1958–59 Boston Bruins season



The 1958–59 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 35th season in the NHL. The Bruins finished 2nd in the league and lost in the Semi-finals to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4 games to 3.

Off-season
Long time Bruin Johnny Peirson retired for good after the 1958 Stanley Cup Finals. After playing seven seasons for Boston, he retired in 1955. He was talked into returning to play in 1957. Peirson would go on to become the colour analyst on Bruins TV broadcasts for 20 years. Peirson led the Bruins in goal scoring three times and played in several All-Star games.

Boston lost director of player personnel Punch Imlach to the Toronto Maple Leafs where he became coach and general manager. The last place team in 1957-58, Imlach led the Leafs into the playoffs where they met the Bruins in the Semi-finals.

Just before the season began, the Bruins traded Allan Stanley to the Leafs for Jim Morrison. Morrison would have one effective season for the Bruins before being traded and then spend most of the 1960's in the minors. In contrast, Stanley would play until 1968 for the Leafs, be named to the Second All-Star Team three times and win four Stanley Cups with them.

The 12th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held at Montreal on October 4, 1958. A team of all-stars that included four Bruins, Fern Flaman, Doug Mohns, Don McKenney and Jerry Toppazzini played against the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens. Milt Schmidt coached the All-Stars but the Canadiens won 6-3 with Toppazzini assisting on the All-Stars first goal.

Regular Season
The Bruins made several modifications to their uniforms for the 1958-59 season. Numbers were added to the sleeves of the gold jersey (mainly used at home) and the white road jersey. The arm stripes on the white jersey were made narrower and there were fewer arm stripes on the gold jersey. For the first time, gold pants and black socks were added to the existing black pants and gold socks. This made for interesting combinations over the next six seasons as the gold jersey was mixed and matched with either of the pant and sock colours. The white jersey was always matched with the gold socks.

With the top two lines from the previous season back in action, the Bruins were an offensive powerhouse and finished second in the league in goal scoring. Don McKenney led the team in scoring (and finished 9th in the league) while his linemates Jerry Toppazzini and Fleming Mackell were fourth and fifth in team scoring. The "Uke Line" of John Bucyk, Bronco Horvath and Vic Stasiuk rounded out the top six scorers on the team even though Horvath missed 25 games. Leo Labine, 1958 playoff surprise Norm Johnson and acquisition Jean-Guy Gendron provided depth scoring. The defense remained stable, led by the top pair of captain Fern Flaman and Leo Boivin. Acquisition Jim Morrison played all 70 games while offensive threat Doug Mohns led the Bruins defense in scoring, despite missing 23 games. Don Simmons played the majority of games in goal, spelled off by Harry Lumley.

The Bruins started the season respectably, posting a 4-3-3 record in October. Trailing 4-0 to the New York Rangers on October 15, 1958, the Bruins scored four goals in the third period to tie the game. During the October 18, 1958 game in Toronto, in the first period, Doug Mohns took a Bob Pulford elbow to the face which broke his jaw. In the third period, Carl Brewer hit Bronco Horvath in the face with his shoulder and also broke his jaw. Both would return to play in December 1958, wearing protection for their still healing jaws. They'd wear special helmets for the remainder of the season and playoffs. The Bruins were in third place heading into December but had a horrible month, going 3-8-1. After the January 4, 1959 loss to the Chicago Black Hawks, GM Lynn Patrick put Norm Johnson, Larry Regan and Real Chevrefils on waivers. Johnson and Regan were claimed while Chevrefils went to the minors, never to play in the NHL again. Three years before, Chevrefils had been a Second Team All-Star but after struggles with alcoholism, he'd only scored once in the season. Larry Leach, Gord Redahl and Ken Yackel were called up and played on January 8, 1959. Leach had an impressive showing, racking up 16 points in 29 games while Redahl and Yackel wouldn't pan out in their only NHL season. By February, the Bruins began winning consistently again. The Uke Line picked up production as Horvath's jaw healed. During the February 8, 1959 game versus the Rangers, Horvath recorded a Hat trick while still wearing a jaw protector. Trailing the Black Hawks 4-3 heading into the third period on February 12, Leo Labine tied the game up at 5:50, assisted by Doug Mohns, who was still wearing his jaw protector. Horvath scored the winner with three minutes left, assisted by Bucyk and Stasiuk.

After AHL player Bill Dobbyn lost his eye playing for the Buffalo Bisons, GM Jack Adams of the Detroit Red Wings organized a game to benefit Dobbyn. Each NHL team sent a few star players to form an NHL All-Star team to play the Bisons at Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium on February 17, 1959. The Aud sold out with 9,368 fans. The All-Stars wore their individual team jerseys and included NHL leading scorer Andy Bathgate along with Bobby Hull, Ted Lindsay and seven of the league's top 15 scorers. The Bisons lost the game 6-2 as $25,000 was raised for Dobbyn. Bruins Fern Flaman, John Bucyk, Don McKenney and Jerry Toppazzini played for the All-Stars. Don Simmons was lost for the remainder of the season and playoffs in the February 28, 1959 game versus Chicago. Lumley stepped in and played brilliantly, going 7-1-1, including a six game winning streak. Lumley suddenly took ill before the March 7, 1959 game in Toronto. With no backup, the Leafs house goalie, Don Keenan, goalie for St. Michael's College, played the only NHL game of his career in a 4-1 loss, though the Leafs did fire 41 shots at him. The strong performance in March resulted in the Bruins finishing in second place.

Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Boston Bruins 3
The teams last met eight years before in the 1951 Semi-finals which the Leafs won 4 games to 1. Harry Lumley and Johnny Bower played all seven games in net. Former Bruin Gerry Ehman was the series scoring leader with 9 points for the Leafs with linemates Frank Mahovlich and Billy Harris while the Bruins line of Don McKenney, Fleming Mackell and Jerry Toppazzini led Boston. The series was very close and the loss of star defenseman Doug Mohns to a knee injury in Game 3 (he returned in Game 7) tipped the scales. The Leafs won twice in overtime and scored a late goal in Game 7 to prevail.

Game 1 at the Boston Garden saw Lumley shine as the Leafs out shot the Bruins 32-24. After a first period goal by Jerry Toppazzini, Gerry Ehman tied it up in the second period but Leo Labine and Vic Stasiuk then scored a minute apart. With Boston's Bob Armstrong in the box for slashing, Larry Leach scored a Shorthanded goal at 18:45 for a 4-1 Boston lead going into the third period. Despite three more Power play opportunities, the Leafs couldn't score while Don McKenney added to the Bruins total in a 5-1 win.

Game 2 at Boston was a penalty-filled game as the Leafs tried to assert themselves. After the Leafs took three penalties, Fleming Mackell put the Bruins up at 10:00 of the first period. Carl Brewer then took a tripping penalty and Mackell scored on the power play. Dick Duff cut the lead to 2-1 going into the second period. A little over three minutes in, a wild melee developed with Bert Olmstead and Jean-Guy Gendron throwing haymakers at each other. Ron Stewart tied the game up five minutes later. In the third period, Boston killed off two straight penalties before Dick Duff was called for tripping Vic Stasiuk at 13:42. Stasiuk nearly scored on a solo rush during the power play. Seconds after Duff stepped back on the ice, Leo Labine dug the puck out from the right boards and backhanded a pass to Gendron to the left of the net. His one-timer beat Bower for a 3-2 lead. With a minute left, Tim Horton made a pass from behind his net to center ice. Bower vacated the net but the pass was intercepted by Bob Armstrong. He fired wide to the right side of the open net but it bounced off the boards and Labine tapped it in for a 4-2 Bruins win.

Game 3 at Maple Leaf Gardens saw early penalties which resulted in a 4 on 3 power play for Boston. Vic Stasiuk scored at 2:43 on the power play before Bob Pulford tied it up at 16:21. In the second period, Bower stopped Don McKenney on a breakaway and made a glove save on a 2 on 1 when Larry Leach fired for the top right corner. The Leafs pressed but Lumley made several incredible saves including a rebound by Gerry Ehman that the referee had to check with the goal judge to ensure it wasn't in. The Bruins killed off a hooking penalty to Leo Labine but lost Doug Mohns to a leg injury for the next three games. John Bucyk intercepted a clearing pass from Allan Stanley and a three-way passing play between him, Jim Morrison and Vic Stasiuk resulted in Stasiuk sliding the puck under Bower for a 2-1 Boston lead. The teams traded chances in the third period. With less than three minutes left, a Jerry Toppazzini give-away in the Bruins end resulted in Billy Harris passing to Tim Horton on the right boards. He passed to Ehman in the slot who spun and fired a low shot past Lumley to send the game into overtime. Bower stopped close in chances by Toppazzini and Bucyk with poke checks. In the Leafs zone, Vic Stasiuk passed to the right point but the puck was picked up by Bill Harris. Frank Mahovlich drove for the net, distracting Jim Morrison. Harris passed to Ehman on the right wing whose shot beat Lumley to the stick side for a 3-2 Leafs win.

Game 4 at Toronto was a wide-open, penalty-filled game in which 17 infractions were called. With Fern Flaman in the box for tripping, Gerry Ehman scored his fourth goal of the series on the power play at 6:58 of the first period. After a scoreless second period, Jerry Toppazzini tied it up at 2:02 of the third period only for Brian Cullen to score less than a minute later. Bronco Horvath potted his first of the series to send the game into overtime. With Jean-Guy Gendron in the box for cross-checking, Frank Mahovlich scored his first of the series at 11:21 for a 3-2 Leafs win to even the series 2-2.

Game 5 at Boston saw the Bruins outshoot the Leafs 32-22 but Bower's play made the difference. Goals by Bert Olmstead, Dick Duff, Frank Mahovlich and Bob Pulford staked Toronto to a 4-0 lead before Jerry Toppazzini scored a consolation goal at 11:25 of the third period. With a 4-1 win, the Leafs took a 3-2 lead in the series going back home.

Game 6 at Toronto was a clean game with the fewest penalties in the series. After Jerry Toppazzini scored on the power play with Bert Olmstead in the box, Don McKenney made it 2-0 Boston a few minutes later. Olmstead then scored on a 5 on 3 power play with Stasiuk and Mackell in the box for a 2-1 Boston lead at the end of the first period. Frank Mahovlich tied it up 3:50 into the second period before John Bucyk scored twice for a 4-2 Bruins lead at the end of the second period. After several icing calls against Boston early in the third period, a Frank Mahovlich rush was broken up in the Bruins zone. Billy Harris retrieved the puck and passed it to Tim Horton, who narrowly kept it in the zone. His backhand into the slot was picked up by Gerry Ehman whose backhand shot beat Lumley low to the stick side, cutting the Bruins lead to 4-3. Lumley then stopped Bill Harris on a breakaway before the teams played four aside with Mahovlich and Mackell in the box. Carl Brewer then took a high sticking penalty giving Boston a 4 on 3 power play. Bower stopped a shot by Jim Morrison and the Bruins had difficulty getting the puck. Stasiuk finally retrieved it and rushed into the Leafs zone. Mahovlich stepped out of the box, stripped Stasiuk of the puck and rushed down the right side. Lumley stopped his shot but he rounded the net and shot the rebound in to tie the game 4-4. With a little over seven minutes left in the game, Leo Boivin rushed up the ice, deked past two Leafs and his cross ice pass found Stasiuk in the slot. His slap shot was deflected in by Bronco Horvath to make it 5-4 Boston. The Bruins forechecked very well for the remainder of the game allowing few Leafs entries into their zone. Bower tried to leave the net with a minute left but was forced to play the puck at the blue line and it was nearly stolen by McKenney. Bower then stopped Mackell on a breakaway and couldn't leave the net for an extra attacker until there was 30 seconds left in the game which ended with no further score and the series tied 3-3.

Game 7 at Boston saw Doug Mohns return to action after missing three games. The teams traded power plays goals by Vic Stasiuk and Larry Regan in a penalty-filled first period (11 were called, with a fight between Stasiuk and Bobby Baun). Several minutes into the second period, Harry Lumley was hit in the face by a Dick Duff shot. Play went on until Lumley froze the puck. The game was delayed for over 30 minutes while Lumley received medical treatment. He returned to play with 7 stitches to his upper lip and 2 teeth knocked out. No penalties were called in the period and both teams had spates of prolonged pressure. A face-off in the Bruins zone saw the puck cleared just past the blueline. Leo Boivin beat two Leafs to the puck, rushed into the Leafs zone, shifted left and beat Bower to the short side to make it 2-1 Boston. In the third period, after several Bruins chances, Bob Pulford dumped the puck in on Lumley. He saved it but missed clearing the rebound and Pulford smacked it past Lumley. As the Bruins pressed, McKenney missed a pass from Mackell in the Leafs. Brewer headmanned the puck to Mahovlich who drew both Bruins defensemen to him. He passed to Ehman on the right wing who fired it home low to Lumley's stick side at 17:27. Larry Regan was called for tripping 14 seconds later. On the power play, Stasiuk had a great chance to the right side of the net but Bower smothered his shot. Lumley was pulled for the extra attacker with 30 seconds left and a face-off in the Leafs zone. Pulford won the face-off and fired the puck into the Bruins zone. The Bruins managed to get the puck back into the Leafs zone but a great play by Allan Stanley saw him clear it again and time ran out. The Leafs won 3-2 and took the series.

Regular Season

 * Scoring
 * Goaltending

Playoffs

 * Scoring
 * Goaltending

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals

MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts

1959 Boston Bruins–New York Rangers European tour
In 1959, the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers went on a 23 game tour of Europe, visiting England, Switzerland, France, Belgium, West Germany and Austria. The Rangers line-up was supplemented by Bobby Hull, Ed Litzenberger, Eric Nesterenko and Pierre Pilote of the Chicago Black Hawks while Andy Bathgate of the Rangers didn't participate as his wife had given birth just before the tour.

It was the first time NHL teams played in Europe since the 1938 Detroit Red Wings–Montreal Canadiens European tour, a nine-game affair in Paris and London that the Canadiens won, 5-3-1.

During the tour, the teams experimented with an orange puck, designed by Clair Kenney. The players didn't like it and complained it looked like a blur on the ice.

Bobby Hull credits the series for his later success as he was allowed to play a freewheeling style instead of a checking role, which he had during his first two years with Chicago. The Rangers won the series with a record of 11–9–3.

Awards and Records

 * The Bruins did not receive any awards this season.

Transactions

 * Obtain Earl Reibel, Gord Redahl and Jean-Guy Gendron in the June 4, 1958 intra-league draft.
 * Trade Allan Stanley to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Jim Morrison on October 8, 1958.
 * Lose Norm Johnson, Larry Regan and Real Chevrefils to waivers, January 1959.

Trivia

 * During an interview with Leafs TV, Allan Stanley related that just before practice, he saw a newspaper that reported Bob Armstrong had been traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Jim Morrison in October 1958. Armstrong confronted Bruins management and brought Stanley the news that the paper was wrong, it was Stanley who'd been traded. Stanley still participated in the Bruins practice.
 * After some controversial calls by referee Red Storey in Game 6 of the Montreal-Chicago Semi-finals, he looked to support from the NHL. When an Ottawa newspaper reported that NHL president Clarence Campbell said that Storey had "frozen" on two calls that should have been penalties against the Canadiens, resulting in Montreal winning the series, Storey immediately resigned, never to referee in the NHL again. Scheduled to work Game 7 of the Boston-Toronto series, Eddie Powers had to take his place.
 * Bruins who recorded a Hat trick this season include:
 * Vic Stasiuk during the 4-1 win over the Chicago Black Hawks on October 19, 1958.
 * John Bucyk during the 8-4 win over Chicago on November 11, 1958.
 * Don McKenney during the 6-3 win over Toronto on December 13, 1958.
 * Jean-Guy Gendron during the 6-4 win over Toronto on February 1, 1959.
 * Bronco Horvath during the 4-1 win over the New York Rangers on February 8, 1959.
 * Vic Stasiuk during the 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on March 21, 1959.

Video
Two minutes of video from the October 18, 1958 Toronto-Boston game showing Leo Boivin hitting the post and then a scrap between Bronco Horvath and Bert Olmstead who later sit in the penalty box together.