Game 151
Maple Leafs 3, Canadiens 3
Saturday, March 12, 1938
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
After gaining a first period lead, the Toronto Maple Leafs twice had to come from behind to get out with a 3-all tie in a rather carelessly played game with Les Canadiens of Montréal at Maple Leaf Gardens Saturday night.
A crowd of 13,002 saw the two Canadian teams that have qualified for the NHL playoffs show a lot of very loose defensive stuff that will have to be tightened up considerably if either club is going to get anywhere in the big money series.
The Leafs failed to smear the French snipers who were parking or cruising around the front of the home net, and the Montréalers’ rear guard often was so porous that only great work by goaler Cude enabled the Habitants to secure a tie. The Toronto team’s work back of their own blue line was much below a playoff standard – and that’s why the Canadiens, with far fewer scoring chances, obtained a draw decision.
It was an easygoing sort of game, in which the Leafs got the point that was required to clinch first place. Kelly and Chamberlain still were kept out of action, and the thirteen man Toronto squad took care to avoid any more injuries.The tie, however, did not do the Canadiens much good, for they dropped into third place behind the New York Amerks, who defeated the Maroons in Montréal. Only four penalties, divided evenly, were dished out by the referees.
Probably the most noteworthy angle from a Toronto standpoint was the return of Busher Jackson to goal-getting form. He netted a pair of markers, and each one tied the score. Many weeks have gone by since the Busher has clicked for two goals, and there will be no cheering in Boston over the fact that the star left wing veteran has shaken his jinx and now is in tune for the playoffs.
Just over six minutes of the first period’s fast and open play were used up when Syl Apps tore down centre ice with Bob Davidson’s pass. He fed a fine forward pass to Gordon Drillon, and the league-leading marksman had a clear road to cut in on Cude and tally with a short drive. The Canadiens’ defence looked weak Saturday night without Babe Siebert, who will not get into the lineup until next week.
The Flying Frenchmen knotted the count in the second minute of the second period, and they made the feat look easy, when the Leafs’ defence and backcheckers were AWOL. Georges Mantha stickhandled right in with Don Willson’s pass, and made no mistake when he had Broda at his mercy.
Bingo Kampman was given a trial at right wing on a line with Metz and Parsons. The Dashing Dutchman bored in with Metz’s pass to have a fine scoring chance, but he missed the net with his smoking shot.
Around midway in the same period, little Aurèle Joliat was allowed to do his favourite stunt of lingering unmarked and unmolested in front of the Leafs’ cage, when some of the other lads were squabbling over the rubber along the end boards. A teammate slapped the disc out to Joliat, and, although Broda made a desperate dive, the veteran forward flipped the puck high into the hemp, as he has done so many times before in his sixteen seasons of major league campaigning.
In just over two minutes, the Leafs got that one back. Thoms and Goupille were penalized together, and, with these off the ice, Jackson, after having missed a grand scoring opportunity, came right back with Boll’s pass. Expecting a high blast from Jackson’s stick, goaler Cude jumped up in anticipation, and he was off balance when the Busher’s shot turned out to be a skidder that went into a cage corner.
Apps and his linemates swarmed in on Cude during a series of really brilliant rushes that made the Canadiens defence look like a sieve in the first three minutes of the third period. But they failed to beat the agile Welshman. Then referee Smith gave Reg Hamilton a rather cheap penalty, and a Canadien ganging attack soon produced another goal. Rod Lorrain, although almost surrounded by Leafs in front of the net, got a pass and and had room and time to backhand it past Broda. Young Mr. Lorrain should have been bumped over on his ear – but he wasn’t. Buswell and Mantha drew assists on the soft looking play.
The Leafs began to gang full out in search of the equalizer, and although the Frenchmen did not look impressive while attempting to stay back on a defensive stand, it took until 15:27 for the local youngsters to bang the black biscuit past the hard working Cude. Again it was Jackson who did the trick. He flashed in from left wing to get on the receiving end of a Thoms and Boll play. Very little excitement and very few scoring chances were produced as the teams coasted through the goalless overtime period.
Two popular presentations were made between the first and second periods. The Globe & Mail gave a loving-cup trophy to Aurèle Joliat, veteran of veterans in the NHL, on the occasion of his last scheduled visit to Toronto in his sixteenth consecutive season with Les Canadiens. The little star received a mighty ovation as Charlie Conacher made this presentation on behalf of The Globe & Mail, Toronto hockey fans, and hockey fans everywhere. George Parsons, the young Leaf forward, was the recipient of a matched set of golf clubs and golf bags from friends in Swansea, his birthplace.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, March 14, 1938
BOXSCORE
1st Period
TOR GOAL – 06:34 – Drillon (Apps, Davidson)
2nd Period
MTL GOAL – 01:24 – Mantha (Willson)
MTL GOAL – 10:16 – Joliat (Desilets, Lépine)
MTL PEN – 12:08 – Goupille
TOR PEN – 12:08 – Thoms
TOR GOAL – 12:44 – Jackson (Boll)
MTL PEN – 15:34 – Buswell
3rd Period
TOR PEN – 03:26 – Hamilton
MTL PP GOAL – 03:50 – Lorrain (Buswell, Mantha)
TOR GOAL – 15:27 – Jackson (Thoms, Boll)
Overtime
none
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Broda (T)
MTL – Cude (T)
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Turk Broda. Defence: Jimmy Fowler, Reg Hamilton, Red Horner, Bingo Kampman. Forwards: Syl Apps, Buzz Boll, Bob Davidson, Gordie Drillon, Busher Jackson, Nick Metz, George Parsons, Bill Thoms.
MTL – Goaltenders: Wilf Cude. Defence: Marty Burke, Walter Buswell, Red Goupille, Georges Mantha, Armand Raymond. Forwards: Toe Blake, George Brown, Joffre Desilets, Johnny Gagnon, Paul Haynes, Aurèle Joliat, Pit Lépine, Rod Lorrain, Don Willson.
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 22-14-9 (.589)
MTL – 16-17-12 (.489)
ATTENDANCE
13,002
Two Solitudes 