The 1949–50 NHL season was the
33rd season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
. Six teams played 70 games each. The
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
defeated the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
in seven games for the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup () 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, and the International Ic ...
. It was the Red Wings' fourth championship.
League business
The NHL decided to increase the number of games played from 60 to 70 games for each team. Each team played every other team 14 times. Goaltenders would no longer have to face a penalty shot if they took a major penalty. A team-mate could serve the penalty in the penalty box.
In June 1949, the NHL decided to henceforth paint the ice surface white. This was done by adding white paint to the water before freezing. Previously, the ice surface was just frozen water on concrete, which made a dull grey colour. By "whitening" the ice surface, it made seeing and following the puck much easier, especially on the relatively new medium of television.
Regular season
Detroit, led by the new
Production Line
A production line is a set of sequential operations established in a factory where components are assembled to make a finished article or where materials are put through a refining process to produce an end-product that is suitable for onward ...
of Lindsay, Abel and Howe won the regular season. The Production line led the league in scoring 1–2–3.
Highlights
On November 2, 1949, at
Chicago Stadium
Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago from 1929 to 1995. When it was built, it was the largest indoor arena in the world with a maximum seating capacity of 26,000. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and ...
, a rather serious brawl broke out in a game
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
defeated
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
4–1. During the second period, some rinkside fans began to get on
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
defenceman
Ken Reardon, and when one fan grabbed his sweater, Reardon swung his stick and hit one of the rowdies.
Leo Gravelle and
Billy Reay joined in, and yet another fan climbed over the boards and challenged Reardon, but was forced back to his seat. When the game ended, police arrested Reardon, Reay and Gravelle. Later, the players were cleared when a judge ruled that the fans were the aggressors and overstepped the prerogatives as fans.
After Chicago defeated
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
6–3 on November 27,
Conn Smythe told goaltender
Turk Broda, "I'm not running a fat man's team!" and said that Broda would not play until he reduced his weight to 190 lb. At the time, Broda weighed almost 200.
Al Rollins was purchased from Cleveland of the AHL and
Gil Mayer was brought up for good measure. When he reached 189 pounds, Broda went back into the Toronto net and he gained his fourth shutout of the season December 3 and Maple Leaf fans cheered all of his 22 saves.
After the
Red Wings clobbered Chicago 9–2 on February 8, writer
Lew Walter tried to interview Chicago coach
Charlie Conacher. Conacher exploded in anger, criticized Walter's past stories and punched Walter, knocking him down to the floor. Walter announced that he would seek a warrant for Conacher's arrest. NHL president
Clarence Campbell
Clarence Sutherland Campbell, (July 9, 1905 – June 24, 1984) was a Canadian ice hockey executive, referee, and soldier. He refereed in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1930s, served in the Canadian Army during World War II, then s ...
took a dim view of Conacher's actions and fined him $200. Conacher then phoned Walter and apologized, saying he regretted what had taken place.
Montreal fans began to boo
Bill Durnan, as they had in
1947–48, despite the fact he was the league's best goalkeeper, and in an interview, he stated he was going to retire at the end of the season. In reality, Durnan had been cut a number of times during the season, and at one point, had to take penicillin. It caused a high fever and he missed some action. Despite this, he recorded eight shutouts and won the Vezina Trophy for the sixth time in his seven-year career.
Ken Reardon got himself into trouble when he made a statement to a magazine suggesting retribution to
Cal Gardner, stating: "I'm going to make sure that Gardner gets 14 stitches in his mouth. I may have to wait a long time, but I'll get even." On March 1, 1950, Clarence Campbell made Reardon post a $1,000 bond to make sure he did not carry out his threat. When the season ended, Reardon was refunded the $1,000, since he did not hurt Gardner as he said he would.
Final standings
Playoffs
Playoff bracket
The top four teams in the league qualified for the playoffs. In the semifinals, the first-place team played the third-place team, while the second-place team faced the fourth-place team, with the winners advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. In both rounds, teams competed in a
best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series).
Semifinals
Detroit defeated Toronto in seven games to advance to the Finals; while New York defeated Montreal in five games to also advance to the Finals.
(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (3) Toronto Maple Leafs
(2) Montreal Canadiens vs. (4) New York Rangers
Stanley Cup Finals
Two games were played in Toronto, with the rest in Detroit, as the
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...
had taken over
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
in New York.
Awards
This was the last season that the
O'Brien Cup was awarded to the Stanley Cup runner up – in this season, the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
– as it went into retirement for the second and final time at season's end. (It was not awarded between 1917 and 1921)
All-Star teams
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
''Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes''
Source: NHL
Leading goaltenders
''Note: GP = Games played; Mins – Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA =
Goals against average
Goals against average (GAA), also known as average goals against (AGA), is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on spo ...
; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts''
Coaches
*Boston Bruins:
Georges Boucher
*Chicago Black Hawks:
Charlie Conacher
*Detroit Red Wings:
Tommy Ivan
Thomas Nathaniel Ivan (January 31, 1911 – June 25, 1999) was a Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager. He served as a National Hockey League (NHL) head coach for the Detroit Red Wings from 1947 to 1954 where he won the Stanley Cup thre ...
*Montreal Canadiens:
Dick Irvin
*New York Rangers:
Lynn Patrick
Joseph Lynn Patrick (February 3, 1912 – January 26, 1980) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. As a player, Patrick played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers. He was twice named to the NHL ...
*Toronto Maple Leafs:
Hap Day
Clarence Henry "Happy" Day (June 14, 1901 – February 17, 1990), later known as Hap Day, was a Canadian professional hockey player who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Americans. Day enjo ...
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1949–50 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
*
Jack McIntyre, Boston Bruins
*
Red Sullivan
George James "Red" Sullivan (December 24, 1929 – January 19, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1949 to 1961. After finishing his playing career Sullivan became a coach, serv ...
, Boston Bruins
*
Johnny Wilson, Detroit Red Wings
*
Terry Sawchuk, Detroit Red Wings
*
Marcel Pronovost
Joseph René Marcel Pronovost (June 15, 1930April 26, 2015) was a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played in List of NHL players with 1000 games played, 1,206 games over 20 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons ...
*, Detroit Red Wings
*
Al Rollins, Toronto Maple Leafs
*
George Armstrong, Toronto Maple Leafs
*
Tim Horton, Toronto Maple Leafs
Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1949–50 (listed with their last team):
*
Jack Crawford, Boston Bruins
*
Bud Poile, Boston Bruins
*
Frank Brimsek, Chicago Black Hawks
*
Ken Reardon, Montreal Canadiens
*
Grant Warwick, Montreal Canadiens
*
Bill Durnan, Montreal Canadiens
*
Garth Boesch, Toronto Maple Leafs
See also
*
1949-50 NHL transactions
*
List of Stanley Cup champions
The Stanley Cup is a trophy awarded annually to the Season structure of the NHL, playoff champion club of the National Hockey League (NHL). It was donated by the Governor General of Canada Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, Lord Stanley of Pr ...
*
3rd National Hockey League All-Star Game
*
National Hockey League All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game () is an exhibition ice hockey tournament that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many of the League's star players playing against each other. The ga ...
*
1949 in sports
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025
* January 2 – Luis ...
*
1950 in sports
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
;Notes
External links
Hockey DatabaseNHL.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:1949-50 NHL season
1949–50 in American ice hockey by league
1949–50 in Canadian ice hockey by league