1959–60 NHL season
National Hockey League season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1959–60 NHL season was the 43rd season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens were the Stanley Cup winners as they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to none for their fifth straight Stanley Cup.
| 1959–60 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 7, 1959 – April 14, 1960 |
| 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 | Bobby Hull (Black Hawks) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Runners-up | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1959-60 National Hockey League | ||||
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | |
| Boston Bruins | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 13,909 | |
| Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Stadium | 16,666 | |
| Detroit Red Wings | Detroit, Michigan | Detroit Olympia | 15,000 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | Montreal, Quebec | Montreal Forum | 15,551 | |
| New York Rangers | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 15,925 | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | Maple Leaf Gardens | 12,586 | |
This regular season, like the two preceding it and the two following it, belonged to the Montreal Canadiens, who were in the midst of five straight first overall finishes and at the tail end of five straight Stanley Cup victories. The Detroit Red Wings, who were dead last and missed the playoffs the previous season, squeaked into the playoffs by riding a Hart Memorial Trophy performance by their ageless star right-winger, Gordie Howe.
The season was marked by important changes in the NHL, as Canadiens goaltender Jacques Plante, like Clint Benedict before him, began to wear a mask in hockey games. Plante, who had asthma-related problems throughout his career, first began wearing a mask in practice shortly after a sinus operation in 1957. On November 1, 1959, Plante's nose was broken by a shot from New York Rangers right-winger Andy Bathgate. After being stitched up, Plante insisted on wearing a mask for the remainder of the game. Montreal coach Toe Blake was bitterly opposed to the idea, but did not have a backup goaltender and relented after Plante said he would not return to the ice without a mask. Although many in the NHL disapproved of Plante's decision due to NHL tradition at the time, many followed suit after Plante went undefeated in ten games with the mask on.
Phil Watson suffered an ulcer and was quietly dismissed as Ranger coach and replaced by Alf Pike. Gump Worsley was demoted to the Springfield Indians of the AHL and Worsley screamed he was finished with hockey, but reported to Springfield anyway. Indians owner Eddie Shore, known for his criticism of his players, gave Worsley a surprise vote of confidence. Gump played well for the Indians.
There was trouble brewing for Rangers right-winger Andy Bathgate, who had ripped open Plante's nose on the night of the goalie mask's official NHL debut. In a January 1960 True Magazine article ghosted by Dave Anderson, the defending league MVP listed the names of players whom he considered guilty of the dangerous act of spearing. This was brought to the attention of NHL President Clarence Campbell, who fined Bathgate $500 and Ranger general manager Muzz Patrick $100 on the grounds the article was prejudicial to and against the welfare of the league.
After being demoted to Springfield, Gump Worsley was brought back up as Marcel Paille was even worse in goal for New York. Gump and the Rangers beat the Canadiens 8–3 in his first game back on January 3, but on January 21, Montreal bombed Worsley 11-2. Later against the Chicago Black Hawks, Worsley suffered an injury that finished him for the season; Hawks' winger Bobby Hull skated over his catching glove and severed two tendons in his fingers. Al Rollins was called up to replace him. Later, Olympic hero Jack McCartan played a few games for the Rangers, acquitting himself very well.
The Boston Bruins narrowly missed the playoffs despite a flurry of offense, sparked by the "Uke Line" of Johnny Bucyk, Vic Stasiuk, and Bronco Horvath. Horvath finished a close second to Chicago's Bobby Hull in the scoring race and was named to the Second All-Star Team. Slick centre Don McKenney led the NHL in assists while winning the Lady Byng Trophy and versatile Doug Mohns also contributed. 1959–60 saw two veteran Bruins, centre Fleming MacKell and goaltender Harry Lumley, play their last campaigns before retirement.
This season marked the first season of the Original Six era during which every active player had played for Original Six teams only. Ken Mosdell, the last player to play for another team, retired the previous season.
Final standings
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 40 | 18 | 12 | 255 | 178 | +77 | 92 |
| 2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 35 | 26 | 9 | 199 | 195 | +4 | 79 |
| 3 | Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 28 | 29 | 13 | 191 | 180 | +11 | 69 |
| 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 26 | 29 | 15 | 186 | 197 | −11 | 67 |
| 5 | Boston Bruins | 70 | 28 | 34 | 8 | 220 | 241 | −21 | 64 |
| 6 | New York Rangers | 70 | 17 | 38 | 15 | 187 | 247 | −60 | 49 |
Montreal played the minimum number of games, 8, to win the Stanley Cup and in the process, became the last Cup winners in NHL history to go undefeated in the playoffs to date. After winning the Stanley Cup, Maurice Richard retired from the NHL as a champion.
Playoff bracket
| Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||
| 1 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||
| 3 | Chicago | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||
| 2 | Toronto | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | Toronto | 4 | |||||||
| 4 | Detroit | 2 | |||||||
Semifinals
(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (3) Chicago Black Hawks
| March 24 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Murray Balfour (1) – 16:15 | First period | 11:05 – Jean Beliveau (1) 15:04 – Andre Pronovost (1) | ||||||
| Ted Lindsay (1) – 16:18 | Second period | 08:45 – pp – Dickie Moore (1) | ||||||
| Ron Murphy (1) – 18:17 | Third period | 10:32 – Bernie Geoffrion (1) | ||||||
| Glenn Hall | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante | ||||||
| March 26 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–4 | OT | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | ||
| Kenny Wharram (1) – 13:13 | First period | 11:38 – Dickie Moore (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 17:55 – Marcel Bonin (1) | ||||||
| Bobby Hull (1) – 02:34 Bill Hay (1) – 18:58 |
Third period | 08:35 – pp – Dickie Moore (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 08:38 – Doug Harvey (1) | ||||||
| Glenn Hall | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante | ||||||
| March 29 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–0 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bill Hicke (1) – 10:15 Jean-Guy Talbot (1) |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Donnie Marshall (1) – 09:39 Bernie Geoffrion (2) – 18:04 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Plante | Goalie stats | Glenn Hall | ||||||
| March 31 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–0 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Claude Provost (1) – 04:47 Dickie Moore (4) – 13:09 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Plante | Goalie stats | Glenn Hall | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–0 | |
(2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (4) Detroit Red Wings
| March 23 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| Gordie Howe (1) – 02:38 Len Haley (1) – 14:24 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 16:04 – Carl Brewer (1) | ||||||
| Terry Sawchuck | Goalie stats | Johnny Bower | ||||||
| March 26 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| Pete Goegan (1) – 16:12 | First period | 13:37 – George Armstrong (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 17:04 – Larry Regan (1) | ||||||
| Alex Delvecchio (1) – 05:50 | Third period | 04:02 – Frank Mahovlich (1) 19:13 – Bob Pulford (1) | ||||||
| Terry Sawchuck | Goalie stats | Johnny Bower | ||||||
| March 27 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 5–4 | 3OT | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | 16:57 – pp – Norm Ullman (1) 17:18 – Marcel Pronovost (1) | ||||||
| Red Kelly (1) – 03:35 Dick Duff (1) – 07:00 Bob Pulford (2) – 08:05 Red Kelly (2) – pp – 19:24 |
Second period | 16:58 – pp – Len Lunde (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 12:40 – Gerry Melnyk (1) | ||||||
| Frank Mahovlich (2) – 03:00 | Third overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Johnny Bower | Goalie stats | Terry Sawchuck | ||||||
| March 29 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–2 | OT | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | 13:15 – Gary Aldcorn (1) | ||||||
| Carl Brewer (2) – 10:29 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 01:54 – pp – Gerry Melnyk (2) | ||||||
| Johnny Bower | Goalie stats | Terry Sawchuck | ||||||
| April 2 | Detroit Red Wings | 4–5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 05:14 – pp – Allan Stanley (1) 09:05 – pp – Bert Olmstead (1) | ||||||
| Warren Godfrey (1) – 10:32 Gerry Melnyk (3) – 11:56 |
Second period | 12:45 – Allan Stanley (2) | ||||||
| Jack McIntyre (1) – 08:36 Alex Delvecchio (2) – 19:19 |
Third period | 04:32 – Red Kelly (3) 12:10 – Larry Regan (2) | ||||||
| Terry Sawchuck | Goalie stats | Johnny Bower | ||||||
| April 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–2 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap | |||
| Bob Pulford (3) – 19:19 | First period | 05:26 – Murray Oliver (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 00:57 – pp – Norm Ullman (2) | ||||||
| Bob Pulford (4) – 00:37 Frank Mahovlich (3) – 02:40 Dick Duff (2) – 17:06 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Johnny Bower | Goalie stats | Terry Sawchuck | ||||||
| Toronto won series 4–2 | |
Stanley Cup Finals
| April 7 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 02:27 – pp – Dickie Moore (5) 08:55 – Doug Harvey (2) 11:56 – Jean Beliveau (2) | ||||||
| Bob Baun (1) – 05:23 Bert Olmstead (2) – 17:35 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 01:30 – Henri Richard (1) | ||||||
| Johnny Bower | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante | ||||||
| April 9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–2 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Larry Regan (3) – 19:32 | First period | 01:26 – Dickie Moore (6) 05:56 – Jean Beliveau (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Johnny Bower | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante | ||||||
| April 12 | Montreal Canadiens | 5–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| Donnie Marshall (2) – 13:54 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Phil Goyette (1) – 00:21 Henri Richard (2) – 15:27 |
Second period | 16:19 – Johnny Wilson (1) | ||||||
| Phil Goyette (2) – 08:57 Maurice Richard (1) – 10:07 |
Third period | 19:47 – pp – Bert Olmstead (3) | ||||||
| Jacques Plante | Goalie stats | Johnny Bower | ||||||
| April 14 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–0 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| Jean Beliveau (4) – 08:16 Doug Harvey (3) – 08:45 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Henri Richard (3) – 16:40 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jean Beliveau (5) – 01:21 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Plante | Goalie stats | Johnny Bower | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–0 | |
Gordie Howe won the Hart Trophy to become the first five-time winner of the Hart. In voting, he received 118 votes of a possible 180, twice as many as runner-up Bobby Hull.[2] Howe was the last winner of the original Hart Trophy. The trophy was retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame and the NHL began presenting a new trophy, which was dubbed the Hart Memorial Trophy in its place.[3] Hull won the Art Ross Trophy for the scoring championship, his first. Doug Harvey won the Norris Trophy for the fifth time, and the fifth time in the seven times it had been awarded. The Canadiens had the lowest goals against average, for the fifth consecutive time, and Jacques Plante was awarded his fifth Vezina Trophy. The Black Hawks' Glenn Hall was named to the First All-Star team as goaltender.
| 1959–60 NHL awards | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (Regular season champion) | Montreal Canadiens |
| Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer) | Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: (Best first-year player) | Bill Hay, Chicago Black Hawks |
| 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) | Don McKenney, Boston Bruins |
| Vezina Trophy: (Goaltender of team with the best goals-against average) | Jacques Plante, Montreal Canadiens |
All-Star teams
| First team | Position | Second team |
|---|---|---|
| Glenn Hall, Chicago Black Hawks | G | Jacques Plante, Montreal Canadiens |
| Doug Harvey, Montreal Canadiens | D | Allan Stanley, Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Marcel Pronovost, Detroit Red Wings | D | Pierre Pilote, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens | C | Bronco Horvath, Boston Bruins |
| Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings | RW | Bernie Geoffrion, Montreal Canadiens |
| Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks | LW | Dean Prentice, New York Rangers |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Hull | Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 39 | 42 | 81 |
| Bronco Horvath | Boston Bruins | 68 | 39 | 41 | 80 |
| Jean Beliveau | Montreal Canadiens | 60 | 34 | 40 | 74 |
| Andy Bathgate | New York Rangers | 70 | 26 | 48 | 74 |
| Henri Richard | Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 30 | 43 | 73 |
| Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 28 | 45 | 73 |
| Bernie Geoffrion | Montreal Canadiens | 59 | 30 | 41 | 71 |
| Don McKenney | Boston Bruins | 70 | 20 | 49 | 69 |
| Vic Stasiuk | Boston Bruins | 69 | 29 | 39 | 68 |
| Dean Prentice | New York Rangers | 70 | 32 | 34 | 66 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacques Plante | Montreal Canadiens | 69 | 4140 | 175 | 3 | 2.54 |
| Glenn Hall | Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 4200 | 179 | 6 | 2.56 |
| Terry Sawchuk | Detroit Red Wings | 58 | 3480 | 155 | 5 | 2.67 |
| Johnny Bower | Toronto Maple Leafs | 66 | 3960 | 177 | 5 | 2.68 |
| Don Simmons | Boston Bruins | 28 | 1680 | 91 | 2 | 3.25 |
| Harry Lumley | Boston Bruins | 42 | 2520 | 146 | 2 | 3.48 |
| Gump Worsley | New York Rangers | 39 | 2301 | 135 | 0 | 3.52 |
- Boston Bruins: Milt Schmidt
- Chicago Black Hawks: Rudy Pilous
- Detroit Red Wings: Sid Abel
- Montreal Canadiens: Toe Blake
- New York Rangers: Phil Watson and Alfred Pike
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Punch Imlach
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1959–60 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Dallas Smith, Boston Bruins
- Bill Hay, Chicago Black Hawks
- J. C. Tremblay, Montreal Canadiens
- Dave Balon, New York Rangers
- Ken Schinkel, New York Rangers
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1959–60 (listed with their last team):
- Fleming MacKell, Boston Bruins
- Maurice Richard, Montreal Canadiens
- Al Rollins, New York Rangers
- Harry Lumley, Boston Bruins
- Dave Creighton, Toronto Maple Leafs
Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television 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.
In the U.S., this was final season of a four-year deal with CBS to televise Saturday afternoon regular season games. This season, CBS aired games from January to March. CBS decided not the renew its agreement, and the NHL would not be able to attract another American national network until the 1965–66 season.
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