# 1944–45 Toronto Maple Leafs season

The 1944–45 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the club's 28th season in the NHL. Toronto finished in third place in the regular season, with a 24–22–4 record, earning 52 points. The Leafs eliminated their archrivals Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, and then defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the 1945 Stanley Cup Finals.

## Regular season

Toronto was a very streaky club during the regular season, where they started off very hot, winning their first six games, and 10 of their first 14, before a mid-season slump, when they managed a 5–10–2 record in 17 games. The Leafs would continue to be a streaky club for the remainder of the year, which included a five-game winning streak, and a seven-game winless streak. Overall, the Maple Leafs managed to end the season with a 24–22–4 record, earning 52 points, and third place in the NHL standings.
The Leafs offense was led teenage superstar Ted Kennedy, who turned 19 during the season, and had a club high 29 goals and 54 points. Gus Bodnar, who was also 19 years old, led the club with 36 assists, while Lorne Carr put together another solid season, scoring 21 goals and adding 25 assists for 46 points. Sweeney Schriner, who only appeared in 26 games, managed to score 22 goals and 37 points. Babe Pratt led the Leafs defense, scoring 18 goals and 41 points, while fellow blueliner Reg Hamilton had 15 points, and a team high 41 penalty minutes.
In goal, rookie Frank McCool had all the action, winning 24 games and posting a 3.22 GAA, while earning four shutouts. McCool would win the Calder Memorial Trophy for his efforts.
The Maple Leafs would open the playoffs against the heavily favoured and defending Stanley Cup champions, the Montreal Canadiens in a best of 7 series. The Canadiens dominated the league, as they had a record of 38–8–4, recording 80 points, which was 28 more than the Leafs. Toronto stunned the Canadiens in the series opener at the Montreal Forum, as Frank McCool shut out the Habs in a 1–0 Leafs victory. The Leafs then went up 2–0 in the series, winning a close game by a 3–2 score. The series shifted to Maple Leaf Gardens, however, the Canadiens roared back, easily defeating Toronto 4–1 to cut the Leafs series lead to 2–1. The fourth game was decided in overtime, and it was the Leafs who were victorious, winning 4–3, and taking a commanding 3–1 series lead. The series moved back to Montreal for the fifth game, and the Canadiens easily dismantled the Leafs, winning 10–3, and sending the series back to Toronto for the sixth game. The Maple Leafs would complete the upset, hanging on for a 4–3 win in the game, and win the series 4–2.
Toronto's opponent in the 1945 Stanley Cup Finals was the Detroit Red Wings, who finished the regular season with a 31–14–5 record, earning 67 points, which was 15 higher than the Leafs. The Red Wings had defeated the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round. Toronto, led by Frank McCool, would shutout the Red Wings in the first two games held at the Detroit Olympia for an early series lead. The Maple Leafs returned home for the third game, and took a 3–0 series lead as McCool would earn another shutout as Toronto won the game 1–0. The Red Wings managed to finally find the back of the net in the fourth game, winning 5–3 to avoid the sweep. Detroit goaltender Harry Lumley then shutout the Leafs in the fifth game by a score of 2–0, and he would once again earn a shutout in the sixth game, as Detroit won the game 1–0 in overtime to set up a seventh and deciding game. Toronto, led by goaltender Frank McCool and Babe Pratt, who scored the series winning goal, managed to hang on for a 2–1 victory in the seventh game to win the Stanley Cup for the fifth time in club history, and their first title in three years.

### Final standings

National Hockey League vte :
| | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts |
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 38 | 8 | 4 | 228 | 121 | +107 | 80 |
| 2 | Detroit Red Wings | 50 | 31 | 14 | 5 | 218 | 161 | +57 | 67 |
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 50 | 24 | 22 | 4 | 183 | 161 | +22 | 52 |
| 4 | Boston Bruins | 50 | 16 | 30 | 4 | 179 | 219 | −40 | 36 |
| 5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 50 | 13 | 30 | 7 | 141 | 194 | −53 | 33 |
| 6 | New York Rangers | 50 | 11 | 29 | 10 | 154 | 247 | −93 | 32 |

### Record vs. opponents

1944–45 NHL Records :
| Team | BOS | CHI | DET | MTL | NYR | TOR |
| Boston | — | 7–3 | 0–9–1 | 0–10 | 4–3–3 | 5–5 |
| Chicago | 5–5 | — | 5–5 | 0–8–2 | 7–1–2 | 5–4–1 |
| Detroit | 9–0–1 | 7–3 | — | 1–8–1 | 6–2–2 | 8–1–1 |
| Montreal | 10–0 | 7–1–2 | 8–1–1 | — | 9–1 | 4–5–1 |
| New York | 3–4–3 | 3–3–4 | 2–6–2 | 1–9 | — | 2–7–1 |
| Toronto | 5–5 | 6–3–1 | 1–8–1 | 5–4–1 | 7–2–1 | — |

## Schedule and results

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record | Pts |
| 1 | October 28 | New York Rangers | 1–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–0–0 | 2 |
| 2 | October 29 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 11–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–0–0 | 4 |
| 3 | November 2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–1 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–0–0 | 6 |
| 4 | November 4 | Boston Bruins | 2–7 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–0–0 | 8 |
| 5 | November 9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 6–3 | New York Rangers | 5–0–0 | 10 |
| 6 | November 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 6–0–0 | 12 |
| 7 | November 12 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–4 | Detroit Red Wings | 6–1–0 | 12 |
| 8 | November 15 | Detroit Red Wings | 8–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 6–2–0 | 12 |
| 9 | November 18 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7–2–0 | 14 |
| 10 | November 19 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 8–2–0 | 16 |
| 11 | November 23 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–5 | Boston Bruins | 8–3–0 | 16 |
| 12 | November 25 | Montreal Canadiens | 0–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 9–3–0 | 18 |
| 13 | November 26 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–4 | Montreal Canadiens | 9–4–0 | 18 |
| 14 | December 2 | New York Rangers | 2–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 10–4–0 | 20 |
| 15 | December 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–5 | Boston Bruins | 10–5–0 | 20 |
| 16 | December 9 | Boston Bruins | 5–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 10–6–0 | 20 |
| 17 | December 14 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–2 | Montreal Canadiens | 10–6–1 | 21 |
| 18 | December 16 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 10–6–2 | 22 |
| 19 | December 23 | Detroit Red Wings | 5–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 10–7–2 | 22 |
| 20 | December 25 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–6 | Detroit Red Wings | 10–8–2 | 22 |
| 21 | December 27 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 8–2 | New York Rangers | 11–8–2 | 24 |
| 22 | December 30 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 12–8–2 | 26 |
| 23 | January 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 13–8–2 | 28 |
| 24 | January 6 | Detroit Red Wings | 5–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 13–9–2 | 28 |
| 25 | January 9 | New York Rangers | 5–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 13–10–2 | 28 |
| 26 | January 11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–7 | Montreal Canadiens | 13–11–2 | 28 |
| 27 | January 13 | Boston Bruins | 1–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 14–11–2 | 30 |
| 28 | January 14 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0–3 | Detroit Red Wings | 14–12–2 | 30 |
| 29 | January 16 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–5 | Boston Bruins | 14–13–2 | 30 |
| 30 | January 20 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 15–13–2 | 32 |
| 31 | January 21 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 15–14–2 | 32 |
| 32 | January 27 | New York Rangers | 0–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 16–14–2 | 34 |
| 33 | January 28 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7–0 | New York Rangers | 17–14–2 | 36 |
| 34 | February 3 | Boston Bruins | 4–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 17–15–2 | 36 |
| 35 | February 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 18–15–2 | 38 |
| 36 | February 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5–1 | Boston Bruins | 19–15–2 | 40 |
| 37 | February 10 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 19–16–2 | 40 |
| 38 | February 11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 19–17–2 | 40 |
| 39 | February 17 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 19–18–2 | 40 |
| 40 | February 18 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–6 | Detroit Red Wings | 19–19–2 | 40 |
| 41 | February 24 | New York Rangers | 4–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 19–19–3 | 41 |
| 42 | February 25 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–5 | Montreal Canadiens | 19–20–3 | 41 |
| 43 | February 27 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 19–20–4 | 42 |
| 44 | March 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 20–20–4 | 44 |
| 45 | March 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 6–3 | New York Rangers | 21–20–4 | 46 |
| 46 | March 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5–2 | Boston Bruins | 22–20–4 | 48 |
| 47 | March 10 | Boston Bruins | 2–9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 23–20–4 | 50 |
| 48 | March 11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–2 | Detroit Red Wings | 24–20–4 | 52 |
| 49 | March 17 | Detroit Red Wings | 4–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 24–21–4 | 52 |
| 50 | March 18 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5–6 | New York Rangers | 24–22–4 | 52 |

## Playoffs
### Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Montreal Canadiens 2

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | March 20 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–0 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–0 |
| 2 | March 22 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–2 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–0 |
| 3 | March 24 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–1 |
| 4 | March 27 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–1 |
| 5 | March 29 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–10 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–2 |
| 6 | March 31 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–2 |

### Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Detroit Red Wings 3

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | April 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–0 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–0 |
| 2 | April 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–0 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–0 |
| 3 | April 12 | Detroit Red Wings | 0–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–0 |
| 4 | April 14 | Detroit Red Wings | 5–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–1 |
| 5 | April 19 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0–2 | Detroit Red Wings | 3–2 |
| 6 | April 21 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–0 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–3 |
| 7 | April 22 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–1 | Detroit Red Wings | 4–3 |

## Player statistics
### Regular season
#### Scoring

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Ted Kennedy | 49 | 29 | 25 | 54 | 14 |
| Lorne Carr | 47 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 7 |
| Gus Bodnar | 49 | 8 | 36 | 44 | 18 |
| Babe Pratt | 50 | 18 | 23 | 41 | 39 |
| Sweeney Schriner | 26 | 22 | 15 | 37 | 10 |
| Nick Metz | 50 | 22 | 13 | 35 | 26 |
| Mel Hill | 45 | 18 | 17 | 35 | 14 |
| Bob Davidson | 50 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 49 |
| Art Jackson | 31 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 6 |
| Reg Hamilton | 50 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 41 |
| Wally Stanowski | 34 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 16 |
| Pete Backor | 36 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Ross Johnstone | 24 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| Tom O'Neill | 33 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 24 |
| John McCreedy | 17 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 11 |
| Bill Ezinicki | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 17 |
| Jack McLean | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 |
| Moe Morris | 29 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 |
| Frank McCool | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV | SV% | SO |
| Frank McCool | 3000 | 50 | 24 | 22 | 4 | 161 | 3.22 | | | | 4 |
| Team: | 3000 | 50 | 24 | 22 | 4 | 161 | 3.22 | | | | 4 |

### Playoffs
#### Scoring

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Ted Kennedy | 13 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 2 |
| Babe Pratt | 13 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Mel Hill | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Gus Bodnar | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Sweeney Schriner | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Lorne Carr | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Moe Morris | 13 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
| Bob Davidson | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Nick Metz | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Don Metz | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Wally Stanowski | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Reg Hamilton | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Art Jackson | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frank McCool | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John McCreedy | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Jack McLean | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV | SV% | SO |
| Frank McCool | 807 | 13 | 8 | 5 | | 30 | 2.23 | | | | 4 |
| Team: | 807 | 13 | 8 | 5 | | 30 | 2.23 | | | | 4 |

## Transactions

* October 13, 1944: Acquired Bill Ezinicki from the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL for George Boothman and Don Webster
* October 25, 1944: Signed Free Agent Frank McCool
* November 24, 1944: Acquired John Mahaffy from the Montreal Canadiens for cash
* December 24, 1944: Acquired Art Jackson from the Boston Bruins for $7,500 and Future Considerations