Wikipedia

1947–48 NHL season

The 1947–48 NHL season was the 31st season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 60 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs were the Stanley Cup winners. They defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to none. This season saw the introduction of a new trophy – Art Ross Trophy – that would be handed out to the player who scored the most points during the regular season.

1947–48 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 15, 1947 – April 14, 1948
Number of games60
Number of teams6
Regular season
Season championToronto Maple Leafs
Season MVPBud O'Connor (Rangers)
Top scorerElmer Lach (Canadiens)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsToronto Maple Leafs
  Runners-upDetroit Red Wings
NHL seasons

Regular season

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The season saw the return of the National Hockey League All-Star Game, an idea that, although proposed in the previous season, came into fruition this year. The all-star game, however, saw a bad ankle injury to Chicago Black Hawks forward Bill Mosienko that nearly ended his career. Other stars would retire, ending both the Montreal Canadiens' Punch line and the Boston Bruins' Kraut line. However, this season saw the creation of the Detroit Red Wings' Production Line. The policy of having players raise their hockey sticks to signify that a goal was scored was also initiated in this season, at the suggestion of Frank Patrick, with Habs forward Billy Reay being the first to do on November 13, 1947. The season also saw Boston's Don Gallinger suspended indefinitely pending an investigation of gambling activities and the New York Rangers' Billy "The Kid" Taylor being expelled for life for gambling.

Seven games into the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks made, at that time, the biggest trade in NHL history. The Maple Leafs sent five players to the Black Hawks in trade for Max Bentley and rookie winger Cy Thomas. Thomas only played eight games that year but Bentley handed to the Leafs a much-needed offensive boost that helped propel the team to first overall and an eventual Stanley Cup.

The New York Rangers decided to make a trade to improve their fortunes and sent Hal Laycoe, Joe Bell, and George Robertson to Montreal in exchange for Buddy O'Connor and defenceman Frank Eddolls. Montreal missed O'Connor, as their goal-scoring plummeted. Ken Mosdell was out from the start of the season with a broken arm, Rocket Richard had trouble with a bad knee and Murph Chamberlain broke his leg. In an attempt to boost the goal-scoring, Montreal traded Jimmy Peters and Johnny Quilty to Boston in exchange for Joe Carveth, but the rot continued. However, the worst occurred on January 11, 1948, when the Canadiens played the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Habs lost more than a game when Bill Juzda checked captain Toe Blake into the boards, breaking Blake's ankle and ending his career. It was also the end of the famed "Punch Line". (Ironically, that same night, Johnny Quilty's career was ended with a compound fracture of the leg). The Canadiens missed the playoffs for the first time since 1940, and Bill Durnan, for the only time in his career, failed to win the Vezina Trophy. This season was also the last season in which a goaltender was allowed to be named captain of their team. Bill Durnan was the last goaltender in NHL history to be captain. Toronto's Turk Broda won the Vezina this season.

Final standings

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National Hockey League[1]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Toronto Maple Leafs 60 32 15 13 182 143 +39 77
2 Detroit Red Wings 60 30 18 12 187 148 +39 72
3 Boston Bruins 60 23 24 13 167 168 −1 59
4 New York Rangers 60 21 26 13 176 201 −25 55
5 Montreal Canadiens 60 20 29 11 147 169 −22 51
6 Chicago Black Hawks 60 20 34 6 195 225 −30 46

Playoffs

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Playoff bracket

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Semifinals Stanley Cup Finals
      
1 Toronto 4
3 Boston 1
1 Toronto 4
2 Detroit 0
2 Detroit 4
4 New York 2

Semifinals

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(1) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3) Boston Bruins

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Toronto defeated Boston four games to one, although Boston kept it closer than the series tally would indicate. Three of the five games were decided by a single goal.


March 24 Boston Bruins 4–5 OT Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Murray Henderson (1) – 01:18 First period 11:29 – Bill Ezinicki (1)
Ed Harrison (1) – 08:39 Second period 17:33 – Max Bentley (1)
Pat Egan (1) – 02:35
Ken Smith (1) – 08:38 		Third period 12:03 – Syl Apps (1)
15:34 – Jimmy Thomson (1)
No scoring First overtime period 17:03 – Nick Metz (1)
Frank Brimsek Goalie stats Turk Broda
March 27 Boston Bruins 3–5 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Johnny Peirson (1) – pp – 08:39 First period 05:41 – Ted Kennedy (1)
19:54 – pp – Ted Kennedy (2)
Pete Babando (1) – pp – 02:16 Second period 06:34 – Ted Kennedy (3)
12:24 – Ted Kennedy (4)
Milt Schmidt (1) – 10:43 Third period 07:37 – Max Bentley (2)
Frank Brimsek Goalie stats Turk Broda
March 30 Toronto Maple Leafs 5–1 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Howie Meeker (1) – 03:40
Bill Barilko (1) – 12:28 		First period No scoring
Ted Kennedy (5) – 09:24 Second period 01:10 – Milt Schmidt (2)
Garth Boesch (1) – 07:00
Nick Metz (2) – 17:49 		Third period No scoring
Turk Broda Goalie stats Frank Brimsek
April 1 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–3 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 02:47 – Ed Sandford (1)
Bill Ezinicki (2) – 01:36 Second period 07:31 – Johnny Peirson (2)
Syl Apps (2) – 15:08 Third period 13:24 – Johnny Peirson (3)
Turk Broda Goalie stats Frank Brimsek
April 3 Boston Bruins 2–3 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Jimmy Peters (1) – pp – 05:20 First period 08:41 – Vic Lynn (1)
16:13 – Les Costello (1)
Ken Smith (2) – 12:08 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 05:52 – Ted Kennedy (6)
Frank Brimsek Goalie stats Turk Broda
Toronto won series 4–1


(2) Detroit Red Wings vs. (4) New York Rangers

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It looked initially to be a close series as, after the Blueshirts lost the first two games, the Rangers won the next two to tie the series. Detroit then took the next two to win the series in six games to qualify for the Finals.


March 24 New York Rangers 1–2 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 15:04 – Ted Lindsay (1)
19:06 – pp – Jim Conacher (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Tony Leswick (1) – 03:35 Third period No scoring
Chuck Rayner Goalie stats Harry Lumley
March 26 New York Rangers 2–5 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
Edgar Laprade (1) – 14:53 First period 04:00 – Jim McFadden (1)
No scoring Second period 04:57 – Jim McFadden (2)
08:18 – pp – Marty Pavelich (1)
Neil Colville (1) – 10:51 Third period 10:04 – Leo Reise (1)
14:49 – Marty Pavelich (2)
Chuck Rayner Goalie stats Harry Lumley
March 28 Detroit Red Wings 2–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden III Recap  
No scoring First period 03:32 – Phil Watson (1)
10:35 – Phil Watson (2)
Ted Lindsay (2) – 19:40 Second period No scoring
Jack Stewart (1) – 16:03 Third period 09:02 – Tony Leswick (2)
Harry Lumley Goalie stats Chuck Rayner
March 30 Detroit Red Wings 1–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden III Recap  
Jim McFadden (3) – 03:41 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 10:08 – pp – Bryan Hextall (1)
10:41 – Eddie Kullman (1)
No scoring Third period 13:32 – Tony Leswick (3)
Harry Lumley Goalie stats Chuck Rayner
April 1 New York Rangers 1–3 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 04:02 – pp – Red Kelly (1)
No scoring Second period 14:13 – pp – Pete Horeck (1)
Buddy O'Connor (1) – 12:49 Third period 13:55 – Red Kelly (2)
Chuck Rayner Goalie stats Harry Lumley
April 4 Detroit Red Wings 4–2 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden III Recap  
Red Kelly (3) – pp – 13:46
Gordie Howe (1) – pp – 14:30
Pat Lundy (1) – 17:51 		First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Jim McFadden (4) – 10:49 Third period 12:49 – Don Raleigh (1)
19:08 – Don Raleigh (2)
Harry Lumley Goalie stats Chuck Rayner
Detroit won series 4–2


Stanley Cup Finals

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Main article: 1948 Stanley Cup Finals


April 7 Detroit Red Wings 3–5 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Jim McFadden (5) – 07:20 First period 08:21 – Harry Watson (1)
09:04 – Joe Klukay (1)
18:24 – Syl Apps (3)
No scoring Second period 14:31 – Gus Mortson (1)
19:21 – Howie Meeker (2)
Jim Conacher (2) – 04:28
Ted Lindsay (3) – 05:25 		Third period No scoring
Harry Lumley Goalie stats Turk Broda
April 10 Detroit Red Wings 2–4 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
No scoring First period 13:31 – Max Bentley (3)
Pete Horeck (2) – 18:18 Second period 03:38 – pp – Bill Ezinicki (3)
17:16 – pp – Max Bentley (4)
18:50 – Harry Watson (2)
Fern Gauthier (1) – pp – 17:18 Third period No scoring
Harry Lumley Goalie stats Turk Broda
April 11 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–0 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Harry Watson (3) – 19:42 Second period No scoring
Vic Lynn (2) – 15:16 Third period No scoring
Turk Broda Goalie stats Harry Lumley
April 14 Toronto Maple Leafs 7–2 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
Ted Kennedy (7) – pp – 02:51
Garth Boesch (2) – sh – 05:03
Harry Watson (4) – 11:13 		First period No scoring
Syl Apps (4) – 04:26
Ted Kennedy (8) – 09:42
Harry Watson (5) – sh – 11:38 		Second period 02:41 – Leo Reise (2)
Les Costello (2) – pp – 14:37 Third period 18:48 – Pete Horeck (3)
Turk Broda Goalie stats Harry Lumley
Toronto won series 4–0


Awards

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Turk Broda with the Stanley Cup and the Vezina Trophy
O'Brien Cup:
(Stanley Cup runner-up)		 Detroit Red Wings
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(Top regular season record)		 Toronto Maple Leafs
Art Ross Trophy:
(Top scorer)		 Elmer Lach, Montreal Canadiens
Calder Memorial Trophy:
(Top first-year player)		 Jim McFadden, Detroit Red Wings
Hart Trophy:
(Most valuable player)		 Bud O'Connor, New York Rangers
Lady Byng Trophy:
(Excellence and sportsmanship)		 Bud O'Connor, New York Rangers
Vezina Trophy:
(Goaltender of team with lowest GAA)		 Turk Broda, Toronto Maple Leafs

All-Star teams

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First team   Position   Second team
Turk Broda, Toronto Maple Leafs G Frank Brimsek, Boston Bruins
Bill Quackenbush, Detroit Red Wings D Ken Reardon, Montreal Canadiens
Jack Stewart, Detroit Red Wings D Neil Colville, New York Rangers
Elmer Lach, Montreal Canadiens C Buddy O'Connor, New York Rangers
Maurice Richard, Montreal Canadiens RW Bud Poile, Chicago Black Hawks
Ted Lindsay, Detroit Red Wings LW Gaye Stewart, Chicago Black Hawks

Player statistics

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Scoring leaders

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GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Player Team GP G A Pts
Elmer Lach Montreal Canadiens 60 30 31 61
Buddy O'Connor New York Rangers 60 24 36 60
Doug Bentley Chicago Black Hawks 60 20 37 57
Gaye Stewart Toronto Maple Leafs / Chicago Black Hawks 61 27 29 56
Max Bentley Black Hawks / Toronto Maple Leafs 59 26 28 54
Bud Poile Toronto Maple Leafs / Chicago Black Hawks 58 25 29 54
Maurice Richard Montreal Canadiens 53 28 25 53
Syl Apps Toronto Maple Leafs 55 26 27 53
Ted Lindsay Detroit Red Wings 60 33 19 52
Roy Conacher Chicago Black Hawks 52 22 27 49

Source: NHL[2]

Leading goaltenders

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GP = Games Played, TOI = Time on ice (minutes), GA = Goals Against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average

Player Team GP TOI GA SO GAA
Turk Broda Toronto Maple Leafs 60 3600 143 5 2.38
Harry Lumley Detroit Red Wings 60 3592 147 7 2.46
Bill Durnan Montreal Canadiens 59 3505 162 5 2.77
Frank Brimsek Boston Bruins 60 3600 168 3 2.80
Jim Henry New York Rangers 48 2800 153 2 3.19
Emile Francis Chicago Black Hawks 54 3240 183 1 3.39

Coaches

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Debuts

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The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1947–48 (listed with their first team):

Last games

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The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1947–48 (listed with their last team):

See also

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References

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  • Diamond, Dan, ed. (1994). Years of glory, 1942–1967: the National Hockey League's official book of the six-team era. Toronto, ON: McClelland and Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-2817-2.
  • Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
  • Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
  • Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
  • Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
  • McFarlane, Brian (1973). The Story of the National Hockey League. New York: Pagurian Press. ISBN 0-684-13424-1.
Notes
  1. ^ "1947–1948 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  2. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 148.
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