1926–27 NHL season

The 1926–27 NHL season was the tenth season of the National Hockey League. The success of the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Pirates led the NHL to expand further within the United States. The league added three new teams: the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Cougars and New York Rangers, to make a total of ten, split in two divisions. This resulted in teams based in Canada being in the minority for the first time. To stock the teams with players the new teams brought in players from the Western Hockey League, which folded in May 1926. This left the NHL in sole possession of hockey's top players, as well as sole control of hockey's top trophy, the Stanley Cup, which was won by the Ottawa Senators. This was the original Senators' eleventh and final Stanley Cup win. The Senators' first was in 1903.
==League business==
At the 1926 Stanley Cup Final, WHL president Frank Patrick began shopping the WHL's players to the NHL, hoping to raise $300,000 to distribute to the PCHA owners. Patrick approached Art Ross of the Bruins, who agreed to purchase the contracts of Frank Fredrickson, Eddie Shore and Duke Keats. After the series, Patrick approached the new New York Rangers owner Tex Hammond and their general manager Conn Smythe, but they were turned down. Patrick and Ross approached the Bruins' owner who agreed to purchase the entire lot of PCHA players for $250,000, and gave Patrick a $50,000 check as a deposit. He planned to keep some of the players for the Bruins, sell twelve players each to the new Chicago and Detroit franchises and distribute the rest to the rest of the league.
At the May 1, 1926, meeting, the NHL awarded the Detroit franchise to the syndicate of Wesley Seybourn and John Townsend, formed by Charles A. Hughes. However, a split occurred in the NHL over the awarding of the Chicago franchise. Tex Ricard wanted to build a new arena in Chicago, and backed the syndicate formed by Huntington Hardwick. This was blocked at first by the New York Rangers, as a new franchise required unanimity. But the NHL governors could amend their constitution with a two-thirds vote, and they amended the constitution to lower the bar for a new franchise to a simple majority vote. The governors agreed that Huntwick would get the Chicago franchise. Huntwick proceeded to buy the Portland Rosebuds and the Hughes group purchased the Victoria Cougars, each for $100,000. The Bruins took Fredrickson, Shore, Keats and others, while the Rangers took Frank Boucher. In total, the player's contracts purchased that day totalled $267,000 for Patrick to take back to the WHL. On May 15, the NHL awarded the franchises to the Hardwick and Hughes consortiums, with provisals that each team would have an NHL-ready team for September 1, and new arenas by November 10.
At the September 25, 1926, NHL meeting, the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Cougars and New York Rangers were added to the league. The Hughes consortium proceeded with the purchase of the Cougars and the franchise, while the Chicago franchise instead went to Frederic McLaughlin, who took over the deal from Huntwick on June 1. The NHL's second franchise in New York City went to the Madison Square Garden syndicate of John S. Hammond.
Toronto bought the players of the Saskatoon franchise separately; and Montreal claimed George Hainsworth. The rest of the WHL players would be distributed by a committee of Frank Calder, Leo Dandurand and James Strachan. The former WHL players make an impact in the NHL. The top scorer is Bill Cook, the top goalie is George Hainsworth, and defenceman Herb Gardiner is the league MVP.
A special meeting was held on October 26 at which the NHL was split into the Canadian and American divisions. It was the first divisional format to be implemented in a major professional North American sports league. To balance the divisions, the New York Americans were placed in the Canadian Division. With the new divisional alignment came an altered playoff format: the top team from each division would meet the winner of a total-goals series between the second and third place teams from their divisions. The winners of those total-goals series would meet in a best-of-five Stanley Cup final.
The Toronto St. Patricks are sold in mid-season to a syndicate headed by Conn Smythe for $160,000. The club is renamed the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, the NHL ruled that the team had to use the name St. Patricks until the end of the 1926–27 season, or the team's players would become free agents, as they were under contract as the St. Pats. They became the Maple Leafs the following season.
===Rules changes===
The blue lines moved to sixty feet from the goal line from twenty feet from the center red line to increase the size of the neutral zone.
Two innovations attributed to Art Ross are adopted by the NHL. The league adopts a modified puck, which has rounded edges. The net is modified to keep the puck in the webbing.
==Regular season==
The Montreal Canadiens, last place finishers in 1925–26, solved their goaltending woes by signing George Hainsworth. They further strengthened their team by signing Herb Gardiner of the Western League's Calgary Tigers for defence. The Canadiens finished second in the Canadian Division to powerful Ottawa, who was the league's best team.
Dave Gill, secretary-treasurer (general manager), decided to take over as coach of the Ottawa Senators. He would be assisted by Frank Shaughnessy, a former manager of the Senators in the NHA days, to assist him with the strategy used in games. Ottawa finished first atop the Canadian Division.
The arena is not ready in Detroit for the start of the regular season. The expansion Cougars play their first 22 "home" games in Windsor, Ontario, at the Border Cities Arena.
The New York Americans' Shorty Green's playing career is ended after an injury in a game on February 27, 1927. New York Rangers' 225 pound defenceman Taffy Abel bodychecked Green, causing a kidney injury. Green requires an emergency operation to remove the kidney and retires for health reasons.
===Final standings===
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold
Canadian Division 	GP	W 	L 	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM
Ottawa Senators 	44	30	10	4	64 	86	69	607
Montreal Canadiens 	44	28	14	2	58 	99	67	395
Montreal Maroons 	44	20	20	4	44 	71	68	716
New York Americans 	44	17	25	2	36 	82	91	349
Toronto St. Patricks	44	15	24	5	35 	79	94	546
American Division 	GP	W 	L 	T	Pts	GF 	GA 	PIM
New York Rangers 	44	25	13	6	56 	95 	72 	385
Boston Bruins 	44	21	20	3	45 	97 	89 	521
Chicago Black Hawks	44	19	22	3	41 	115	116	448
Pittsburgh Pirates 	44	15	26	3	33 	79 	108	230
Detroit Cougars 	44	12	28	4	28 	76 	105	409
==Playoffs==
With the collapse of the Western Hockey League, the Stanley Cup became the championship trophy of the NHL. The new division alignment and playoff format endured that for the first time, an American team would play in the NHL Final, now the Stanley Cup Final. The Seattle Metropolitans earlier had competed for the Stanley Cup as champions of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.
===Quarterfinals===
Montreal Canadiens vs. Montreal Maroons
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score	Notes
March 29	Montreal Canadiens	1 	Montreal Maroons 	1 	
March 31	Montreal Maroons 	0 	Montreal Canadiens	1 	(OT)
Montreal Canadiens win total-goals series 2-1
Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Black Hawks
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score	Notes
March 29	Boston Bruins 	6 	Chicago Black Hawks	1 	Played in New York
March 31	Chicago Black Hawks	4 	Boston Bruins 	4 	
Boston wins total-goals series 10 goals to 5
===Semifinals===
Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score	Notes
April 2	Ottawa Senators 	4 	Montreal Canadiens	0 	
April 4	Montreal Canadiens	1 	Ottawa Senators 	1 	
Ottawa wins total-goals series 5-1
New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score	Notes
April 2	New York Rangers	0 	Boston Bruins 	0 	
April 4	Boston Bruins 	3 	New York Rangers	1 	
Boston wins total-goals series 3-1
===Stanley Cup Final===
Cy Denneny led the Senators with four of the team's seven total goals. He scored the game-winning goals in both victories.
Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators
Date 	Away 	Score	Home 	Score	Notes
April 7 	Ottawa Senators	0 	Boston Bruins 	0 	(OT)
April 9 	Ottawa Senators	3 	Boston Bruins 	1 	
April 11	Boston Bruins 	1 	Ottawa Senators	1 	(OT)
April 13	Boston Bruins 	1 	Ottawa Senators	3 	
Ottawa wins best-of-five series 2–0–2
==Awards==
A new trophy in memory of Georges Vezina, the Vezina Trophy, was donated this year by Montreal Canadiens owners Leo Dandurand, Louis Letourneau and Joseph Cattarinich. It is to be presented to the league's "most valuable goaltender." It is won by his successor with the Canadiens, George Hainsworth.
1926–27 NHL awards 	1926–27 NHL awards
Hart Trophy:(Most valuable player) 	Herb Gardiner, Montreal Canadiens
Lady Byng Trophy:(Excellence and sportsmanship)	Billy Burch, New York Americans
O'Brien Cup:(League champions) 	Ottawa Senators
Prince of Wales Trophy:(League champions) 	Ottawa Senators
Vezina Trophy:(Fewest goals allowed) 	George Hainsworth, Montreal Canadiens
==Player statistics==
===Scoring leaders===
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
Player 	Team 	GP	G 	A 	Pts
Bill Cook 	New York Rangers 	44	33	4 	37
Dick Irvin 	Chicago Black Hawks 	43	18	18	36
Howie Morenz 	Montreal Canadiens 	44	25	7 	32
Frank Fredrickson	Detroit Cougars / Boston Bruins	44	18	13	31
Babe Dye 	Chicago Black Hawks 	41	25	5 	30
Ace Bailey 	Toronto St. Patricks 	42	15	13	28
Frank Boucher 	New York Rangers 	44	13	15	28
Billy Burch 	New York Americans 	43	19	8 	27
Harry Oliver 	Boston Bruins 	42	18	6 	24
Duke Keats 	Boston / Detroit Cougars 	42	16	8 	24
Source: NHL.
===Leading goaltenders===
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; SO = Shut outs; GAA = Goals against average
Player 	Team 	GP	Mins	GA 	SO	GAA
Clint Benedict 	Montreal Maroons 	43	2748	65 	13	1.42
Lorne Chabot 	New York Rangers 	36	2307	56 	10	1.46
George Hainsworth	Montreal Canadiens 	44	2732	67 	14	1.47
Alex Connell 	Ottawa Senators 	44	2782	69 	13	1.49
Hal Winkler 	New York Rangers / Boston Bruins	31	1959	56 	6 	1.72
Jake Forbes 	New York Americans 	44	2715	91 	8 	2.01
John Ross Roach 	Toronto St. Patricks 	44	2764	94 	4 	2.04
Hap Holmes 	Detroit Cougars 	41	2685	100	6 	2.23
Roy Worters 	Pittsburgh Pirates 	44	2711	108	4 	2.39
Hugh Lehman 	Chicago Black Hawks 	44	2797	116	5 	2.49
===Playoff scoring leaders===
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
Player 	Team 	GP	G	A	Pts
Harry Oliver 	Boston Bruins	8 	4	2	6
Percy Galbraith	Boston Bruins	8 	3	3	6
==Team Photos==
26-27Bruins.jpg|Boston Bruins
26-27Chibh.jpg|Chicago Black Hawks
26-27DetCou.jpg|Detroit Cougars
26-27MtlCan.jpg|Montreal Canadiens
1926-27NYAmer.jpg|New York Americans
1926-27NYR.jpg|New York Rangers
26-27ottsen.jpg|Ottawa Senators
26-27TorSP.jpg|Toronto St. Patricks
==References==
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* Deceptions and Doublecross: How the NHL Conquered Hockey by Morey Holzman and Joseph Nieforth Dundurn Books
;Notes
==External links==
*Hockey Database
*NHL.com
Category:1926 in ice hockey
Category:1927 in ice hockey