1957 - 58 NHL season The 1957 - 58 NHL season was the 41st season of the National Hockey League . Six teams each played 70 games . The Montreal Canadiens were the Stanley Cup champions , defeating the Boston Bruins four games to two in the best - of - seven final series . League Business . It was announced in September that Senator Hartland Molson had purchased 60 % stock from the Canadian Arena Company and the Montreal Canadiens from Senator Donat Raymond . Player ' s Association . Doug Harvey and Ted Lindsay tried to get a players association going , and sued the NHL over the issue of player pensions . Lindsay was traded to Chicago because of his efforts . After the NHL declined to negotiate with the players over benefits and would not open the books on the pension plan , the player ' s association filed an anti - trust lawsuit . The lawsuit alleged the monopolization of the professional hockey industry since 1926 . At this time , the Toronto Maple Leafs players voted unanimuously to certify the union . The NHL started to fight back . First , they traded Lindsay to Chicago to separate him from the Red Wings , who the NHLPA targeted for a union vote . Next , Jack Adams spread false stories in the press alleging various slanders had been made by Lindsay against the Red Wings players , and produced a fake contract to the press showing an over - inflated salary value for Lindsay , greater than Gordie Howe . The ruse worked and the Red Wings players voted to dis - associate themselves from the organizing . Despite this , the anti - trust lawsuit placed the NHLPA in a strong position . In an out - of - court settlement on February 5 , 1958 , the NHL promised : Regular season . This season saw the Montreal Canadiens regain first place overall , while the previous season ' s leader , the Detroit Red Wings , slipped to third . Montreal ' s Maurice " Rocket " Richard became the first NHL player to score 500 career goals , Jacques Plante won his third straight Vezina Trophy , and Doug Harvey his fourth straight Norris Trophy . Glenn Hall , after two playoff years in which the Wings were eliminated , was traded along with Ted Lindsay to the sad - sack Chicago Black Hawks and Terry Sawchuk was brought back to Detroit in a very bad deal that saw Larry Hillman and Johnny Bucyk go to Boston . Chicago almost made the playoffs , and Hall ' s great goaltending , including 7 shutouts , one of which was in his debut with the Hawks , made him a contender for the Hart Memorial Trophy . On October 19th , 1957 , Rocket Richard did what no other player had ever done before as yet . In a 3 - 1 win over Chicago , he scored his 500th career goal on Glenn Hall . He immediately dedicated it to his old coach Dick Irvin . Irvin had died on May 15 , 1957 after a long bout with bone cancer . When Marcel Paille was brought up to the Rangers from Providence of the AHL for the ailing Gump Worsley , he sparkled , and Worsley was sent down to Providence . Then Paille went sour and the Gumper was recalled . Worsley got hot and the Rangers started winning . Worsley had his finest campaign up to this point with a 2 . 32 goals - against average and 4 shutouts and the Rangers finished second — their highest finish since 1941 - 42 . Two contenders for the Calder Memorial Trophy , Chicago ' s Bobby Hull and the Toronto Maple Leafs ' Frank Mahovlich , battled all season for rookie honours . Mahovlich prevailed and won the trophy , although the Maple Leafs finished last in the NHL . This season also saw the first black man play in the league . Willie O ' Ree suited up with the Boston Bruins on January 18 , 1958 in a game against the Canadiens in Montreal . Final standings . " Note : GP = Games played , W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , Pts = Points , GF = Goals for , GA = Goals against , PIM = Penalties in minutes " Scoring leaders . " Note : GP = Games played , G = Goals , A = Assists , PTS = Points , PIM = Penalties in minutes " Debuts . The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1957 - 58 ( listed with their first team , asterisk ( * ) marks debut in playoffs ) : Last games . The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1957 - 58 ( listed with their last team ) :