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38-39TorML
1938–39 Toronto Maple Leafs
Division 3rd NHL
1938–39 record 19–20–9
Goals for 114
Goals against 107
Team information
General manager Conn Smythe
Coach Dick Irvin
Captain Red Horner
Arena Maple Leaf Gardens
Team leaders
Goals Gordie Drillon (18)
Assists Syl Apps (25)
Points Syl Apps (40)
Penalty minutes Red Horner (85)
Wins Turk Broda (19)
Goals against average Turk Broda (2.15)

The 1938–39 Toronto Maple Leafs season was Toronto's 22nd season in the NHL. The Maple Leafs finished 3rd in the league and lost in the 1939 Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins 4 games to 1.

Pre-season[]

Regular Season[]

1938-Nov15-Weiland goal

Cooney Weiland scores, November 15, 1938.

Eddie Shore continued to hold out and sat in Section 33 for the Boston Bruins home opener on November 15, 1938 against the Maple Leafs. Constant chants from fans for his return soured the mood and the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Jack Crawford set up Cooney Weiland for Boston's goal and Conn Smythe sang Crawford's praises. He told the press that he'd purchase him for $10,000 and also offered the same sum for each member of the Kraut Line.[1] With two extra forwards comprising the "fourth line", Art Ross kept mixing the lines up.

Art Ross-Conn Smythe

Art Ross and Conn Smythe ended their feud on February 6, 1939.

Before the Bruins game against the Maple Leafs on February 7, Art Ross attended a fete of the Gridiron Club. A long standing rivalry with Conn Smythe was addressed as the two sat together and buried the hatchet. Each aired their grievances ending with Smythe praising Ross' accomplishments and relating that the two of them were "working towards the same end, that of putting the NHL on the highest plane possible."[2] They vowed the feud was over except when their clubs played each other. With Ray Getliffe dispatched to the minors, the game featured a new third line of Terry Reardon, Red Hamill and Gord Pettinger. Several Bruins also wore Ross' latest invention, "gators" to protect the back of their legs from cuts.[3]

Final Standings[]

National Hockey League
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Boston Bruins 48 36 10 2 156 76 74
New York Rangers 48 26 16 6 149 105 58
Toronto Maple Leafs 48 19 20 9 114 107 47
New York Americans 48 17 21 10 119 157 44
Detroit Red Wings 48 18 24 6 107 128 42
Montreal Canadiens 48 15 24 9 115 146 39
Chicago Black Hawks 48 12 28 8 91 132 32

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Game Log[]

Regular Season Results
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 L November 3, 1938 2–3 Boston Bruins (1938–39) 0–1–0
2 L November 5, 1938 0–2 Chicago Black Hawks (1938–39) 0–2–0
3 W November 10, 1938 2–0 @ Montreal Canadiens (1938–39) 1–2–0
4 W November 12, 1938 4–1 Montreal Canadiens (1938–39) 2–2–0
5 T November 15, 1938 1–1 OT @ Boston Bruins (1938–39) 2–2–1
6 W November 17, 1938 1–0 @ New York Americans (1938–39) 3–2–1
7 L November 19, 1938 1–2 OT New York Americans (1938–39) 3–3–1
8 T November 20, 1938 1–1 OT @ Chicago Black Hawks (1938–39) 3–3–2
9 L November 24, 1938 2–6 @ New York Rangers (1938–39) 3–4–2
10 W November 26, 1938 5–0 Detroit Red Wings (1938–39) 4–4–2
11 L December 3, 1938 1–3 Montreal Canadiens (1938–39) 4–5–2
12 L December 4, 1938 0–1 @ Detroit Red Wings (1938–39) 4–6–2
13 W December 10, 1938 4–1 Chicago Black Hawks (1938–39) 5–6–2
14 T December 15, 1938 4–4 OT @ Chicago Black Hawks (1938–39) 5–6–3
15 L December 17, 1938 2–3 New York Rangers (1938–39) 5–7–3
16 W December 24, 1938 2–0 Detroit Red Wings (1938–39) 6–7–3
17 W December 26, 1938 2–0 @ New York Rangers (1938–39) 7–7–3
18 L December 27, 1938 2–8 @ Boston Bruins (1938–39) 7–8–3
19 L December 31, 1938 2–3 New York Americans (1938–39) 7–9–3
20 L January 1, 1939 1–5 @ New York Americans (1938–39) 7–10–3
21 T January 3, 1939 2–2 OT Montreal Canadiens (1938–39) 7–10–4
22 W January 7, 1939 2–0 Boston Bruins (1938–39) 8–10–4
23 L January 8, 1939 0–1 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1938–39) 8–11–4
24 W January 12, 1939 9–4 @ Montreal Canadiens (1938–39) 9–11–4
25 W January 14, 1939 3–1 Chicago Black Hawks (1938–39) 10–11–4
26 L January 15, 1939 0–1 @ Detroit Red Wings (1938–39) 10–12–4
27 L January 17, 1939 1–2 @ Boston Bruins (1938–39) 10–13–4
28 W January 21, 1939 7–2 New York Americans (1938–39) 11–13–4
29 L January 24, 1939 1–4 @ New York Americans (1938–39) 11–14–4
30 W January 28, 1939 6–0 Detroit Red Wings (1938–39) 12–14–4
31 T January 29, 1939 2–2 OT @ Detroit Red Wings (1938–39) 12–14–5
32 L February 2, 1939 1–2 Boston Bruins (1938–39) 12–15–5
33 L February 4, 1939 2–4 New York Rangers (1938–39) 12–16–5
34 T February 5, 1939 5–5 OT @ New York Rangers (1938–39) 12–16–6
35 L February 7, 1939 0–2 @ Boston Bruins (1938–39) 12–17–6
36 T February 11, 1939 3–3 OT Montreal Canadiens (1938–39) 12–17–7
37 W February 12, 1939 4–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1938–39) 13–17–7
38 W February 18, 1939 2–1 New York Rangers (1938–39) 14–17–7
39 W February 19, 1939 4–3 OT @ Chicago Black Hawks (1938–39) 15–17–7
40 W February 25, 1939 1–0 Boston Bruins (1938–39) 16–17–7
41 L February 26, 1939 1–5 @ Detroit Red Wings (1938–39) 16–18–7
42 T February 28, 1939 1–1 OT @ New York Americans (1938–39) 16–18–8
43 L March 2, 1939 1–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1938–39) 16–19–8
44 T March 4, 1939 1–1 OT Chicago Black Hawks (1938–39) 16–19–9
45 W March 11, 1939 5–1 Detroit Red Wings (1938–39) 17–19–9
46 W March 14, 1939 7–3 New York Americans (1938–39) 18–19–9
47 W March 18, 1939 2–1 New York Rangers (1938–39) 19–19–9
48 L March 19, 1939 2–6 @ New York Rangers (1938–39) 19–20–9

Playoffs[]

Toronto Maple Leafs 2, New York Americans 0[]

Toronto Maple Leafs 2, Detroit Red Wings 1[]

Boston Bruins 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 1[]

The Leafs opponent was the Boston Bruins, who finished the season with a 36–10–2 record, earning 74 points, which was 27 points more than the Leafs. The Bruins defeated the New York Rangers 4 games to 3 in the Semi-Finals and went into the series the favorites, sporting new uniforms with gold added to the shoulders, pants and socks.

1939 Bruins first goal

Bruins first goal, Game 1 of the 1939 Stanley Cup Finals.

Game 1 in Boston was a tight-checking affair with Woody Dumart opening the scoring at the 16:04 mark of the first period with the first playoff goal of his career. The Leafs tied it up in the third with the first of the playoffs for Red Horner but less than three minutes later, Bobby Bauer won it for the Bruins.

Game 2 in Boston saw the Leafs built a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Gordie Drillon and Syl Apps. Roy Conacher and Semi-Final hero Mel Hill tied it up in the second. After a scoreless third period, Toronto had to kill off a penalty by Rudolph Kampman after which Doc Romnes scored the OT winner to knot the series 1-1.

1939-Apr13-Boston-Tor-Game4

Bruins Gord Pettinger attacks the Leafs net, Game 4 of the 1939 Stanley Cup Finals, April 13, 1939.

Game 3 in Toronto was scoreless in the second period when Eddie Shore checked Leafs star Busher Jackson, dislocating his shoulder. Jackson missed the remainder of the series. Disheartened, the Leafs gave up goals by Bauer, Conacher and defenseman Jack Crawford (first playoff goal of his career). A last minute goal by the Leafs Gus Marker wasn't enough as the Bruins won 3-1.

Game 4 in Toronto saw the Bruins go ahead 1-0 early in the game on a power play goal by Conacher, assisted by Hill. The Bruins Frank Brimsek shut the door and earned his first playoff shutout as the Bruins won 2-0 after Conacher added his second of the game, assisted by Hill and Bill Cowley.

Conacher Cup winner-16Apr1939

Roy Conacher scores the 1939 Cup winner, April 16, 1939.

Game 5 in Boston saw Hill score his 6th of the playoffs at 11:40 of the first period while Gord Drillon was in the penalty box. Toronto countered with a power play marker of their own when Kampman scored at 18:40 on a point shot, that deflected off Dit Clapper's skate, with Hill in the box. With the score tied 1-1 late in the second period, Conacher broke in on a breakaway and fired the puck over Broda's left shoulder, his 6th goal of the playoffs. This put the Bruins up 2-1, which would prove to be the winner. The Leafs frantically tried to tie it up in the third and had a perfect opportunity when Eddie Shore took a penalty with 2 minutes to go. However, the Leafs Nick Metz, who'd been called up as Busher Jackson's replacement, took a penalty and the teams skated four on four. With 37 seconds left, Flash Hollett widened Boston's lead to 3-1. The Bruins took the series and the Cup 4 games to 1. Frank Brimsek held Toronto to just six goals in five games. Bill Cowley led the playoffs in scoring with 11 assists and 14 points.

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 6 Toronto Maple Leafs 1–2 Boston Bruins 0–1
2 April 9 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–2 (OT) Boston Bruins 1–1
3 April 11 Boston Bruins 3–1 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–1
4 April 13 Boston Bruins 2–0 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–1
5 April 16 Toronto Maple Leafs 1–3 Boston Bruins 1–4
For more details on this topic, see 1939 Stanley Cup Finals.

Player Stats[]

Regular Season[]

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM
Apps, SylSyl Apps C 44 15 25 40 4
Drillon, GordieGordie Drillon RW 40 18 16 34 15
Jackson, BusherBusher Jackson LW 41 10 17 27 12
Chamberlain, MurphMurph Chamberlain LW 48 10 16 26 32
Romnes, DocDoc Romnes LW/C 36 7 16 23 0
Kelly, PepPep Kelly RW 48 11 11 22 12
Metz, NickNick Metz LW 47 11 10 21 15
Marker, GusGus Marker RW 29 9 6 15 11
Parsons, GeorgeGeorge Parsons LW 43 7 7 14 14
Davidson, BobBob Davidson LW 47 4 10 14 29
Horner, RedRed Horner D 48 4 10 14 85
Kampman, BingoBingo Kampman D 41 2 8 10 52
Fowler, JimmyJimmy Fowler D 39 1 6 7 9
Hamilton, RegReg Hamilton D 48 0 7 7 54
McDonald, BuckoBucko McDonald D 33 3 3 6 20
Thoms, BillBill Thoms C 12 1 4 5 4
Church, JackJack Church D 3 0 2 2 2
Langelle, PetePete Langelle C 2 1 0 1 0
Armstrong, MurrayMurray Armstrong C 3 0 1 1 0
Heron, RedRed Heron C 6 0 0 0 0
Boll, BuzzBuzz Boll LW 11 0 0 0 0
Mann, NormNorm Mann RW/C 16 0 0 0 2
Broda, TurkTurk Broda G 48 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Broda, TurkTurk Broda 2990 48 19 20 9 107 2.15 8
Team: 2990 48 19 20 9 107 2.15 8

Playoffs[]

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM
Drillon, GordieGordie Drillon RW 10 7 6 13 4
Apps, SylSyl Apps C 10 2 6 8 2
Chamberlain, MurphMurph Chamberlain LW 10 2 5 7 4
Metz, NickNick Metz LW 10 3 3 6 6
Romnes, DocDoc Romnes LW/C 10 1 4 5 0
Marker, GusGus Marker RW 10 2 2 4 0
Horner, RedRed Horner D 10 1 2 3 26
Langelle, PetePete Langelle C 11 1 2 3 2
Davidson, BobBob Davidson LW 10 1 1 2 6
Kampman, BingoBingo Kampman D 10 1 1 2 20
Hamilton, RegReg Hamilton D 10 0 2 2 4
Kelly, PepPep Kelly RW 9 1 0 1 0
Jackson, BusherBusher Jackson LW 7 0 1 1 2
Fowler, JimmyJimmy Fowler D 9 0 1 1 2
Church, JackJack Church D 1 0 0 0 0
Heron, RedRed Heron C 2 0 0 0 4
Metz, DonDon Metz RW 2 0 0 0 0
McDonald, BuckoBucko McDonald D 10 0 0 0 4
Broda, TurkTurk Broda G 10 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO
Broda, TurkTurk Broda 617 10 5 5 20 1.94 2
Team: 617 10 5 5 20 1.94 2

[4]

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

Awards and Records[]

Farm Teams[]

Gallery[]

See Also[]

References[]

  1. Boston Globe, p.21, November 16, 1938.
  2. Boston Globe, p.6, February 7, 1939.
  3. Boston Globe, p.10, February 7, 1939.
  4. 1938-39 Toronto Maple Leafs Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com. hockey-reference.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-11.
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