Gourt Home::Gourt :: 1929-30 NHL season
The 1929-30 NHL season was the thirteenth season of the National Hockey League. Ten teams played 44 games each. The Montreal Canadiens upset the heavily favoured Boston Bruins two games to none for the Stanley Cup.
Regular season
To combat low scoring, a major rule change was implemented. Players were now allowed forward passing in the offensive zone, instead of only in the defensive and neutral zones. This led to abuse: players sat in front of the opposing net waiting for a pass. The rule was changed again mid-season in December 1929, and players were no longer allowed to enter the offensive zone before the puck. Hence the birth of the modern-day offside rule.
Cooney Weiland of the Boston Bruins took advantage of the rule changes and smashed the old NHL scoring record with 73 points. Weiland and Tiny Thompson, who won the Vezina Trophy with a 2.23 goals against average, led the Bruins to a final season standings record of 38 wins, 5 losses, and 1 tie — an .875 winning percentage, an NHL record as of 2006.
Conn Smythe brought up two outstanding forwards, Harvey Jackson and Charlie Conacher, and combined with Joe Primeau, the Kid line was born. Conacher actually scored on his first shift in the NHL. Jackson got his nickname Busher from Tim Daly, the Toronto trainer, when asked by Daly to assist with some sticks. "I'm a hockey player, not a stickboy." Jackson told Daly, who replied "Why you fresh young busher!" And it was Busher Jackson from that day on.
Eddie Gerard resigned as manager-coach of the Montreal Maroons.He was replaced as manager by team president James Strachan. Dunc Munro was hired as coach and led the team to first place in the Canadian Division.
Final standings
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalties in minutesNote: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold
| Canadian Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Maroons | 44 | 23 | 16 | 5 | 51 | 141 | 114 | 651 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 44 | 21 | 14 | 9 | 51 | 142 | 114 | 600 |
| Ottawa Senators | 44 | 21 | 15 | 8 | 50 | 138 | 118 | 536 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 44 | 17 | 21 | 6 | 40 | 116 | 124 | 613 |
| New York Americans | 44 | 14 | 25 | 5 | 33 | 113 | 161 | 372 |
| American Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 44 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 77 | 179 | 98 | 449 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 44 | 21 | 18 | 5 | 47 | 117 | 111 | 573 |
| New York Rangers | 44 | 17 | 17 | 10 | 44 | 136 | 143 | 445 |
| Detroit Cougars | 44 | 14 | 24 | 6 | 34 | 117 | 133 | 474 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 44 | 5 | 36 | 3 | 13 | 102 | 185 | 384 |
Leading scorers
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes| PLAYER | TEAM | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooney Weiland | Boston Bruins | 44 | 43 | 30 | 73 | 27 |
| Frank Boucher | New York Rangers | 42 | 26 | 36 | 62 | 16 |
| Dit Clapper | Boston Bruins | 44 | 41 | 20 | 61 | 48 |
| Bill Cook | New York Rangers | 44 | 29 | 30 | 59 | 56 |
| Hec Kilrea | Ottawa Senators | 44 | 36 | 22 | 58 | 23 |
Stanley Cup playoffs
After defeating the Montreal Maroons and after having not lost consecutive games all season, the Boston Bruins were swept by the Montreal Canadiens two games to none in a best-of-three series.
Playoff bracket
NHL awards
See also
References
"1929-30 NHL season"