1962–63 NHL season

National Hockey League season August 2023 1962–63 NHL season National Hockey League Ice hockey October 10, 1962 – April 18, 1963 Regular season 70 6 CBC, SRC (Canada)None (United States) Season champion Toronto Maple Leafs Gordie Howe (Red Wings) Hart Memorial Trophy Gordie Howe (Red Wings) Art Ross Trophy Stanley Cup 1963 Stanley Cup Finals Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings 1963–64 NHL season 1961–62 NHL season 1963–64 1961–62 NHL The 1962–63 NHL season was the 46th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams played 70 games each. The Toronto Maple Leafs won their second Stanley Cup in a row as they defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to one. As of 2025, this is the latest season the Leafs had most points in the regular season. Regular season Some diversionary news hit the sports pages the day of the All-Star Game when it was reported that Toronto had sold Frank Mahovlich to Chicago for $1 million and James D. Norris produced a cheque for the amount. On the advice of Conn Smythe, Leafs general manager and head coach Punch Imlach declined the deal, saying that a million dollars does not score goals, and Mahovlich would remain a Maple Leaf. A serious incident took place on October 23 between the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Black Hawks. A vicious stick-swinging duel took place between Gilles Tremblay and Reg Fleming that was said to be the worst since the Bernie Geoffrion–Ron Murphy fight in 1953. Both players received match penalties and $100 fines. Tremblay emerged with a bad cut on his head that required many stitches. Montreal coach Toe Blake had some caustic remarks for Fleming when he was leaving the ice, which almost resulted in another fight. The Canadiens and Black Hawks played to a 4–4 tie. President Clarence Campbell suspended both Tremblay and Fleming for three games. Glenn Hall's consecutive game streak came to an end on November 8 when he suffered a pinched nerve in his back and he was relieved by Denis DeJordy in the first period of a game in which Hall's Black Hawks tied Boston 3–3. DeJordy played well in the next game as the Black Hawks beat the Canadiens 3–1. Chicago was improving and moved into a first-place tie with Detroit when they blanked Boston 5–0 on November 29. Stan Mikita scored two goals and Bobby Hull had one. The same night, the Rangers shut out the Red Wings 5–0 as Gump Worsley played a fine game. Worsley was unlucky in his next game, however, as Chicago beat the Rangers 5–1. Worsley badly injured his shoulder and had to be replaced by Marcel Pelletier. Gump went to the hospital where he would have his shoulder in traction for ten days. Andy Hebenton had the hat trick on December 16 as the Rangers beat Detroit 5–2 at Madison Square Garden. The game was spoiled by a brawl, the chief participants being Dave Balon, Bill Gadsby, Doug Barkley and Terry Sawchuk. All were fined. Andy Bathgate got both goals when the Rangers tied Montreal 2–2 at the Montreal Forum on January 5. This was the tenth consecutive game in which he had scored. The streak was terminated when Jacques Plante blanked the Rangers 6–0 in New York. Jean Beliveau scored his 300th NHL goal on January 26 when the Rangers beat the Canadiens 4–2 at the Forum. Goals had not come very fast this year, and he hinted that this might be his last season. The writers did not take him seriously, however. The next night, the Canadiens beat the Black Hawks 3–1 at Chicago Stadium and Beliveau scored a spectacular goal, giving a beautiful exhibition of stick-handling. Bernie Geoffrion and Don Marshall were back on January 31, but the Canadiens lost 6–3 to Toronto at the Forum. Coach Toe Blake was not pleased with the officiating and was quoted in a French newspaper that referee Eddie Powers handled the game as if he had bet on the outcome. This attracted the attention of NHL president Clarence Campbell, who said the matter would be investigated. Later, Blake was fined $200 by Campbell. Powers considered the fine inadequate and submitted his resignation as a referee. He cited Red Storey when Campbell would not support decisions he made. Powers then sued Blake for libel. Bobby Hull scored all three goals as Chicago beat Boston 3–1 on February 17. On the same night, Montreal beat Detroit 6–1 and Howie Young established a penalty record when he high-sticked a Canadiens player and then commenced a tantrum, which drew him a minor, a major, a misconduct and a game misconduct totalling 27 minutes. His season total was now 208 minutes in penalties. NHL president Campbell then tacked on a three-game suspension. Detroit ousted the Rangers from the playoffs on March 3 with a 3–2 win. Bernie Geoffrion was in trouble for an incident during a game on March 5 in which Montreal beat Detroit 4–3. Referee Vern Buffey had given Jacques Plante a penalty for slashing Howie Young and then a bench penalty when the Canadiens protested. Geoffrion threw his stick at Buffey and his gloves as well. Geoffrion was given a match penalty and President Campbell assessed Geoffrion a five-game suspension. The career of the Canadiens' Lou Fontinato came to a tragic end on March 9 when he tried to check Vic Hadfield and instead was thrown headlong into the boards by the Ranger player. Fontinato lay motionless on the ice for some time before being carried off the ice on a stretcher and taken to Montreal General Hospital where the diagnosis was a fractured neck, a crushed cervical vertebra. He gradually recovered from his paralyzed condition, but would never play hockey again. Jacques Laperriere replaced Fontinato on the Canadiens defence. It was quite a race for playoff positions, as five points separated fourth and first. Gordie Howe led the Red Wings and the NHL as he won his sixth and last Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy. Final standings Playoffs Playoff bracket The top four teams in the league qualified for the playoffs. In the semifinals, the first-place team played the third-place team, while the second-place team faced the fourth-place team, with the winners advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. In both rounds, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). Stanley Cup Finals Semifinals 1 Toronto 4 3 Montreal 1 2 Chicago 2 4 Detroit 4 1 Toronto 4 4 Detroit 1 Semifinals (1) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3) Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens Toronto Maple Leafs Montreal Forum Maple Leaf Gardens March 26 1–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-tor/1963/03/26/1962030111#game=1962030111,game_state=final No scoring 03:30 – Bob Pulford (1) Jean Beliveau (1) – pp – 08:46 01:42 – Dick Duff (1)05:35 – pp – George Armstrong (1) No scoring No scoring Jacques Plante 31 saves / 34 shots Johnny Bower 19 saves / 20 shots March 28 2–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-tor/1963/03/28/1962030112#game=1962030112,game_state=final Jean Beliveau (2) – 06:07 06:54 – George Armstrong (2) Terry Harper (1) – 06:14 03:15 – Allan Stanley (1)16:35 – Dave Keon (1) No scoring No scoring Jacques Plante 24 saves / 27 shots Johnny Bower 29 saves / 31 shots March 30 2–0 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-mtl/1963/03/30/1962030113#game=1962030113,game_state=final No scoring No scoring No scoring Eddie Shack (1) – 13:14 No scoring Bob Pulford (2) – 14:16 Jacques Plante 20 saves / 22 shots Johnny Bower 32 saves / 32 shots April 2 1–3 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-mtl/1963/04/02/1962030114#game=1962030114,game_state=final No scoring Ron Stewart (1) – 06:12 00:26 – Henri Richard (1)14:00 – pp – Gilles Tremblay (1) No scoring 05:29 – pp – Gilles Tremblay (2) No scoring Jacques Plante 23 saves / 24 shots Johnny Bower 37 saves / 40 shots April 4 0–5 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-tor/1963/04/04/1962030115#game=1962030115,game_state=final No scoring 06:56 – pp – Dave Keon (2)09:43 – Dick Duff (2)10:11 – Ron Stewart (2) No scoring 16:37 – Dave Keon (3) No scoring 11:27 – Kent Douglas (1) Jacques Plante 27 saves / 32 shots Johnny Bower 35 saves / 35 shots Toronto won series 4–1 (2) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (4) Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings Chicago Black Hawks Olympia Stadium Chicago Stadium March 26 4–5 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-chi/1963/03/26/1962030121#game=1962030121,game_state=final Marcel Pronovost (1) – 13:37 09:08 – Bobby Hull (1)15:02 – pp – Bobby Hull (2) Vic Stasiuk (1) – 09:50 08:19 – pp – Ab McDonald (1)12:50 – Eric Nesterenko (1)16:46 – Bill Hay (1) Alex Delvecchio (1) – 01:18Gordie Howe (1) – 03:05 No scoring Terry Sawchuck 31 saves / 36 shots Glenn Hall 29 saves / 33 shots March 28 2–5 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-chi/1963/03/28/1962030122#game=1962030122,game_state=final Vic Stasiuk (2) – 10:54 12:58 – pp – Bobby Hull No scoring 06:24 – Bill Hay (2)16:45 – pp – Bill Hay (3) Gordie Howe (2) – 10:51 01:56 – pp – Stan Mikita (1)07:43 – pp – Ab McDonald (2) Terry Sawchuck Glenn Hall March 31 2–4 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-det/1963/03/31/1962030123#game=1962030123,game_state=final No scoring Stan Mikita (2) – pp – 04:31 10:36 – Gordie Howe (3)19:40 – pp – Parker MacDonald (1) Stan Mikita (3) – 17:33 06:02 – Alex Faulkner (1)06:43 – Bruce MacGregor (1) No scoring Terry Sawchuck 35 saves / 40 shots Glenn Hall 27 saves / 29 shots April 2 1–4 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-det/1963/04/02/1962030124#game=1962030124,game_state=final 12:34 – pp – Alex Faulkner (2) No scoring 01:11 – pp – Gordie Howe (4)18:20 – Andre Pronovost (1) Bobby Hull (4) – pp – 08:37 00:18 – Floyd Smith (1) No scoring Terry Sawchuck 17 saves / 18 shots Glenn Hall 35 saves / 39 shots April 4 4–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-chi/1963/04/04/1962030125#game=1962030125,game_state=final Floyd Smith (2) – 15:51 No scoring Norm Ullman (1) – 04:53Parker MacDonald (2) – pp – 19:05 08:32 – Kenny Wharram (1)15:17 – Bobby Hull (5) Norm Ullman (2) – pp – 17:25 No scoring Terry Sawchuck 30 saves / 32 shots Glenn Hall 43 saves / 47 shots April 7 4–7 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-det/1963/04/07/1962030126#game=1962030126,game_state=final 05:43 – Parker MacDonald (3)16:49 – pp – Norm Ullman (3) Bobby Hull (6) – 07:35 04:12 – Larry Jeffrey (1)05:01 – Alex Delvecchio (2) Bobby Hull (7) – 03:53Bobby Hull (8) – 14:34Eric Nesterenko (2) – 17:43 07:09 – Alex Faulkner (3)10:46 – pp – Norm Ullman (4)16:29 – Bill Gadsby (1) No scoring Terry Sawchuck 20 saves / 24 shots Glenn Hall 38 saves / 45 shots Detroit won series 4–2 Stanley Cup Finals 1963 Stanley Cup Finals Detroit Red Wings Toronto Maple Leafs Olympia Stadium Maple Leaf Gardens April 9 2–4 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-tor/1963/04/09/1962030211#game=1962030211,game_state=final No scoring 00:49 – Dick Duff (3)01:08 – Dick Duff (4)14:42 – sh – Bob Nevin (1) Larry Jeffrey (2) – 05:36Larry Jeffrey (3) – pp – 08:05 No scoring No scoring 05:08 – Bob Nevin (2) Terry Sawchuck 23 saves / 27 shots Johnny Bower 30 saves / 32 shots April 11 2–4 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-tor/1963/04/11/1962030212#game=1962030212,game_state=final No scoring 05:31 – Ed Litzenberger (1)18:42 – Ron Stewart (3) Gordie Howe (5) – 01:32 00:49 – Bob Nevin (3)08:55 – pp – Ron Stewart (4) Gordie Howe (6) – 02:03 No scoring Terry Sawchuck 33 saves / 37 shots Johnny Bower 25 saves / 27 shots April 14 2–3 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-det/1963/04/14/1962030213#game=1962030213,game_state=final 00:33 – Vic Stasiuk (3) Dave Keon (4) – 14:56 08:13 – Alex Faulkner (4)13:39 – Alex Faulkner (5) Tim Horton (1) – 13:06 No scoring No scoring Terry Sawchuck 30 saves / 32 shots Johnny Bower 28 saves / 31 shots April 16 4–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-det/1963/04/16/1962030214#game=1962030214,game_state=final 02:54 – Gordie Howe (7) No scoring 02:38 – pp – Eddie Joyal (1) George Armstrong (3) – 01:17Red Kelly (1) – 17:41 No scoring Dave Keon (5) – 09:42Red Kelly (2) – pp – 17:45 Terry Sawchuck 29 saves / 33 shots Johnny Bower 38 saves / 40 shots April 18 1–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-tor/1963/04/18/1962030215#game=1962030215,game_state=final No scoring 17:44 – sh – Dave Keon (6) Alex Delvecchio (3) – 00:49 No scoring No scoring 13:28 – Eddie Shack (2)19:55 – sh – en – Dave Keon (7) Terry Sawchuck 25 saves / 27 shots Johnny Bower 26 saves / 27 shots Toronto won series 4–1 Awards 1962–63 NHL awardsPrince of Wales Trophy:(Regular season champion) Toronto Maple LeafsArt Ross Trophy:(Top scorer) Gordie Howe, Detroit Red WingsCalder Memorial Trophy:(Best first-year player) Kent Douglas, Toronto Maple LeafsHart Memorial Trophy:(Most valuable player) Gordie Howe, Detroit Red WingsJames Norris Memorial Trophy:(Best defenceman) Pierre Pilote, Chicago Black HawksLady Byng Memorial Trophy:(Excellence and sportsmanship) Dave Keon, Toronto Maple LeafsVezina Trophy:(Goaltender of team with the best goals-against average) Glenn Hall, Chicago Black Hawks All-Star teams First team   Position   Second teamGlenn Hall, Chicago Black Hawks GTerry Sawchuk, Detroit Red WingsPierre Pilote, Chicago Black Hawks DTim Horton, Toronto Maple LeafsCarl Brewer, Toronto Maple Leafs DMoose Vasko, Chicago Black HawksStan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks CHenri Richard, Montreal CanadiensGordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings RWAndy Bathgate, New York RangersFrank Mahovlich, Toronto Maple Leafs LWBobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks Player statistics Scoring leaders Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes Player Team GP G A Pts PIM Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings 70 38 48 86 100 Andy Bathgate New York Rangers 70 35 46 81 54 Stan Mikita Chicago Black Hawks 65 31 45 76 69 Frank Mahovlich Toronto Maple Leafs 67 36 37 73 56 Henri Richard Montreal Canadiens 67 23 50 73 57 Jean Beliveau Montreal Canadiens 69 18 49 67 68 John Bucyk Boston Bruins 69 27 39 66 36 Alex Delvecchio Detroit Red Wings 70 20 44 64 8 Bobby Hull Chicago Black Hawks 65 31 31 62 27 Murray Oliver Boston Bruins 65 22 40 62 38 Dinger 2011 149 Leading goaltenders Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts Player Team GP MIN GA GAA W L T SOJacques Plante Montreal Canadiens 56 3320 138 2.49 22 14 19 5Don Simmons Toronto Maple Leafs 28 1680 70 2.50 15 8 5 1Glenn Hall Chicago Black Hawks 66 3910 166 2.52 30 20 15 5Terry Sawchuk Detroit Red Wings 48 2781 117 2.52 21 17 7 3Johnny Bower Toronto Maple Leafs 42 2520 109 2.60 20 15 7 1Hank Bassen Detroit Red Wings 16 960 52 3.25 6 5 5 0Gump Worsley New York Rangers 67 3980 217 3.27 22 34 10 2Bob Perreault Boston Bruins 22 1320 82 3.73 3 12 7 1Eddie Johnston Boston Bruins 50 2880 193 4.02 11 27 10 1 Coaches Boston Bruins: Milt Schmidt Chicago Black Hawks: Rudy Pilous Detroit Red Wings: Sid Abel Montreal Canadiens: Toe Blake New York Rangers: Muzz Patrick and Red Sullivan Toronto Maple Leafs: Punch Imlach Debuts The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1962–63 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): Eddie Johnston, Boston Bruins Paul Henderson, Detroit Red Wings Claude Larose, Montreal Canadiens Jacques Laperriere, Montreal Canadiens Terry Harper, Montreal Canadiens Jim Neilson, New York Rangers Kent Douglas, Toronto Maple Leafs Last games The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1962–63 (listed with their last team): Bob Turner, Chicago Black Hawks Jack Evans, Chicago Black Hawks Vic Stasiuk, Detroit Red Wings Lou Fontinato, Montreal Canadiens Broadcasting Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. Games were not broadcast in their entirety until the 1968–69 season, and were typically joined in progress, while the radio version of HNIC aired games in their entirety. This was the third consecutive season that the NHL did not have an American national broadcaster until the 1965–66 season. See also 1962–63 NHL transactions List of Stanley Cup champions National Hockey League All-Star Game 1962 in sports 1963 in sports References Coleman Charles L. 1976 Sherbrooke, Quebec Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol III Progressive Publications Years of glory, 1942–1967: the National Hockey League's official book of the six-team era Diamond, Dan 1994 McClelland and Stewart Toronto, ON 0-7710-2817-2 Total Hockey Diamond, Dan Total Sports 2000 1-892129-85-X Kingston, New York Dinger Ralph 2011 The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012 Dan Diamond & Associates 978-1-894801-22-5 Toronto, ON registration https://archive.org/details/nationalhockeyle0000unse_u6g5 Dowbiggin Bruce 2008 The Meaning Of Puck: How Hockey Explains Modern Canada Toronto Key Porter Books 978-1-55470-041-7 registration https://archive.org/details/meaningofpuckhow0000dowb Dryden Steve Century of hockey McClelland & Stewart Ltd. Toronto, ON 2000 0-7710-4179-9 Duplacey James 2008 North Dighton, Massachusetts Hockey's Book of Firsts JG Press 978-1-57215-037-9 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. 0-7853-9624-1 Lincolnwood, Illinois Fischler 2003 McFarlane Brian 1969 50 Years Of Hockey Winnipeg, MAN Greywood Publishing B000GW45S0 McFarlane Brian The Story of the National Hockey League Pagurian Press New York 1973 0-684-13424-1 registration https://archive.org/details/storyofnationalh0000mcfa Notes External links Hockey Database NHL.com 1962 Category:1962–63 in American ice hockey by league Category:1962–63 in Canadian ice hockey by league