Preseason Game 08
Maple Leafs 5, Canadiens 0
Saturday, September 23, 1972
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
The Toronto Maple Leafs carefully camouflaged their National Hockey League intentions in two games at the Gardens on the weekend.
They had a part in two shutouts. They defeated the Montréal Canadiens 5-0 Saturday night. Last night the Detroit Red Wings, who were supposed to have goaltending problems, dumped the Leafs 4-0.
The surprising part of each game was the attendance. Although there were numerous empty seats, the paid attendance of Saturday’s game was 16,485. It was 16,363 last night.
NHL exhibition games have not been popular this season at the box office except in Toronto where there is a captive audience. Subscribers are required to purchase tickets to exhibition games at regular prices.
The Leafs didn’t look that impressive in their win over the Canadiens on Saturday. The Canadiens appeared bored, indifferent, most of the time. Even their skating was laboured, unusual for a Montréal tea.
The Mahovlich brothers, Frank and Pete, Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe are with Team Canada. Coach Scotty Bowman gave Henri Richard and Claude Larose the night off.
The Leafs were much improved from their pallid performance against the Chicago Black Hawks last Wednesday, especially on defence and in goal. Plante, who played the first half of the game, stopped several tough shots. Two of his best stops were on Canadiens rookie Steve Shutt. Ron Low finished in goal for the Leafs.
A goal by Dave Keon in the third period, his second of the game, provided a moment to remember from an otherwise drab game.
Keon was deep in the corner, to the right of Canadiens goaltender Michel Plasse. Keon right-angled for the goal and Plasse assumed the Toronto player would have to go behind the net. He was right. Keon, however, holding the stick in his right hand, reached and swept the puck over the goal line before he disappeared behind the net.
McKenny, Dupéré and Randy Osburn were the other scorers for the Leafs. The first four goals were scored on Wayne Thomas, who started in the nets for Montréal. Thomas and Plasse played for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in the AHL last season.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, September 25, 1972
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL PEN – 00:14 – Houle, hooking
TOR GOAL – 05:21 – Keon (Lundrigan)
TOR PEN – 07:15 – McKenny, kneeing
TOR GOAL – 14:35 – McKenny (Thomson, Ullman)
MTL PEN – 18:42 – Roberts, high sticking
TOR PP GOAL – 19:31 – Dupéré (Ullman, Sittler)
2nd Period
TOR GOAL – 05:11 – Osburn (Kehoe)
TOR PEN – 13:15 – Lundrigan, high sticking
TOR PEN – 16:28 – McIntyre, hooking
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – Keon (Monahan, Baun)
TOR PEN – 09:58 – Pelyk, hooking
MTL PEN – 18:56 – Hoganson, roughing
TOR PEN – 18:56 – Ullman, roughing
MTL PEN – 19:31 – Lefley, tripping
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Plante (W, 11-11), Low (15-15)
MTL – Thomas (L, 12-16), Plasse (9-10)
SHOTS ON GOAL
TOR – 11+9+7 = 27
MTL – 8+6+12 = 26
ROSTERS
TOR – Goaltenders: Ron Low, Jacques Plante. Defence: Bobby Baun, John Grisdale, Joe Lundrigan, Larry McIntyre, Jim McKenny, Mike Pelyk. Forwards: Denis Dupéré, George Ferguson, Murray Heatley, Pierre Jarry, Rick Kehoe, Dave Keon, Lyle Moffat, Garry Monahan, Randy Osburn, Darryl Sittler, Errol Thompson, Norm Ullman.
MTL – Goaltenders: Michel Plasse, Wayne Thomas. Defence: Dale Hoganson, Jacques Laperrière, Ken Murray, Jim Roberts, Larry Robinson, John Van Boxmeer. Forwards: Chuck Arnason, Dave Gardner, Réjean Houle, Guy Lafleur, Yvon Lambert, Chuck Lefley, Jacques Lemaire, Randy Rota, Steve Shutt, Marc Tardif, Murray Wilson.
Two Solitudes 