1947-48 NHL season
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Image:NationalHockeyLeague.png The 1947-48 NHL season was the 31st season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 60 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs were the Stanley Cup winners. They defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to none. This season saw the introduction of a new trophy -- Art Ross Trophy -- that would be handed out to the player who scored the most points during the regular season.
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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 career-ending ankle injury to Chicago Blackhawks forward Bill Mosienko. 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, with Habs forward Billy Reay being the first to do on November 13, 1947. The season also saw Boston's Don Gallinger and the New York Rangers' Billy Taylor being suspended 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 5 players to the Black Hawks in trade for Max Bentley and rookie winger Cy Thomas. While Thomas only played eight games, Bentley gave Toronto a much needed offensive boost that helped propel the team to first overall and an eventual Stanley Cup.
Final standings
| National Hockey League | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:Torontomapleleafslogo40s50s.gif Toronto Maple Leafs | 60 | 32 | 15 | 13 | 77 | 182 | 143 | 758 |
| Image:Detroitredwingslogo40s.gif Detroit Red Wings | 60 | 30 | 18 | 12 | 72 | 187 | 148 | 593 |
| Image:Bostonbruinslogo40s.gif Boston Bruins | 60 | 23 | 24 | 13 | 59 | 167 | 168 | 515 |
| Image:Newyorkrangerslogo40s.gif New York Rangers | 60 | 21 | 26 | 13 | 55 | 176 | 201 | 480 |
| Image:Canadiens 1926.gif Montreal Canadiens | 60 | 20 | 29 | 11 | 51 | 147 | 169 | 724 |
| Image:Chicagoblackhawkslogo40s.gif Chicago Black Hawks | 60 | 20 | 34 | 6 | 46 | 195 | 225 | 572 |
Leading Scorers
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elmer Lach | Montreal Canadiens | 60 | 30 | 31 | 61 |
| Buddy O'Connor | New York Rangers | 60 | 24 | 36 | 60 |
| Doug Bentley | Chicago Black Hawks | 60 | 20 | 37 | 57 |
| Gaye Stewart | Maple Leafs / Black Hawks | 61 | 27 | 29 | 56 |
| Max Bentley | Black Hawks / Maple Leafs | 59 | 26 | 28 | 54 |
| Bud Polie | Maple Leafs / Black Hawks | 58 | 25 | 29 | 54 |
| Maurice Richard | Montreal Canadiens | 53 | 28 | 25 | 53 |
| Syl Apps | Toronto Maple Leafs | 55 | 26 | 27 | 53 |
| Ted Lindsay | Detroit Red Wings | 60 | 33 | 19 | 52 |
| Roy Conacher | Chicago Black Hawks | 52 | 22 | 27 | 49 |
Leading Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; MIN = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; SO = Shut outs; AVG = Goals against average
| Player | Team | GP | MINS | GA | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turk Broda | Toronto Maple Leafs | 60 | 3600 | 143 | 5 | 2.38 |
| Harry Lumley | Detroit Red Wings | 60 | 3592 | 147 | 7 | 2.46 |
| Bill Durnan | Montreal Canadiens | 59 | 3505 | 162 | 5 | 2.77 |
| Frank Brimsek | Boston Bruins | 60 | 3600 | 168 | 3 | 2.80 |
| Jim Henry | New York Rangers | 48 | 2800 | 153 | 2 | 3.19 |
| Emile Francis | Chicago Black Hawks | 54 | 3240 | 183 | 1 | 3.39 |
Stanley Cup Playoffs
Image:Hhof stanley cup.jpg All dates in 1948
The first round of the playoffs saw third seed Boston Bruins matched up with first seed Toronto Maple Leafs and fourth seed New York Rangers against second seed Detroit Red Wings. Toronto beat Boston 4 games to 1, but those numbers are deceiving as it was a close series that saw only one game decided by more than one goal.
Semifinals
Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 24 | Boston Bruins | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5 | (OT) |
| March 27 | Boston Bruins | 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5 | |
| March 30 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5 | Boston Bruins | 1 | |
| April 1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | Boston Bruins | 3 | |
| April 3 | Boston Bruins | 2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 |
Toronto wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1
New York Rangers vs. Detroit Red Wings
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 24 | New York Rangers | 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 | |
| March 26 | New York Rangers | 2 | Detroit Red Wings | 5 | |
| March 28 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 | New York Rangers | 3 | |
| March 30 | Detroit Red Wings | 1 | New York Rangers | 3 | |
| April 1 | New York Rangers | 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 3 | |
| April 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 4 | New York Rangers | 2 |
Detroit wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup finals were between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the two top seeded teams during the regular season. They were the only teams above .500 and were only 5 points apart in the final standings. A close match was expected from these two powerhouse teams, but Toronto swept Detroit in 4 straight and outscored them 18 to 7. Toronto only lost once during the playoffs with a record of 8 and 1.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 7 | Detroit Red Wings | 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5 | |
| April 10 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4 | |
| April 11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | Detroit Red Wings | 0 | |
| April 14 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 |
Toronto wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0
Playoff scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Kennedy | Toronto Maple Leafs | 9 | 8 | 6 | 14 |
NHL awards
See also
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- 1st National Hockey League All-Star Game
- National Hockey League All-Star Game
- Ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics
- 1947 in sports
- 1948 in sports
References
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