The 13th National Hockey League All-Star Game took place at the
Montreal Forum on October 3, 1959, which saw the hometown
Montreal Canadiens defeat the NHL
all-stars 6–1.
Contracts and eligibility
A few of the game's top stars were absent from the game, due to a new NHL ruling that players be signed under contract in order to play in the all-star game. The intention of this clause was to intimidate players who were holding out from their team, a tactic that worked for
Dickie Moore,
Frank Mahovlich and
George Armstrong, yet failed for others, resulting in All-Star coach
Punch Imlach being unable to choose six of the best players (
Tim Horton,
Dick Duff,
Bobby Hull,
Tod Sloan,
Pierre Pilote and
Bob Pulford). Combined with six
Montreal Canadiens being named to the First and Second team All-Stars, this meant that coach Imlach had to fill the voids with inferior players.
The subsequent snubbing of these players also went into the pre-game festivities, as they were also denied the multitude of gifts that traditionally was given to players in the game - including those already with their names engraved on it.
It was
Maurice Richard
Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard (; ; August 4, 1921 – May 27, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL hist ...
's 13th consecutive appearance, making him the only player to that date who had appeared in all of the all-star games. He would retire after winning the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
later that season. Montreal goaltender
Jacques Plante appeared in the game without a mask, despite his intention of wearing one throughout the season.
Game summary
* Referee:
Frank Udvari
* Linesmen:
George Hayes,
Bob Frampton
Robert James Percival Frampton (January 20, 1929 – September 8, 2001) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 2 regular-season games and 3 Stanley Cup playoff games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens.
In ...
* Attendance: 13,818
See also
*
1959–60 NHL season
The 1959–60 NHL season was the List of NHL seasons, 43rd Season (sport), season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens were the List of Stanley Cup champions, Stanley Cup winners as they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs four games ...
References
*
{{Hockey Night in Canada
National Hockey League All-Star Games
All-Star Game
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
Ice hockey competitions in Montreal
October 1959 sports events in Canada
1950s in Montreal
1959 in Quebec