Game 418
Canadiens 6, Maple Leafs 3
Thursday, December 1, 1960
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
The Montréal Canadiens, guided by their remorseless power play, jumped back into first place in the National Hockey League with a 6-3 win over the determined Toronto Maple Leafs here tonight.
Down 4-1 after two periods, the Leafs made a rousing comeback early in the third period. They scored two goals and appeared to score another by George Armstrong that wasn’t counted. It appeared from the press box, high up in the circus section of the smoky Forum, that Armstrong’s shot went in and out of the Montréal net.
But the goal didn’t count, despite the loud protestations of Toronto players. And the Canadiens, who rarely fail to take advantage of a break, came back to score two goals, each while the Leafs were shorthanded.
Referee Frank Udvari officiated with unusual care, but he was at his judicial best in the third period when he administered 17 penalties, including three misconducts and two majors. The Canadiens’ Henri Richard may have set a dubious record when he received fine penalties in this period, two misconducts, a major and two minors.
The versatile Richard, apart from the hostile outbreak, managed to score two goals for the Canadiens. Marcel Bonin, a player who is reported to be on the auction block, also scored two. Guy Gendron, playing his first game as a Canadien, and Dickie Moore, were the other Montréal scorers. It was Moore’s 22nd goal in 24 games.
Allan Stanley, Ed Shack and Frank Mahovlich were the Toronto scorers. It was the 17th goal of the season for Mahovlich.
The Canadiens, apart from a few industrious interludes by the Leafs, had a big advantage in play. Leafs goalkeeper Johnny Bower made numerous great saves he had no license to make. The Canadiens outshot the Leafs 47-36.
Richard touched off the biggest brawl of the game late in the third period when he high sticked Mahovlich behind the Leafs’ net. They immediately started throwing punches and the usual associated bouts broke out.
This uprising might have dissipated in a hurry, but Moore, the Canadiens’ temperamental winger, kept it going by his repeated efforts to get near Mahovlich. Moore made some of his more muscular contortions when he was being embraced by the linemen. Despite all the furious swinging, nobody appeared to have been bruised.
The Canadiens were in front all the way after Richard’s goal in the first period. It was a picture effort. He ghosted through the Leafs’ defence of Bobby Baun and Carl Brewer and threw a backhander past Bower.
The Canadiens outscored the Leafs 3-1 in the second period, and each team scored twice in the penalty pocked third period.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, December 2, 1960
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL GOAL – 06:43 – Richard (Moore, Bonin)
TOR PEN – 12:44 – Mahovlich, tripping
MTL PEN – 16:57 – Talbot, holding
2nd Period
MTL GOAL – 02:15 – Richard (Bonin)
TOR GOAL – 03:26 – Stanley (Kelly, Mahovlich)
MTL GOAL – 08:04 – Bonin (Béliveau, Geoffrion)
TOR PEN – 08:45 – Baun, tripping
MTL PP GOAL – 10:03 – Gendron (Béliveau, Geoffrion)
TOR PEN – 11:18 – Baun, charging
3rd Period
MTL PEN – 01:23 – Richard, charging + misconduct
MTL PEN – 02:39 – Harvey, holding
TOR GOAL – 04:44 – Shack (Armstrong, Stewart)
TOR GOAL – 08:45 – Mahovlich (Nevin, Stanley)
MTL PEN – 09:35 – Geffrion, butt-ending
TOR PEN – 09:35 – Brewer, holding
MTL PEN – 10:16 – Provost, slashing
TOR PEN – 12:16 – Keon, hooking
MTL PP GOAL – 12:55 – Moore (Geoffrion, Béliveau)
TOR PEN – 13:00 – team, abuse of officials
MTL PP GOAL – 14:49 – Bonin (Geoffrion, Richard)
TOR PEN – 16:22 – Mahovlich, fighting major + misconduct
MTL PEN – 16:22 – Richard, high sticking + fighting major + misconduct
TOR PEN – 16:22 – Pulford, fighting major
MTL PEN – 16:22 – Moore, fighting major
TOR PEN – 18:40 – Brewer, hooking
MTL PEN – 19:46 – Johnson, elbowing
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Hodge (W, 33-36)
TOR – Bower (L, 41-47)
SHOTS ON GOAL
MTL – 16+20+11 = 47
TOR – 11+8+17 = 36
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Charlie Hodge. Defence: Doug Harvey (C), Tom Johnson, Albert Langlois, Jean-Guy Talbot, Bob Turner. Forwards: Ralph Backstrom, Jean Béliveau, Marcel Bonin, Jean-Guy Gendron, Bernie Geoffrion, Phil Goyette, Bill Hicke, Don Marshall, Dickie Moore, Claude Provost, Henri Richard, Gilles Tremblay.
TOR – Goaltenders: Johnny Bower. Defence: Bobby Baun, Carl Brewer, Larry Hillman, Tim Horton, Red Kelly, Allan Stanley. Forwards: George Armstrong (C), Dick Duff, Billy Harris, Dave Keon, Frank Mahovlich, Bob Nevin, Bert Olmstead, Bob Pulford, Eddie Shack, Ron Stewart.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 13-7-4 (.625)
TOR – 10-9-5 (.521)
Two Solitudes 