Game 145
Maple Leafs 3, Canadiens 3
Saturday, December 4, 1937
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
Workmen at Maple Leaf Gardens this morning probably are inspecting and repairing the side boards or the dasher, as some United States hockey scribes term it.
A lot of hockey players’ bodies were dashed into the dasher Saturday night, when Les Canadiens of Montréal held the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 3 to 3 tie in an overtime battle that was featured by a wild and woolly second period.
No goals had come from the very few scoring chances produced in the opening period of fairly open, but not loose, play. And the fast skating teams were doing their work in quite peaceful manner.
But, early in the second session, referee Mickey Ion, who was in one of “those” moods that are his special and well known property, touched off the spark that started rebellion and rumpus by the Toronto team and 12,218 cash customers.
He penalized Reg Hamilton, the Leaf defenceman, and allowed Toe Blake, the Canadiens’ left winger, to go scot free when the two players tangled along the boards. The crowd showered the ice with debris. They were mad clean through, because Parsons was already in the penalty box, and the Leafs were shorthanded by two. They also were due to get a lot madder, for Ion had some Leafs keeping company with the penalty timer during most of the period – and the Canadiens eventually got two goals when only four Leafs were on the ice.
It wasn’t long until the busy young Mr. Blake was in a fistic tilt with Bob Davidson, that sent both teams into what came close to being a free-for-all. Blake and Davidson got major penalties, and Busher Jackson got a ten minute misconduct rest for, ’tis alleged, leaving the bench to act as peacemaker. And the Leafs then had three in the penitent pew.
Now, veteran players know that when Ion has his dander up and has fanned on a decision or two…well, he can be kidded along a little bit, but he can’t be driven or ridden. Davidson or Hamilton have seen enough of Ion’s work in both the International League and the National Hockey League to realize that fact – and this observer must state frankly that they let their tempers get the best of them and, as a result, took too many penalties.
The inevitable happened at 14:37, when Georges Mantha netted Goupille’s rebound after goaler Broda had been knocked down. Assists were given to Blake and Gagnon. And in just over a minute, Blake soloed into the Leafs’ defence zone, and made the red light blink when his low shot eluded Broda and slid into a net corner. Only four Leafs were on the ice when these goals were scored.
When the irate Leafs got back to full strength, they shelled goaler Cude from all angles, but couldn’t beat the slender and agile lad until after Mancuso acquired a penalty. Apps snapped a short shot home after Jackson and Hamilton had built up the play. Apps richly deserved the goal, for he had been leading a series of rushes in really brilliant style.
The start of the third period saw both teams more cooled off, and they got down to the serious business of really playing hockey. The Leafs carried the play in search of the equalizing goal, but let’s give the Flying Frenchmen credit for not hanging back on any drab defensive stand. They struck back repeatedly and dangerously.
George Brown, the Canadiens’ extra forward, got into the game, and made the mistake of picking up a penalty that brought the tying goal. It was just past the nine minute mark when Jimmy Fowler topped off a ganging attack by flipping a long backhander from out near the blue line. Cude’s view was partially blocked when the rubber sagged the strings.
The fans, whose feelings had boiled and seethed all evening, nearly raised the roof about two minutes later, when the Leafs climaxed their uphill struggle by going into a 3-2 lead. Bill Thoms got the goal in the game’s best play. He drove in behind the net to nab his own rebound, fight off two Canadiens, and wiggle his way out to hook the disc past a goalpost. Chamberlain and Davidson got assists.
However, at 14:04, a Toronto rush that seemed destined to chalk up another goal got trapped deep in the Habitants’ ice, and away flew the Frenchies. Blake fed a pass to Rod Lorrain, who was uncovered on right wing, and the latter’s high shot picked a net corner to again square the count.
Cude robbed more than one Leaf before the game went into an overtime period that was made notable only by the fact that the Canadiens decided to switch their tactics. They often ragged the rubber in centre ice, while stalling to come out with a tied score. The Leafs were piling in around Cude’s well guarded cage when the final gong rang.
Very much in the spotlight during the exciting contest was Toe Blake. The former Hamilton Tiger was in all the scraps and near-scraps, and he was well thumped by a lot of terrific body checks. But he also turned out to be the scoring leader, with a goal and two assists.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, December 6, 1937
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL PEN – 03:11 – Drouin
2nd Period
TOR PEN – 01:18 – Parsons
TOR PEN – 03:15 – Hamilton
MTL PEN – 04:52 – Blake, major
TOR PEN – 04:52 – Davidson, major
TOR PEN – 04:52 – Jackson, game misconduct
TOR PEN – 11:13 – Davidson
TOR PEN – 13:52 – Hamilton
MTL PP GOAL – 14:37 – Mantha (Blake, Gagnon)
MTL PP GOAL – 15:13 – Blake
MTL PEN – 18:04 – Mancuso
TOR PP GOAL – 18:50 – Apps (Jackson, Hamilton)
3rd Period
MTL PEN – 07:12 – Brown
TOR PP GOAL – 09:03 – Fowler (Apps, Drillon)
TOR PEN – 09:15 – Horner
TOR GOAL – 11:39 – Thoms (Chamberlain, Davidson)
MTL GOAL – 14:05 – Lorrain (Blake)
Overtime
none
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Broda (T)
MTL – Cude (T)
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Turk Broda. Defence: Jimmy Fowler, Reg Hamilton, Red Horner. Forwards: Syl Apps, Buzz Boll, Murph Chamberlain, Bob Davidson, Gordie Drillon, Busher Jackson, Pep Kelly, Nick Metz, George Parsons, Bill Thoms.
MTL – Goaltenders: Wilf Cude. Defence: Walter Buswell, Red Goupille, Bill MacKenzie, Georges Mantha. Forwards: Toe Blake, George Brown, Polly Drouin, Johnny Gagnon, Paul Haynes, Aurèle Joliat, Pit Lépine, Rod Lorrain, Gus Mancuso, Babe Siebert (C).
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 5-2-4 (.636)
MTL – 3-2-4 (.556)
ATTENDANCE
12,218
Two Solitudes 