1945-46 NHL season

The 1945-46 NHL season was the 29th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 50 games. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup.
==League Business==
Synchronized red lights to signal goals were made obligatory for all NHL rinks. Players were also required to wear elbow pads under the jersey.
It was rumoured in the press that Lester Patrick planned to retire as general manager of the New York Rangers. On February 22, 1946, he announced his retirement from the general manager position, however he would stay on as vice president of Madison Square Garden.
==Regular Season==
The Boston Bruins were part of a special home opener for the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 27, 1945. Six winners of the Victoria Cross were in attendance and the puck drop was conducted by "Smokey" Smith. Fittingly, the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
Veterans came back to their teams this year, as World War II ended, but many found they could not regain their form. One who did regain his form was the man formerly known as "Mr. Zero" — Boston Bruins' goaltender Frank Brimsek. He was shelled in an 8-3 contest with Chicago, but got better game by game. The Bruins had first place at one point, then finished second. Brimsek made the Second All-Star Team as a result.
Max Bentley of Chicago led the league in scoring, and, because of the "Pony Line" including him, his brother Doug and Bill Mosienko, the Black Hawks were in first place at one point. But misfortune hit the Black Hawks when Doug Bentley injured his knee in a January 23 game and the team sagged.
Frank Patrick, former Pacific Coast Hockey Association president and former managing director for the NHL, suffered a heart attack and was not released from the hospital for several weeks.
A news bombshell exploded on January 30, 1946 when Leafs defenceman Babe Pratt was expelled from the NHL for betting on games. However, he only bet on his own team and appealed his expulsion. On his promise he would not bet on any more games, he was reinstated. Pratt missed 9 games during his suspension.
Maple Leaf Gaye Stewart led the league in goals with 37, but Toronto finished fifth and missed the playoffs.
Bill Durnan equalled George Hainsworth's record of three consecutive Vezina Trophies and led the league in shutouts with 4.
===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
Max Bentley 	Chicago Black Hawks	47	31	30	61 	6
Gaye Stewart 	Toronto Maple Leafs	50	37	15	52 	8
Toe Blake 	Montreal Canadiens 	50	29	21	50 	2
Clint Smith 	Chicago Black Hawks	50	26	24	50 	2
Bill Mosienko 	Chicago Black Hawks	40	18	30	48 	12
Maurice Richard	Montreal Canadiens 	50	27	21	48 	50
===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 	40	2400	104	2.60	24	11	5 	4
Paul Bibeault	Boston/Montreal 	26	1560	75 	2.88	12	10	4 	2
Harry Lumley 	Detroit Red Wings 	50	3000	159	3.18	20	20	10	2
Frank Brimsek	Boston Bruins 	34	2040	111	3.26	16	14	4 	2
Mike Karakas 	Chicago Black Hawks	48	2880	166	3.46	22	19	7 	1
Turk Broda 	Toronto Maple Leafs	15	900 	53 	3.53	6 	6 	3 	0
Frank McCool 	Toronto Maple Leafs	22	1320	81 	3.68	10	9 	3 	0
Chuck Rayner 	New York Rangers 	40	2377	149	3.76	12	21	7 	1
Jim Henry 	New York Rangers 	11	623 	42 	4.04	1 	7 	2 	1
==Stanley Cup Playoffs==
: see 1946 Stanley Cup Finals
===Playoff Bracket===
===Boston Bruins 4, Detroit Red Wings 1===
Meeting for the 5th time in the last six years in the playoffs, the Bruins would overcome the Wings in five games to avenge losing the previous three series. The return of the Kraut Line from war service saw them score half the Bruins goals in the series and Frank Brimsek out dueled Wings goalie Harry Lumley.
Game 1 saw the home town Bruins jump out to a 2-0 first period lead on a Shorthanded goal by defenseman Pat Egan and rookie Bill Shill. Harry Watson responded for the Wings in the second but Brimsek shut the door and Bep Guidolin sealed a 3-1 win for the Bruins.
Game 2 featured shutout play by Wings goalie Lumley. Pat Lundy opened the scoring at 7:32 of the first period on a breakaway. However, he crashed into the crossbar after scoring, separated his shoulder and was lost for the rest of the playoffs. Jim Conacher scored nearly six minutes after Lundy and and Watson's second of the series late in the third period led the Wings to a 3-0 win, tying the series 1-1.
Game 3 shifted the series to the Detroit Olympia where the Kraut Line dominated with a pair of goals each by Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart plus a marker by Egan. Two late third period goals by the Wings Fern Gauthier and Carl Liscombe weren't enough as the Bruins won 5-2 to take a 2-1 series lead.
Game 4 was a very clean game with only one penalty in which the Kraut Line continued to produce on first period goals by Dumart and Bobby Bauer. After a scoreless second period, Bep Guidolin's 2nd of the series saw the Bruins up 3-0. Fern Gauthier responded but a goal by the Bruins Terry Reardon sank any hopes of a comeback. The Bruins outshot the Wings 35-19, won 4-1 and took a 3-1 stranglehold on the series.
Game 5 saw the series back in the Boston Garden where first period goals by Bauer and Guidolin put the Bruins up 2-0. Gauthier responded in the second period but Reardon tallied early in the third. The Wings mounted a furious comeback with a goal by Adam Brown and then Ed Bruneteau tied it up in the last minute, sending the game into overtime. The Bruins survived a penalty in OT by Egan and Don Gallinger was the hero with the winner at 9:51 on a solo rush that began behind the Bruins net and ended when he split the Wings defense and fired a shot home.
#	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	Record
1	March 19	Detroit Red Wings	1-3 	Boston Bruins 	0-1
2	March 21	Detroit Red Wings	3-0 	Boston Bruins 	1-1
3	March 24	Boston Bruins 	5-2 	Detroit Red Wings	2-1
4	March 26	Boston Bruins 	4-1 	Detroit Red Wings	3-1
5	March 28	Detroit Red Wings	3-4 (OT)	Boston Bruins 	1-4
==NHL Awards==
O'Brien Trophy: 	Boston Bruins
Prince of Wales Trophy: 	Montreal Canadiens
Calder Memorial Trophy: 	Edgar Laprade, New York Rangers
Hart Memorial Trophy: 	Max Bentley, Chicago Black Hawks
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:	Toe Blake, Montreal Canadiens
Vezina Trophy: 	Bill Durnan, Montreal Canadiens
==All-Star Teams==
First Team 	  Position  	Second Team
Bill Durnan, Montreal Canadiens 	G 	Frank Brimsek, Boston Bruins
Jack Crawford, Boston Bruins 	D 	Ken Reardon, Montreal Canadiens
Butch Bouchard, Montreal Canadiens 	D 	Jack Stewart, Detroit Red Wings
Max Bentley, Chicago Black Hawks 	C 	Elmer Lach, Montreal Canadiens
Maurice Richard, Montreal Canadiens	RW 	Bill Mosienko, Chicago Black Hawks
Gaye Stewart, Toronto Maple Leafs 	LW 	Toe Blake, Montreal Canadiens
Dick Irvin, Montreal Canadiens 	Coach 	Johnny Gottselig, Chicago Black Hawks
==Debuts==
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1945-46 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
*Leo Reise, Jr., Chicago Black Hawks
*George Gee, Chicago Black Hawks
*Jimmy Peters, Montreal Canadiens
*Cal Gardner, New York Rangers
*Edgar Laprade, New York Rangers
*Tony Leswick, New York Rangers
*Jimmy Thomson, Toronto Maple Leafs
==Last Games==
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1945-46 (listed with their last team):
*Herb Cain, Boston Bruins
*Mike Karakas, Chicago Black Hawks
*Carl Liscombe, Detroit Red Wings
*Earl Seibert, Detroit Red Wings
*Flash Hollett, Detroit Red Wings
*Mud Bruneteau, Detroit Red Wings
*Syd Howe, Detroit Red Wings
*Ott Heller, New York Rangers
*Lynn Patrick, New York Rangers
*Frank McCool, Toronto Maple Leafs
*Bob Davidson, Toronto Maple Leafs
*Sweeney Schriner, Toronto Maple Leafs
*Lorne Carr, Toronto Maple Leafs
*Mel Hill, Toronto Maple Leafs
==Attendance==
*Chicago: 440,049 (new league record)
==Gallery==
27Oct1945-Schmidt-faceoff-Smokey_Smith-.jpg|October 27, 1945 - Milt Schmidt at the Leafs home opener. Puck drop by Victoria Cross winner Smokey Smith.
6Jan1946-Rayner_clears_puck,_Cowley_Cain.jpg|Rangers goalie Chuck Rayner clears the puck while Bruins Bobby Bauer and #4 Herb Cain pursue, January 6, 1946.
10Feb1946-Mosienko_MBentley.jpg|Bill Mosienko and Max Bentley wear the "number" second jerseys against the Rangers, February 10, 1946.
10Feb1946-NYR_Hawks.jpg|Rangers-Black Hawks action, February 10, 1946.
1945-46-Richard-Mariucci-Karakas.jpg|John Mariucci and Mike Karakas fend off Maurice Richard in 1945-46 season action.
19Mar1946-Lumley_Guidolin_Gallinger.jpg|#12 Bep Guidolin and #11 Don Gallinger challenge Red Wings goalie Harry Lumley in Game 1 of the 1946 Semi-finals, March 19, 1946.
21March1946-Conacher_scores.jpg|March 21, 1946 - Jim Conacher scores on Frank Brimsek during Game 2 of the Semi-finals which the Wings won 3-0. #6 Jack Crawford, #18 Jack Church and Ted Lindsay look on.
28Mar1946-Gallinger_OT_winner.jpg|Don Gallinger scores the series winner OT goal on Detroit's Harry Lumley while Ted Lindsay watches on March 28, 1946.
==Video==
Highlights of the December 16, 1945 game between the New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens which the Habs took 4-2. Goalie Jim Henry of the Rangers is under siege but keeps the game close. First goal of the game by Canadiens Billy Reay is shown as the last goal by Canadiens Bob Fillion.
New York Rangers Drop NHL Game to Montreal Canadians at Madison Square Garden (1945)
==See Also==
*List of Stanley Cup champions
==References==
*Hockey Database
*NHL.com