Game 167
Maple Leafs 8, Canadiens 4
Thursday, March 14, 1940
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
Led by Robert “Red” Heron, who equaled a season’s mark by scoring four goals, the Toronto Maple Leafs ran wild in the third period tonight to trounce the Montréal Canadiens 8-4 in a National Hockey League game before about 4,500 fans.
The red-headed Heron picked off a goal in the first period, another in the second and two in the third, tying a mark set earlier in the season by Herbie Cain of the Boston Bruins in a game against the Leafs at Toronto. Cain and Heron have been the only four goal scorers of the season.
The Habitants, who fought gamely throughout the first two periods, but faded in the last session, had nothing to match the brilliance of the Heron-Sweeney Schriner-Pep Kelly line, although their all-rookie trio of Gordie Poirier, Tony Demers and Smiley Meronek served with distinction.
Kelly, Schriner and Heron picked up a total of 14 points, from the game for Heron, besides his four goals, had one assist. Schriner had a goal and three assists, and Kelly helped in all five of the tallies by his linemates.
On the Canadiens’ part, Meronek got his first big league goals – notching one in the second period and another late in the third. In addition, Demers got his second score of the season, while Poirier picked up an assist on Demers’ second period goal.
Besides Heron’s four tallies and the one by Schriner, two of the Leaf goals went to Syl Apps, while the other went to Hank Goldup. Georges Mantha tallied the other Canadien goal, a score in the second period that put the Habitants ahead 3-2 for their only lead of the game.
It was the seventh victory for the Leafs in eight meetings with the Canadiens this season. The Montréalers’ only success came in their first clash of the season. For Montréal fans, it was the last NHL game of the season, as the Canadiens, out of the playoffs, end their schedule away from home.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, March 15, 1940
BOXSCORE
1st Period
TOR GOAL – 13:14 – Apps (Drillon)
TOR GOAL – 19:13 – Heron (Schriner, Kelly)
2nd Period
MTL GOAL – 06:41 – Meronek (Trudel, Lorrain)
MTL PEN – 08:12 – Goupille
MTL GOAL – 13:40 – Demers (Meronek, Poirier)
TOR PEN – 14:39 – Kampman
MTL PP GOAL – 15:47 – Mantha (Blake, Buswell)
TOR GOAL – 19:09 – Heron (Schriner, Kelly)
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – 01:55 – Heron (Schriner, Kelly)
TOR GOAL – 07:05 – Goldup (Marker, Langelle)
MTL PEN – 07:59 – Goupille
TOR PP GOAL – 08:16 – Heron (Kelly)
TOR PP GOAL – 09:07 – Schriner (Kelly, Heron)
TOR PEN – 15:40 – Heron
MTL PP GOAL – 16:45 – Meronek (Blake, Trudel)
TOR GOAL – 17:55 – Apps (Davidson)
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Broda (W)
MTL – Bourque (L)
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Turk Broda. Defence: Reg Hamilton, Red Horner (C), Bingo Kampman, Bucko McDonald. Forwards: Syl Apps, Bob Davidson, Gordie Drillon, Hank Goldup, Red Heron, Pep Kelly, Pete Langelle, Gus Marker, Nick Metz, Sweeney Schriner.
MTL – Goaltenders: Claude Bourque. Defence: Walter Buswell (C), Red Goupille, Georges Mantha, Doug Young. Forwards: Toe Blake, Tony Demers, Polly Drouin, Rod Lorrain, Bill Meronek, Gordie Poirier, Charlie Sands, Lou Trudel.
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 24-16-6 (.587)
MTL – 10-32-5 (.266)
Two Solitudes 