-for-all, with each player trying to add to his scoring column. McCaffrey went off for slashing at Day, and the Leafs made a last minute rush. Horner went off again, however, followed by Pettinger and Leduc, and the final bell rang a few seconds later.
Story originally published in The Globe, February 28, 1930
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL PP GOAL – 14:25 – Morenz (Leduc)
MTL PP GOAL – 16:55 – Lépine (Mondou)
MTL PEN – Leduc
TOR PENS – Duncan, Smith
2nd Period
MTL GOAL – 00:50 – S. Mantha
MTL GOAL – 04:45 – Joliat (Larochelle, McCaffrey)
TOR GOAL – 07:55 – Cotton (Blair)
MTL GOAL – 12:55 – Morenz (Wasnie, S. Mantha)
TOR GOAL – 15:25 – Jackson (Bailey)
MTL PENS – Joliat, Larochelle, McCaffrey, Morenz
TOR PENS – Bailey (2), Smith (2)
3rd Period
MTL GOAL – 12:00 – Morenz
MTL PENS – Larochelle, Leduc, McCaffrey
TOR PENS – Horner (2), Day, Pettinger
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Worters (W)
TOR – Chabot (L)
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Roy Worters. Defence: Marty Burke, Gerry Carson, Albert Leduc, Georges Mantha, Sylvio Mantha (C). Forwards: Aurèle Joliat, Wildor Larochelle, Pit Lépine, Bert McCaffrey, Armand Mondou, Howie Morenz, Gus Rivers, Nick Wasnie.
TOR – Goaltenders: Lorne Chabot, Benny Grant. Defence: Hap Day (C), Art Duncan, Red Horner, Art Smith. Forwards: Ace Bailey, Andy Blair, Charlie Conacher, Baldy Cotton, Busher Jackson, Frank Nighbor, Eric Pettinger, Joe Primeau.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 18-12-7 (.581)
TOR – 14-19-4 (.432)
Two Solitudes 