Game 219
Maple Leafs 5, Canadiens 4
Thursday, January 10, 1946
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
Paul Bibeault, back with his parent National Hockey League club, tonight saw the Montréal Canadiens come out on the short end of a 5-4 score against the Toronto Maple Leafs before 12,431 fans.
The Canadiens held a definite edge of the play over the Leafs in the second and third periods, but their wide open style of hockey often left Bibeault with no support, and the Leafs capitalized on every scoring opportunity to build up a comfortable lead, which the Canucks could not overtake.
The Montréal defeat prevented the Canucks from breaking a first place tie with the idle Chicago Black Hawks, while the Toronto victory consolidated the Leafs’ fifth place berth.
Bob Davidson scored the first goal after 4:03 minutes of play on passes from Mel Hill and Jackie Hamilton. Butch Bouchard scored for Montréal a little more than a minute later, when he travelled the length of the ice and fired a low angle shot, which went in between goalie Frankie McCool’s legs.
Bob Goldham and Billy Taylor broke up a furious Montréal drive and Goldham passed to Taylor, who beat Bibeault cleanly from close in. The Canucks pressed forward and peppered McCool from all angles, only to see Goldham take a pass from Bob Davidson and increase the Leafs’ lead to 3-1. Billy Reay got one back for the Canadiens before the end of the frame on a pass from Bobby Fillion.
The Canadiens fought back in the midsession, but McCool performed all kinds of acrobatics in the Leafs’ nets to keep the Canucks at bay, while the Toronto forwards added two more markers to build up a safe 5-2 lead.
The Canucks came rollicking back in the final frame and beat McCool twice. Toe Blake and Leo Lamoureux were the Canuck marksmen.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, January 11, 1946
BOXSCORE
1st Period
TOR GOAL – 04:03 – Davidson (Hill, Hamilton)
MTL GOAL – 05:36 – Bouchard
TOR GOAL – 07:41 – Taylor (Goldham)
TOR GOAL – 12:28 – Goldham (Davidson)
MTL GOAL – 15:19 – Reay (Fillion)
2nd Period
TOR PEN – 00:34 – Goldham
TOR GOAL – 03:45 – Metz
TOR GOAL – 13:00 – Davidson (Hamilton)
3rd Period
MTL GOAL – 07:35 – Blake (Richard, Lach)
MTL GOAL – 13:19 – Lamoureux
GOALTENDERS
TOR – McCool (W)
MTL – Bibeault (L)
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Frank McCool. Defence: Bob Goldham, Moe Morris, Babe Pratt, Wally Stanowski. Forwards: Syl Apps (C), Gus Bodnar, Lorne Carr, Bob Davidson, Jackie Hamilton, Mel Hill, Nick Metz, Sweeney Schriner, Gaye Stewart, Billy Taylor.
MTL – Goaltenders: Paul Bibeault. Defence: Butch Bouchard, Glen Harmon, Ken Reardon. Forwards: Joe Benoit, Toe Blake (C), Bob Fillion, Dutch Hiller, Elmer Lach, Leo Lamoureux, Buddy O’Connor, Jimmy Peters, Billy Reay, Maurice Richard.
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 8-17-3 (.339)
MTL – 14-8-3 (.620)
ATTENDANCE
12,431
Two Solitudes 