Game 385
Canadiens 7, Maple Leafs 4
Thursday, March 20, 1958
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
The Montréal Canadiens splurged for four goals in the third period here tonight to turn back the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-4 in a free-skating National Hockey League game.
The Leafs, despite going down to their sixth consecutive loss, turned in one of their better efforts in weeks, but couldn’t cope with Montréal’s power play in the last frame.
The Leafs served nine of 12 penalties called by referee Red Storey, and the Canadiens scored their final two goals while the Leafs had two players in the penalty box.
Connie Broden, who was the leading scorer in the world amateur hockey tournament as a member of the Whitby Dunlops, scored two goals for the Canadiens and assisted on a third. This was his first game as a Canadien this season.
Marcel Bonin, André Pronovost, Dickie Moore, Doug Harvey and Jean Béliveau scored the other Montréal goals. Barry Cullen, Tim Horton, Tod Sloan and George Armstrong scored for the Leafs.
Bonin’s goal, the first of the game, set a record for team scoring in a single season. It was the Canadiens’ 237th of the season, breaking the original record set by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1950-51 season.
A crowd of 13,963 seemed more interested in Moore’s personal bid to win the league’s scoring title rather than the outcome of the game. In addition to his goal, he also collected an assist to move four points ahead of teammate Henri Richard, and five up on Andy Bathgate of the New York Rangers.
Despite the seven goals rammed past him, Ed Chadwick played capably in the Toronto nets. He was kayoed in the first minute of play when Maurice Richard ran into him.
The Leafs, who went into the third period trailing 3-2, twice fought back to tie the score, and it was 4-4 with about eight minutes left in the game. Then Harvey, the Canadiens’ best player in this game, broke the tie with a blast from the point, while Béliveau blocked Chadwick’s vision.
As it turned out, that goal was enough to win, but several quick penalties to the Leafs threw the advantage to the Canadiens. And, as usual, they capitalized quickly. While Dick Duff and Gerry James of the Leafs were in the penalty box, Béliveau hammered the Canadiens’ sixth goal into the Toronto net. James and Tod Sloan were off when Broden scored his second goal on a tip-in shot.
The Canadiens collected only three penalties, and all three were simultaneous with the Leafs’ offences, so that the Stanley Cup champions never were shorthanded.
The Canadiens played with Charlie Hodge in goal, a replacement for the injured Jacques Plante. They were also without defencemen Dollard Saint-Laurent and Tom Johnson. Jack Bownass, a defenceman from the Montréal Royals, took a regular turn on defence for the Canadiens.
The Leafs, skating better than they have in weeks, got most of their drive from Armstrong, plus a few offensive bursts by Horton. Horton fooled Harvey with a bewildering fake when he scored his second period goal, and he provided the pass for Armstrong’s goal in the third period.
Bonin was one of the more effective Canadiens. Béliveau excelled on occasions with his deft stick work and blistering shots.
There were a couple of bouts in the second period involving Bonin and Duff, and a separate altercation between Ron Stewart and Moore. All drew major penalties.
The Leafs conclude the season this weekend in a home and home series with the New York Rangers.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, March 21, 1958
BOXSCORE
1st Period
TOR GOAL – 06:41 – Ba. Cullen (Br. Cullen, Aldcorn)
TOR PEN – 07:09 – Harris, hooking
MTL GOAL – 13:24 – Bonin (Broden)
TOR PEN – 19:41 – Horton, holding
2nd Period
MTL GOAL – 03:42 – Broden (Marshall)
MTL GOAL – 04:41 – Pronovost (Goyette)
TOR PEN – 10:24 – James, roughing
MTL PEN – 10:24 – Olmstead, roughing
TOR PEN – 11:08 – Duff, fighting major
MTL PEN – 11:08 – Bonin, fighting major
TOR PEN – 11:08 – Stewart, fighting major
MTL PEN – 11:08 – Moore, fighting major
TOR GOAL – 17:05 – Horton (Baun)
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – 01:42 – Sloan (Armstrong, Duff)
TOR PEN – 03:00 – Baun, holding
MTL PP GOAL – 04:27 – Moore (H. Richard, Béliveau)
TOR GOAL – 07:21 – Armstrong (Horton)
MTL GOAL – 11:55 – Harvey (Marshall, Béliveau)
TOR PEN – 13:42 – Duff, holding
TOR PEN – 14:22 – James, high sticking
MTL PP2 GOAL – 15:15 – Béliveau (Harvey, Moore)
TOR PEN – 16:08 – Sloan, hooking
MTL PP GOAL – 16:14 – Broden (Bonin, Talbot)
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Hodge (W, 28-32)
TOR – Chadwick (L, 32-39)
SHOTS ON GOAL
MTL – 12+12+15 = 39
TOR – 10+9+13 = 32
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Charlie Hodge. Defence: Jack Bownass, Doug Harvey, Jean-Guy Talbot, Bob Turner. Forwards: Jean Béliveau, Marcel Bonin, Connie Broden, Floyd Curry, Phil Goyette, Don Marshall, Dickie Moore, Bert Olmstead, André Pronovost, Claude Provost, Henri Richard, Maurice Richard (C).
TOR – Goaltenders: Ed Chadwick. Defence: Bobby Baun, Tim Horton, Jim Morrison, Marc Réaume. Forwards: Gary Aldcorn, George Armstrong (C), Barry Cullen, Brian Cullen, Dick Duff, Billy Harris, Gerry James, Frank Mahovlich, Paul Masnick, Bob Pulford, Tod Sloan, Ron Stewart.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 43-15-10 (.706)
TOR – 21-36-11 (.390)
ATTENDANCE
13,963
Two Solitudes 