1941–42 NHL season

Professional ice hockey league season August 2023 1941–42 NHL season National Hockey League Ice hockey November 1, 1941 – April 18, 1942 Regular season 48 7 Season champion New York Rangers Tommy Anderson (Americans) Hart Memorial Trophy Bryan Hextall (Rangers) Stanley Cup 1942 Stanley Cup Finals Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings 1942–43 NHL season 1940–41 NHL season 1942–43 1940–41 NHL The 1941–42 NHL season was the 25th season of the National Hockey League. Seven teams played 48 games each. The New York Americans rebranded as the Brooklyn Americans. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup defeating the Detroit Red Wings, winning four straight after losing the first three in a best-of-seven series, a feat only repeated to date three times in NHL history (1975, 2010, 2014) and once in Major League Baseball (2004). However the '41–42 Leafs were the only ones to achieve the feat in a championship final series. League business This was the last season for the Brooklyn Americans who had changed their name from the New York Americans in an attempt to build a civic relationship with those from the Flatbush area of New York. However, the team continued to play at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan since there was no suitable arena in Brooklyn. Due to World War II travel restrictions on adults, the NHL demanded more junior-aged players who were free of the travel restrictions.Amateurs Receive $17,000 April 20, 1942 Winnipeg Tribune Winnipeg, Manitoba 15 https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-20-1942-1474767/ NHL president Frank Calder reported there was a general agreement with the amateur leagues that a junior-aged player should be able to determine his own financial future due to the war.Young Players For N.H.L. Clubs? August 22, 1942 Winnipeg Tribune Winnipeg, Manitoba 19 https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-aug-22-1942-1474780/ Regular season The Americans started the season without Harvey "Busher" Jackson who refused to sign. He was then sold to Boston. But the Amerks had two positive notes: two defencemen, Tommy Anderson and Pat Egan, were now All-Star calibre. That did not prevent them from finishing last, though. On December 9, 1941, the Chicago Black Hawks-Boston Bruins game would be delayed for over a half-hour as United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared that the United States was at war.Hockey's Book of Firsts, p.71, James Duplacey, JG Press, 978-1-57215-037-9 Frank Patrick suffered a heart attack and had to sell his interest in the Montreal Canadiens, and the Habs almost had to move to Cleveland. But Tommy Gorman kept the team alive. They added Emile "Butch" Bouchard to start his great career on defence and another very good player, Buddy O'Connor, at centre. Montreal had goaltending problems as Bert Gardiner slumped, and rookie Paul Bibeault replaced him. He showed flashes of brilliance, but his inexperience showed. Joe Benoit starred with 20 goals, the first Canadien to do that since 1938–39, when Toe Blake did it. The New York Rangers had a new goaltender as Sugar Jim Henry replaced the retired Dave Kerr. Henry was one of the reasons the Rangers finished first, something they did not do again for the next 50 years. Final standings Playoffs Playoff bracket The top six teams in the league qualified for the playoffs. The top two teams played in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup semifinal series. The third-place team then met the fourth-place team in one best-of-three series, and the fifth-place team faced the sixth-place team in another best-of-three series, to determine the participants for the other best-of-three semifinal series. The semifinal winners then met in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Finals (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each series). 2 Quarterfinals Semifinals Stanley Cup Finals 3 Boston 2 4 Chicago 1 5 Detroit 2 6 Montreal 1 1 New York 2 2 Toronto 4 3 Boston 0 5 Detroit 2 2 Toronto 4 5 Detroit 3 Quarterfinals (3) Boston Bruins vs. (4) Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Black Hawks Boston Bruins Chicago Stadium Boston Garden March 22 2–1 2 1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-chi/1942/03/22/1941030121#game=1941030121,game_state=final No scoring Roy Conacher (1) – 11:08 No scoring No scoring 18:50 – Max Bentley (1) No scoring No scoring Des Smith (1) – 06:51 Sam LoPresti Frank Brimsek March 24 4–0 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-bos/1942/03/24/1941030122#game=1941030122,game_state=final No scoring No scoring Bill Mosienko (1) – 03:57Alex Kaleta (1) – 10:19Bill Carse (1) – 10:30 No scoring George Allen (1) – 06:27 No scoring Sam LoPresti Frank Brimsek March 26 2–3 1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-bos/1942/03/26/1941030123#game=1941030123,game_state=final No scoring 18:01 – Gordie Bruce (1) Max Bentley (2) – 07:09Bill Mosienko (2) – pp – 15:26 00:48 – Gordie Bruce (2)08:15 – Jack McGill (1) No scoring No scoring Sam LoPresti Frank Brimsek Boston won series 2–1 (5) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens Detroit Red Wings Montreal Forum Olympia Stadium March 22 1–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-det/1942/03/22/1941030131#game=1941030131,game_state=final No scoring 11:32 – Don Grosso (1) Terry Reardon (1) – 09:57 02:35 – Don Grosso (2) No scoring No scoring Paul Bibeault Johnny Mowers March 24 0–5 2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-mtl/1942/03/24/1941030132#game=1941030132,game_state=final 12:03 – pp – Jim Haggarty (1) No scoring 10:26 – Terry Reardon (2)17:20 – Butch Bouchard (1) No scoring 15:41 – Joe Benoit (1)16:17 – Gerry Heffernan (1) No scoring Paul Bibeault Johnny Mowers March 26 2–6 1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-det/1942/03/26/1941030133#game=1941030133,game_state=final No scoring No scoring Jim Haggarty (2) – 01:26 04:21 – Mud Bruneteau (1)19:37 – Sid Abel (1) Gerry Heffernan (2) – 19:49 07:30 – Joe Carveth (1)11:40 – Mud Bruneteau (2)13:02 – Carl Liscombe (1)19:33 – Carl Liscombe (2) Paul Bibeault Johnny Mowers Detroit won series 2–1 Semifinals (1) New York Rangers vs. (2) Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs New York Rangers Maple Leaf Gardens Madison Square Garden III March 21 1–3 2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-tor/1942/03/21/1941030111#game=1941030111,game_state=final 04:15 – Gordie Drillon (1)05:33 – Nick Metz (1) Babe Pratt (1) – 02:26 14:14 – Syl Apps (1) No scoring No scoring No scoring Turk Broda Jim Henry March 22 4–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-nyr/1942/03/22/1941030112#game=1941030112,game_state=final John McCreedy (1) – 11:41Gordie Drillon (2) – 19:32 No scoring No scoring No scoring John McCreedy (2) – 04:49Billy Taylor (1) – 06:15 01:31 – pp – Mac Colville (1)02:22 – pp – Mac Colville (2) Turk Broda Jim Henry March 24 0–3 1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-nyr/1942/03/24/1941030113#game=1941030113,game_state=final No scoring No scoring No scoring 02:50 – pp – Alex Shibicky (1)06:10 – Alan Kuntz (1) No scoring 10:49 – Mac Colville (3) Turk Broda Jim Henry March 28 1–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-tor/1942/03/28/1941030114#game=1941030114,game_state=final No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring 09:09 – Syl Apps (2)13:08 – Sweeney Schriner (1) Bryan Hextall (1) – 17:32 Turk Broda Jim Henry March 29 1–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-nyr/1942/03/29/1941030115#game=1941030115,game_state=final No scoring 02:01 – Alex Shibicky (2)16:07 – Alex Shibicky (3) No scoring No scoring Pete Langelle (1) – 18:05 15:56 – Lynn Patrick (1) Turk Broda Jim Henry March 31 2–3 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-tor/1942/03/31/1941030116#game=1941030116,game_state=final 11:41 – John McCreedy (3) No scoring 00:50 – Pete Langelle (2) No scoring 19:55 – Nick Metz (2) Phil Watson (1) – 10:31Alf Pike (1) – pp – 12:18 Turk Broda Jim Henry Toronto won series 4–2 (3) Boston Bruins vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings Boston Bruins Olympia Stadium Boston Garden March 29 6–4 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-bos/1942/03/29/1941030141#game=1941030141,game_state=final Mud Bruneteau (3) – 00:19Eddie Wares (1) – 03:25Carl Liscombe (3) – 10:49 16:24 – Roy Conacher (2) Don Grosso (3) – 01:00Carl Liscombe (4) – 09:20 05:39 – Jack McGill (2) Sid Abel (2) – 09:00 09:15 – Jack McGill (3)16:04 – Jack McGill (4) Johnny Mowers Frank Brimsek March 31 1–3 2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-det/1942/03/31/1941030142#game=1941030142,game_state=final 03:50 – Joe Carveth (2) Herb Cain (1) – 08:32 No scoring No scoring 09:46 – Joe Carveth (3)19:54 – Don Grosso (4) No scoring Johnny Mowers Frank Brimsek Detroit won series 2–0 Stanley Cup Finals 1942 Stanley Cup Finals Detroit Red Wings Toronto Maple Leafs Olympia Stadium Maple Leaf Gardens April 4 3–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-tor/1942/04/04/1941030211#game=1941030211,game_state=final Don Grosso (5) – 01:38Sid Abel (3) – 12:30 06:36 – John McCreedy (4)12:59 – Sweeney Schriner (2) Don Grosso (6) – 14:11 No scoring No scoring No scoring Johnny Mowers Turk Broda April 7 4–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-tor/1942/04/07/1941030212#game=1941030212,game_state=final Don Grosso (7) – 11:48Mud Bruneteau (4) – 14:17 No scoring No scoring 11:13 – Sweeney Schriner (3) Don Grosso (8) – 04:15Gerry Brown (1) – pp – 10:08 13:40 – Wally Stanowski (1) Johnny Mowers Turk Broda April 9 2–5 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-det/1942/04/09/1941030213#game=1941030213,game_state=final 18:20 – Gerry Brown (2)18:40 – Joe Carveth (4) Lorne Carr (1) – 15:36Lorne Carr (2) – 16:06 13:12 – Pat McReavy (1)15:11 – Syd Howe (1) No scoring 07:11 – Eddie Bush (1) No scoring Johnny Mowers Turk Broda April 12 4–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-det/1942/04/12/1941030214#game=1941030214,game_state=final No scoring No scoring 01:32 – Mud Bruneteau (5)09:08 – Sid Abel (4) Bob Davidson (1) – 13:54Lorne Carr (3) – 15:20 04:18 – Carl Liscombe (5) Syl Apps (3) – 06:15Nick Metz (3) – 12:45 Johnny Mowers Turk Broda April 14 3–9 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-tor/1942/04/14/1941030215#game=1941030215,game_state=final No scoring 09:29 – pp – Nick Metz (4)15:14 – pp – Wally Stanowski (2) No scoring 01:59 – Bob Goldham (1)04:11 – Sweeney Schriner (4)14:11 – Don Metz (1)14:28 – Syl Apps (4)16:44 – sh – Don Metz (2) Syd Howe (2) – 03:08Alex Motter (1) – 14:03Carl Liscombe (6) – pp – 15:45 05:36 – Don Metz (3)09:25 – Syl Apps (5) Johnny Mowers Turk Broda April 16 3–0 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-det/1942/04/16/1941030216#game=1941030216,game_state=final No scoring No scoring No scoring Don Metz (4) – 00:14 No scoring Bob Goldham (2) – 13:32Billy Taylor (2) – 14:04 Johnny Mowers Turk Broda April 18 1–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-tor/1942/04/18/1941030217#game=1941030217,game_state=final No scoring No scoring Syd Howe (3) – 01:45 No scoring No scoring 07:47 – Sweeney Schriner (5)09:48 – Pete Langelle (3)16:17 – Sweeney Schriner (6) Johnny Mowers Turk Broda Toronto won series 4–3 Awards +Award winnersCalder Trophy:(Best first-year player) Grant Warwick, New York RangersHart Trophy:(Most valuable player) Tommy Anderson, Brooklyn AmericansLady Byng Trophy:(Excellence and sportsmanship) Syl Apps, Toronto Maple Leafs O'Brien Cup:(Stanley Cup runner-up) Detroit Red WingsPrince of Wales Trophy:(Regular season champion) New York RangersVezina Trophy:(Fewest goals allowed) Frank Brimsek, Boston Bruins + All-Star teams First team   Position   Second teamFrank Brimsek, Boston Bruins GTurk Broda, Toronto Maple LeafsEarl Seibert, Chicago Black Hawks DPat Egan, Brooklyn AmericansTommy Anderson, Brooklyn Americans DBucko McDonald, Toronto Maple LeafsSyl Apps, Toronto Maple Leafs CPhil Watson, New York RangersBryan Hextall, New York Rangers RWGordie Drillon, Toronto Maple LeafsLynn Patrick, New York Rangers LWSid Abel, Detroit Red WingsFrank Boucher, New York Rangers CoachPaul Thompson, 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 Bryan Hextall New York Rangers 48 24 32 56 30 Lynn Patrick New York Rangers 47 32 22 54 18 Don Grosso Detroit Red Wings 45 23 30 53 13 Phil Watson New York Rangers 48 15 37 52 58 Sid Abel Detroit Red Wings 48 18 31 49 45 Toe Blake Montreal Canadiens 48 17 28 45 29 Bill Thoms Chicago Black Hawks 47 15 30 45 8 Gordie Drillon Toronto Maple Leafs 48 23 18 41 6 Syl Apps Toronto Maple Leafs 38 18 23 41 0 Tommy Anderson Brooklyn Americans 48 12 29 41 64 Source: NHLDinger 2011 148 Leading goaltenders Note: GP = Games played; Mins – 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 SOFrank Brimsek Boston Bruins 47 2930 115 2.35 24 17 6 3Turk Broda Toronto Maple Leafs 48 2960 136 2.76 27 18 3 6Jim Henry New York Rangers 48 2960 143 2.90 29 17 2 1Johnny Mowers Detroit Red Wings 47 2880 144 3.00 19 25 3 5Sam LoPresti Chicago Black Hawks 47 2860 152 3.19 21 23 3 3Paul Bibeault Montreal Canadiens 38 2380 131 3.30 17 19 2 1Chuck Rayner Brooklyn Americans 36 2380 129 3.47 13 21 2 1Earl Robertson Brooklyn Americans 12 750 46 3.68 3 8 1 0Bert Gardiner Montreal Canadiens 10 620 42 4.06 1 8 1 0 Coaches Boston Bruins: Art Ross Brooklyn Americans: Red Dutton Chicago Black Hawks: Paul Thompson Detroit Red Wings: Jack Adams Montreal Canadiens: Dick Irvin New York Rangers: Frank Boucher Toronto Maple Leafs: Hap Day Debuts The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1941–42 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): Kenny Mosdell, Brooklyn Americans Harry Watson, Brooklyn Americans Bill Mosienko, Chicago Black Hawks Adam Brown, Detroit Red Wings Buddy O'Connor, Montreal Canadiens James Haggarty, Montreal Canadiens Emile "Butch" Bouchard, Montreal Canadiens Grant Warwick, New York Rangers Jim Henry, New York Rangers Bob Goldham, Toronto Maple Leafs Gaye Stewart*, Toronto Maple Leafs Last games The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1941–42 (listed with their last team): Eddie Wiseman, Boston Bruins Tommy Anderson, Brooklyn Americans Art Coulter, New York Rangers Pete Langelle, Toronto Maple Leafs See also 1941–42 NHL transactions List of Stanley Cup champions 1941 in sports 1942 in sports References Total Hockey Diamond, Dan Total Sports 2000 1-892129-85-X Dinger Ralph 2011 The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012 Dan Diamond & Associates 978-1-894801-22-5 registration https://archive.org/details/nationalhockeyle0000unse_u6g5 Dryden Steve Century of hockey McClelland & Stewart Ltd. Toronto, ON 2000 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. 0-7853-9624-1 Fischler 2003 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 1941 Category:1941–42 in Canadian ice hockey by league Category:1941–42 in American ice hockey by league