Game 129
Maple Leafs 8, Canadiens 3
Saturday, November 30, 1935
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
Outplaying the Habitants in every department, the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night defeated “Les Canadiens” 8 to 3, and were full value and more for their margin.
It was a band of “fluttering” rather than “Flying Frenchmen” who opposed the Leafs. Individually and collectively, they skated marathons on three quarters of the arena ice surface, but were decidedly restricted in their wanderings in and around the Leafs net zone.
While the Leafs were going in with two and three man sorties, inviting and taking the bumps in determined goal-getting hunts, the Frenchmen showed little system, less determination and complete absence of any willingness to “hit” the Toronto defence.
When a complete red-shirted forward line did bear down on the horizon past centre ice, they gave every impression of being a little “jittery” about the Leaf defencemen waiting to receive them. As each man passed the puck to his teammate, he seemed to get rid of it with a sigh of relief.
And the one man excursions, which were more frequent, were easily chased into the corners if the puck carrier chose the long way around, which was customary. They were sandwiched by a pair of husky blue-shirted defencemen, or the carrier was “hooked” off balance to let the puck dribble safely past the net. Our Leafs are no lambs.
We would not say the Habitants were timid – just careful: all except Jean Pusie, who has quite a reputation as a wrestler and strongman, and who, despite reports to the contrary, is not a bad hockey player. While the Leafs, in return for the lack of serious trouble they were giving, handled the rest of the Montréalers with care. Pusie was given the works.
One of Pusie’s power drives took him right in on top of the unprotected Hainsworth, or was taking him there, when Charlie Conacher came in like a tornado from the side, and gave the Montréaler his whole 200-odd pounds, with a stick somewhere in the middle. Pusie went flying, Conacher went flying, and they lit in the goalmouth when George Hainsworth nonchalantly stepped aside to give them falling room.
Repercussions came a minute later in mid-ice. Conacher and Pusie came together. Charlie said something, Pusie said something, and the Leaf’s big right winger whipped off his gloves and conked Pusie on the jaw. Pusie did not back up an inch, but came right back with fists flying. It was a 30-second standup battle, with Harvey Jackson subduing a flank attack upon his battling teammate. Both battlers, of course, went to the cooler for major penalties.
Pusie, however, does not seem to be a “bad egg.” He took plenty of bumps during the evening without getting temperamental. Shortly after he came back from the penalty bench after his tilt with Conacher, “Pep” Kelly, who on Saturday night’s play should be called “Cyclone” Kelly, took his feet from under him and swept into the boards on top of Pusie at the Leafs’ end of the rink. Pusie waited for Kelly to roll off by way of a backward somersault, gave the Leaf a friendly pat on the back, and tore off down the ice looking for more excitement.
The game? Well, it was so much Leafs as hardly to need analysis. The Leafs drilled 45 shots at “Wilfie” Cude, whereas Hainsworth at the other end handled only 28. Most of these 28, it can be said, were soft dribblers. The Leafs fattened their averages with 17 points, each of the lines earning five, and the other two going to defencemen.
With all the Leafs showing flashes of brilliance, we would not say there was an outstanding star in the game. Hollett was better; Jackson on a few occasions stickhandled the Canadien defence dizzy; Conacher was grief to the red-shirted defence as he bore in inviting body checks; Kelly, as we said, was cyclonic in his rushes; we saw why Metz is one of the league’s leading goal-getters – speed, a shot, and a willowy knack of avoiding body checks. Goldsworthy and Mondou were best for the visitors.
Story originally published in The Globe, December 2, 1935
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL GOAL – 00:54 – Mondou (Goldsworthy, Buswell)
TOR GOAL – 03:29 – Primeau (Conacher)
TOR PP GOAL – 07:39 – Metz (Thoms)
TOR PENS – Blair, Horner
MTL PEN – S. Mantha
2nd Period
MTL GOAL – 00:57 – Mondou (Goldsworthy)
MTL GOAL – 03:15 – McGill (Haynes)
TOR GOAL – 04:01 – Boll (Thoms)
TOR PP GOAL – 04:08 – B. Jackson (Hollett)
TOR GOAL – 05:56 – Thoms (Horner, Boll)
TOR PENS – A. Jackson, Hollett, Horner
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – 00:08 – Kelly (A. Jackson)
TOR GOAL – 01:58 – Metz (A. Jackson)
TOR GOAL – 14:09 – Primeau (Conacher, B. Jackson)
TOR PEN – Conacher (major)
MTL PENS – Pusie (major), G. Mantha
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Hainsworth (W, 25-28)
MTL – Cude (L, 37-45)
SHOTS ON GOAL
TOR – 17+9+19 = 45
MTL – 8+12+8 = 28
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: George Hainsworth. Defence: King Clancy, Hap Day (C), Flash Hollett, Red Horner. Forwards: Andy Blair, Buzz Boll, Charlie Conacher, Frank Finnigan, Art Jackson, Busher Jackson, Pep Kelly, Nick Metz, Joe Primeau, Bill Thoms.
MTL – Goaltenders: Wilf Cude. Defence: Walter Buswell, Art Lesieur, Georges Mantha, Sylvio Mantha (C), Jean Pusie. Forwards: Rosie Couture, Johnny Gagnon, Leroy Goldsworthy, Paul Haynes, Aurèle Joliat, Wildor Larochelle, Jack McGill, Armand Mondou, Paul Runge.
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 5-3-1 (.611)
MTL – 3-3-1 (.500)
Two Solitudes 