Game 140
Canadiens 3, Maple Leafs 1
Tuesday, January 26, 1937
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
Les Canadiens increased their lead in the international section of the NHL here tonight by registering their first victory of the season on local ice. The score was three to one in a cleanly played contest before about 11,167 fans, who saw play veer from wide open to strictly defensive tactics by the Habitants.
Three of the goals came in the first period. Joliat got his first counter of the game in just over two minutes after taking Morenz’s pass. Harvey Jackson evened the score in a three way play with Drillon on and Apps assisting. About a minute before the period closed, McGill sunk Lorrain’s pas.s
The second session was goalless, and the Leafs ganging was was fruitless all through a drab period, but saw the Canadiens clearing the rubber down the ice consistently and monotonously. With only about a minute left to play, Joliat got loose from the Leafs’ ganging and skated in alone to chalk up his second goal of the night and final goal of the game.
There were only three penalties, all minors. Hamilton of the Leafs got two, Buswell drew the other.
Both teams started off with open play tactics, and it was not long until Joliat stole the puck in the Leafs’ defence zone, but was bodied off in the nick of time by Reg Hamilton. Soon after that, Morenz rushed into a corner and whipped the rubber out to Joliat, who banged it through a maze of legs past Broda for a goal. It came at 2:15.
About 11,000 fans were in the Gardens by the time Joliat made the red light blink. The Leafs retaliated by barging in around Cude hot and often, and the Apps-Jackson-Drillon trio had Cude on the jump. There were wild mixups around the goalmouth, but no finishing punch to the attacks. Just after the ten minute mark, Hamilton was thumbed off for tripping Gagnon. While he was off, Broda almost pulled a rebound into the net with his skate. Horner broke loose from the ganging, and had only Buswell in his path to the goal, but Buswell made a great sweep check to grab the rubber.
With the sides at full strength again, the Apps-Jackson-Drillon line was soon sent out, and “the Busher” twice shot wild when in close. Apps and Jackson got free with only one rearguard to pass, but the Apps to Jackson pass went wrong. However, they maintained high power pressure around Cude’s cage that had the crowd in a continual dither.
Their work was rewarded at 17:09, when Harvey Jackson backhanded a rebound into the twine for the equalizer, after Cude had slid out of the cage. Drillon and Apps got assists.
The crowd’s joy was short lived, for at 18:55 the Canadiens got loose on a three man break toward the Leafs’ defence. McGill took Lorrain’s pass from right wing, and his high and hard shot through the centre of the defence pair beat Broda cleanly.
The Canadiens’ veteran first string line continued their pretty combination play, and the Leafs’ starting array of Jackson and company could not get going. Coach Irvin sent the Thoms-Metz-Finnigan line out while old Morenz and partners stayed on the ice, and they soon had the upper hand, although general speed of play had slowed up considerably. The Mantha-Desilets-Blake line came on, and the trio of Art Jackson, Davidson and Jarvis began to outrush them. The Leafs were outlucked in one goalmouth scramble. Young Art Jackson was showing up much better than in other home games. Haynes replaced Mantha, who had been slowed up by a hard check.
At the halfway mark, Apps made Cude go to his knees to make a fast moving save, and the general run of play, which had been rather shinny-like, smartened up, with the two first lines duelling again. A beautiful rush by Apps resulted in him being off balance to shoot effectively. Drillon got loose to coast in from right wing, but his shot was wide of the net. The fans groaned, for a goal had seemed likely on that play. Then Thoms and his mates turned on the heat around Cude, but could not finish off right. MacKenzie and then Blake retaliated with close-in attacks. Both first lines were going full out as the goalless period ended.
The Leafs simply stormed around goaler Cude, but he was in great form, and also lucky as the elusive rubber danced around his doorstep before Buswell got back. Old Babe Siebert was clearing the puck down the ice at every opportunity. The Canadiens were certainly playing a completely defensive style.
Just after the ten minute mark, Georges Mantha got loose from a ganging attack and had clear sailing from his own blue line, only to be cheated by Broda’s perfectly figured dive. The Leafs often had five men inside the Habitants’ blue line. Gagnon broke clear, but Harvey Jackson got him. Then Morenz dashed away, and Hamilton dumped him inside in such a manner that it drew a penalty and penalty shot. Gagnon took the shot and blazed it far wide of the net.
Irvin started the Art Jackson-Davidson-Jarvis line against Morenz and mates, and it was youth vs. experience. The Leaf kids soon had the Frenchmen icing the rubber down the rink, too, while the customers booed.
Morenz got away along the left boards, but Jarvis took care of him with a body check that dumped Howie and caused him to holler to referee Shaver.
The Leafs’ first line came on against the Mantha-led line, and Broda made a great save when Blake soloed in on him. Buswell dumped Apps and drew the Canadiens’ first penalty.
The Leafs went on the attack, although Hamilton was off, and Cude did a fine “split” to rob Metz. Hamilton got back with about four minutes left on the clock. Then a perfect Apps to Jackson play found Cude pulling off more robbery.
Morenz’s pass to Joliat put the little left winger loose with only Hamilton to get around. He did it beautifully, too, pulled out Broda, and dumped the disc into the empty cage at 18:36.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, January 27, 1937
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL GOAL – 02:15 – Joliat (Morenz, Siebert)
TOR PEN – 10:32 – Hamilton
TOR GOAL – 17:09 – B. Jackson (Apps, Drillon)
MTL GOAL – 18:55 – McGill (Lorrain)
2nd Period
MTL PEN SHOT – Gagnon missed
3rd Period
MTL PEN – 05:05 – Buswell
TOR PEN – 14:12 – Hamilton
MTL GOAL – 18:36 – Joliat (Morenz)
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Cude (W)
TOR – Broda (L)
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Wilf Cude. Defence: Walter Buswell, Bill MacKenzie, Georges Mantha. Forwards: Toe Blake, George Brown, Joffre Desilets, Johnny Gagnon, Paul Haynes, Aurèle Joliat, Rod Lorrain, Jack McGill, Bill Miller, Howie Morenz, Babe Siebert (C).
TOR – Goaltenders: Turk Broda. Defence: Hap Day (C), Jimmy Fowler, Reg Hamilton, Red Horner. Forwards: Syl Apps, Bob Davidson, Gordie Drillon, Frank Finnigan, Art Jackson, Busher Jackson, Bud Jarvis, Nick Metz, Bill Thoms.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 17-9-3 (.638)
TOR – 11-15-2 (.429)
ATTENDANCE
11,167
Two Solitudes 