Game 100
Canadiens 2, Maple Leafs 1
Tuesday, February 3, 1931
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
The Canadiens took the Toronto Maple Leafs for a merry ride tonight, and dumped them off at the wrong end of a 2 to 1 score after one of the most hectic National Hockey League attractions here this season.
It was a fast game, and the Canadiens easily had the better of it. Toronto found that out in the first period. Larochelle connected with a double pass from Leduc and Howie Morenz, and flipped the disc past Chabot from close in. Thirty three seconds later, Howie Morenz broke away in a blaze of speed, hurtled around the defence, and lunged a heavy shot into the net.
Tempers flared and a regular Donnybrook threatened right till the third period, when the combatants cooled down. Cotton, Clancy and Conacher all showed a tendency to play the man, and Joliat, Morenz and Wasnie mixed in with their game. There were more bad spills and bumps than penalties, but seven went to the bench in the first chukker, and there were seven more penalties in the second. Johnny Gagnon was alone on the bench in the third and final period.
King Clancy notched the goal that saved the Leafs from a shutout. He was loafing near the Canadiens’ blue line and picked up a loose puck to snipe a nice goal.
The first few minutes of the game provided much excitement around the Toronto net, with Morenz, Lépine, Joliat and Gagnon worming through the Day-Clancy defence to shoot on Chabot. “Ace” Bailey showed a pretty turn of speed, despite his injured knee. Leduc made one of his old time rushes singlehanded, darted in around the net after Horner had bumped him into the boards, stealing the puck for a second shot. Two hot scrambles outside the Toronto net had the crowd in a furore, and it looked as if the Canucks were going to score any minute.
The Canadiens had the Leafs standing on their heads. Chabot was frantic, with fracas after fracas tangling up in front of his net. The Canadiens were going at a burning pace, and seemed to have the Leafs tied up, so long as they could maintain the speed. Tempers began to flare in the excitement, and the penalty parade began to form. The Canadiens ran in two quick goals, while the crowd nearly went frantic. Larochelle took Leduc’s pass in Toronto territory to beat Chabot cleanly. Referee Daigneault had blown his whistle because Larochelle kicked the puck, but the play went through for a goal. Thirty three seconds later, Howie Morenz broke away, burned down the ice, swung around the defence and drew Chabot out to score. Howie also slipped Leduc the pass that ended in a goal for Larochelle.
Toronto were playing cooler hockey then when they came out after the rest. King Clancy started things by bouncing the rubber of Hainsworth’s goal post. For the first time in the evening, Pit Lépine got his pokecheck functioning properly to break up Bailey’s attack and then robbed Harold Cotton. Toronto’s offensive failed to bring a score, and they fall back again to playing the man. That left them shorthanded, and the Redshirt crew nearly jolted the score a notch or so higher. Chabot was on the job, however, and turned them back. Andy Blair was playing a nice game, and a couple of his forays brought Hainsworth some work.
Pit Lépine cruised around the Toronto net and sniped three pretty shots in succession at Chabot. The Canadiens kept boring in and constantly had the puck, while Toronto was content with sporadic raiding. Toronto had a chance, with the Canucks shorthanded, with Lesieur off for cross checking. Clancy, Cotton and Blair tried hard, but Hainsworth and his two defencemen were too good for them.
Toronto looked like a beaten team, and the Canadiens made it hot for Chabot with long shots. Nevertheless, the Canadiens’ defence was on the job, and turned back the thrusts of Cotton, Clancy, Blair and Primeau again and again. Hainsworth seemed unbeatable in the Canuck goal. The game was still pretty much of a Donnybrook, though penalties were not so numerous. The Canadiens took to ragging.
The pace let down for a time, and it was listless hockey. King Clancy went up on a rush and stuck around. He snagged a pass from Primeau a moment later and beat Hainsworth, who fell to the ice in an effort to save. It put new hope into the Toronto squad, and goaded the Canadiens into a fierce attack. The Canadiens wound up the game strictly on the defensive, heaving the puck down to the other end of the ice whenever they got the chance.
Story originally published in The Globe, February 4, 1931
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL GOAL – 18:10 – Larochelle (Morenz, Leduc)
MTL GOAL – 18:45 – Morenz
MTL PENS – Joliat, G. Mantha, Morenz
TOR PENS – Bailey, Clancy, Cotton, Day
2nd Period
MTL PENS – Lesieur, S. Mantha, Morenz
TOR PENS – Conacher (2), Bailey, Jackson
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – 12:00 – Clancy (Primeau)
MTL PEN – Gagnon
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Hainsworth (W)
TOR – Chabot (L)
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: George Hainsworth. Defence: Marty Burke, Albert Leduc, Art Lesieur, Georges Mantha, Sylvio Mantha (C). Forwards: Johnny Gagnon, Aurèle Joliat, Wildor Larochelle, Pit Lépine, Armand Mondou, Howie Morenz, Gus Rivers, Nick Wasnie.
TOR – Goaltenders: Lorne Chabot. Defence: King Clancy, Hap Day (C), Red Horner. Forwards: Ace Bailey, Andy Blair, Charlie Conacher, Baldy Cotton, Busher Jackson, Joe Primeau.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 19-7-3 (.707)
TOR – 15-10-5 (.583)
Two Solitudes 