Game 162
Maple Leafs 6, Canadiens 4
Thursday, December 28, 1939
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
The Toronto Maple Leafs took over sole possession of second place, breaking a tie with the idle New York Rangers, by defeating the Montréal Canadiens 6 to 4 here tonight in a hectic National Hockey League game before about 8,500 fans.
The Leafs sent the Flying Frenchmen down to their fifth straight defeat, and their seventh in eight contest, in a game that saw two Canadien goals called back by referee Frank “King” Clancy, and produced a brief fist fight late in the third period between Hector “Toe” Blake of the Canadiens and Bob Davidson of the Leafs, with both drawing majors.
When Clancy called back a Montréal goal for the second time in the second period, president Ernest Savard of the Canadiens called the arbiter over to the Canadiens’ bench, and could be seen with his hands on Clancy’s shoulders. A damper was put on the whole blowup inside of a minute, however.
Although he failed to finish as good form as many of his teammates, Gordie Drillon, the league’s leading scorer, picked up two goals. His first came in the second period, when he tapped in Davidson’s rebound, and his second came on a breakaway in the 17th minute of the third session.
Other Toronto goals went to Davidson, Pete Langelle, Wally Stanowski and Dave “Sweeney” Schriner. The Montréal scorers were Marty Barry, Charlie Sands, Georges Mantha and Louis Trudel. It was the third meeting between the two teams this season, with the Leafs emerging victors for the second time. The Leafs lost in their first appearance on Montréal ice this season.
The Leafs played without their great centre ice star, Syl Apps, who fractured a collarbone earlier in the week. Billy Taylor, the rookie centre playing his first season in pro ranks, took Apps’ place between Drillon and Davidson, and played effectively, although he failed to figure in the scoring.
The Toronto team ran up a 3 to 0 lead in the first period, and made the count 4 to 0 in the third minute of the second period. Then they almost dissipated their lead before the second period closed, with the score only 4 to 3 in the Leafs’ favour.
The Habitants often came close to getting the equalizer while applying heavy pressure for more than ten minutes of the last period, but the Leafs made their fewer scoring chances good on two occasions to call the verdict before the home team netted the game’s final goal with only a minute and a half left to play.
Davidson started the scoring in the opening period by netting Stanowski’s goalmouth pass, after Kampman had helped build the play. Langelle followed with another goal on a long shot, while Church of the Leafs was serving a penalty. Stanowski made it 3 to 0 by getting his first goal in the NHL on a shot from a rink corner. It was deflected into the cage. Kampman got his second assist on this goal.
The second period was less than three minutes old when Drillon did one of his specialties to make the count 4 to 0. He was in the right spot to tap Davidson’s rebound past Bourque. Not long after that, Barry scored the Canadiens’ first with aid from Sands and Getliffe. A sudden outburst in the period’s last two minutes brought two more goals for the Canadiens, Sands and Mantha being the marksmen. The Leafs protested that Sands was in the crease, but Clancy let the goal stand.
Schriner broke away from the Canadiens’ pressure with Chamberlain’s pass in the fifteenth minute of the third period, and made no mistake with his shot. In just over two more minutes, Horner’s pass sent Drillon in for another score, and then, with Drillon, Blake and Davidson all in the penalty box, Trudel connected for the Canadiens, with assists going to Sands and Mantha.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, December 29, 1939
BOXSCORE
1st Period
TOR GOAL – 06:18 – Davidson (Kampman, Stanowski)
TOR SH GOAL – 15:43 – Langelle
TOR GOAL – 17:23 – Stanowski (Kampman)
TOR PENS – Church (2), Horner
MTL PENS – Blake, Getliffe
2nd Period
TOR GOAL – 02:47 – Drillon (Davidson)
MTL GOAL – 05:36 – Barry (Sands, Getliffe)
MTL GOAL – 18:29 – Sands (Barry, Goupille)
MTL GOAL – 19:54 – Mantha (Blake, Gagnon)
TOR PEN – Horner
MTL PEN – Drouin
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – 14:13 – Schriner (Chamberlain)
TOR GOAL – 16:53 – Drillon (Horner)
MTL SH GOAL – 18:33 – Trudel (Sands, Mantha)
TOR PEN – Davidson (major)
MTL PENS – Blake (major), Drouin
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Broda (W)
MTL – Bourque (L)
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Turk Broda. Defence: Jack Church, Red Horner (C), Bingo Kampman, Wally Stanowski. Forwards: Murph Chamberlain, Bob Davidson, Gordie Drillon, Red Heron, Pep Kelly, Pete Langelle, Gus Marker, Nick Metz, Sweeney Schriner, Billy Taylor.
MTL – Goaltenders: Claude Bourque. Defence: Walter Buswell (C), Red Goupille, Georges Mantha, Cy Wentworth, Doug Young. Forwards: Marty Barry, Toe Blake, Polly Drouin, Johnny Gagnon, Ray Getliffe, Paul Haynes, Rod Lorrain, Charlie Sands, Lou Trudel.
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 11-6-3 (.625)
MTL – 7-9-2 (.444)
Two Solitudes 