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The 1944-45 NHL season was the 28th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 50 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in seven games versus the Detroit Red Wings.
Regular season
NHL president Red Dutton offered to resign because of business concerns, but the league's board of governors dissuaded him. Conn Smythe, at one point, was offered the presidency, but turned it down. Dutton then stayed on. It was the year of the 'Punch Line' as Rocket Richard scored 50 goals in 50 games, breaking Joe Malone's record of 44 goals, and when Richard scored his 45th, Malone was on hand to present him with the record-breaking puck. Richard had a 5 goal, 3 assist night against Detroit at the Montreal Forum on December 28th, 1944. Elmer Lach, though, won the scoring race with 26 goals and 80 points. Toe Blake finished third with 29 goals, and for the second time, an entire line finished 1, 2, 3 in scoring. Montreal didn't dare loan Paul Bibeault to Toronto again with his fine year the previous season and loaned him instead to Boston. But Toronto came up with a fine rookie named Frank McCool who won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie. For the first time, a team produced three consecutive top rookies. McCool and Chicago netminder Mike Karakas led the league in shutouts, each with 4. Bill Durnan won his second consecutive Vezina Trophy with Montreal.
A major trade that occurred this year was Chicago trading their great defenceman Earl Seibert to Detroit for Don Grosso, Cully Simon and Byron "Butch" McDonald. After team owner Frederic McLaughlin died, it was just a matter of time before Bill Tobin would trade Seibert, as the two did not get along.
Final standings
GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalties In MinutesTeams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold
| National Hockey League | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 38 | 8 | 4 | 80 | 228 | 121 | 376 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 50 | 31 | 14 | 5 | 67 | 218 | 161 | 260 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 50 | 24 | 22 | 4 | 52 | 183 | 161 | 317 |
| Boston Bruins | 50 | 16 | 30 | 4 | 36 | 179 | 219 | 275 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 50 | 13 | 30 | 7 | 33 | 141 | 194 | 245 |
| New York Rangers | 50 | 11 | 29 | 10 | 32 | 154 | 247 | 305 |
Scoring leaders
Stanley Cup playoffs
Playoff bracket
Semifinals
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 0 | |
| March 22 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 | |
| March 24 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 | |
| March 27 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4 | OT |
| March 29 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 10 | |
| March 31 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 |
Detroit Red Wings vs. Boston Bruins
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 | Boston Bruins | 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 3 | |
| March 22 | Boston Bruins | 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 | |
| March 24 | Detroit Red Wings | 3 | Boston Bruins | 2 | |
| March 27 | Detroit Red Wings | 3 | Boston Bruins | 2 | |
| March 29 | Boston Bruins | 2 | Detroit Red Wings | 3 | OT |
| April 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 3 | Boston Bruins | 5 | |
| April 3 | Boston Bruins | 3 | Detroit Red Wings | 5 |
Stanley Cup finals
The Maple Leafs won the Cup in game seven against the Red Wings by a final score of 2-1. This was the first time in the history of game seven NHL Stanley Cup finals that the home team did not win. The home team didn't lose a game seven final again until the Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1971 Stanley Cup final. It has not happened since.Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 0 | |
| April 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | Detroit Red Wings | 0 | |
| April 12 | Detroit Red Wings | 0 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 | |
| April 14 | Detroit Red Wings | 5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 | |
| April 19 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 | |
| April 21 | Detroit Red Wings | 1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 | OT |
| April 22 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | Detroit Red Wings | 1 |
NHL awards
See also
References
"1944-45 NHL season"