Sports season
1936–37 NHL season | |
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League | National Hockey League |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Duration | November 5, 1936 – April 15, 1937 |
Number of games | 48 |
Number of teams | 8 |
Regular season | |
Season champions | Detroit Red Wings |
Season MVP | Babe Siebert (Canadiens) |
Top scorer | Sweeney Schriner (Americans) |
Canadian Division champions | Montreal Canadiens |
American Division champions | Detroit Red Wings |
Stanley Cup | |
Champions | Detroit Red Wings |
Runners-up | New York Rangers |
NHL seasons | |
← 1935–361937–38 → |
The 1936–37 NHL season was the 20th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eight teams each played 48 games. The Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the New York Rangers three games to two in the final series.
League business
Frank Calder had been naming the top rookies commencing with 1932–33. This year, he commenced buying a trophy for the top rookie and Syl Apps was this year's winner.
The Great Depression continued to take its toll on the NHL. At the beginning of the decade there were ten teams and in the years since two teams had folded. It appeared like the New York Americans were to become the third team but the NHL took steps to prevent that from happening. Instead of letting the team cease operating because of money and ownership problems the league assumed control of the team for the 1936–37 season. It was then that team owner Bill Dwyer sued. A settlement then allowed for Dwyer to own the team, run by the NHL, and that Dwyer would be given a chance to pay back his debts.
The Montreal Maroons, short of money, had to sell their star and team captain Hooley Smith to Boston. It was hoped that Carl Voss of the former Eagles would fill in adequately for him, but he came down with influenza and was not much help. However, Bob Gracie started scoring and the Maroons almost nipped the Canadiens for first place in the Canadian Division.
Regular season
Highlights
The New York Americans had started in first place, but then their players came down with influenza and the team went downhill. But the worst blow was when Roy Worters suffered a hernia and had to retire. Alfie Moore and Lorne Chabot were not adequate replacements and the Amerks finished last in the Canadian Division.
On November 16, 1936, Hal Winkler made his NHL debut for the New York Rangers and gained a 1–0 shutout over the Montreal Maroons. He was the first goaltender to have a shutout in his NHL debut. The Montreal Canadiens had hit the bottom in 1935–36, and Babe Siebert was obtained to shore up the defence. But the most loved of all movements was buying Howie Morenz back from the Rangers. The Canadiens went from last to first in the Canadian Division. Morenz was just hitting his stride in January 1937, when tragedy struck. On one of his hurtling rushes, he was being checked by Earl Seibert of Chicago when his left skate got caught in the dasher of the end boards, and Morenz suffered a badly fractured leg. After suffering a nervous breakdown worrying about if he would be able to come back, more bad luck occurred. On March 8, 1937, X-rays revealed that Howie had blood clots in his healing leg. An operation was scheduled for the next day, but when Howie ate a light supper and told the nurse he wanted to rest, in falling asleep his pallor suddenly changed and the nurse knew something was wrong. A blood clot had stopped his heart, and attempts to revive Howie failed. News of Morenz's death shocked the hockey world, and thousands filed past his bier, many in tears, to pay their last respects.
Beyond Morenz's tragic mishap, it was an injury-filled year for many stars. Already suffering from a bad back, Boston's Eddie Shore suffered a broken vertebra that cost him the remainder of the season. Charlie Conacher of the Maple Leafs repeatedly injured his wrist, costing him much of the season, and was never the same player thereafter. A series of minor injuries precipitated Lionel Conacher's decision to retire at year's end, while Sylvio Mantha and Roy Worters suffered career-ending injuries. Other stars who missed several weeks of time or had season-ending injuries included Red Wings captain Doug Young, Larry Aurie, Russ Blinco, Buzz Boll, Pit Lepine, Dave Trottier, Toe Blake and Art Chapman.
With five games left to play, Chicago owner Frederic McLaughlin, a partisan of American-born players, decided to field an all-American lineup, the first time in major senior hockey that this was done. With incumbent Mike Karakas in goal, the Black Hawks signed Ernest Klingbeil and Paul Schaefer on defence, with a line of Milt Brink centering Al Suomi and Bun Laprairie. The team went 1–3 with the sextet in the lineup.
Detroit, led by Vezina Trophy winning Normie Smith, finished first in the American Division.
Final standings
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Detroit Red Wings | 48 | 25 | 14 | 9 | 128 | 102 | 59 |
Boston Bruins | 48 | 23 | 18 | 7 | 120 | 110 | 53 |
New York Rangers | 48 | 19 | 20 | 9 | 117 | 106 | 47 |
Chicago Black Hawks | 48 | 14 | 27 | 7 | 99 | 131 | 35 |
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Montreal Canadiens | 48 | 24 | 18 | 6 | 115 | 111 | 54 |
Montreal Maroons | 48 | 22 | 17 | 9 | 126 | 110 | 53 |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 48 | 22 | 21 | 5 | 119 | 115 | 49 |
New York Americans | 48 | 15 | 29 | 4 | 122 | 161 | 34 |
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Playoffs
Playoff bracket
First round | Semifinals | Final | |||||||||||
C1 | Mtl Canadiens | 2 | |||||||||||
A1 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||||||
A1 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||||||
C2 | Mtl Maroons | 2 | |||||||||||
A3 | NY Rangers | 2 | |||||||||||
A2 | Boston | 1 | |||||||||||
C2 | Mtl Maroons | 0 | |||||||||||
A3 | NY Rangers | 2 | |||||||||||
C3 | Toronto | 0 | |||||||||||
A3 | NY Rangers | 2 | |||||||||||
Quarterfinals
(A2) Boston Bruins vs. (C2) Montreal Maroons
March 23 | Boston Bruins | 1–4 | Montreal Maroons | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | 13:56 – Carl Voss (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 12:15 – pp – Baldy Northcott (1) | ||||||
Ray Getliffe (1) – pp – 06:34 | Third period | 16:43 – Herb Cain (1) 17:32 – Bob Gracie (1) | ||||||
Tiny Thompson | Goalie stats | Bill Beveridge |
March 25 | Montreal Maroons | 0–4 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | 04:54 – Dit Clapper (1) 15:42 – Charlie Sands (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 16:19 – Ray Getliffe (2) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 13:50 – Red Beattie (1) | ||||||
Bill Beveridge | Goalie stats | Tiny Thompson |
March 28 | Montreal Maroons | 4–1 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
Cy Wentworth (1) – 15:49 Russ Blinco (1) – 19:25 |
Second period | 05:18 – Dit Clapper (2) | ||||||
Earl Robinson (1) – 14:30 Dave Trottier (1) – 17:58 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Bill Beveridge | Goalie stats | Tiny Thompson |
Montreal won series 2–1 | |
(C3) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (A3) New York Rangers
March 23 | New York Rangers | 3–0 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
Lynn Patrick (1) – pp – 05:29 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
Murray Murdoch (1) – 15:07 Alex Shibicky (1) – 16:10 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Dave Kerr | Goalie stats | Turk Broda |
March 25 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–2 | OT | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden III | Recap | ||
Busher Jackson (1) – 01:42 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 10:05 – Butch Keeling (1) | ||||||
No scoring | First overtime period | 13:05 – Babe Pratt (1) | ||||||
Turk Broda | Goalie stats | Dave Kerr |
New York won series 2–0 | |
Semifinals
(A1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (C1) Montreal Canadiens
March 23 | Montreal Canadiens | 0–4 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | 05:21 – Ebbie Goodfellow (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 16:54 – Herbie Lewis (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 01:20 – Hec Kilrea (1) 17:52 – Hec Kilrea (2) | ||||||
Wilf Cude | Goalie stats | Norm Smith |
March 25 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–5 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
Paul Haynes (1) – 09:29 | First period | 15:42 – Mud Bruneteau (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 02:07 – Herbie Lewis (2) 04:45 – Herbie Lewis (3) 15:40 – Pete Kelly (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 17:15 – Pete Kelly (2) | ||||||
Wilf Cude | Goalie stats | Norm Smith |
March 27 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | 03:10 – Johnny Gagnon (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
Marty Barry (1) – 01:45 | Third period | 10:29 – Babe Siebert (1) 17:27 – Johnny Gagnon (2) | ||||||
Norm Smith | Goalie stats | Wilf Cude |
March 30 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
Syd Howe (1) – 17:00 | First period | 07:30 – Toe Blake (1) 12:27 – Paul Haynes (2) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 18:28 – Joffre Desilets (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Norm Smith | Goalie stats | Wilf Cude |
April 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–1 | OT | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | ||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
Ebbie Goodfellow (2) – sh – 04:41 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 14:56 – Bill MacKenzie (1) | ||||||
Hec Kilrea (3) – 11:49 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
Norm Smith | Goalie stats | Wilf Cude |
Detroit won series 3–2 | |
(C2) Montreal Maroons vs. (A3) New York Rangers
April 1 | Montreal Maroons | 0–1 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden III | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | 16:46 – Babe Pratt (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Bill Beveridge | Goalie stats | Dave Kerr |
April 3 | Montreal Maroons | 0–4 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden III | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | Neil Colville (1) – 04:24 Neil Coville (2) – 06:45 Frank Boucher (1) – 09:10 | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | Mac Colville (1) – 02:41 | ||||||
Bill Beveridge | Goalie stats | Dave Kerr |
New York won series 2–0 | |
Stanley Cup Finals
Main article: 1937 Stanley Cup Finals
April 6 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–5 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden III | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | 05:23 – Butch Keeling (2) 09:40 – Lynn Patrick (2) 18:43 – Joe Cooper (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 18:55 – Frank Boucher (2) | ||||||
Syd Howe (2) – 17:12 | Third period | 18:22 – Lynn Patrick (3) | ||||||
Norm Smith | Goalie stats | Dave Kerr |
April 8 | New York Rangers | 2–4 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | 09:22 – pp – John Sorrell (1) 12:07 – Mud Bruneteau (2) 13:31 – John Gallagher (1) | ||||||
Babe Pratt (3) – 15:06 Butch Keeling (3) – 18:18 |
Second period | 11:02 – Herbie Lewis (4) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Dave Kerr | Goalie stats | Norm Smith |
April 11 | New York Rangers | 1–0 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
Neil Colville (3) – 00:23 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
Dave Kerr | Goalie stats | Norm Smith |
April 13 | New York Rangers | 0–1 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 12:43 – Marty Barry (2) | ||||||
Dave Kerr | Goalie stats | Norm Smith |
April 15 | New York Rangers | 0–3 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | 19:22 – pp – Marty Barry (3) | ||||||
No scoring | Second period | 09:36 – John Sorrell (2) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 02:22 – Marty Barry (4) | ||||||
Dave Kerr | Goalie stats | Norm Smith |
Detroit won series 3–2 | |
Awards
The "Rookie of the Year" award now had a trophy, the Calder Trophy, for the first time.
Calder Trophy: (Best first-year player) |
Syl Apps, Toronto Maple Leafs |
Hart Trophy: (Most valuable player) |
Babe Siebert, Montreal Canadiens |
Lady Byng Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) |
Marty Barry, Detroit Red Wings |
O'Brien Cup: (Canadian Division champion) |
Montreal Canadiens |
Prince of Wales Trophy: (American Division champion) |
Detroit Red Wings |
Vezina Trophy: (Fewest goals allowed) |
Normie Smith, Detroit Red Wings |
All-Star teams
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
PLAYER | TEAM | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sweeney Schriner | New York Americans | 48 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 17 |
Syl Apps | Toronto Maple Leafs | 48 | 16 | 29 | 45 | 10 |
Marty Barry | Detroit Red Wings | 48 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 6 |
Larry Aurie | Detroit Red Wings | 45 | 23 | 19 | 42 | 20 |
Busher Jackson | Toronto Maple Leafs | 46 | 21 | 19 | 40 | 12 |
Johnny Gagnon | Montreal Canadiens | 48 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 38 |
Bob Gracie | Montreal Maroons | 48 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 18 |
Nels Stewart | Boston Bruins/New York Americans | 43 | 23 | 12 | 35 | 37 |
Paul Thompson | Chicago Black Hawks | 47 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 28 |
Lorne Carr | New York Americans | 48 | 18 | 16 | 34 | 22 |
Earl Robinson | Montreal Maroons | 48 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 19 |
Bill Cowley | Boston Bruins | 46 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 4 |
Source: NHL
Coaches
American Division
- Boston Bruins: Art Ross
- Chicago Black Hawks: Clem Loughlin
- Detroit Red Wings: Jack Adams
- New York Rangers: Lester Patrick
Canadian Division
- Montreal Canadiens: Cecil Hart
- Montreal Maroons: Tommy Gorman
- New York Americans: Red Dutton
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Dick Irvin
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1936–37 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Bobby Bauer, Boston Bruins
- Milt Schmidt, Boston Bruins
- Clint Smith, New York Rangers
- Bryan Hextall, New York Rangers
- Syl Apps, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Gordie Drillon, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Turk Broda, Toronto Maple Leafs
Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1936–37 (listed with their last team):
- Bun Cook, Boston Bruins
- Sylvio Mantha, Boston Bruins
- Andy Blair, Chicago Black Hawks
- Wildor Larochelle, Chicago Black Hawks
- Howie Morenz, Montreal Canadiens
- George Hainsworth, Montreal Canadiens
- Lionel Conacher, Montreal Maroons
- Alex Connell, Montreal Maroons
- Baldy Cotton, New York Americans
- Harry Oliver, New York Americans
- Lorne Chabot, New York Americans
- Roy Worters, New York Americans
- Bill Cook, New York Rangers
- Murray Murdoch, New York Rangers
- King Clancy, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Frank Finnigan, Toronto Maple Leafs
See also
References
- Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
- Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
- Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
- McFarlane, Brian (1973). The Story of the National Hockey League. New York: Pagurian Press. ISBN 0-684-13424-1.
- Notes
- Hockey's Book of Firsts, p.19, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9
- "Statistics | Regular Season | 1936–37 | All Skaters". NHL.com. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
External links
1936–37 NHL season by team | |
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Canadian | |
American | |
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NHL seasons | |||||||||||
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1930s |
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1940s |
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The 2004–05 season was not played due to a lockout. |