1947–48 NHL season

Regular season

The season saw the return of the National Hockey League All-Star Game, an idea that, although proposed in the previous season, came into fruition this year. The all-star game, however, saw a bad ankle injury to Chicago Black Hawks forward Bill Mosienko that nearly ended his career. Other stars would retire, ending both the Montreal Canadiens' Punch line and the Boston Bruins' Kraut line. However, this season saw the creation of the Detroit Red Wings' Production Line. The policy of having players raise their hockey sticks to signify that a goal was scored was also initiated in this season, at the suggestion of Frank Patrick, with Habs forward Billy Reay being the first to do on November 13, 1947. The season also saw Boston's Don Gallinger suspended indefinitely pending an investigation of gambling activities and the New York Rangers' Billy "The Kid" Taylor being expelled for life for gambling.

Seven games into the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks made, at that time, the biggest trade in NHL history. The Maple Leafs sent five players to the Black Hawks in trade for Max Bentley and rookie winger Cy Thomas. Thomas only played eight games that year but Bentley handed to the Leafs a much-needed offensive boost that helped propel the team to first overall and an eventual Stanley Cup.

The New York Rangers decided to make a trade to improve their fortunes and sent Hal Laycoe, Joe Bell, and George Robertson to Montreal in exchange for Buddy O'Connor and defenceman Frank Eddolls. Montreal missed O'Connor, as their goal-scoring plummeted. Ken Mosdell was out from the start of the season with a broken arm, Rocket Richard had trouble with a bad knee and Murph Chamberlain broke his leg. In an attempt to boost the goal-scoring, Montreal traded Jimmy Peters and Johnny Quilty to Boston in exchange for Joe Carveth, but the rot continued. However, the worst occurred on January 11, 1948, when the Canadiens played the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Habs lost more than a game when Bill Juzda checked captain Toe Blake into the boards, breaking Blake's ankle and ending his career. It was also the end of the famed "Punch Line". (Ironically, that same night, Johnny Quilty's career was ended with a compound fracture of the leg). The Canadiens missed the playoffs for the first time since 1940, and Bill Durnan, for the only time in his career, failed to win the Vezina Trophy. This season was also the last season in which a goaltender was allowed to be named captain of their team. Bill Durnan was the last goaltender in NHL history to be captain. Toronto's Turk Broda won the Vezina this season.

Final standings

Playoffs

Playoff bracket

The top four teams in the league qualified for the playoffs. In the semifinals, the first-place team played the third-place team, while the second-place team faced the fourth-place team, with the winners advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. In both rounds, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series).

| RD1-seed1=1 | RD1-team1=Toronto | RD1-score1=4 | RD1-seed2=3 | RD1-team2=Boston | RD1-score2=1 | RD1-seed3=2 | RD1-team3=Detroit | RD1-score3=4 | RD1-seed4=4 | RD1-team4=New York | RD1-score4=2 | RD2-seed1=1 | RD2-team1=Toronto | RD2-score1=4 | RD2-seed2=2 | RD2-team2=Detroit | RD2-score2=0

Semifinals

(1) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3) Boston Bruins

Toronto defeated Boston four games to one, although Boston kept it closer than the series tally would indicate. Three of the five games were decided by a single goal.

|1-1-1 =Murray Henderson (1) – 01:18 |1-1-2 =11:29 – Bill Ezinicki (1) |1-2-1 =Ed Harrison (1) – 08:39 |1-2-2 =17:33 – Max Bentley (1) |1-3-1 =Pat Egan (1) – 02:35 Ken Smith (1) – 08:38 |1-3-2 =12:03 – Syl Apps (1) 15:34 – Jimmy Thomson (1) |1-4-1 =No scoring |1-4-2 =17:03 – Nick Metz (1) |goalie1-1 =Frank Brimsek |goalie1-2 =Turk Broda

|2-1-1 =Johnny Peirson (1) – pp – 08:39 |2-1-2 =05:41 – Ted Kennedy (1) 19:54 – pp – Ted Kennedy (2) |2-2-1 =Pete Babando (1) – pp – 02:16 |2-2-2 =06:34 – Ted Kennedy (3) 12:24 – Ted Kennedy (4) |2-3-1 =Milt Schmidt (1) – 10:43 |2-3-2 =07:37 – Max Bentley (2) |goalie2-1 =Frank Brimsek |goalie2-2 =Turk Broda

|3-1-1 =No scoring |3-1-2 =Howie Meeker (1) – 03:40 Bill Barilko (1) – 12:28 |3-2-1 =01:10 – Milt Schmidt (2) |3-2-2 =Ted Kennedy (5) – 09:24 |3-3-1 =No scoring |3-3-2 =Garth Boesch (1) – 07:00 Nick Metz (2) – 17:49 |goalie3-1 =Frank Brimsek |goalie3-2 =Turk Broda

|4-1-1 =02:47 – Ed Sandford (1) |4-1-2 =No scoring |4-2-1 =07:31 – Johnny Peirson (2) |4-2-2 =Bill Ezinicki (2) – 01:36 |4-3-1 =13:24 – Johnny Peirson (3) |4-3-2 =Syl Apps (2) – 15:08 |goalie4-1 =Frank Brimsek |goalie4-2 =Turk Broda

|5-1-1 =Jimmy Peters (1) – pp – 05:20 |5-1-2 =08:41 – Vic Lynn (1) 16:13 – Les Costello (1) |5-2-1 =Ken Smith (2) – 12:08 |5-2-2 =No scoring |5-3-1 =No scoring |5-3-2 =05:52 – Ted Kennedy (6) |goalie5-1 =Frank Brimsek |goalie5-2 =Turk Broda

(2) Detroit Red Wings vs. (4) New York Rangers

It looked initially to be a close series as, after the Blueshirts lost the first two games, the Rangers won the next two to tie the series. Detroit then took the next two to win the series in six games to qualify for the Finals.

|1-1-1 =No scoring |1-1-2 =15:04 – Ted Lindsay (1) 19:06 – pp – Jim Conacher (1) |1-2-1 =No scoring |1-2-2 =No scoring |1-3-1 =Tony Leswick (1) – 03:35 |1-3-2 =No scoring |goalie1-1 =Chuck Rayner |goalie1-2 =Harry Lumley

|2-1-1 =Edgar Laprade (1) – 14:53 |2-1-2 =04:00 – Jim McFadden (1) |2-2-1 =No scoring |2-2-2 =04:57 – Jim McFadden (2) 08:18 – pp – Marty Pavelich (1) |2-3-1 =Neil Colville (1) – 10:51 |2-3-2 =10:04 – Leo Reise (1) 14:49 – Marty Pavelich (2) |goalie2-1 =Chuck Rayner |goalie2-2 =Harry Lumley

|3-1-1 =03:32 – Phil Watson (1) 10:35 – Phil Watson (2) |3-1-2 =No scoring |3-2-1 =No scoring |3-2-2 =Ted Lindsay (2) – 19:40 |3-3-1 =09:02 – Tony Leswick (2) |3-3-2 =Jack Stewart (1) – 16:03 |goalie3-1 =Chuck Rayner |goalie3-2 =Harry Lumley

|4-1-1 =No scoring |4-1-2 =Jim McFadden (3) – 03:41 |4-2-1 =10:08 – pp – Bryan Hextall (1) 10:41 – Eddie Kullman (1) |4-2-2 =No scoring |4-3-1 =13:32 – Tony Leswick (3) |4-3-2 =No scoring |goalie4-1 =Chuck Rayner |goalie4-2 =Harry Lumley

|5-1-1 =No scoring |5-1-2 =04:02 – pp – Red Kelly (1) |5-2-1 =No scoring |5-2-2 =14:13 – pp – Pete Horeck (1) |5-3-1 =Buddy O'Connor (1) – 12:49 |5-3-2 =13:55 – Red Kelly (2) |goalie5-1 =Chuck Rayner |goalie5-2 =Harry Lumley

|6-1-1 =No scoring |6-1-2 =Red Kelly (3) – pp – 13:46 Gordie Howe (1) – pp – 14:30 Pat Lundy (1) – 17:51 |6-2-1 =No scoring |6-2-2 =No scoring |6-3-1 =12:49 – Don Raleigh (1) 19:08 – Don Raleigh (2) |6-3-2 =Jim McFadden (4) – 10:49 |goalie6-1 =Chuck Rayner |goalie6-2 =Harry Lumley

Stanley Cup Finals

Main article: 1948 Stanley Cup Finals

|1-1-1 =Jim McFadden (5) – 07:20 |1-1-2 =08:21 – Harry Watson (1) 09:04 – Joe Klukay (1) 18:24 – Syl Apps (3) |1-2-1 =No scoring |1-2-2 =14:31 – Gus Mortson (1) 19:21 – Howie Meeker (2) |1-3-1 =Jim Conacher (2) – 04:28 Ted Lindsay (3) – 05:25 |1-3-2 =No scoring |goalie1-1 =Harry Lumley |goalie1-2 =Turk Broda

|2-1-1 =No scoring |2-1-2 =13:31 – Max Bentley (3) |2-2-1 =Pete Horeck (2) – 18:18 |2-2-2 =03:38 – pp – Bill Ezinicki (3) 17:16 – pp – Max Bentley (4) 18:50 – Harry Watson (2) |2-3-1 =Fern Gauthier (1) – pp – 17:18 |2-3-2 =No scoring |goalie2-1 =Harry Lumley |goalie2-2 =Turk Broda

|3-1-1 =No scoring |3-1-2 =No scoring |3-2-1 =No scoring |3-2-2 =Harry Watson (3) – 19:42 |3-3-1 =No scoring |3-3-2 =Vic Lynn (2) – 15:16 |goalie3-1 =Harry Lumley |goalie3-2 =Turk Broda

|4-1-1 =No scoring |4-1-2 =Ted Kennedy (7) – pp – 02:51 Garth Boesch (2) – sh – 05:03 Harry Watson (4) – 11:13 |4-2-1 =02:41 – Leo Reise (2) |4-2-2 =Syl Apps (4) – 04:26 Ted Kennedy (8) – 09:42 Harry Watson (5) – sh – 11:38 |4-3-1 =18:48 – Pete Horeck (3) |4-3-2 =Les Costello (2) – pp – 14:37 |goalie4-1 =Harry Lumley |goalie4-2 =Turk Broda

Awards

All-Star teams

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Source: NHL

Leading goaltenders

GP = Games Played, TOI = Time on ice (minutes), GA = Goals Against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average

Coaches

• Boston Bruins: Dit Clapper
• Chicago Black Hawks: Johnny Gottselig
• Detroit Red Wings: Tommy Ivan
• Montreal Canadiens: Dick Irvin
• New York Rangers: Frank Boucher
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Hap Day

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1947–48 (listed with their first team):

• Ed Sandford, Boston Bruins
• Paul Ronty, Boston Bruins
• Metro Prystai, Chicago Black Hawks
• Marty Pavelich, Detroit Red Wings
• Red Kelly, Detroit Red Wings
• Floyd Curry, Montreal Canadiens
• Tom Johnson, Montreal Canadiens
• Gerry McNeil, Montreal Canadiens
• Doug Harvey, Montreal Canadiens
• Ed Kullman, New York Rangers
• Fleming MacKell, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Tod Sloan, Toronto Maple Leafs

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1947–48 (listed with their last team):

• John Quilty, Boston Bruins
• John Mariucci, Chicago Black Hawks
• Toe Blake, Montreal Canadiens
• Bryan Hextall, New York Rangers
• Phil Watson, New York Rangers
• Billy Taylor, New York Rangers
• Syl Apps, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Nick Metz, Toronto Maple Leafs

References

• {{cite book |last1=Fischler |first1=Stan |last2=Fischler |first2=Shirley

;Notes