1944-45 NHL season

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 28, 1944. His centreman, Elmer Lach, though, won the scoring race with 26 goals and 80 points. Toe Blake finished third with 29 goals, 38 assists, and for the second time, an entire line finished 1, 2, 3 in scoring. The previous time had been in 1939-40, when the Boston Bruins' Kraut Line of Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart accomplished the feat. Schmidt finished with 52 points in 48 games that year, and Bauer and Dumart 43 apiece.
Montreal dared not loan Paul Bibeault to Toronto again with his fine year the previous
season and loaned him instead to Boston. But the Maple Leafs 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 tied for the league lead in shutouts with 4 each.
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===
===Scoring Leaders===
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
PLAYER 	TEAM 	GP	G 	A 	PTS	PIM
Elmer Lach 	Montreal Canadiens 	50	26	54	80 	37
Maurice Richard	Montreal Canadiens 	50	50	23	73 	46
Toe Blake 	Montreal Canadiens 	49	29	38	67 	25
Bill Cowley 	Boston Bruins 	49	25	40	65 	12
Ted Kennedy 	Toronto Maple Leafs	49	29	25	54 	14
Bill Mosienko 	Chicago Black Hawks	50	28	26	54 	0
Joe Carveth 	Detroit Red Wings 	50	26	28	54 	6
Ab DeMarco 	New York Rangers 	50	24	30	54 	10
Clint Smith 	Chicago Black Hawks	50	23	31	54 	0
===Leading Goaltenders===
Note: GP = Games played; Min – 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 	SO
Bill Durnan 	Montreal Canadiens 	50	3000	121	2.42	38	8 	4 	1
Frank McCool 	Toronto Maple Leafs	50	3000	161	3.22	24	22	4 	4
Harry Lumley 	Detroit Red Wings 	37	2220	119	3.22	24	10	3 	1
Connie Dion 	Detroit Red Wings 	12	720 	39 	3.25	6 	4 	2 	0
Mike Karakas 	Chicago Black Hawks	48	2880	187	3.90	12	29	7 	4
Harvey Bennett	Boston Bruins 	24	1470	103	4.20	10	12	2 	0
Paul Bibeault 	Boston Bruins 	26	1530	116	4.55	6 	18	2 	0
Ken McAuley 	New York Rangers 	46	2760	227	4.93	11	25	10	1
==Stanley Cup Playoffs==
===Playoff Bracket===
===Semi-finals===
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score	Notes
March 20	Toronto 	1 	Montreal	0 	
March 22	Toronto 	3 	Montreal	2 	
March 24	Montreal	4 	Toronto 	1 	
March 27	Montreal	3 	Toronto 	4 	OT
March 29	Toronto 	3 	Montreal	10 	
March 31	Montreal	2 	Toronto 	3 	
Toronto wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2
Detroit Red Wings vs. Boston Bruins
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score	Notes
March 20	Boston 	4 	Detroit	3 	
March 22	Boston 	4 	Detroit	2 	
March 24	Detroit	3 	Boston 	2 	
March 27	Detroit	3 	Boston 	2 	
March 29	Boston 	2 	Detroit	3 	OT
April 1 	Detroit	3 	Boston 	5 	
April 3 	Boston 	3 	Detroit	5 	
Detroit wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3
===Finals===
: see 1945 Stanley Cup Finals
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score	Notes
April 6 	Toronto	1 	Detroit	0 	
April 8 	Toronto	2 	Detroit	0 	
April 12	Detroit	0 	Toronto	1 	
April 14	Detroit	5 	Toronto	3 	
April 19	Toronto	0 	Detroit	2 	
April 21	Detroit	1 	Toronto	0 	OT
April 22	Toronto	2 	Detroit	1 	
Toronto wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3
==NHL Awards==
O'Brien Trophy: 	Detroit Red Wings
Prince of Wales Trophy: 	Montreal Canadiens
Calder Memorial Trophy: 	Frank McCool, Toronto Maple Leafs
Hart Memorial Trophy: 	Elmer Lach, Montreal Canadiens
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:	Bill Mosienko, Chicago Black Hawks
Vezina Trophy: 	Bill Durnan, Montreal Canadiens
==All-Star Teams==
First Team 	  Position  	Second Team
Bill Durnan, Montreal Canadiens 	G 	Mike Karakas, Chicago Black Hawks
Butch Bouchard, Montreal Canadiens 	D 	Glen Harmon, Montreal Canadiens
Flash Hollett, Detroit Red Wings 	D 	Babe Pratt, Toronto Maple Leafs
Elmer Lach, Montreal Canadiens 	C 	Bill Cowley, Boston Bruins
Maurice Richard, Montreal Canadiens	RW 	Bill Mosienko, Chicago Black Hawks
Toe Blake, Montreal Canadiens 	LW 	Syd Howe, Detroit Red Wings
Dick Irvin, Montreal Canadiens 	Coach 	Jack Adams, Detroit Red Wings
==Debuts==
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1944-45 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
*Fern Flaman, Boston Bruins
*Murray Henderson, Boston Bruins
*Pete Horeck, Chicago Black Hawks
*Ted Lindsay, Detroit Red Wings
*Bill Ezinicki, Toronto Maple Leafs
*Frank McCool, Toronto Maple Leafs
==Last Games==
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1944-45 (listed with their last team):
*Bill Thoms, Boston Bruins
*Cully Dahlstrom, Chicago Black Hawks
*Mush March, Chicago Black Hawks
*Johnny Gottselig, Chicago Black Hawks
*Kilby MacDonald, New York Rangers
*Bucko McDonald, New York Rangers
==Attendance==
Toronto: 305,597
==Gallery==
1944-Dec17-McAuley.jpg|The Canadiens attack Ranger goalie Ken McAuley, December 17, 1944.
27March1945-Lach_scores.jpg|#16 Lach scores on McCool putting Habs up 1-0, March 27, 1945.
27March1945-Penalty_box_Fillion,_Stanowski,_Schriner,_Chamberlain.jpg|Fillion, Stanowski watch Schriner and Chamberlain get into the box at 1:03 of the 3rd period, March 27, 1945.
27March1945-Hill_scores-Lamoureux_-Kennedy.jpg|Mel Hill scores on Bill Durnan to cut Habs lead to 2-1. #4 Lamoureux and #10 Kennedy look on, March 27, 1945.
==See Also==
*List of Stanley Cup champions
==References==
*Hockey Database
*NHL.com