Game 361
Canadiens 3, Maple Leafs 1
Wednesday, December 5, 1956
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
Dickie Moore, who makes a living out of beating the Toronto Maple Leafs, did it again last night.
Moore’s muscles motivated the tie-breaking shot as the Montréal Canadiens capitalized on a double penalty to the Leafs in the second period for a 3-1 National Hockey League victory.
While a crowd of 13,289 was still simmering from that, the magnificent one, Jean Béliveau, danced the clincher past Ed Chadwick, and that was the ball game.
It was a fast, rough game too, with end-to-end action prevailing until the Habs, with a two goal cushion to coast on, slowed the tempo with a close checking barrage that had the inexperienced Leafs floundering at times.
Moore’s goal increased his league leading total to 14, seven of which he has scored against Toronto.
Béliveau set the tempo from the first dropped puck. He belted every Leaf he could reach with solid checks, and after the first show of surprise, the Leafs belted back with similar effect.
Bernie Geoffrion scored on the second shot of the game, and Ron Stewart wiped it off 10 minutes and one second later. It was fairly even hockey then, with both teams waiting for the “break.”
The Canadiens got a couple of them. Dick Duff beat Jacques Plante at about the six minute mark of the second period, but the puck hit the crossbar and bounced out. That was the first break.
Jim Morrison drew a tripping penalty, and the Leafs, thanks to Ed Chadwick’s agile goaling, held the tie score. Morrison was hardly back before he drew a high sticking penalty, and again Chadwick was holding the fort when Rudy Migay followed with a tripping penalty.
Thirty four seconds later, Moore whacked a shot past Chadwick after a tic-tac-toe passing bout with Doug Harvey and Geoffrion. That brought Morrison back, but with a one man advantage left, the Canadiens kept on the power, and Béliveau stickhandled Chadwick dizzy before he daintily flipped the puck into the net.
On the play, the Canadiens deserved to win, but it’s unfortunate it had to happen the way it did – with penalties deciding the issue. Referee Lou Maschio had ruled with a velvet touch, until he tagged three Leafs in a row within four minutes and 21 seconds, two of them for tripping.
Maschio could have been condoned had he tripled the penalty output for the game, but having ignored charging, boarding, high sticking and holding to the point where rioting appeared imminent, he clamped down in peculiar fashion.
Tim Horton, Jim Morrison and Ron Stewart shared top honours with Chadwick for the Leafs. Horton and Morrison not only defended well, but led some of the Leafs’ most promising forays.
Chadwick’s greatest moment came between the Morrison and Migay second period penalties, when he balked Henri Richard on a breakaway. The Pocket came right back, had a loose puck, with Chadwick down and out of position when Al MacNeil, another bright spot for the Leafs, lifted his stick and cleared the puck.
Near the end of the second period, Chadwick beat Turner on a breakaway, then somehow managed to fling out one leg and block Geoffrion’s shot to the short side on the rebound.
Béliveau and Doug Harvey were top Montréalers, while Don Marshall killed the Leafs with his defensive tactics when the Habs were shorthanded.
Jacques Plante took a pounding because of his refusal to stay within his sanctuary. His repeated trips out of his goal area were greeted by Leaf bodychecks. Rudy Migay nailed him in the first period, and Plante served for almost a full minute with only one glove in his possession.
NOTES: Bobby Baun took a stick in the side on his first turn on the ice, and didn’t return to action until the third period. He’ll miss today’s practice session while he gets a hospital examination…Brian Cullen re-damaged an injured knee and played infrequently…Mike Nykoluk played adequately and Ron Hurst was his usual belligerent self…Geoffrion injured the elbow which underwent an option recently, and he failed to show in the third period.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, December 6, 1956
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL GOAL – 01:13 – Geoffrion (Béliveau, Olmstead)
TOR GOAL – 11:14 – Stewart (Smith, MacNeil)
MTL PEN – 12:09 – Béliveau, charging
MTL PEN – 17:01 – Béliveau, charging
TOR PEN – 17:01 – Hurst, charging
TOR PEN – 18:43 – Horton, boarding
2nd Period
MTL PEN – 05:15 – LeClair, high sticking
TOR PEN – 07:38 – Morrison, tripping
TOR PEN – 10:53 – Morrison, high sticking
TOR PEN – 11:59 – Migay, tripping
MTL PP2 GOAL – 12:33 – Moore (Harvey, Geoffrion)
MTL PP GOAL – 13:21 – Béliveau (Moore, Geoffrion)
MTL PEN – 16:05 – Turner, holding
3rd Period
MTL PEN – 05:50 – Béliveau, high sticking
TOR PEN – 10:30 – Réaume, tripping
MTL PEN – 16:19 – Moore, interference
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Plante (W, 25-26)
TOR – Chadwick (L, 29-32)
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Jacques Plante. Defence: Doug Harvey, Tom Johnson, Dollard Saint-Laurent, Jean-Guy Talbot, Bob Turner. Forwards: Jean Béliveau, Glen Cressman, Floyd Curry, Bernie Geoffrion, Jack LeClair, Don Marshall, Dickie Moore, Bert Olmstead, André Pronovost, Henri Richard.
TOR – Goaltenders: Ed Chadwick. Defence: Bobby Baun, Tim Horton, Al MacNeil, Jim Morrison, Marc Réaume. Forwards: Barry Cullen, Brian Cullen, Dick Duff, Ron Hurst, Rudy Migay, Mike Nykoluk, Bob Pulford, Tod Sloan, Sid Smith, Ron Stewart.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 13-10-2 (.560)
TOR – 6-12-6 (.375)
ATTENDANCE
13,289
Two Solitudes 