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The 1957–58 NHL season was the 41st season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup for the third consecutive season, defeating the Boston Bruins four games to two in the best-of-seven final series.
| 1957–58 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 8, 1957 – April 20, 1958 |
| Number of games | 70 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC, SRC (Canada) CBS (United States) |
| Regular season | |
| Season champion | Montreal Canadiens |
| Season MVP | Gordie Howe (Red Wings) |
| Top scorer | Dickie Moore (Canadiens) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Runners-up | Boston Bruins |
It was announced in September that Senator Hartland Molson had purchased 60% stock from the Canadian Arena Company and the Montreal Canadiens from Senator Donat Raymond.
Organization of Players' Association
Doug Harvey and Ted Lindsay led the drive to form (on February 11, 1957) the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), a workers' labour association, and sued the NHL over the issue of player pensions, salaries during training camp, meal allowances, remuneration for exhibition games and a no-trade clause after six years service.[1] Lindsay lost his captaincy of the Detroit Red Wings and was traded to Chicago, on July 23, 1957, in an effort to intimidate the players.
After the NHL declined to negotiate with the players over benefits and would not open the books on the pension plan, the player's association filed an antitrust lawsuit on October 10, 1957. The lawsuit alleged the monopolization of the professional hockey industry since 1926, in violation of the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts.[2] Furthermore, On November 6, 1957, the Toronto Maple Leafs players voted unanimously to certify the union.
The NHL started to fight back. First, they traded Lindsay to Chicago to separate him from the Red Wings, the American team the NHLPA had targeted for a certification vote. Next, Jack Adams spread false stories in the press alleging various slanders had been made by Lindsay against the Red Wings players, and produced a fake contract to the press showing an over-inflated salary for Lindsay, greater than Hart Trophy MVP, teammate and friend Gordie Howe. The ruse worked and the Red Wings players decided to dis-associate themselves from the NHLPA on November 13, 1957.[3]
Part of the problem of organizing the players was confusion about the type of association they were forming. The NHLPA had applied, in Canada, to the Ontario Labour Relations Board for certification, but the ORLB had no experience with workers like hockey players.[4] NHLPA members negotiated individual contracts and wanted to continue to bargain this way. The matter of the NHLPA being an actual union, where the members were bound together and fought for collective agreements, was unclear. The NHLPA legal counsel, Milton Mound, addressed this, saying that the players would negotiate on matters common to all players (pensions, allowances) but retained the right to individual contracts.[5] The League, and especially Conn Smythe, argued that players were forming a "trade union" and were no better than "commies" and would lose things like individual bonuses.[6] He believed that hockey players were in the business of being "independent contractors" and had no right or reason for a collective organization.[7]
The confusion worried both employer and employee. The situation was exacerbated by the certification process. The OLRB was taking time, and no one knew how this transnational association would work, or how it would be recognized by the US National Labor Relations Board.[8] In fact, the NLRB asked the NHLPA to withdraw its unfair labor practices charge on November 20, 1957, arguing it did not have jurisdiction. This was followed by the Montreal Canadiens players rejection of the association in early January 1958.[9]
The OLRB resumed meeting on January 7, but both the League and the players were concerned. The NHL was convinced that the ORLB was not going to dismiss the application, regardless of how they ruled on the union versus association issue, and the players were worried (given the setbacks in Detroit and Montreal) that they didn't have grounds to actually form an association (especially since they didn't want to be a traditional "union.")[10]
The players and owners both felt pressure to conclude something, so they gathered, without lawyers, for a 13-hour meeting in the boardroom of the Biltmore Hotel in Palm Beach, just after the regular NHL winter meetings.[11] In an out-of-court settlement on February 5, 1958, the NHL promised:[12]
- a $7,000 minimum wage (which was, in actuality, the unofficial League norm,)
- an increase in pension benefits,
- increased hospitalization benefits,
- a limit on the number of exhibition games,
- the player shall be the sole judge of his physical fitness to play after injury.
Ross concludes:
In the end, the players had little to show for their rebellion. A few cosmetic changes were made, but even the communication problem did not seem to have been solved. Over the ensuing seasons the Owner-Player Council did not even meet regularly, and paternalism prevailed. It was not until 1967 that the idea of a union once again gained currency, again in an era of general revived interest across all the major league sports. The fundamental question at the root of the NHLPA failure was whether players really were laborers who could form a trade union. Seemingly caught in a space both commercial and non-commercial, players felt uneasy locating themselves wholly within either. This in itself reflected the success of the owners in using cultural formations to restrain their labor force. Led by Conn Smythe, the league appealed to cultural bonds of loyalty and tradition as justifications for retaining the existing economic structure of labor-management relations, long after other industries had been forced by the state to move toward formal, union-led collective bargaining arrangements.[13]
This season saw the Montreal Canadiens regain first place overall, while the previous season's leader, the Detroit Red Wings, slipped to third. Montreal's Maurice "Rocket" Richard became the first NHL player to score 500 career goals, Jacques Plante won his third straight Vezina Trophy, and Doug Harvey his fourth straight Norris Trophy.
Glenn Hall, after two playoff years in which the Wings were eliminated, was traded, along with Ted Lindsay to the Chicago Black Hawks and Terry Sawchuk was brought back to Detroit in a deal that saw Larry Hillman and Johnny Bucyk go to Boston. Chicago almost made the playoffs, and Hall's goaltending, including seven shutouts, one of which was in his debut with the Hawks, made him a contender for the Hart Trophy.
On October 19, 1957, Rocket Richard, in a 3–1 win over Chicago, scored his 500th career goal, against Glenn Hall. He immediately dedicated it to his old coach Dick Irvin, who had died on May 15, 1957, after a long bout with bone cancer.
When Marcel Paille was brought up to the Rangers from Providence of the AHL for the ailing Gump Worsley, he sparkled, and Worsley was sent down to Providence, though he was eventually recalled. Worsley had his finest campaign up to this point, with a 2.32 goals-against average and four shutouts, and the Rangers finished second – their highest finish since 1941–42.
Two contenders for the Calder Memorial Trophy, Chicago's Bobby Hull and the Toronto Maple Leafs' Frank Mahovlich, battled all season for rookie honours. Mahovlich prevailed, although the Maple Leafs finished last in the NHL.
This season also saw the first player of African descent play in the league. Willie O'Ree suited up with the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958, in a game against the Canadiens in Montreal.
Final standings
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 43 | 17 | 10 | 250 | 158 | +92 | 96 |
| 2 | New York Rangers | 70 | 32 | 25 | 13 | 195 | 188 | +7 | 77 |
| 3 | Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 29 | 29 | 12 | 176 | 207 | −31 | 70 |
| 4 | Boston Bruins | 70 | 27 | 28 | 15 | 199 | 194 | +5 | 69 |
| 5 | Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 24 | 39 | 7 | 163 | 202 | −39 | 55 |
| 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 21 | 38 | 11 | 192 | 226 | −34 | 53 |
The first-place Montreal Canadiens swept the third-place Detroit Red Wings to qualify for the Finals. In the other semifinal, the fourth-place Boston Bruins upset the second-seeded New York Rangers in six games to reach the Finals.
Playoff bracket
| Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||
| 1 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||
| 3 | Detroit | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||
| 4 | Boston | 2 | |||||||
| 2 | New York | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Boston | 4 | |||||||
Semifinals
(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (3) Detroit Red Wings
| March 25 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–8 | Montreal Canadiens | Forum de Montréal | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 02:22 – Maurice Richard (1) 04:07 – pp – Maurice Richard (2) 06:20 – Jean Beliveau (1) 08:55 – pp – Bernie Geoffrion (1) 14:23 – Phil Goyette (1) | ||||||
| Johnny Wilson (1) – pp – 12:19 | Second period | 03:59 – Phil Goyette (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 12:17 – pp – Dickie Moore (1) 17:56 – Phil Goyette (3) | ||||||
| Terry Sawchuck 27 saves / 35 shots | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante 39 saves / 40 shots | ||||||
| March 27 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–5 | Montreal Canadiens | Forum de Montréal | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 18:04 – Phil Goyette (4) | ||||||
| Johnny Wilson (2) – 13:39 | Second period | 17:13 – Jean Beliveau (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 05:05 – pp – Maurice Richard (3) 05:18 – Andre Pronovost (1) 12:23 – Maurice Richard (4) | ||||||
| Terry Sawchuck 35 saves / 40 shots | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante 25 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| March 30 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–1 | OT | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Dickie Moore (2) – pp – 16:00 | Second period | 14:07 – Forbes Kennedy (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Andre Pronovost (2) – 11:52 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Plante 39 saves / 30 shots | Goalie stats | Terry Sawchuck 24 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| April 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–3 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Maurice Richard (5) – 08:45 | Second period | 05:49 – Jack McIntyre (1) 10:27 – Gordie Howe (1) 11:13 – Billy McNeill (1) | ||||||
| Maurice Richard (6) – pp – 04:00 Dickie Moore (3) – pp – 09:07 Maurice Richard (7) – 09:56 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Plante 31 saves / 34 shots | Goalie stats | Terry Sawchuck 26 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–0 | |
(2) New York Rangers vs. (4) Boston Bruins
| March 25 | Boston Bruins | 3–5 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden III | Recap | |||
| Fleming MacKell (1) – 00:58 Jerry Toppazzini (1) – 07:21 |
First period | 04:40 – Larry Popein (1) 10:45 – sh – Andy Hebenton (1) 18:38 – pp – Camille Henry (1) | ||||||
| Bronco Horvath (1) – 17:45 | Second period | 10:29 – pp – Dave Creighton (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 17:01 – Dave Creighton (2) | ||||||
| Harry Lumley | Goalie stats | Gump Worsley | ||||||
| March 27 | Boston Bruins | 4–3 | OT | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden III | Recap | ||
| Doug Mohns (1) – pp – 05:05 Don McKenney (1) – 19:38 |
First period | 05:28 – Andy Bathgate (1) 08:58 – pp – Andy Bathgate (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 07:24 – Jean-Guy Gendron (1) | ||||||
| Don McKenney (2) – 11:13 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jerry Toppazzini (2) – 04:46 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Don Simmons | Goalie stats | Gump Worsley | ||||||
| March 29 | New York Rangers | 0–5 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 09:24 – pp – Doug Mohns (2) 13:18 – pp – Don McKenney (3) 17:40 – pp – Don McKenney (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 04:01 – Buddy Boone (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 07:36 – sh – Norm Johnson (1) | ||||||
| Gump Worsley | Goalie stats | Don Simmons | ||||||
| April 1 | New York Rangers | 5–2 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Dean Prentice (1) – sh – 05:19 Dave Creighton (3) – pp – 09:47 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Andy Hebenton (2) – 10:17 Andy Bathgate (3) – sh – 15:12 |
Second period | 02:04 – pp – Jerry Toppazzini (3) | ||||||
| Andy Bathgate (4) – 19:41 | Third period | 11:32 – sh – Jerry Toppazzini (4) | ||||||
| Gump Worsley | Goalie stats | Don Simmons | ||||||
| April 3 | New York Rangers | 1–6 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 06:43 – Fleming MacKell (2) 09:11 – pp – Bronco Horvath (2) 11:24 – Don McKenney (5) | ||||||
| Parker MacDonald (1) – 12:44 | Second period | 05:10 – sh – Fern Flaman (1) 10:20 – Fern Flaman (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 16:32 – pp – Jerry Toppazzini (5) | ||||||
| Gump Worsley | Goalie stats | Don Simmons | ||||||
| April 5 | New York Rangers | 2–8 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Harry Howell (1) – 14:33 | First period | 00:58 – pp – Larry Regan (1) 07:27 – sh – Jerry Toppazzini (6) 11:04 – pp – Norm Johnson (2) 17:20 – Fleming MacKell (3) | ||||||
| Andy Bathgate (5) – pp – 04:55 | Second period | 13:29 – Doug Mohns (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 08:29 – Fleming MacKell (4) 08:58 – Jerry Toppazzini (7) 17:49 – Jerry Toppazzini (8) | ||||||
| Gump Worsley | Goalie stats | Don Simmons | ||||||
| Boston won series 4–2 | |
Stanley Cup Finals
The Canadiens made their eighth consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals and defeated the Bruins in six games. It was the Canadiens' third consecutive Stanley Cup triumph.
| April 8 | Boston Bruins | 1–2 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 12:24 – pp – Bernie Geoffrion (2) | ||||||
| Allan Stanley (1) – pp – 05:54 | Second period | 13:52 – pp – Dickie Moore (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Don Simmons | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante | ||||||
| April 10 | Boston Bruins | 5–2 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Norm Johnson (3) – 00:20 Don McKenney (6) – pp – 06:58 Bronco Horvath (3) – pp – 17:23 |
First period | 03:12 – pp – Bernie Geoffrion (3) | ||||||
| Larry Regan (2) – 05:00 | Second period | 07:00 – Doug Harvey (1) | ||||||
| Bronco Horvath (4) – 16:52 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Don Simmons | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante | ||||||
| April 13 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–0 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Maurice Richard (8) – 18:20 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Henri Richard (1) – 03:00 Maurice Richard (9) – 15:06 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Plante | Goalie stats | Don Simmons | ||||||
| April 15 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–3 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 05:35 – pp – Don McKenney (7) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 03:30 – Don McKenney (8) | ||||||
| Claude Provost (1) | Third period | 02:30 – Jerry Toppazzini (9) | ||||||
| Jacques Plante | Goalie stats | Don Simmons | ||||||
| April 17 | Boston Bruins | 2–3 | OT | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | ||
| Fleming MacKell (5) – pp – 18:43 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 02:20 – Bernie Geoffrion (4) 03:02 – Jean Beliveau (3) | ||||||
| Bronco Horvath (5) – 10:35 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 05:45 – Maurice Richard (10) | ||||||
| Don Simmons | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante | ||||||
| April 20 | Montreal Canadiens | 5–3 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Bernie Geoffrion (5) – 00:46 Maurice Richard (11) – 01:54 |
First period | 18:35 – Don McKenney (9) | ||||||
| Jean Beliveau (4) – 06:42 Bernie Geoffrion (6) – 19:26 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Doug Harvey (2) – 19:00 | Third period | 05:20 – Norm Johnson 13:41 – Larry Regan (3) | ||||||
| Jacques Plante | Goalie stats | Don Simmons | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–2 | |
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (Regular season champion) | Montreal Canadiens |
| Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer) | Dickie Moore, Montreal Canadiens |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: (Best first-year player) | Frank Mahovlich, Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Hart Trophy: (Most valuable player) | Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman) | Doug Harvey, Montreal Canadiens |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) | Camille Henry, New York Rangers |
| Vezina Trophy: (Goaltender of team with the best goals-against average) | Jacques Plante, Montreal Canadiens |
All-Star teams
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickie Moore | Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 36 | 48 | 84 | 65 |
| Henri Richard | Montreal Canadiens | 67 | 28 | 52 | 80 | 56 |
| Andy Bathgate | New York Rangers | 65 | 30 | 48 | 78 | 42 |
| Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings | 64 | 33 | 44 | 77 | 40 |
| Bronco Horvath | Boston Bruins | 67 | 30 | 36 | 66 | 71 |
| Ed Litzenberger | Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 32 | 30 | 62 | 63 |
| Fleming Mackell | Boston Bruins | 70 | 20 | 40 | 60 | 72 |
| Jean Beliveau | Montreal Canadiens | 55 | 27 | 32 | 59 | 93 |
| Alex Delvecchio | Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 21 | 38 | 59 | 22 |
| Don McKenney | Boston Bruins | 70 | 28 | 30 | 58 | 22 |
Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts
| Player | Team | GP | MIN | GA | GAA | W | L | T | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacques Plante | Montreal Canadiens | 57 | 3386 | 119 | 2.11 | 34 | 14 | 8 | 9 |
| Gump Worsley | New York Rangers | 37 | 2220 | 86 | 2.32 | 21 | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Don Simmons | Boston Bruins | 39 | 2288 | 92 | 2.41 | 15 | 14 | 9 | 5 |
| Harry Lumley | Boston Bruins | 24 | 1500 | 71 | 2.84 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 3 |
| Glenn Hall | Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 4200 | 200 | 2.86 | 24 | 39 | 7 | 7 |
| Terry Sawchuk | Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 4200 | 205 | 2.94 | 29 | 29 | 12 | 3 |
| Marcel Paille | New York Rangers | 33 | 1980 | 102 | 3.09 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 1 |
| Ed Chadwick | Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 4200 | 223 | 3.19 | 21 | 38 | 11 | 4 |
- Boston Bruins: Milt Schmidt
- Chicago Black Hawks: Rudy Pilous
- Detroit Red Wings: Jimmy Skinner
- Montreal Canadiens: Toe Blake
- New York Rangers: Phil Watson
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Billy Reay
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1957–58 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Willie O'Ree, Boston Bruins (first-ever black player to play in the NHL)
- Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks
- Murray Oliver, Detroit Red Wings
- Ab McDonald*, Montreal Canadiens
- Carl Brewer, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Bob Nevin, Toronto Maple Leafs
The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1957–58 (listed with their last team):
- Johnny Peirson, Boston Bruins
- Jimmy Thomson, Chicago Black Hawks
- Tony Leswick, Detroit Red Wings
- Metro Prystai, Detroit Red Wings
- Floyd Curry, Montreal Canadiens
- Sid Smith, Toronto Maple Leafs
Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and selected Stanley Cup playoff games. Games were not broadcast in their entirety until the 1968–69 season, and were typically joined in progress, while the radio version of HNIC aired games in their entirety.
In the U.S., this was the second season of a four-year deal with CBS to televise Saturday afternoon regular season games. This season, CBS aired games from November to March.
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