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1936–37 NHL season

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1936–37 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationNovember 5, 1936 – April 15, 1937
Number of games48
Number of teams8
Regular season
Season championsDetroit Red Wings
Season MVPBabe Siebert (Canadiens)
Top scorerSweeney Schriner (Americans)
Canadian Division championsMontreal Canadiens
American Division championsDetroit Red Wings
Stanley Cup
ChampionsDetroit Red Wings
  Runners-upNew York Rangers
NHL seasons

The 1936–37 NHL season was the 20th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eight teams each played 48 games. The Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the New York Rangers three games to two in the final series.

League business

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Frank Calder had been naming the top rookies commencing with 1932–33. This year, he commenced buying a trophy for the top rookie and Syl Apps was this year's winner.

The Great Depression continued to take its toll on the NHL. At the beginning of the decade there were ten teams and in the years since two teams had folded. It appeared like the New York Americans were to become the third team but the NHL took steps to prevent that from happening. Instead of letting the team cease operating because of money and ownership problems the league assumed control of the team for the 1936–37 season. It was then that team owner Bill Dwyer sued. A settlement then allowed for Dwyer to own the team, run by the NHL, and that Dwyer would be given a chance to pay back his debts.

The Montreal Maroons, short of money, had to sell their star and team captain Hooley Smith to Boston. It was hoped that Carl Voss of the former Eagles would fill in adequately for him, but he came down with influenza and was not much help. However, Bob Gracie started scoring and the Maroons almost nipped the Canadiens for first place in the Canadian Division.

Regular season

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Highlights

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The New York Americans had started in first place, but then their players came down with influenza and the team went downhill. But the worst blow was when Roy Worters suffered a hernia and had to retire. Alfie Moore and Lorne Chabot were not adequate replacements and the Amerks finished last in the Canadian Division.

On November 16, 1936, Hal Winkler made his NHL debut for the New York Rangers and gained a 1–0 shutout over the Montreal Maroons. He was the first goaltender to have a shutout in his NHL debut.[1] The Montreal Canadiens had hit the bottom in 1935–36, and Babe Siebert was obtained to shore up the defence. But the most loved of all movements was buying Howie Morenz back from the Rangers. The Canadiens went from last to first in the Canadian Division. Morenz was just hitting his stride in January 1937, when tragedy struck. On one of his hurtling rushes, he was being checked by Earl Seibert of Chicago when his left skate got caught in the dasher of the end boards, and Morenz suffered a badly fractured leg. After suffering a nervous breakdown worrying about if he would be able to come back, more bad luck occurred. On March 8, 1937, X-rays revealed that Howie had blood clots in his healing leg. An operation was scheduled for the next day, but when Howie ate a light supper and told the nurse he wanted to rest, in falling asleep his pallor suddenly changed and the nurse knew something was wrong. A blood clot had stopped his heart, and attempts to revive Howie failed. News of Morenz's death shocked the hockey world, and thousands filed past his bier, many in tears, to pay their last respects.

Beyond Morenz's tragic mishap, it was an injury-filled year for many stars. Already suffering from a bad back, Boston's Eddie Shore suffered a broken vertebra that cost him the remainder of the season. Charlie Conacher of the Maple Leafs repeatedly injured his wrist, costing him much of the season, and was never the same player thereafter. A series of minor injuries precipitated Lionel Conacher's decision to retire at year's end, while Sylvio Mantha and Roy Worters suffered career-ending injuries. Other stars who missed several weeks of time or had season-ending injuries included Red Wings captain Doug Young, Larry Aurie, Russ Blinco, Buzz Boll, Pit Lepine, Dave Trottier, Toe Blake and Art Chapman.

With five games left to play, Chicago owner Frederic McLaughlin, a partisan of American-born players, decided to field an all-American lineup, the first time in major senior hockey that this was done. With incumbent Mike Karakas in goal, the Black Hawks signed Ernest Klingbeil and Paul Schaefer on defence, with a line of Milt Brink centering Al Suomi and Bun Laprairie. The team went 1–3 with the sextet in the lineup.

Detroit, led by Vezina Trophy winning Normie Smith, finished first in the American Division.

Final standings

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American Division
GP W L T GF GA PTS
Detroit Red Wings 48 25 14 9 128 102 59
Boston Bruins 48 23 18 7 120 110 53
New York Rangers 48 19 20 9 117 106 47
Chicago Black Hawks 48 14 27 7 99 131 35
Canadian Division
GP W L T GF GA PTS
Montreal Canadiens 48 24 18 6 115 111 54
Montreal Maroons 48 22 17 9 126 110 53
Toronto Maple Leafs 48 22 21 5 119 115 49
New York Americans 48 15 29 4 122 161 34

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


Playoffs

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Playoff bracket

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First roundSemifinalsFinal
C1Mtl Canadiens2
A1Detroit3
A1Detroit3
C2Mtl Maroons2
A3NY Rangers2
A2Boston1
C2Mtl Maroons0
A3NY Rangers2
C3Toronto0
A3NY Rangers2

Quarterfinals

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(A2) Boston Bruins vs. (C2) Montreal Maroons

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March 23 Boston Bruins 1–4 Montreal Maroons Montreal Forum Recap  
No scoring First period 13:56 – Carl Voss (1)
No scoring Second period 12:15 – pp – Baldy Northcott (1)
Ray Getliffe (1) – pp – 06:34 Third period 16:43 – Herb Cain (1)
17:32 – Bob Gracie (1)
Tiny Thompson Goalie stats Bill Beveridge
March 25 Montreal Maroons 0–4 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 04:54 – Dit Clapper (1)
15:42 – Charlie Sands (1)
No scoring Second period 16:19 – Ray Getliffe (2)
No scoring Third period 13:50 – Red Beattie (1)
Bill Beveridge Goalie stats Tiny Thompson
March 28 Montreal Maroons 4–1 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Cy Wentworth (1) – 15:49
Russ Blinco (1) – 19:25 		Second period 05:18 – Dit Clapper (2)
Earl Robinson (1) – 14:30
Dave Trottier (1) – 17:58 		Third period No scoring
Bill Beveridge Goalie stats Tiny Thompson
Montreal won series 2–1


(C3) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (A3) New York Rangers

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March 23 New York Rangers 3–0 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Lynn Patrick (1) – pp – 05:29 Second period No scoring
Murray Murdoch (1) – 15:07
Alex Shibicky (1) – 16:10 		Third period No scoring
Dave Kerr Goalie stats Turk Broda
March 25 Toronto Maple Leafs 1–2 OT New York Rangers Madison Square Garden III Recap  
Busher Jackson (1) – 01:42 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 10:05 – Butch Keeling (1)
No scoring First overtime period 13:05 – Babe Pratt (1)
Turk Broda Goalie stats Dave Kerr
New York won series 2–0


Semifinals

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(A1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (C1) Montreal Canadiens

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March 23 Montreal Canadiens 0–4 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 05:21 – Ebbie Goodfellow (1)
No scoring Second period 16:54 – Herbie Lewis (1)
No scoring Third period 01:20 – Hec Kilrea (1)
17:52 – Hec Kilrea (2)
Wilf Cude Goalie stats Norm Smith
March 25 Montreal Canadiens 1–5 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
Paul Haynes (1) – 09:29 First period 15:42 – Mud Bruneteau (1)
No scoring Second period 02:07 – Herbie Lewis (2)
04:45 – Herbie Lewis (3)
15:40 – Pete Kelly (1)
No scoring Third period 17:15 – Pete Kelly (2)
Wilf Cude Goalie stats Norm Smith
March 27 Detroit Red Wings 1–3 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
No scoring First period 03:10 – Johnny Gagnon (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Marty Barry (1) – 01:45 Third period 10:29 – Babe Siebert (1)
17:27 – Johnny Gagnon (2)
Norm Smith Goalie stats Wilf Cude
March 30 Detroit Red Wings 1–3 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
Syd Howe (1) – 17:00 First period 07:30 – Toe Blake (1)
12:27 – Paul Haynes (2)
No scoring Second period 18:28 – Joffre Desilets (1)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Norm Smith Goalie stats Wilf Cude
April 1 Detroit Red Wings 2–1 OT Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Ebbie Goodfellow (2) – sh – 04:41 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 14:56 – Bill MacKenzie (1)
Hec Kilrea (3) – 11:49 First overtime period No scoring
Norm Smith Goalie stats Wilf Cude
Detroit won series 3–2


(C2) Montreal Maroons vs. (A3) New York Rangers

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April 1 Montreal Maroons 0–1 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden III Recap  
No scoring First period 16:46 – Babe Pratt (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Bill Beveridge Goalie stats Dave Kerr
April 3 Montreal Maroons 0–4 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden III Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period Neil Colville (1) – 04:24
Neil Coville (2) – 06:45
Frank Boucher (1) – 09:10
No scoring Third period Mac Colville (1) – 02:41
Bill Beveridge Goalie stats Dave Kerr
New York won series 2–0


Stanley Cup Finals

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Main article: 1937 Stanley Cup Finals


April 6 Detroit Red Wings 1–5 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden III Recap  
No scoring First period 05:23 – Butch Keeling (2)
09:40 – Lynn Patrick (2)
18:43 – Joe Cooper (1)
No scoring Second period 18:55 – Frank Boucher (2)
Syd Howe (2) – 17:12 Third period 18:22 – Lynn Patrick (3)
Norm Smith Goalie stats Dave Kerr
April 8 New York Rangers 2–4 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 09:22 – pp – John Sorrell (1)
12:07 – Mud Bruneteau (2)
13:31 – John Gallagher (1)
Babe Pratt (3) – 15:06
Butch Keeling (3) – 18:18 		Second period 11:02 – Herbie Lewis (4)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Dave Kerr Goalie stats Norm Smith
April 11 New York Rangers 1–0 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Neil Colville (3) – 00:23 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Dave Kerr Goalie stats Norm Smith
April 13 New York Rangers 0–1 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 12:43 – Marty Barry (2)
Dave Kerr Goalie stats Norm Smith
April 15 New York Rangers 0–3 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 19:22 – pp – Marty Barry (3)
No scoring Second period 09:36 – John Sorrell (2)
No scoring Third period 02:22 – Marty Barry (4)
Dave Kerr Goalie stats Norm Smith
Detroit won series 3–2


Awards

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The "Rookie of the Year" award now had a trophy, the Calder Trophy, for the first time.

Calder Trophy:
(Best first-year player)		 Syl Apps, Toronto Maple Leafs
Hart Trophy:
(Most valuable player)		 Babe Siebert, Montreal Canadiens
Lady Byng Trophy:
(Excellence and sportsmanship)		 Marty Barry, Detroit Red Wings
O'Brien Cup:
(Canadian Division champion)		 Montreal Canadiens
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(American Division champion)		 Detroit Red Wings
Vezina Trophy:
(Fewest goals allowed)		 Normie Smith, Detroit Red Wings

All-Star teams

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First Team   Position   Second Team
Normie Smith, Detroit Red Wings G Wilf Cude, Montreal Canadiens
Babe Siebert, Montreal Canadiens D Earl Seibert, Chicago Black Hawks
Ebbie Goodfellow, Detroit Red Wings D Lionel Conacher, Montreal Maroons
Marty Barry, Detroit Red Wings C Art Chapman, New York Americans
Larry Aurie, Detroit Red Wings RW Cecil Dillon, New York Rangers
Busher Jackson, Toronto Maple Leafs LW Sweeney Schriner, New York Americans
Jack Adams, Detroit Red Wings Coach Cecil Hart, Montreal Canadiens

Player statistics

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Scoring leaders

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Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes

PLAYER TEAM GP G A PTS PIM
Sweeney Schriner New York Americans 48 21 25 46 17
Syl Apps Toronto Maple Leafs 48 16 29 45 10
Marty Barry Detroit Red Wings 48 17 27 44 6
Larry Aurie Detroit Red Wings 45 23 19 42 20
Busher Jackson Toronto Maple Leafs 46 21 19 40 12
Johnny Gagnon Montreal Canadiens 48 20 16 36 38
Bob Gracie Montreal Maroons 48 11 25 36 18
Nels Stewart Boston Bruins/New York Americans 43 23 12 35 37
Paul Thompson Chicago Black Hawks 47 17 18 35 28
Lorne Carr New York Americans 48 18 16 34 22
Earl Robinson Montreal Maroons 48 16 18 34 19
Bill Cowley Boston Bruins 46 13 21 34 4

Source: NHL[2]

Coaches

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American Division

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Canadian Division

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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 1936–37 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

Last games

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The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1936–37 (listed with their last team):

See also

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References

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  • 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. 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. 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. ^ Hockey's Book of Firsts, p.19, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9
  2. ^ "Statistics | Regular Season | 1936–37 | All Skaters". NHL.com. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
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