Game 269
Maple Leafs 4, Canadiens 2
Thursday, January 19, 1950
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
Long John McCormack, an embryo pro who closed his law books in favour of a money hockey career, banged in two goals tonight to give the Maple Leafs a 4-2 triumph over their most bitter rivals, the Montréal Canadiens.
The two tallies broke a 2-2 tie in the middle frame, and the Leafs held a slight edge in the hard hitting play from there in, regaining fourth place from the idle Boston Bruins.
Definite underdogs after losing to the Habitants 1-0 in Toronto last night, the Leafs yielded a goal in the first three minutes of play, were down 2-1 at the end of the first, then came back strongly.
Goalie Turk Broda, in addition to kicking out some hot ones, saved a penalty shot, taken by the mighty Rocket Richard at the eight minute mark of the third. Had it clicked, the complexion of the game might have changed.
Sid Smith and Ray Timgren were the other scorers for the Leafs. Little Norm Dussault and Ken Mosdell counted for the Habs before a sellout Forum gathering of 14,006.
Referee Bill Chadwick enforced the seldom called penalty shot, ruling that a Leaf – it looked like Timgren – had fallen on the puck in the goal crease.
Richard took the puck at the blue line, and skated in on Broda in an attempt to draw him out. “The Turkey” refused to be plucked, however, stood his ground, and Richard was forced to wheel away at the goalmouth without taking a shot.
The Leafs, coming from behind a 2-1 deficit, netted the only three goals of the second period, and it was McCormack who counted the last two after Timgren had tied it just after the seven minute mark.
Timgren’s tally happened when, with the Leafs pressing and man-mountain Roger Leger attempting to clear, the puck landed on Timgren’s stick. His low 15-footer beat Bill Durnan on the short side.
McCormack opened his scoring at the halfway mark on a play set up by Vic Lynn, who battled for the puck. Johnny took a pass in the clear, and his shot struck the centre of Durnan’s leg pads and trickled through. It was the ex-Marlboro’s first tally as a full fledged pro, although he had scored a previous one this season while playing with the Leafs as an amateur. He now has played six games with the Leafs, three as an amateur.
There were just 56 seconds of the period remaining when McCormack, who checked fiercely throughout, hooked the puck from Doug Harvey in the Habitant end, let go a slow looper that Durnan couldn’t judge.
Speedy Dussault had opened the scoring nearing the three minute mark of the first frame, when he cut by Garth Boesch and let go a shot that Turk Broda partially stopped. However, the puck had enough momentum to slide tantalizingly over the line before any Leaf could reach it.
Butch Bouchard was in penitence when the Leafs tied it up four minutes later. Gus Mortson’s slap shot from the blue line was ticket in, Sid Smith standing to the side of the cage. The Habs got that one back near the end of the period when Ken Mosdell split the Boesch-Barilko rearguard and slipped the puck past the Turkey.
NOTES: Goalie Broda received his first penalty of the season at the end of the second when he slapped at Mosdell with his stick. It was served by Boesch…An absentee was Glen Harmon, the Hab defenceman who suffered a cut leg on the last play of the game in Toronto. He said it was caused by a skate, but wasn’t sure whether the wearer was Bill Ezinicki or Max Bentley. It was Ezinicki who checked him hard just at hte final bell…One of the hardest trying Leafs was Howie Meeker…Ken Reardon, as usual, was terrific in his bull-like way for the Habs…Lynn and Butch Bouchard waved sticks menacingly at each other after Bouchard cross checked Lynn in the second…Bill Juzda, alternating with Boesch, gave a good, hard checking display…It was the Leafs’ third triumph over the Habs in 10 tries this season, and their second on Forum ice…The Habs outshot the Leafs 22-17.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, January 20, 1950
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL GOAL – 02:38 – Dussault (Reay, Harvey)
MTL PEN – 04:30 – Bouchard, hooking
TOR PP GOAL – 06:24 – Smith (Mortson, Meeker)
MTL PEN – 08:47 – Gravelle, interference
TOR PEN – 12:30 – Juzda, holding
TOR PEN – 13:12 – Mortson, tripping
MTL PEN – 13:22 – Leger, holding
MTL GOAL – 17:41 – Mosdell (MacKay, Curry)
2nd Period
TOR GOAL – 07:18 – Timgren
MTL PEN SHOT – 08:00 – Richard missed
TOR GOAL – 10:20 – McCormack (Lynn)
MTL PEN – 10:58 – Bouchard, hooking
TOR PEN – 14:30 – Ezinicki, hooking
TOR GOAL – 19:04 – McCormack
TOR PEN – 19:50 – Broda, slashing
3rd Period
MTL PEN – 08:58 – Mosdell, interference
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Broda (W, 20-22)
MTL – Durnan (L, 13-17)
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Turk Broda. Defence: Bill Barilko, Garth Boesch, Bill Juzda, Gus Mortson, Jimmy Thomson. Forwards: Max Bentley, Bill Ezinicki, Ted Kennedy (C), Joe Klukay, Vic Lynn, John McCormack, Howie Meeker, Sid Smith, Ray Timgren.
MTL – Goaltenders: Bill Durnan. Defence: Butch Bouchard (C), Doug Harvey, Roger Leger, Ken Reardon. Forwards: Floyd Curry, Norm Dussault, Bob Fillion, Léo Gravelle, Elmer Lach, Calum MacKay, Kenny Mosdell, Gerry Plamondon, Billy Reay, Maurice Richard, Rip Riopelle.
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 16-19-7 (.464)
MTL – 17-15-9 (.524)
Two Solitudes 