Preseason Game 19
Maple Leafs 5, Canadiens 1
Wednesday, September 24, 1980
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
The Toronto Maple Leafs got a long look at the Nova Scotia Voyageurs and a new rule aimed at preventing multiplayer brawls last night.
They also had an easy time of it, skating to a 5-1 National Hockey League exhibition victory over the Voyageurs disguised as the Montréal Canadiens, who left most of their top players behind.
The two teams and referee Bob Myers gave those of the 16,485 ticket buyers who turned up for the game a protracted look at the anti-brawl rule.
There were a pair of brief and fairly harmless scuffles and then a drawn-out series of debates over the interpretation of the rule. These, combined with the two fights, produced a total of 108 minutes in penalties.
Eight players – four for each team – drew double misconducts, one each because they neglected to retire to neutral territory when the fight began, and one more each because they dropped their gloves.
The main eventers were Montréal’s Chris Nilan and Toronto’s Laurie Boschman, who fought first, and the Habs’ Rick Chartraw and the Leafs’ Rocky Saganiuk. There were also automatic bench minors for each team.
Among the stars left behind by the Canadiens were goaltender Denis Herron, defencemen Larry Robinson, Rod Langway and Guy Lapointe, and forwards Guy Lafleur, Réjean Houle, Bob Gainey and Pierre Larouche.
“I was surprised they didn’t bring in Lafleur and Robinson, because the people paid to see them,” Leaf coach Joe Crozier said.
The Canadiens who did show up did something no Montréal team has done since the 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs – they dropped two consecutive games to the Leafs. The Leafs dominated the first period, building a 4-0 lead and controlling play with tight checking, although there were some second period lapses. Ron Ellis, John Anderson, Rick Vaive, Robert Picard and Pat Hickey were the Leaf scorers. Mark Napier scored for Montréal.
Ellis picked up a rebound on a Mark Kirton slapshot and put it past Richard Sévigny to give the Leafs a 1-0 lead at 9:34.
Boschman’s rebound banked off the skate of a Montréal defenceman to Anderson, who made it 2-0.
Bill McCreary passed out to Vaive from the corner for the third Toronto goal and set up the fourth goal by Picard.
Hickey made it 5-0 in the third period, and the Toronto shutout stood up until Napier beat goalie Paul Harrison with less than six minutes to play.
The Canadiens tested Harrison more severely, but Jiri Crha in the first half of the game solidified his status as number one goaltender. He gave up only one goal in the third period of Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Canadiens.
The Leafs settle back into two-a-day practices today and don’t play again until Monday, when they meet the Buffalo Sabres, the first of four games in as many days.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, September 25, 1980
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL PEN – 05:23 – Risebrough
TOR PEN – 05:36 – Saganiuk, minor + major
MTL PEN – 05:36 – Gingras, minor + major
MTL PEN – 07:56 – Root
TOR PEN – 08:05 – Paiement
TOR GOAL – 09:34 – Ellis (Kirton, Shand)
TOR PEN – 09:49 – Boschman
TOR GOAL – 12:27 – Anderson (Boschman)
TOR GOAL – 13:17 – Vaive (McCreary Jr., Sittler)
TOR PEN – 14:57 – McCreary Jr.
MTL PEN – 14:57 – Nilan, minor + fighting major
TOR PEN – 14:57 – Boschman, minor + fighting major
MTL PEN – 14:57 – Chartraw, fighting major
TOR PEN – 14:57 – Saganiuk, fighting major
MTL PEN – 14:57 – team, bench minor
TOR PEN – 14:57 – team, bench minor
MTL PEN – 14:57 – Jarvis, double misconduct
TOR PEN – 14:57 – Turnbull, double misconduct
MTL PEN – 14:57 – Engblom, double misconduct
TOR PEN – 14:57 – Shand, double misconduct
TOR GOAL – 18:48 – Picard (Vaive, Sittler)
2nd Period
TOR PEN – 02:50 – Paiement
TOR PEN – 04:57 – Sittler
MTL PEN – 06:14 – Wickenheiser
MTL PEN – 09:08 – Baker
MTL PEN – 12:40 – Nilan
TOR PEN – 12:40 – Vaive
TOR PEN – 13:03 – Boschman
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – Hickey (Paiement, Salming)
MTL PEN – 06:33 – Acton
MTL PEN – 09:57 – Gavin
MTL GOAL – 14:09 – Napier (Jarvis, Chartraw)
MTL PEN – 15:46 – Risebrough
GOALTENDERS
TOR – Crha (W, 13-13), Harrison (16-17)
MTL – Sévigny (L, 14-18), Wamsley (21-22)
SHOTS ON GOAL
TOR – 12+12+16 = 40
MTL – 7+11+12 = 30
Two Solitudes 