The 1962–63 NHL season was the
46th 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
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
won their second
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 ...
in a row as they defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to one. As of 2025, this is the latest season the Leafs had most points in the regular season.
Regular season
Some diversionary news hit the sports pages the day of the
All-Star Game
An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...
when it was reported that Toronto had sold
Frank Mahovlich
Francis William Mahovlich (born January 10, 1938) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and a former Liberal Senator in the Canadian Senate. He played on six Stanley Cup-winning teams and is an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame ...
to Chicago for $1 million and
James D. Norris
James Dougan Norris (November 6, 1906 – February 25, 1966) was an American sports businessman, with interests in boxing, ice hockey, and horse racing. He was the son of James E. Norris (whom the James Norris Memorial Trophy is named after) ...
produced a cheque for the amount. On the advice of
Conn Smythe
Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe Military Cross, MC (; February 1, 1895 – November 18, 1980) was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs ...
, Leafs general manager and head coach
Punch Imlach
George "Punch" Imlach (March 15, 1918 – December 1, 1987) was a Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager best known for his association with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and t ...
declined the deal, saying that a million dollars does not score goals, and Mahovlich would remain a Maple Leaf.
A serious incident took place on October 23 between the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
and
Chicago Black Hawks
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 ...
. A vicious stick-swinging duel took place between
Gilles Tremblay and
Reg Fleming
Reginald Stephen "Reggie, the Ruffian" Fleming (April 21, 1936 – July 11, 2009) was a professional hockey player in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers ...
that was said to be the worst since the
Bernie Geoffrion
Joseph Bernard André Geoffrion (; February 16, 1931 – March 11, 2006), nicknamed "Boom Boom", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Generally considered one of the innovators of the slapshot, he was inducted into the Hockey ...
–
Ron Murphy
Robert Ronald Murphy (April 10, 1933 – March 6, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins over the course of an 889-game National Hockey L ...
fight in
1953
Events
January
* January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
* January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo.
* January 14
** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
. Both players received match penalties and $100 fines. Tremblay emerged with a bad cut on his head that required many stitches. Montreal coach
Toe Blake
Joseph Hector "Toe" Blake (August 21, 1912 – May 17, 1995) was a Canadian ice hockey Player (game), player and Coach (ice hockey), coach in the National Hockey League (NHL). Blake played in the NHL from 1935 to 1948 with the Montreal Maroons a ...
had some caustic remarks for Fleming when he was leaving the ice, which almost resulted in another fight. The Canadiens and Black Hawks played to a 4–4 tie. 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 ...
suspended both Tremblay and Fleming for three games.
Glenn Hall
Glenn Henry Hall (born October 3, 1931) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. During his National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, and St. Louis Blues, Hall seldom missed a game and was a co ...
's consecutive game streak came to an end on November 8 when he suffered a pinched nerve in his back and he was relieved by
Denis DeJordy
Joseph Denis Emile DeJordy (born November 15, 1938), is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played goal for four National Hockey League teams, most notably the Chicago Black Hawks. In 1966–67, he and Glenn Hall won the Vezina T ...
in the first period of a game in which Hall's Black Hawks tied Boston 3–3. DeJordy played well in the next game as the Black Hawks beat the Canadiens 3–1.
Chicago was improving and moved into a first-place tie with Detroit when they blanked Boston 5–0 on November 29.
Stan Mikita
Stanley Mikita (born Stanislav Guoth; May 20, 1940 – August 7, 2018) was a Slovaks, Slovak-born Canadian ice hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League, generally regarded as the best Centre (ic ...
scored two goals and
Bobby Hull
Robert Marvin Hull (January 3, 1939 – January 30, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blond hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot t ...
had one. The same night, the Rangers shut out the Red Wings 5–0 as
Gump Worsley
Lorne John "Gump" Worsley (May 14, 1929 – January 26, 2007) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, 'Gump' was given his nickname because friends thought he looked like a comic-strip character An ...
played a fine game. Worsley was unlucky in his next game, however, as Chicago beat the Rangers 5–1. Worsley badly injured his shoulder and had to be replaced by
Marcel Pelletier. Gump went to the hospital where he would have his shoulder in traction for ten days.
Andy Hebenton
Andrew Alexander "Spuds" Hebenton (October 3, 1929 – January 29, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger. At the time of his retirement, he held the record for the longest streak without missing a game in professional hockey hi ...
had the hat trick on December 16 as the Rangers beat Detroit 5–2 at
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 ...
. The game was spoiled by a brawl, the chief participants being
Dave Balon
David Alexander Balon (August 2, 1938 – May 29, 2007) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Balon played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1959 and 1973 before multiple sclerosis led to his retirement.
Playing ...
,
Bill Gadsby
William Alexander Gadsby (August 8, 1927 – March 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League between 1946 and 1966.
P ...
,
Doug Barkley
Norman Douglas Barkley (born January 6, 1937) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Red Wings between 1957 and 1966. After his playing career, he ...
and
Terry Sawchuk
Terrance Gordon Sawchuk (December 28, 1929 – May 31, 1970) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kin ...
. All were fined.
Andy Bathgate
Andrew James Bathgate (August 28, 1932 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsbu ...
got both goals when the Rangers tied Montreal 2–2 at the
Montreal Forum
Montreal Forum () is a historic building located facing Cabot Square, Montreal, Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the home o ...
on January 5. This was the tenth consecutive game in which he had scored. The streak was terminated when
Jacques Plante
Joseph Jacques Omer Plante (; January 17, 1929 – February 27, 1986) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career lasting from 1947 to 1975, he was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey. He played ...
blanked the Rangers 6–0 in New York.
Jean Beliveau
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jea ...
scored his 300th NHL goal on January 26 when the Rangers beat the Canadiens 4–2 at the Forum. Goals had not come very fast this year, and he hinted that this might be his last season. The writers did not take him seriously, however. The next night, the Canadiens beat the Black Hawks 3–1 at Chicago Stadium and Beliveau scored a spectacular goal, giving a beautiful exhibition of stick-handling.
Bernie Geoffrion
Joseph Bernard André Geoffrion (; February 16, 1931 – March 11, 2006), nicknamed "Boom Boom", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Generally considered one of the innovators of the slapshot, he was inducted into the Hockey ...
and
Don Marshall Donald, Don or Donnie Marshall may refer to:
* Donald Marshall Sr. (1925–1991), Grand Chief of the Mi'kmaq
* Donald Albert Marshall (born 1932), Canadian politician in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
* Donnie Marshall (1932–2024), ...
were back on January 31, but the Canadiens lost 6–3 to Toronto at the Forum. Coach Toe Blake was not pleased with the officiating and was quoted in a French newspaper that referee Eddie Powers handled the game as if he had bet on the outcome. This attracted the attention of NHL president Clarence Campbell, who said the matter would be investigated. Later, Blake was fined $200 by Campbell. Powers considered the fine inadequate and submitted his resignation as a referee. He cited
Red Storey
Roy Alvin "Red" Storey, (March 5, 1918 – March 15, 2006) was a Canadian athlete, referee and broadcaster. He played football, lacrosse and ice hockey. While active as an athlete, he turned to officiating in all three sports, and continued as ...
when Campbell would not support decisions he made. Powers then sued Blake for libel.
Bobby Hull scored all three goals as Chicago beat Boston 3–1 on February 17. On the same night, Montreal beat Detroit 6–1 and
Howie Young
Howard John Edward "Cowboy" Young (August 2, 1937 – November 24, 1999) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and actor, best known for his time in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1960s.
Playing career
...
established a penalty record when he high-sticked a Canadiens player and then commenced a tantrum, which drew him a minor, a major, a misconduct and a game misconduct totalling 27 minutes. His season total was now 208 minutes in penalties. NHL president Campbell then tacked on a three-game suspension.
Detroit ousted the Rangers from the playoffs on March 3 with a 3–2 win.
Bernie Geoffrion was in trouble for an incident during a game on March 5 in which Montreal beat Detroit 4–3. Referee Vern Buffey had given Jacques Plante a penalty for slashing
Howie Young
Howard John Edward "Cowboy" Young (August 2, 1937 – November 24, 1999) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and actor, best known for his time in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1960s.
Playing career
...
and then a bench penalty when the Canadiens protested. Geoffrion threw his stick at Buffey and his gloves as well. Geoffrion was given a match penalty and President Campbell assessed Geoffrion a five-game suspension.
The career of the Canadiens'
Lou Fontinato
Louis Joseph "Leapin' Louie" Fontinato (January 20, 1932 – July 3, 2016) was a Canadian defenceman in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1954 to 1961 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1961 to 1963.
NHL career
Lou Fontinato ...
came to a tragic end on March 9 when he tried to check
Vic Hadfield and instead was thrown headlong into the boards by the Ranger player. Fontinato lay motionless on the ice for some time before being carried off the ice on a stretcher and taken to Montreal General Hospital where the diagnosis was a fractured neck, a crushed cervical vertebra. He gradually recovered from his paralyzed condition, but would never play hockey again.
Jacques Laperriere replaced Fontinato on the Canadiens defence.
It was quite a race for playoff positions, as five points separated fourth and first.
Gordie Howe
Gordon Howe (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seaso ...
led the Red Wings and the NHL as he won his sixth and last
Art Ross Trophy
The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who leads the league in Point (ice hockey), points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the league by former player, general manager, and head coach Art Ros ...
and
Hart Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is an annual award for the most valuable player to his team in the National Hockey League (NHL), voted by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The original t ...
.
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
There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...
series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series).
Semifinals
(1) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3) Montreal Canadiens
(2) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (4) Detroit Red Wings
Stanley Cup Finals
Awards
All-Star teams
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
''Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes''
Leading goaltenders
''Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts''
Coaches
*Boston Bruins:
Milt Schmidt
Milton Conrad Schmidt (March 5, 1918 – January 4, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre, coach and general manager, mostly for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL), where he was a member of the Kraut Line. He w ...
*Chicago Black Hawks:
Rudy Pilous
Rudolph Pilous (August 11, 1914 – December 5, 1994) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Pilous won the Stanley Cup coaching the Chicago Black Hawks in 1960–61, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame ...
*Detroit Red Wings:
Sid Abel
Sidney Gerald Abel (February 22, 1918February 8, 2000) was a Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame ice hockey, hockey player, coach and general manager in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Detroit Red Wings, and was a member ...
*Montreal Canadiens:
Toe Blake
Joseph Hector "Toe" Blake (August 21, 1912 – May 17, 1995) was a Canadian ice hockey Player (game), player and Coach (ice hockey), coach in the National Hockey League (NHL). Blake played in the NHL from 1935 to 1948 with the Montreal Maroons a ...
*New York Rangers:
Muzz Patrick
Frederick Murray "Muzz" Patrick (June 28, 1915 – July 27, 1998) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach (sports), coach, and general manager. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1938 to 1941, and then from 194 ...
and
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 ...
*Toronto Maple Leafs:
Punch Imlach
George "Punch" Imlach (March 15, 1918 – December 1, 1987) was a Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager best known for his association with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and t ...
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1962–63 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
*
Eddie Johnston
Edward Joseph Johnston (born November 24, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and former coach and general manager in the National Hockey League. His professional career spanned fifty-three years (twenty-two as a player ...
, Boston Bruins
*
Paul Henderson
Paul Garnet Henderson (born January 28, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flame ...
, Detroit Red Wings
*
Claude Larose, Montreal Canadiens
*
Jacques Laperriere, Montreal Canadiens
*
Terry Harper
Terrance Victor Harper (born January 27, 1940) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Harper played in the National Hockey League from 1962–63 NHL season, 1962 to 1980–81 NHL season, 1981. During this time, he played ...
, Montreal Canadiens
*
Jim Neilson
James Anthony Neilson (November 28, 1941 – November 6, 2020) also known as "The Chief", to colleagues and friends, was an indigenous Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played over 1000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) fo ...
, New York Rangers
*
Kent Douglas
Kent Gemmell Douglas (February 6, 1936 – April 12, 2009) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach.
Playing career Early career
Douglas started his career with the Kitchener Canucks in the Ontario Hockey Association. He spe ...
, Toronto Maple Leafs
Last games
The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1962–63 (listed with their last team):
*
Bob Turner, Chicago Black Hawks
*
Jack Evans, Chicago Black Hawks
*
Vic Stasiuk
Victor John Stasiuk (May 23, 1929 – May 7, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and coach. He played in the National Hockey League from 1949 to 1963 and then served as a coach from 1969 to 1973.
Biography
Stasiuk played juni ...
, Detroit Red Wings
*
Lou Fontinato
Louis Joseph "Leapin' Louie" Fontinato (January 20, 1932 – July 3, 2016) was a Canadian defenceman in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1954 to 1961 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1961 to 1963.
NHL career
Lou Fontinato ...
, Montreal Canadiens
Broadcasting
''
Hockey Night in Canada
''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, ...
'' on
CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...
televised Saturday night regular season games and 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.
This was the third consecutive season that the NHL did not have an American national broadcaster until the
1965–66 season.
See also
*
1962–63 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 ...
*
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 ...
*
1962 in sports
1962 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Alpine skiing
* FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1962, FIS Alpine World Ski Championships –
** Men's combined champion: Karl Schranz, Austria
** Women's combined champion: Marielle ...
*
1963 in sports
1963 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
American football
* NFL Championship: the Chicago Bears won 14–10 over the New York Giants at Wrigley Field
* January 29 – First inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are anno ...
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
;Notes
External links
Hockey DatabaseNHL.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:NHL, 1962-63
1962–63 in American ice hockey by league
1962–63 in Canadian ice hockey by league