1935–36 NHL season

League business

Prior to the season, the St. Louis Eagles franchise owners asked the league for permission to suspend operations for a year and then relocate back to Ottawa, however the league denied the requests. On October 15, 1935, the NHL bought back the franchise and players contracts for $40,000 and suspended operations. Chicago would not participate in the dispersal draft, while St. Louis would not have another NHL team until 1967.

During the season, the New York Americans were reported in financial trouble and were up for sale. Leo Dandurand, who had sold his interest in the Montreal Canadiens, was interested as was Joseph Cattarinich. Cattarinich said he would buy the team if the price was right. Later it was announced there would be no deal.

This was the first year the Boston Bruins switched from brown and gold to their now-familiar black and gold uniforms, while also placing the number on the front instead of the block B, which was moved to smaller B's on the shoulders.

Regular season

Howie Morenz played badly for Chicago and incurred the wrath of Chicago owner Frederic McLaughlin. He was subsequently traded to the New York Rangers.

This was the year of Detroit. They finished first in the American Division. The Montreal Maroons finished first in the Canadian Division, but fans were starting to stay away from games they played, which worried now team president, manager and coach Tommy Gorman. At one point, Lionel Conacher had to run the team when Gorman experienced health and nervous problems. At .500 at mid-season, they traded Toe Blake for Lorne Chabot, owned by the Canadiens after being suspended by Chicago and refusing demotion to the minors, and the team began to win with Chabot in the net.

Final standings

Playoffs

Playoff bracket

The top three teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. The two division winners met in a best-of-five Stanley Cup semifinal series. The divisional second-place teams and third-place teams played off in a two-game total-goals series to determine the participants for the other two-game total-goals semifinal series. The semifinal winners then played in a best-of-five Stanley Cup Finals.

This was the final year that the league used a two-game total-goals series, replacing them with best-of-three formats the following year.

| RD1-seed1=C2 | RD1-team1=Toronto | RD1-score1=8G | RD1-seed2=A2 | RD1-team2=Boston | RD1-score2=6G | RD1-seed3=C3 | RD1-team3=NY Americans | RD1-score3=7G | RD1-seed4=A3 | RD1-team4=Chicago | RD1-score4=5G | RD2-seed1=C1 | RD2-team1=Mtl Maroons | RD2-score1=0 | RD2-seed2=A1 | RD2-team2=Detroit | RD2-score2=3 | RD2-seed3=C2 | RD2-team3=Toronto | RD2-score3=2 | RD2-seed4=C3 | RD2-team4=NY Americans | RD2-score4=1 | RD3-seed1=A1 | RD3-team1=Detroit | RD3-score1=3 | RD3-seed2=C2 | RD3-team2=Toronto | RD3-score2=1

Quarterfinals

(C2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (A2) Boston Bruins

|1-1-1 =No scoring |1-1-2 =No scoring |1-2-1 =02:40 – pp – Jim O'Neil (1) 13:28 – pp – Eddie Shore (1) |1-2-2 =No scoring |1-3-1 =08:58 – Lorne Duguid (1) |1-3-2 =No scoring |goalie1-1 =Tiny Thompson |goalie1-2 =George Hainsworth

|2-1-1 =Bill Cowley (1) – 01:36 |2-1-2 =No scoring |2-2-1 =Bill Cowley (2) – 19:48 |2-2-2 =07:25 – pp – King Clancy (1) 07:55 – pp – Charlie Conacher (1) 11:35 – Red Horner (1) 16:55 – pp – Charlie Conacher (2) 17:58 – pp – Busher Jackson (1) 19:13 – Buzz Boll (1) |2-3-1 =Cooney Weiland (1) – 12:02 |2-3-2 =10:58 – Charlie Conacher (3) 12:53 – Buzz Boll (2) |goalie2-1 =Tiny Thompson |goalie2-2 =George Hainsworth

(A3) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (C3) New York Americans

|1-1-1 =01:55 – Sweeney Schriner (1) 16:40 – pp – Sweeney Schriner (2) |1-1-2 =No scoring |1-2-1 =No scoring |1-2-2 =No scoring |1-3-1 =09:52 – Lorne Carr (1) |1-3-2 =No scoring |goalie1-1 =Roy Worters 24 saves / 24 shots |goalie1-2 =Mike Karakas 27 saves / 30 shots

|2-1-1 =Harry Oliver (1) – 11:55 Joe Jerwa (1) – 12:26 |2-1-2 =10:30 – Mush March (1) |2-2-1 =Eddie Wiseman (1) – 19:42 |2-2-2 =15:45 – pp – Earl Seibert (1) 18:58 – pp – Mush March (2) |2-3-1 =Sweeney Schriner (3) – 15:30 |2-3-2 =16:18 – Doc Romnes (1) 18:22 – Earl Seibert (2) |goalie2-1 =Roy Worters |goalie2-2 =Mike Karakas

Semifinals

(A1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (C1) Montreal Maroons

The first game of the Maroons-Red Wings series set a record for the longest game in Stanley Cup playoff history, as well as the longest ice hockey game ever played. The game began at 8:30 p.m. at the Forum in Montreal, and ended at 2:25 a.m. The game was scoreless until the sixth overtime, when Mud Bruneteau scored on Maroon goaltender Lorne Chabot to win the game. Normie Smith shut out the Maroons in the next game, and the Red Wings then beat the Maroons to win the series.

|1-1-1 =No scoring |1-1-2 =No scoring |1-2-1 =No scoring |1-2-2 =No scoring |1-3-1 =No scoring |1-3-2 =No scoring |1-4-1 =No scoring |1-4-2 =Mud Bruneteau (1) – 16:30 |goalie1-1 =Lorne Chabot 65 saves / 66 shots |goalie1-2 =Normie Smith 92 saves / 92 shots

|2-1-1 =No scoring |2-1-2 =No scoring |2-2-1 =No scoring |2-2-2 =No scoring |2-3-1 =No scoring |2-3-2 =Syd Howe (1) – pp – 09:48 Herbie Lewis (1) – sh – 16:58 Larry Aurie (1) – 19:20 |goalie2-1 =Lorne Chabot |goalie2-2 =Normie Smith

|3-1-1 =Gus Marker (1) – 12:02 |3-1-2 =No scoring |3-2-1 =No scoring |3-2-2 =14:00 – John Sorrell (1) |3-3-1 =No scoring |3-3-2 =04:08 – Ralph Bowman (1) |goalie3-1 =Lorne Chabot |goalie3-2 =Normie Smith

(C2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (C3) New York Americans

|1-1-1 =No scoring |1-1-2 =No scoring |1-2-1 =Eddie Wiseman (2) – 00:30 |1-2-2 =No scoring |1-3-1 =No scoring |1-3-2 =06:22 – Buzz Boll (3) 06:56 – Busher Jackson (2) 12:17 – Buzz Boll (4) |goalie1-1 =Roy Worters |goalie1-2 =George Hainsworth

|2-1-1 =No scoring |2-1-2 =No scoring |2-2-1 =16:15 – Joe Jerwa (2) |2-2-2 =No scoring |2-3-1 =No scoring |2-3-2 =No scoring |goalie2-1 =Roy Worters |goalie2-2 =George Hainsworth

|3-1-1 =Nels Stewart (1) – 15:24 |3-1-2 =14:26 – Busher Jackson (3) |3-2-1 =No scoring |3-2-2 =No scoring |3-3-1 =No scoring |3-3-2 =12:51 – Bill Thoms (1) 18:33 – King Clancy (2) |goalie3-1 =Roy Worters |goalie3-2 =George Hainsworth

Stanley Cup Finals

Main article: 1936 Stanley Cup Finals

|1-1-1 =Buzz Boll (5) – 12:15 |1-1-2 =04:53 – sh – Bucko McDonald (1) 05:37 – Syd Howe (2) 12:05 – Wally Kilrea (1) |1-2-1 =No scoring |1-2-2 =No scoring |1-3-1 =No scoring |1-3-2 =No scoring |goalie1-1 =George Hainsworth |goalie1-2 =Normie Smith

|2-1-1 =Buzz Boll (6) – 12:35 |2-1-2 =01:30 – Wally Kilrea (2) 04:25 – Marty Barry (1) 10:05 – pp – Herbie Lewis (2) 16:55 – Bucko McDonald (2) |2-2-1 =Joe Primeau (1) – 14:00 |2-2-2 =07:15 – pp – John Sorrell (2) 09:10 – Gord Pettinger (1) |2-3-1 =Bill Thoms (2) – 09:40 Bob Davidson (1) – 16:10 |2-3-2 =07:30 – John Sorrell (3) 12:05 – Gord Pettinger 17:15 – Bucko McDonald (3) |goalie2-1 =George Hainsworth |goalie2-2 =Normie Smith

|3-1-1 =No scoring |3-1-2 =Ralph Bowman (2) – 09:23 |3-2-1 =No scoring |3-2-2 =Mud Bruneteau (2) – 01:05 |3-3-1 =13:09 – Joe Primeau (2) 15:20 – Pep Kelly (1) 19:19 – Pep Kelly (2) |3-3-2 =Syd Howe (3) – 11:15 |3-4-1 =00:30 – Buzz Boll (7) |3-4-2 =No scoring |goalie3-1 =George Hainsworth |goalie3-2 =Normie Smith

|4-1-1 =15:10 – Joe Primeau (3) |4-1-2 =No scoring |4-2-1 =No scoring |4-2-2 =Ebbie Goodfellow (1) – 09:55 Marty Barry (2) – 10:38 |4-3-1 =10:57 – Bill Thoms (3) |4-3-2 =Pete Kelly (1) – 09:45 |goalie4-1 =George Hainsworth |goalie4-2 =Normie Smith

Awards

Eddie Shore won his second consecutive Hart trophy. Frank Boucher's run of seven Lady Byng trophy awards came to an end as Doc Romnes won the award. Tiny Thompson won the Vezina trophy for the third time in his career.

All-Star teams

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Source: NHL.

Coaches

American Division

• Boston Bruins: Frank Patrick
• Chicago Black Hawks: Clem Loughlin
• Detroit Red Wings: Jack Adams
• New York Rangers: Lester Patrick

Canadian Division

• Montreal Canadiens: Sylvio Mantha
• Montreal Maroons: Tommy Gorman
• New York Americans: Rosie Helmer
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Dick Irvin

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1935–36 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Ray Getliffe, Boston Bruins
• Woody Dumart, Boston Bruins
• Mike Karakas, Chicago Black Hawks
• Mud Bruneteau, Detroit Red Wings
• Alex Shibicky, New York Rangers
• Babe Pratt, New York Rangers
• Neil Colville, New York Rangers
• Phil Watson, New York Rangers
• Reg Hamilton, Toronto Maple Leafs

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1935–36 (listed with their last team):

• Joe Primeau, Toronto Maple Leafs

References

Works cited

References

1. (October 16, 1935). "Ottawa Interests Through;NHL Purchases Franchise". Toronto Star.