Game 126
Maple Leafs 10, Canadiens 3
Tuesday, March 5, 1935
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
The Toronto Maple Leafs turned on all their power tonight to swap the Montréal Canadiens under a 10-3 score for the highest total in the National Hockey League since Detroit scored 11 goals against St. Louis’ 2 on December 13.
The “Kid Line,” performing in unrivalled fashion, and Charlie Conacher scoring four goals himself, Toronto was far too good for the travel weary Canadiens, who had just returned from a Western jaunt. All Toronto forwards broke through the Canadiens’ defence almost at will to pepper Wilf Cude with shots.
Big Charlie Conacher was in the van of the Leafs’ attack all night, and the four goals he poured in from his right wing post equalled the individual record of the season. Harvey Jackson and Joe Primeau divided 11 scoring points with Conacher, Jackson with three assists and Primeau with two goals and two assists. Other Toronto counters were notched by Red Horner, Pep Kelly, Andy Blair and Buzz Boll.
The Canadiens scored once in the first period, but they were unable to count again until late in the third period.
The game was a nightmare for Cude. Toronto scored three times in less than two minutes in the first period, and added two more after the Canadiens had cut the margin to 3-1. Conacher netted the only goal of the second period, but in the third the Leafs launched their attack again for four more goals. In the last few minutes, Cude made save after save, with the Leafs trying only half heartedly to add to their huge margin.
Horner checked Lépine at his own blue line, and raced away to send a neat pass over to Kilrea, but Cude made a nice save of Hec’s hard shot. Lépine lifted a high shot from centre ice that gave Hainsworth no trouble. Conacher nearly tallied on a rifle-drive from the Canuck blue line that Cude just managed to tip aside with his hand. Jackson fed Conacher a perfect pass at the Canadien goalmouth, but the big winger was checked by Carson before he could shoot. Horner opened the scoring at the five minute mark, when he sent a long pass over to Jackson and then raced in to slam home the rebound.
Conacher made it two for Toronto less than a minute later, slamming home a neat pass from Jackson that landed on his stick right on the edge of the crease. Primeau also got an assist. A few plays later, Toronto mounted the score to three when Blair raced in fast to pick up a short forward pass from Hollett, and beat Cude with a burning corner shot.
The Canadiens had a fine chance a minute later, when Blair was waved to the penalty box for picking the puck up in his hand. With an advantage in manpower, the Canadiens began to press for the first time, and Hainsworth saved nicely off Larochelle and Joliat.
The game was delayed for several minutes when manager Léo Dandurand got into an argument with referee Bill Stewart, and Stewart ordered Dandurand off the bench.
The game was resumed when Dandurand finally agreed to leave, and his place was taken by Jules Dugal, the assistant manager of the club. The Canadiens scored their first goal with four minutes left, when a long pass from Sylvio Mantha bounded into the net off Georges Mantha’s stick. Toronto got it back a minute later, as Conacher broke away from a five man Canadien attack with only Cude to beat, and got his second tally of the night.
With less than a minute of the period left, Kelly broke away with only Jenkins to pass. He twisted round the Canadien defenceman, and lifted a high shot over Cude’s sprawling body for Toronto’s fifth goal.
Cude dove to the ice at the start of the period to make a brilliant save as Thoms feinted a pass to Kilrea and sped between the Canadien defence alone. Horner was waved to the penalty bench for tripping Lépine, and the Canadiens sent four men to the attack. Hainsworth made a pair of fine stops off Joliat and Lépine before Toronto lifted the rubber down the ice. Leduc saved a goal when he tripped Hollett, as the Toronto defenceman broke away, and he was ordered to the penalty box to join Horner.
Conacher almost got his third goal of the night when he raced in unchecked with Jackson’s long relay, but Cude made a brilliant save. Primeau stole the rubber from Joliat before the latter could shoot after worming his way right in on top of the Toronto net. Hainsworth made a beautiful save off Jenkins when the latter took Riley’s pass after an end-to-end rush. Buzz Boll’s rifle drive from a few feet out struck the post,as Cude’s view was blocked by a maze of players. Kelly worked his way in close, only to miss the net with his shot after drawing Cude out.
On the next play, Hainsworth sprawled on the ice to kick out a hard shot by Goldsworthy. Riley pounced on the rebound, but failed to lift it over the Toronto goalkeeper’s prostrate body.
Conacher got his third goal of the night, taking a pass from Primeau to speed around Leduc and slam the rubber into the corner. Toronto ganged the Canadien net as the period ended, and Cude kicked out hard shots from Cotton, Blair and Kelly.
Goldsworthy broke through twice, but was unable to shake himself loose of the tight Toronto defence of Horner and Clancy long enough for a clear shot. Finnigan and Clancy broke away, the former’s shot zooming past the net as Cude hopped to save. Mondou had only Hainsworth to beat when the rubber jumped his stick before he could shoot. A minute later, Hainsworth made a brilliant save as Goldsworthy split the Toronto defence. Cude duplicated the feat at the other end of the rink when Jackson broke away. Conacher got his fourth goal of the night at the six minute mark, combining with Hollett on a breakaway to round a solitary Canadien defenceman and give Cude no chance.
Facing a six goal deficit, the Canadiens threw caution to the winds and sent five men up the ice. Jackson nearly stretched the margin to seven, but Cude dashed out of his net to make a fine save. A minute later, Primeau scored for Toronto, slipping past the Canuck defence with ease to take a pass from Hollett and flip it home as Cude sped out to save. Larochelle drew a penalty for slamming Horner into the boards. A brilliant passing play at the 10 minute mark stretched Toronto’s goal total to nine when Boll picked his spot after a relay from Blair and Kelly.
With no chance of drawing even, the Canadiens nevertheless continued to try hard. Cude made a beautiful save off Finnigan, who broke away. He made a similar save a moment later off Horner. The Canadiens’ efforts finally counted with five minutes to play, after a faceoff near the Toronto net, when Goldsworthy backhanded home a shot as Hainsworth’s vision was blocked. Lépine drew an assist.
With two minutes left, the Toronto score was stretched to 10 on a goal by Primeau, with Clacy drawing an assist. Jenkins got a third for the Canadiens in the next half minute, slamming home a shot from about 10 feet out.
Story originally published in The Globe, March 6, 1935
BOXSCORE
1st Period
TOR PEN – 01:00 – Hollett
TOR GOAL – 05:43 – Horner (Jackson)
TOR GOAL – 06:14 – Conacher (Jackson, Primeau)
TOR GOAL – 07:23 – Blair (Hollett, Cotton)
MTL GOAL – 15:44 – G. Mantha (S. Mantha, Mondou)
TOR GOAL – 16:37 – Conacher
TOR GOAL – 19:09 – Kelly
2nd Period
TOR PEN – 11:00 – Horner
MTL PEN – 12:00 – Leduc
TOR GOAL – 16:35 – Conacher (Primeau, Jackson)
3rd Period
MTL PEN – 01:00 – Larochelle
TOR GOAL – 05:08 – Conacher (Hollett)
TOR GOAL – 07:02 – Primeau (Hollett)
TOR GOAL – 10:08 – Boll (Kelly, Blair)
MTL GOAL – 15:28 – Goldsworthy (Lépine)
TOR GOAL – 18:02 – Primeau (Clancy)
MTL GOAL – 18:35 – Jenkins (Riley, Goldsworthy)
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Hainsworth (W, 26-29)
MTL – Cude (L, 34-44)
SHOTS ON GOAL
TOR – 14+13+17 = 44
MTL – 8+12+9 = 29
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: George Hainsworth. Defence: King Clancy, Hap Day (C), Flash Hollett, Red Horner. Forwards: Andy Blair, Buzz Boll, Charlie Conacher, Baldy Cotton, Frank Finnigan, Busher Jackson, Pep Kelly, Hec Kilrea, Joe Primeau, Bill Thoms.
MTL – Goaltenders: Wilf Cude. Defence: Gerry Carson, Albert Leduc, Georges Mantha, Sylvio Mantha (C), Tony Savage. Forwards: Nels Crutchfield, Johnny Gagnon, Leroy Goldsworthy, Roger Jenkins, Aurèle Joliat, Wildor Larochelle, Pit Lépine, Jack McGill, Armand Mondou, Jack Riley.
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 27-13-4 (.659)
MTL – 17-19-5 (.476)
Two Solitudes 