1939-40 NHL SEASON

The '1939-40 NHL season' was the 23rd season for the National Hockey League. Of the league's seven teams, the Boston Bruins were the best in the 48-game regular season, but the Stanley Cup winners were the New York Rangers, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the best-of-seven Finals 4-2 for their third Stanley Cup in 14 seasons of existence. It would be another 54 years before their fourth.

Contents
Regular season
Final standings
Scoring leaders
Stanley Cup playoffs
Playoff bracket
Quarterfinals and Semifinals
Stanley Cup Finals
Playoff scoring leaders
1940 New York Rangers roster
NHL awards
All-Star teams
Debuts
Last games
See also
References

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 potient three were unable to help the Bruins get past the first round of the playoffs as the Bruins lost in 6 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.
Final standings

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''


''Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highligted in bold''
National Hockey League GP W L T Pts GF GA PIM
'Boston Bruins'48 31 12 5 67 170 98 330
'New York Rangers' 48 27 11 10 64 136 77 520
'Toronto Maple Leafs'48 25 17 6 56 134 110 485
'Chicago Black Hawks' 4823 19 6 52 112 120 351
'Detroit Red Wings' 48 16 26 6 38 90 126 250
'New York Americans' 48 15 29 4 34 106 140 236
Montreal Canadiens 48 10 33 5 25 90 167 338

Scoring leaders

''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points''
Player Team GP G A Pts
Milt Schmidt Boston Bruins48 22 30 52
Woody Dumart Boston Bruins48 22 21 43
Bobby Bauer Boston Bruins48 17 26 43
Bill Cowley Boston Bruins48 13 27 40
Gordie Drillon Toronto Maple Leafs 4321 19 40
Bryan Hextall New York Rangers 48 24 15 39
Neil Colville New York Rangers 48 19 19 38
Syd Howe Detroit Red Wings 48 14 23 37
Murray Armstrong New York Americans 48 16 20 36
Hector Blake Montreal Canadiens 4817 19 36

Stanley Cup 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 and were out-scored 14 to 8 and shut-out twice in the first round. The third seed Toronto Maple Leafs swept the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks en route to the Stanley Cup finals.
''Note: All dates in 1940''
Playoff bracket

Quarterfinals and Semifinals

'Series A: Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers'
Date Home Score Away Score Notes
March 19'New York Rangers''4'Boston Bruins0
March 21'Boston Bruins''4'New York Rangers3
March 24'Boston Bruins''4'New York Rangers2
March 26'New York Rangers''1'Boston Bruins0
March 28Boston Bruins0'New York Rangers''1'
March 30'New York Rangers''4'Boston Bruins1

''Rangers win best of seven series 4 games to 2''
'Series B: Chicago Black Hawks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs'
Date Away Score Home Score Notes
March 19Chicago Black Hawks2'Toronto Maple Leafs''3' 6:35 of OT
March 21'Toronto Maple Leafs''2'Chicago Black Hawks1

''Toronto wins best of three series 2 games to 0''
'Series C: New York Americans vs. Detroit Red Wings'
Date Away Score Home Score Notes
March 19New York Americans1'Detroit Red Wings''2'0:25 of OT
March 22Detroit Red Wings4'New York Americans''5'
March 24New York Americans1'Detroit Red Wings''3'

''Detroit wins best of three series 2 games to 1''
'Series D: Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs'
Date Away Score Home Score Notes
March 26Detroit Red Wings1'Toronto Maple Leafs''2'
March 28'Toronto Maple Leafs''2'Detroit Red Wings1

''Toronto wins best of three series 2 games to 0''
Stanley Cup Finals

The final series between the Rangers and the Maple Leafs was an exciting one that went back and forth with three overtime games. The Rangers took the first two at home and the Leafs took the next two in Toronto. Normally, the series would then go back to New York, but Madison Square Garden was hosting a circus so the final two games, won by New York, were played in Toronto. Bryan Hextall scored in overtime in the final game to give
the Rangers their last Stanley Cup in a long, long time. Perhaps it was burning their mortgage
paper in the Cup that cursed the Rangers, or the Curse of Red Dutton. Whatever, it would be
1994 before the Rangers would win another Cup, over 50 years.
'Series E: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Rangers'
Date Away Score Home Score Notes
April 2Toronto Maple Leafs1'New York Rangers''2'15:30 of OT
April 3Toronto Maple Leafs2'New York Rangers''6'
April 6New York Rangers1'Toronto Maple Leafs''2'
April 9New York Rangers0'Toronto Maple Leafs''3'
April 11'New York Rangers''2'Toronto Maple Leafs111:43 of OT
April 13'New York Rangers''3'Toronto Maple Leafs22:07 of OT

''New York wins best of seven series 4 games to 2''
Playoff scoring leaders

''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points''
Player Team GP G A Pts
Phil Watson New York Rangers 12 3 6 9
Neil Colville New York Rangers 12 2 7 9

1940 New York Rangers roster

General Manager: Lester Patrick

Head Coach: Frank Boucher

Trainer: Harry Westerby

Players: Art Coulter (Captain), Mac Colville, Neil Colville, Ott Heller, Bryan Hextall, Dutch Hiller, Dave Kerr, Kilby MacDonald, Lynn Patrick, Muzz Patrick, Alf Pike, Babe Pratt, Alex Shibicky, Clint Smith, Phil Watson

NHL awards


O'Brien Trophy: Toronto Maple Leafs
Prince of Wales Trophy: Boston Bruins
Calder Memorial Trophy: Kilby MacDonald, New York Rangers
Hart Memorial Trophy: Ebbie Goodfellow, Detroit Red Wings
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Bobby Bauer, Boston Bruins
Vezina Trophy: Dave Kerr, New York Rangers

All-Star teams

First Team   Position   Second Team
Dave Kerr, New York Rangers GFrank Brimsek, Boston Bruins
Dit Clapper, Boston Bruins DArt Coulter, New York Rangers
Ebbie Goodfellow, Detroit Red Wings DEarl Seibert, Chicago Black Hawks
Milt Schmidt, Boston Bruins CNeil Colville, New York Rangers
Bryan Hextall, New York Rangers RWBobby Bauer, Boston Bruins
Toe Blake, Montreal Canadiens LWWoody Dumart, Boston Bruins
Paul Thompson, Chicago Black Hawks CoachFrank Boucher, New York Rangers

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

Nels Stewart, New York Americans

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

Johnny Gagnon, New York Rangers

Red Horner, Toronto Maple Leafs

See also



List of Stanley Cup champions

1939 in sports

1940 in sports

References



Hockey Database

NHL.com

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