Game 479
Maple Leafs 5, Canadiens 2
Thursday, February 4, 1965
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
Employing muscles they normally save for use only against the Chicago Black Hawks, the Toronto Maple Leafs flattened the Montréal Canadiens 5-2 last night.
The largest crowd of the season at the Forum, 15,485, watched in disgust. Forum partisans are not accustomed to seeing their heroes treated so roughly.
The Leafs started five defencemen and Tim Horton scored in 10 seconds. Manager-coach Punch Imlach rode the gamble a bit far and 50 seconds later Claude Larose scored his first of two goals.
The setback was brief for the Leafs. They went ahead to stay on Andy Bathgate’s goal at 4:55 and by the middle of the second period had the Canadiens disorganized.
This was one of Toronto’s most impressive efforts this National Hockey League season. The win moved them four points behind the Canadiens and Hawks who share the lead. Montréal has two games in hand.
The use of five defencemen set the tenor of authoritative play which the Leafs maintained. They have rarely hit as hard or as often against any team other than the Hawks in the past two years.
Carl Brewer’s play was typical of the Leafs pattern. Not generally a hard body checker, Brewer laid out John Ferguson and Dave Balon with two of the most solid smashes of the year. Brewer and Horton were the pick of the defence.
Dave Keon, rookie Peter Stemkowski and Red Kelly were the best forwards.
When it was suggested the Leafs were merely warming up for a weekend series against the Hawks, assistant manager-coach King Clancy predicted “win those two and we finish first.”
If the Leafs play as they did last night, it will be difficult for any club to outlast them. They have yet to prove they can sustain such rambunctious behaviour.
The Leafs’ scoring was well distributed, with goals by Horton, Bathgate, George Armstrong, Keon and Kelly. Ten players earned points including goalie Terry Sawchuk, who got his second assist this season, fifth of his career, on Bathgate’s tally.
The Leafs had many scoring chances. Keon and Kent Douglas hit posts; Frank Mahovlich missed a great chance late in the first period; Keon was stopped by Gump Worsley on a solo rush and “The Big M” tipped a long shot by Brewer that Worsley managed to deflect.
The Leafs outshot the Canadiens 34-25. Larose, who has scored six goals against Toronto, had four of the Habs’ best chances.
Worsley, alternately shaky and brilliant, was beaten three times by long shots from the right wing. Horton and Armstrong put in 40-footers and Bathgate lashed a 60-foot drive which went in off the goalie’s stick. Keon backhanded a perfect pass from Eddie Shack on a two-on-one break and Kelly capped a fine evening by beating Jean-Guy Talbot twice, then whacking the puck into the net.
Larose tied the game by batting Terry Harper’s long shot past Sawchuk. The Montréal right winger golfed Ferguson’s rebound out of the air for his second score.
Bathgate’s goal and Larose’s second were on power plays. Despite the muscular attitude of the Leafs, referee Frank Udvari found it necessary to call only 11 penalties, all minors. Six were against the Leafs.
NOTES: Ron Stewart’s groin injury kept him out. Jim Pappin was benched, adding strength to rumours he’ll be traded or sent to Rochester soon…Yvan Cournoyer was not in uniform for the Canadiens. The rookie winger is on waivers for the purpose of being farmed out. The Habs feel he needs minor league experience. The other clubs won’t let the waivers go through…The Leafs declined a trade for Cournoyer was too high, Imlach said…Rumour department: Bert Olmstead turned down a deal with the Rangers which would ultimately have made him coach…The Leafs have a plus record in the Forum, 2-1-2, but are 1-4-0 against the Habs in Toronto.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, February 5, 1965
BOXSCORE
1st Period
TOR GOAL – 00:10 – Horton (Baun)
MTL GOAL – 01:00 – Larose (Backstrom, Harper)
MTL PEN – 04:18 – Talbot, holding
TOR PP GOAL – 04:55 – Bathgate (Keon, Sawchuk)
MTL PEN – 10:16 – Larose, high sticking
TOR PEN – 10:16 – Brewer, holding
TOR PEN – 11:07 – Horton, tripping
MTL PEN – 14:00 – Larose, slashing
2nd Period
TOR PEN – 03:20 – Horton, tripping
TOR GOAL – 08:14 – Armstrong (Douglas, Horton)
TOR PEN – 09:47 – Stemkowski, hooking
MTL PEN – 14:12 – Ferugson, cross checking
TOR GOAL – 17:36 – Keon (Shack)
TOR PEN – 18:30 – Shack, high sticking
MTL PEN – 19:30 – Backstrom, delay of game
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – 10:53 – Kelly (Pulford)
MTL PEN – 12:51 – Larose, high sticking
TOR PEN – 12:51 – Mahovlich, high sticking
TOR PEN – 15:46 – Shack, interference
MTL PP GOAL – 16:22 – Larose (Ferugson, Laperrière)
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Sawchuk (W, 23-25)
MTL – Worsley (L, 29-34)
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Terry Sawchuk. Defence: Bobby Baun, Carl Brewer, Kent Douglas, Tim Horton, Red Kelly, Allan Stanley. Forwards: George Armstrong (C), Andy Bathgate, Ron Ellis, Dave Keon, Frank Mahovlich, Dickie Moore, Bob Pulford, Eddie Shack, Pete Stemkowski.
MTL – Goaltenders: Gump Worsley. Defence: Terry Harper, Ted Harris, Jacques Laperrière, Jim Roberts, Jean-Guy Talbot, J.C. Tremblay. Forwards: Ralph Backstrom, Dave Balon, Jean Béliveau (C), Dick Duff, John Ferguson, Claude Larose, Claude Provost, Henri Richard, Léon Rochefort, Bobby Rousseau.
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 21-16-11 (.552)
MTL – 25-14-7 (.620)
ATTENDANCE
15,485
Two Solitudes 