Game 141
Maple Leafs 3, Canadiens 1
Thursday, February 25, 1937
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
Two first period goals provided the Toronto Leafs enough margin for a 3-1 National Hockey League triumph tonight over the section leading Montréal Canadiens. The victory brought the Leafs within three points of second place.
One of the best midweek crowds of the season – more than 8,000 – watched Bill Thoms and Nick Metz shoot the early goals.
Then they saw the Canadiens attempt to come from behind with a disorganized attack that seldom caused the tight checking Leafs much bother.
Thoms scored at 5:06, swooping past goaler Wilf Cude to bat home his own rebound, while Metz fired a backhander six minutes later, after Bob Davidson and Frank Finnigan had relayed the puck around the Canadiens’ defence.
“Buzz” Boll, pulling off a smart fake play, sent the Leafs into a 3-0 lead early in the second period, and at 11:05, Johnny Gagnon poked in the only Canadien, goal after George Brown sent him close in on the Leaf cage.
Featuring the Leafs’ strong defence, the game was fast throughout, with the checking particularly hard in the third period, when five penalties were handed out. Gordon Drillon drew one of them, his first of the season. It came in the closing minutes, when he engaged in a bumping and pushing duel with Paul Haynes.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, February 26, 1937
BOXSCORE
1st Period
TOR GOAL – 05:06 – Thoms (Horner)
TOR GOAL – 12:00 – Metz (Finnigan, Davidson)
TOR PEN – Hamilton
MTL PEN – MacKenzie
2nd Period
TOR GOAL – 03:53 – Boll (Conacher)
MTL GOAL – 11:05 – Gagnon (Brown, G. Mantha)
TOR PEN – Horner
3rd Period
TOR PENS – Drillon, Horner
MTL PENS – Haynes, MacKenzie
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Broda (W)
MTL – Cude (L)
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Turk Broda. Defence: Hap Day (C), Jimmy Fowler, Reg Hamilton, Red Horner. Forwards: Syl Apps, Buzz Boll, Charlie Conacher, Bob Davidson, Gordie Drillon, Frank Finnigan, Busher Jackson, Bill Kendall, Nick Metz, Bill Thoms.
MTL – Goaltenders: Wilf Cude. Defence: Bill MacKenzie, Georges Mantha. Forwards: Toe Blake, George Brown, Joffre Desilets, Johnny Gagnon, Paul Haynes, Aurèle Joliat, Pit Lépine, Rod Lorrain, Jack McGill, Bill Miller.
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 17-20-3 (.463)
MTL – 22-13-4 (.615)
Two Solitudes 