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1939–40 NHL season
Professional ice hockey league season
Professional ice hockey league season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | 1939–40 NHL season |
| league | National Hockey League |
| sport | Ice hockey |
| duration | November 2, 1939 – April 13, 1940 |
| season | Regular season |
| no_of_games | 48 |
| no_of_teams | 7 |
| season_champ_name | Season champion |
| season_champs | Boston Bruins |
| MVP | Ebbie Goodfellow (Red Wings) |
| MVP_link | Hart Memorial Trophy |
| top_scorer | Milt Schmidt (Bruins) |
| finals | Stanley Cup |
| finals_link | 1940 Stanley Cup Finals |
| finals_champ | New York Rangers |
| finals_runner-up | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| nextseason_link | 1940–41 NHL season |
| prevseason_link | 1938–39 NHL season |
| nextseason_year | 1940–41 |
| prevseason_year | 1938–39 |
| seasonslistnames | NHL |
| finals_runner-up = Toronto Maple Leafs
The 1939–40 NHL season was the 23rd season for the National Hockey League. Seven teams played 48 games each. The Boston Bruins were the best in the regular season, but the Stanley Cup winners were the New York Rangers, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the best-of-seven final series 4–2 for their third Stanley Cup in 14 seasons of existence. It would be another 54 years before their fourth.
League business
In June 1939, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association notified the NHL of the request for development fees when signing amateur players to contracts, after the existing professional-amateur deal expired in 1940.
Regular season
Tragedy struck the Montreal Canadiens when Babe Siebert, named coach of the struggling club, drowned along with his daughter in August. It put a big hole in the Habs defence and the team finished last under Pit Lepine. An all-star benefit was held in Siebert's memory.
The New York Americans, in financial trouble, decided to trade their star left wing Sweeney Schriner to Toronto for Harvey "Busher" Jackson, Buzz Boll, Murray Armstrong, and minor-leaguer Jimmy Fowler. Late in the season, they traded Eddie Wiseman and $5000 to Boston for Eddie Shore. The Americans then managed to make the playoffs by finishing a poor sixth. They also obtained Charlie Conacher and used him as a defenceman.
The first place Boston Bruins had a new coach in Cooney Weiland, their one-time captain, and were once again led by their Kraut Line, Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer as they finished 1–2–3 in overall league scoring. Unfortunately, the potent three were unable to help the Bruins get past the first round of the playoffs as the Bruins lost in six games to the Rangers.
The New York Rangers were coasting in first place and went 19 consecutive games without a loss. They slumped in the second half, though, and Boston edged them out for first place.
The first NHL game broadcast on television was between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens on February 25, 1940. The game was seen by only 300 people in a small area in the United States. This, though, was not the first ice hockey game broadcast on television, as a broadcast had been made in England in 1938. The CBC's first hockey broadcast was in 1952 between the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings.
Final standings
Playoffs
The Boston Bruins were expected to make the Stanley Cup Finals after a first overall finish during the regular season riding the shoulders of the "Kraut Line", but the New York Rangers were too much for the Bruins who lost in six games, got out-scored 14 to 8, and got shut-out twice in the Semifinals. The third seed Toronto Maple Leafs swept the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks en route to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Rangers Cup win would begin the 54 Year Curse, and they would not win another Cup until 1994.
Playoff bracket
The top six teams in the league qualified for the playoffs. The top two teams played in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup semifinal series. The third-place team then met the fourth-place team in one best-of-five series, and the fifth-place team faced the sixth-place team in another best-of-five series, to determine the participants for the other best-of-five semifinal series. The semifinal winners then met in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Finals (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each series).
| RD1-seed1=3 | RD1-team1=Toronto | RD1-score1=2 | RD1-seed2=4 | RD1-team2=Chicago | RD1-score2=0 | RD1-seed3=5 | RD1-team3=Detroit | RD1-score3=2 | RD1-seed4=6 | RD1-team4=NY Americans | RD1-score4=1 | RD2-seed1=1 | RD2-team1=Boston | RD2-score1=2 | RD2-seed2=2 | RD2-team2=NY Rangers | RD2-score2=4 | RD2-seed3=3 | RD2-team3=Toronto | RD2-score3=2 | RD2-seed4=5 | RD2-team4=Detroit | RD2-score4=0 | RD3-seed1=2 | RD3-team1=NY Rangers | RD3-score1=4 | RD3-seed2=3 | RD3-team2=Toronto | RD3-score2=2
Quarterfinals
(3) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (4) Chicago Black Hawks
|1-1-1 =Art Wiebe (1) – 02:31 Mush March (1) – sh – 19:41 |1-1-2 =No scoring |1-2-1 =No scoring |1-2-2 =No scoring |1-3-1 =No scoring |1-3-2 =01:45 – Jack Church (1) 09:09 – Syl Apps (1) |1-4-1 =No scoring |1-4-2 =06:36 – Syl Apps (2) |goalie1-1 =Paul Goodman |goalie1-2 =Turk Broda
|2-1-1 =No scoring |2-1-2 =No scoring |2-2-1 =No scoring |2-2-2 =Gordie Drillon (1) – 04:18 |2-3-1 =09:02 – pp – Bill Carse (1) |2-3-2 =Hank Goldup (1) – 11:56 |goalie2-1 =Paul Goodman |goalie2-2 =Turk Broda
(5) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) New York Americans
|1-1-1 =Johnny Gagnon (1) – 19:20 |1-1-2 =No scoring |1-2-1 =No scoring |1-2-2 =01:29 – pp – Alex Motter (1) |1-3-1 =No scoring |1-3-2 =No scoring |1-4-1 =No scoring |1-4-2 =00:25 – Syd Howe (1) |goalie1-1 =Earl Robertson |goalie1-2 =Tiny Thompson
|2-1-1 =No scoring |2-1-2 =No scoring |2-2-1 =18:52 – Charlie Conacher (1) |2-2-2 =Mud Bruneteau (1) – 10:58 |2-3-1 =05:10 – Hooley Smith (1) 16:15 – Tommy Anderson (1) 17:18 – Hooley Smith (2) 19:39 – Art Chapman (1) |2-3-2 =Joe Fisher (1) – 05:54 Mud Bruneteau (2) – 08:18 Connie Brown (1) – 14:16 |goalie2-1 =Earl Robertson |goalie2-2 =Tiny Thompson
|3-1-1 =Hooley Smith (3) – 18:39 |3-1-2 =05:18 – Cecil Dillon (1) |3-2-1 =No scoring |3-2-2 =No scoring |3-3-1 =No scoring |3-3-2 =07:33 – pp – Mud Bruneteau (3) 16:45 – Ken Kilrea (1) |goalie3-1 =Earl Robertson |goalie3-2 =Tiny Thompson
Semifinals
(1) Boston Bruins vs. (2) New York Rangers
|1-1-1 =No scoring |1-1-2 =No scoring |1-2-1 =10:29 – Phil Watson (1) 12:13 – sh – Alex Shibicky (1) |1-2-2 =No scoring |1-3-1 =02:37 – sh – Mac Colville (1) 16:58 – Mac Colville (2) |1-3-2 =No scoring |goalie1-1 =Dave Kerr |goalie1-2 =Frank Brimsek
|2-1-1 =Mac Colville (3) – sh – 03:45 |2-1-2 =No scoring |2-2-1 =No scoring |2-2-2 =05:45 – pp – Flash Hollett (1) 08:19 – sh – Herb Cain (1) 19:34 – pp – Woody Dumart (1) |2-3-1 =Dutch Hiller (1) – 09:56 |2-3-2 =18:16 – Art Jackson (1) |goalie2-1 =Dave Kerr |goalie2-2 =Frank Brimsek
|3-1-1 =No scoring |3-1-2 =07:21 – Eddie Wiseman (1) |3-2-1 =Muzz Patrick (1) – 13:49 |3-2-2 =16:06 – Bobby Bauer (1) 17:55 – Roy Conacher (1) |3-3-1 =Babe Pratt (1) – 03:40 Lynn Patrick (1) – 12:35 |3-3-2 =07:49 – Eddie Wiseman (2) |goalie3-1 =Dave Kerr |goalie3-2 =Frank Brimsek
|4-1-1 =No scoring |4-1-2 =No scoring |4-2-1 =No scoring |4-2-2 =No scoring |4-3-1 =10:40 – Muzz Patrick (2) |4-3-2 =No scoring |goalie4-1 =Dave Kerr |goalie4-2 =Frank Brimsek
|5-1-1 =No scoring |5-1-2 =No scoring |5-2-1 =No scoring |5-2-2 =No scoring |5-3-1 =Babe Pratt (2) – 04:27 |5-3-2 =No scoring |goalie5-1 =Dave Kerr |goalie5-2 =Frank Brimsek
|6-1-1 =No scoring |6-1-2 =Roy Conacher (2) – 19:53 |6-2-1 =08:14 – Alf Pike (1) |6-2-2 =No scoring |6-3-1 =11:09 – Alex Shibicky (2) 12:494 – pp – Clint Smith (1) 14:46 – pp – Phil Watson (2) |6-3-2 =No scoring |goalie6-1 =Dave Kerr |goalie6-2 =Frank Brimsek
(3) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings
|1-1-1 =No scoring |1-1-2 =No scoring |1-2-1 =No scoring |1-2-2 =11:18 – pp – Syl Apps (3) |1-3-1 =Connie Brown (2) – 10:26 |1-3-2 =00:57 – Sweeney Schriner (1) |goalie1-1 =Tiny Thompson |goalie1-2 =Turk Broda
|2-1-1 =No scoring |2-1-2 =Red Heron (1) – 03:04 Hank Goldup (2) – 19:51 |2-2-1 =No scoring |2-2-2 =No scoring |2-3-1 =19:20 – Syd Howe (2) |2-3-2 =Hank Goldup (3) – 07:07 |goalie2-1 =Tiny Thompson |goalie2-2 =Turk Broda
Stanley Cup Finals
Main article: 1940 Stanley Cup Finals
|1-1-1 =Red Heron (2) – 11:01 |1-1-2 =09:09 – pp – Art Coulter (1) |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 =15:30 – Alf Pike (2) |goalie1-1 =Turk Broda |goalie1-2 =Dave Kerr
|2-1-1 =Billy Taylor (1) – 05:01 Hank Goldup (4) – 06:01 |2-1-2 =15:14 – Bryan Hextall |2-2-1 =No scoring |2-2-2 =03:57 – Babe Pratt (3) 19:48 – pp – Bryan Hextall (2) |2-3-1 =No scoring |2-3-2 =06:26 – Bryan Hextall (3) 12:21 – pp – Dutch Heller (2) 13:09 – pp – Lynn Patrick (2) |goalie2-1 =Turk Broda |goalie2-2 =Dave Kerr
|3-1-1 =No scoring |3-1-2 =Phil Watson (3) – 18:19 |3-2-1 =No scoring |3-2-2 =No scoring |3-3-1 =10:32 – Gordie Drillon (2) 13:40 – Hank Goldup (5) |3-3-2 =No scoring |goalie3-1 =Turk Broda |goalie3-2 =Dave Kerr
|4-1-1 =19:20 – Gus Marker (1) |4-1-2 =No scoring |4-2-1 =No scoring |4-2-2 =No scoring |4-3-1 =16:03 – Wally Stanowski (1) 19:26 – Gordie Drillon (3) |4-3-2 =No scoring |goalie4-1 =Turk Broda |goalie4-2 =Dave Kerr
|5-1-1 =No scoring |5-1-2 =Neil Colville (1) – 12:21 |5-2-1 =16:55 – Syl Apps (4) |5-2-2 =No scoring |5-3-1 =No scoring |5-3-2 =No scoring |5-4-1 =No scoring |5-4-2 =Muzz Patrick (3) – 11:43 |goalie5-1 =Turk Broda |goalie5-2 =Dave Kerr
|6-1-1 =06:52 – Syl Apps (5) |6-1-2 =No scoring |6-2-1 =04:51 – Nick Metz (1) |6-2-2 =No scoring |6-3-1 =No scoring |6-3-2 =Neil Colville (2) – 08:08 Alf Pike (3) – 10:01 |6-4-1 =No scoring |6-4-2 =Bryan Hextall (4) – 02:07 |goalie6-1 =Turk Broda |goalie6-2 =Dave Kerr
Awards
| Vezina Trophy: | |
|---|---|
| (Fewest goals allowed) | Dave Kerr, New York Rangers |
All-Star teams
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Dave Kerr, New York Rangers | G | Frank Brimsek, Boston Bruins |
| Dit Clapper, Boston Bruins | D | Art Coulter, New York Rangers |
| Ebbie Goodfellow, Detroit Red Wings | D | Earl Seibert, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Milt Schmidt, Boston Bruins | C | Neil Colville, New York Rangers |
| Bryan Hextall, New York Rangers | RW | Bobby Bauer, Boston Bruins |
| Toe Blake, Montreal Canadiens | LW | Woody Dumart, Boston Bruins |
| Paul Thompson, Chicago Black Hawks | Coach | Frank Boucher, New York Rangers |
Player statistics
;Regular season
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milt Schmidt | Boston Bruins | 48 | 22 | 30 | 52 |
| Woody Dumart | Boston Bruins | 48 | 22 | 21 | 43 |
| Bobby Bauer | Boston Bruins | 48 | 17 | 26 | 43 |
| Gordie Drillon | Toronto Maple Leafs | 43 | 21 | 19 | 40 |
| Bill Cowley | Boston Bruins | 48 | 13 | 27 | 40 |
| Bryan Hextall | New York Rangers | 48 | 24 | 15 | 39 |
| Neil Colville | New York Rangers | 48 | 19 | 19 | 38 |
| Syd Howe | Detroit Red Wings | 46 | 14 | 23 | 37 |
| Toe Blake | Montreal Canadiens | 48 | 17 | 19 | 36 |
| Murray Armstrong | New York Americans | 48 | 16 | 20 | 36 |
Source: NHL
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Kerr | New York Rangers | 48 | 3000 | 77 | 1.54 | 27 | 11 | 10 | 8 |
| Paul Goodman | Chicago Black Hawks | 31 | 1920 | 62 | 1.94 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Frank Brimsek | Boston Bruins | 48 | 2950 | 98 | 1.99 | 31 | 12 | 5 | 6 |
| Turk Broda | Toronto Maple Leafs | 47 | 2900 | 108 | 2.23 | 25 | 17 | 5 | 4 |
| Cecil "Tiny" Thompson | Detroit Red Wings | 46 | 2830 | 120 | 2.54 | 16 | 24 | 6 | 3 |
| Earl Robertson | N.Y. Americans | 48 | 2960 | 140 | 2.84 | 15 | 29 | 4 | 6 |
| Claude Bourque | Montreal Canadiens | 36 | 2210 | 121 | 3.29 | 9 | 24 | 3 | 2 |
| Mike Karakas | Chicago Black Hawks | 17 | 1050 | 58 | 3.31 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
;Playoffs
Playoff scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Watson | New York Rangers | 12 | 3 | 6 | **9** | 16 |
| Neil Colville | New York Rangers | 12 | 2 | 7 | **9** | 18 |
| Syl Apps | Toronto Maple Leafs | 10 | 5 | 2 | **7** | 2 |
| Bryan Hextall | New York Rangers | 12 | 4 | 3 | **7** | 11 |
| Alex Shibicky | New York Rangers | 11 | 2 | 5 | **7** | 4 |
| Hank Goldup | Toronto Maple Leafs | 10 | 5 | 1 | **6** | 4 |
| Wilbert Hiller | New York Rangers | 12 | 2 | 4 | **6** | 2 |
| Mac Colville | New York Rangers | 12 | 3 | 2 | **5** | 6 |
| Mud Bruneteau | Detroit Red Wings | 5 | 3 | 2 | **5** | 0 |
| Alf Pike | New York Rangers | 12 | 3 | 1 | **4** | 6 |
Playoff leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts
| Player | Team | GP | Min | W | L | T | SO | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Kerr | New York Rangers | 12 | 770 | **8** | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1.56 |
| Turk Broda | Toronto Maple Leafs | 10 | 657 | **6** | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1.74 |
| Frank Brimsek | Boston Bruins | 6 | 360 | **2** | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Tiny Thompson | Detroit Red Wings | 5 | 300 | **2** | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.40 |
| Earl Robertson | New York Americans | 3 | 180 | **1** | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Paul Goodman | Chicago Black Hawks | 2 | 127 | **0** | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.36 |
Coaches
- Boston Bruins: Cooney Weiland
- Chicago Black Hawks: Paul Thompson
- Detroit Red Wings: Jack Adams
- Montreal Canadiens: Babe Siebert and Alfred Lepine
- New York Americans: Red Dutton
- New York Rangers: Frank Boucher
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Dick Irvin
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1939–40 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Doug Bentley, Chicago Black Hawks
- Johnny Mowers, Detroit Red Wings
- Pat Egan, New York Americans
- Kilby MacDonald, New York Rangers
Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1939–40 (listed with their last team):
- Tiny Thompson, Detroit Red Wings
- Cecil Dillon, Detroit Red Wings
- Hec Kilrea, Detroit Red Wings
- Cy Wentworth, Montreal Canadiens
- Earl Robinson, Montreal Canadiens
- Armand Mondou, Montreal Canadiens
- Marty Barry, Montreal Canadiens
- Doc Romnes, New York Americans
- Art Chapman, New York Americans
- Nels Stewart, New York Americans
- Eddie Shore, New York Americans
- Cliff Barton, New York Rangers, last active player form the Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL) franchise.
- Johnny Gagnon, New York Rangers
- Red Horner, Toronto Maple Leafs
References
- {{cite book |last1=Fischler |first1=Stan |last2=Fischler |first2=Shirley
;Notes
References
- (June 26, 1939). "C.A.H.A. Will Spend $5,000 To Send Ports To Olympics". Winnipeg Tribune.
- "RT-TV-1938". British Broadcasting Corporation.
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