Game 119
Canadiens 4, Maple Leafs 1
Thursday, January 4, 1934
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
Dazzling speed that the Maple Leafs could not match sent the Montréal Canadiens hustling to a 4 to 1 victory over the Toronto Leafs before 9,000 people here tonight. The Canadiens, secure in second place in the Canadian section of the National Hockey League, edged two points closer to the leading Leafs.
The Canadiens were without Howie Morenz, out with an ankle injury, but their flashing raids had enough speed to carry them through the Leafs for a goal in each of the first two periods, and a pair in the final session. Bourgault and Carson each got one, and Georges Mantha bagged a brace of goals. Charlie Conacher saved the Leafs from a goose egg with his third period goal.
The Leafs were short of Ace Bailey, still in a Boston hospital; Harvey Jackson, out with an injury; and Headline Hollett, loaned to Ottawa. They started Buzz Boll on left wing to replace Jackson.
Halfway through the first period, Mondou and Carson raced down with Bourgault, and gave him a double pass to beat Hainsworth for the first goal. Georges Mantha sank a hot shot from Riley’s pass in the second, and then scored on a relay from Johnny Gagnon early in the last period.
A wild scramble outside the Canadiens’ cage gave the Leafs their goal. Conacher snared a loose puck and poked it around the goal post from the side. As the game ended, Gerry Carson skated down the boards and picked off a corner of the net with a blistering drive that left Hainsworth helpless.
Lorne Chabot, in the Canadien goal, put up one of the best goaling displays of the season here to humble his old teammates of other years.
Chabot made a sensational save off Conacher and Primeau at the very start of the game. Conacher sent a hard shot glancing off the Canadien goalkeeper’s ankle and he fell. Primeau backhanded the rebound at the cage, but Chabot stretched out his hand and deflected the puck. Horner was chased for slashing at S. Mantha. Riley got through and Hainsworth made a great save on his rising shot.
The Leafs held out till Horner was back. The Canadiens scored after a few minutes of headlong rushes up and down the ice. Carson drove into a corner, took a pass from Mondou, and flipped a shot at Hainsworth. The Toronto goalkeeper cleared, but Bourgault batted the puck into the twine before he could recover. The Leafs rushed three abreast, and Chabot saved as Primeau blasted a shot at him from six feet away.
Hainsworth batted away Riley’s shot with his fist after a mad scramble at the Toronto end of the ice. The Canadiens had four men up the ice for a minute or two, but the Leafs’ defence covered up well. Doraty went down alone and Carson blocked him. The Leafs broke three men abreast, but the Canadiens’ defence lumped in front of Chabot and broke up the attack.
The Canadiens smothered Toronto rushes under a wave of backchecking in the first few minutes of the second period. Horner was waved to the penalty bench for an illegal bodycheck. The Leafs ganged up on the defence as four Canadien sharpshooters rushed into action. Levinsky and Day were holding the Leafs’ fort well, and the forwards swung effective sticks at the blue line.
The Canadiens were unable to score while Horner was off. Day made a great rush that carried him around behind the Canadiens’ cage. Blair missed his pass out to centre. Joliat and Sylvio Mantha teamed on an exciting rush, and both got a shot in the scramble. Riley, G. Mantha and Larochelle hemmed the Leafs in for a minute or so with a furious attack.
Horner led a Toronto raid after the lines changed, but the play was smothered in a corner. Boll was checked at the blue line. Primeau streaked a shot at Chabot from the right boards. Chabot fell, and the puck was lying just outside the goal line. Primeau protested the puck had hit inside and glanced out, but the goal light did not flash. Referee Daigneault skated over and conferred with the goal umpire, Bill Brosseau, and with Primeau.
He ordered a faceoff in front of the Canadiens’ net, and Lépine tricked Primeau on the faceoff and cleared to the blue line. Clancy swung at the puck and sent it buzzing wide of the cage. Near the end of the period, Georges Mantha dashed down the left wing, snared a pass from Riley, curved in on Hainsworth and levelled a terrific drive at his chest. Hainsworth fell and the puck dropped into the cage, putting the Canadiens two up.
The Leafs tried to force the issue at the start of the third period, and scrambled constantly in the Canadiens’ territory. Chabot went to his knees in a wild mixup, and Cleghorn called a penalty faceoff as he trapped the puck. Lépine beat the Leafs to the draw on the faceoff and cleared smartly. Georges Mantha raced down and pitched a hard shot at Hainsworth. The Leafs goaler trapped the puck with his pads and dropped to the ice. The Canadiens clamoured for a penalty faceoff, but Daigneault would not listen to them. Conacher drew a penalty for roughing Gagnon.
Riley and Joliat were through on the Leafs’ goal, but Riley’s hasty pass was beyond Joliat’s reach. The Canadiens had another chance when Joliat took a short pass from Gagnon. Joliat was off balance and Levinsky checked him. Coach Irvin sent on four forwards, with Day as the lone defenceman, after Conacher was back. Chabot made sensational saves from Conacher and again from Cotton. Harold Cotton was waved off with Larochelle for a scuffle in a corner.
Both sides played cautiously till they were at full strength again. The Canadiens were heaving the puck down the ice and playing a careful defensive behind their two goal lead. Larochelle and Burke broke fast for a sortie, but Hainsworth saved. Clancy was stopped at the Canadiens’ blue line. Clancy rushed again and passed to Conacher. Chabot moved at the last second to make a great save.
Conacher whizzed in again and Chabot just got his stick to it. Carson and Levinsky were banished for cross checking. Blair blasted a shot at Chabot for another great save. Gagnon broke away with Georges Mantha. They outdistanced all pursuers, and Mantha beat Hainsworth cleanly on Gagnon’s pass.
The Leafs were saved from a shutout when Conacher jabbed the rubber around the post in a hot scramble. Lépine and Conacher were penalized for roughing. Carson beat Hainsworth from the boards just before the game ended.
Story originally published in The Globe, January 5, 1934
BOXSCORE
1st Period
TOR PEN – 01:00 – Horner
MTL GOAL – 10:50 – Bourgault (Mondou)
2nd Period
TOR PEN – 01:00 – Horner
MTL GOAL – 18:04 – G. Mantha (Riley)
3rd Period
TOR PEN – 01:00 – Conacher
TOR PEN – 02:00 – Cotton
MTL PEN – 03:00 – Larochelle
MTL PEN – 04:00 – Carson
TOR PEN – 05:00 – Levinsky
MTL GOAL – 16:13 – G. Mantha (Gagnon)
TOR GOAL – 17:45 – Conacher (Clancy)
MTL GOAL – 19:50 – Carson
MTL PEN – 18:00 – Lépine
TOR PEN – 18:00 – Conacher
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Chabot (W, 28-29)
TOR – Hainsworth (L, 21-25)
SHOTS ON GOAL
MTL – 9+8+8 = 25
TOR – 8+7+14 = 29
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Lorne Chabot. Defence: Léo Bourgault, Marty Burke, Gerry Carson, Georges Mantha, Sylvio Mantha (C), Jack Portland. Forwards: Johnny Gagnon, Sam Godin, Aurèle Joliat, Wildor Larochelle, Pit Lépine, Armand Mondou, Jack Riley.
TOR – Goaltenders: George Hainsworth. Defence: King Clancy, Hap Day (C), Red Horner, Alex Levinsky. Forwards: Andy Blair, Buzz Boll, Charlie Conacher, Baldy Cotton, Ken Doraty, Hec Kilrea, Joe Primeau, Bill Thoms.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 9-10-3 (.477)
TOR – 14-4-3 (.738)
Two Solitudes 