Game 485
Maple Leafs 3, Canadiens 3
Wednesday, November 10, 1965
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
The Maple Leafs tied the Montréal Canadiens 3-3 last night, but the 14,723 faithful at Maple Leaf Gardens accepted it as a victory.
The slumbering Leafs awoke in the third period as if someone had run along behind their bench with a firebrnad.
The Leafs had lost three in a row, the last a humiliating 9-0 defeat in Chicago Sunday. It looked as if it would be number four when the Canadiens went into the third period with a 3-1 lead.
What happened? No one knows, but it could mean bad news for the New York Rangers, who visit the Gardens Saturday night. There is a sneaking suspicion that the Leafs have tasted the calibre of hockey which they are capable and will want more of the same.
It all started when Eddie Shack, who made a triumphant return, engaged in a little punch-throwing and arm-pulling with John Ferguson, his tough-guy counterpart with the Canadiens.
Shack got two minutes for roughing, and Ferguson was hit with a double minor.
The Leafs reacted with power during the penalties. Frank Mahovlich passed to Ron Ellis, breaking in on the net. Ellis scored. A few minutes later, Orland Kurtenbach trailed Ellis to the net and cashed in on the rebound.
And, for the first time this season, the Gardens reverberated with the familiar Go Leafs Go chant, which up to now might have meant their fans would like them to leave.
Kurtenbach, who has less ice time than the Leafs’ other scorers, notched his second one of the season, strengthening the argument of those who would like to see him used on a regular line.
Up to now, he has been used almost exclusively as a penalty killer. This was the case again last night.
Ralph Backstrom put Montréal ahead 1-0 in the first period and Ferguson made it 2-0 in the second. Then George Armstrong, on a good play, hit the post. Dave Keon recovered the puck and scored.
It looked as if that play might snap the Leafs to action, but the Canadiens came back with a goal by former Leaf Dick Duff 18 seconds later. At that point someone mentioned that the Leafs must have been using plays they borrowed from football’s hapless Argonauts.
Shack, still a hero with the fans, made manager-coach Punch Imlach look good.
The fact they are not bosom pals is no secret and some observers felt Imlach might lave Shack in Rochester at least until after Christmas.
But Punch obviously knew that he had only one player in the entire system who might make a change in the team. Eddie is unique in that he doesn’t seem to mind running through the end boards if that is where he wants to go.
He took eight of the Leafs’ 14 minutes in penalties, but he did provide that certain Shack spark.
He tried to hit everybody and it seemed to catch on.
And the happiest man at the reversal of form must have been goaltender Johnny Bower, who admitted that he turned 41 Monday.
Bower kept them within striking range in the first two periods.
This was the sixth game for rookie winger Brit Selby. That means Imlach plans to go with him for the balance of the season. After playing more than five games, Selby would need to be waived from the NHL to be sent to the minors.
He is too good a prospect to take that chance.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, November 11, 1965
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL PEN – 00:50 – Ferguson, tripping
MTL PEN – 06:51 – Larose, roughing
MTL GOAL – 11:20 – Backstrom (Provost)
2nd Period
MTL PEN – 00:09 – Ferguson, interference
TOR PEN – 00:09 – Shack, high sticking
MTL GOAL – 04:43 – Ferguson (Berenson, Larose)
TOR GOAL – 06:29 – Keon (Armstrong)
MTL GOAL – 06:47 – Duff (Rousseau)
TOR PEN – 07:46 – Shack, charging
TOR PEN – 11:10 – Ellis, elbowing
MTL PEN – 16:46 – Berenson, delay of game
TOR PEN – 18:34 – Shack, high sticking
3rd Period
MTL PEN – 03:07 – Ferguson, roughing double minor
TOR PEN – 03:07 – Shack, roughing
MTL PEN – 04:43 – Harris, tripping
TOR PP GOAL – 06:07 – Ellis (Mahovlich, Armstrong)
TOR PEN – 06:40 – Ellis, boarding
TOR GOAL – 08:56 – Kurtenbach (Ellis, Horton)
TOR PEN – 09:18 – Baun, charging
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Bower (T, 33-36)
MTL – Worsley (T, 26-29)
SHOTS ON GOAL
TOR – 9+9+11 = 29
MTL – 15+12+9 = 36
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Johnny Bower. Defence: Bobby Baun, Kent Douglas, Tim Horton, Red Kelly, Marcel Pronovost, Allan Stanley. Forwards: George Armstrong (C), Ron Ellis, Larry Jeffrey, Eddie Joyal, Dave Keon, Orland Kurtenbach, Frank Mahovlich, Bob Pulford, Brit Selby, 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), Red Berenson, Yvan Cournoyer, Dick Duff, John Ferguson, Claude Larose, Claude Provost, Bobby Rousseau, Gilles Tremblay.
TEAM RECORDS
TOR – 2-5-2 (.333)
MTL – 5-2-2 (.667)
ATTENDANCE
14,723
Two Solitudes 