1936–37 NHL season

1936–37 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	November 5, 1936 – April 15, 1937
Number of games	48
Number of teams	8
Regular season
Season champions	Detroit Red Wings
Season MVP	Babe Siebert (Montreal Canadiens)
Top scorer	Sweeney Schriner (New York Americans)
Canadian Division champions	Montreal Canadiens
American Division champions	Detroit Red Wings
Stanley Cup
Finals champions	Detroit Red Wings
Runners-up	New York Rangers
NHL seasons
← 1935–36 1937–38 →

The 1936–37 NHL season was the 20th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eight teams each played 48 games. The Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the New York Rangers three games to two in the final series.

League business

Frank Calder had been naming the top rookies commencing with 1932–33. This year, he commenced buying a trophy for the top rookie and Syl Apps was this year's winner.

The Great Depression had been taking its toll on the NHL. At the beginning of the decade, there were ten teams. Since then, two teams folded and it looked like the New York Americans were to become the third team. The NHL, however, was not about to let that happen. So, instead of letting the team fold because of money and ownership problems, the league assumed control of the team for the 1936–37 season. It was then that owner Bill Dwyer sued. A settlement then allowed for Dwyer to own the team, run by the NHL, and that Dwyer would be given a chance to pay back his debts.

The Montreal Maroons, short of money, had to sell their star and team captain Hooley Smith to Boston. It was hoped that Carl Voss of the former Eagles would fill in adequately for him, but he came down with influenza and never was much help. But Bob Gracie started scoring and the Maroons almost nipped the Canadiens for first place in the Canadian Division.

Regular season

Highlights

The New York Americans had started in first place, but then their players came down with influenza and the team went downhill. But the worst blow was when Roy Worters suffered a hernia and had to retire. Alfie Moore and Lorne Chabot were not adequate replacements and the Amerks finished last in the Canadian Division.

On November 16, 1936, Hal Winkler made his NHL debut for the New York Rangers and gained a 1–0 shutout over the Montreal Maroons. He was the first goaltender to have a shutout in his NHL debut. The Montreal Canadiens had hit the bottom in 1935–36, and Babe Siebert was obtained to shore up the defence. But the most loved of all movements was buying Howie Morenz back from the Rangers. The Canadiens went from last to first in the Canadian Division. Morenz was just hitting his stride in January 1937, when tragedy struck. On one of his hurtling rushes, he was being checked by Earl Seibert of Chicago when his left skate got caught in the dasher of the end boards, and Morenz suffered a badly fractured leg. After suffering a nervous breakdown worrying about if he'd be able to come back, more bad luck occurred. On March 8, 1937, X-rays revealed that Howie had blood clots in his healing leg. An operation was scheduled for the next day, but when Howie ate a light supper and told the nurse he wanted to rest, in falling asleep his pallor suddenly changed and the nurse knew something was wrong. A blood clot had stopped his heart, and attempts to revive Howie failed. News of Morenz's death shocked the hockey world, and thousands filed past his bier, many in tears, to pay their last respects.

Beyond Morenz's tragic mishap, it was an injury-filled year for many stars. Already suffering from a bad back, Boston's Eddie Shore suffered a broken vertebra that cost him the remainder of the season. Charlie Conacher of the Maple Leafs repeatedly injured his wrist, costing him much of the season, and was never the same player thereafter. A series of minor injuries precipitated Lionel Conacher's decision to retire at year's end, while Sylvio Mantha and Roy Worters suffered career-ending injuries. Other stars who missed several weeks of time or had season-ending injuries included Red Wings captain Doug Young, Larry Aurie, Russ Blinco, Buzz Boll, Pit Lepine, Dave Trottier, Toe Blake and Art Chapman.

With five games left to play, Chicago owner Frederic McLaughlin, a partisan of American-born players, decided to field an all-American lineup, the first time in major senior hockey that this was done. With incumbent Mike Karakas in goal, the Black Hawks signed Ernest Klingbeil and Paul Schaefer on defense, with a line of Milt Brink centering Al Suomi and Bun Laprairie. The team went 1–3 with the sextet in the lineup.

Detroit, led by Vezina Trophy winning Normie Smith, finished first in the American Division.

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 highlighted in bold

Canadian Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM
Montreal Canadiens	48	24	18	6	54	115	111	298
Montreal Maroons	48	22	17	9	53	126	110	379
Toronto Maple Leafs	48	22	21	5	49	119	115	371
New York Americans	48	15	29	4	34	122	161	481

American Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM
Detroit Red Wings	48	25	14	9	59	128	102	244
Boston Bruins	48	23	18	7	53	120	110	303
New York Rangers	48	19	20	9	47	117	106	312
Chicago Black Hawks	48	14	27	7	35	99	131	291

Playoffs

First round

Detroit Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens Date Away Team Home Team Notes March 23 Mtl. Canadiens 0 4 Detroit March 25 Mtl. Canadiens 1 5 Detroit March 27 Detroit 1 3 Mtl. Canadiens March 30 Detroit 1 3 Mtl. Canadiens April 1 Detroit 2 1 Mtl. Canadiens 3OT Detroit won the series 3-2 and advanced to the final.

Montreal Maroons vs. Boston Bruins Date Away Team Home Team March 23 Boston 1 4 Mtl. Maroons March 25 Mtl. Maroons 0 4 Boston March 28 Mtl. Maroons 4 1 Boston Mtl. Maroons won the series 2-1.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Rangers Date Away Team Home Team March 23 NY Rangers 3 0 Toronto March 23 Toronto 1 2 NY Rangers NY Rangers won the series 2-0.

Second round

New York Rangers vs. Montreal Maroons Date Away Team Home Team April 1 Mtl. Maroons 0 1 NY Rangers April 3 NY Rangers 4 0 Mtl. Maroons NY Rangers won the series 2-0.

Finals

New York could not use Madison Square Garden after game one because of the annual circus visit.

Earl Robertson, goaltender for the Wings, became the first rookie goaltender to post two shutouts in the finals. He would not play again for the Wings.

The Wings became the first U.S. based team to win the Cup two years in a row.

Detroit Red Wings vs. New York Rangers

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 6	Detroit Red Wings	1	New York Rangers	5
April 8	New York Rangers	2	Detroit Red Wings	4
April 11	New York Rangers	1	Detroit Red Wings	0
April 13	New York Rangers	0	Detroit Red Wings	1
April 15	New York Rangers	0	Detroit Red Wings	3

Detroit wins best-of-five series 3–2.

Awards

The "Rookie of the Year" award now had a trophy, the Calder Trophy, for the first time.

Calder Trophy: (Best first-year player)	Syl Apps, Toronto Maple Leafs
Hart Trophy: (Most valuable player)	Babe Siebert, Montreal Canadiens
Lady Byng Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship)	Marty Barry, Detroit Red Wings
O'Brien Cup: (Canadian Division champion)	Montreal Canadiens
Prince of Wales Trophy: (American Division champion)	Detroit Red Wings
Vezina Trophy: (Fewest goals allowed)	Normie Smith, Detroit Red Wings

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes

PLAYER	TEAM	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
Sweeney Schriner	New York Americans	48	21	25	46	17
Syl Apps	Toronto Maple Leafs	48	16	29	45	10
Marty Barry	Detroit Red Wings	48	17	27	44	6
Larry Aurie	Detroit Red Wings	45	23	20	43	20
Busher Jackson	Toronto Maple Leafs	46	21	19	40	12
Johnny Gagnon	Montreal Canadiens	48	20	16	36	38
Bob Gracie	Montreal Maroons	47	11	25	36	18
Nels Stewart	Boston Bruins/New York Americans	43	23	12	35	37
Paul Thompson	Chicago Black Hawks	47	17	18	35	28
Bill Cowley	Boston Bruins	46	13	22	35	4

Source: NHL.

References

• (2000) in Diamond, Dan: Total Hockey. Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X. 
• (2011) The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5. 
• (2000) Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9. 
• (2003) The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Publications International Inc.. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1. 
• McFarlane, Brian (1973). The Story of the National Hockey League. New York, NY: Pagurian Press. ISBN 0-684-13424-1. 

Notes

External links

• Hockey Database
• NHL.com

National Hockey League seasons

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