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1945-46 Regular Season
Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens |
The Detroit Red Wings were in their 19th season of operation when the 1945-46 season opened. World War 2 was still raging, but was nearing it's end. Many of the top stars in the league were either in the armed forces or working defense jobs to help with the war effort. The Red Wings were missing several players, but remained competitive during the war years, winning the Stanley Cup in 1942-43 and reaching the Finals in 1944-45. Jack Adams was General Manager and Head Coach of the Red Wings, positions he had held since the franchise's second season (as the Detroit Cougars). Home games were played at Olympia Stadium, which held 11,563.
The Red Wings finished 20-20-10 in 1945-46, fourth place in the NHL. Their 50 points were five points ahead of fifth place (and defending champion) Toronto, but just six points back of second-place Boston.
Adams had a low-scoring team that year, as the Red Wings scored just 146 goals, second-fewest in the league. Joe Carveth led the team in scoring, as the 27-year old right winger had 17 goals and 35 points in 48 games. The lone 20-goal scorer was Adam Brown. The Scotland-born left winger had 20 goals and 31 points. The top scoring defenseman that year was 23-year old Bill Quackenbush, who had 11 goals and 21 points in 48 games.
The Wings were much stronger on defense, allowing just 159 goals, third-fewest in the league. The previous year, Detroit found its goalie of the future in Harry Lumley. The 18-year old native of Owen Sound played in all 50 games that season, factoring in all the decisions, notching 2 shutouts and a 3.18 GAA. Not bad for the equivalent of a high school senior! Lumley's strong play in the Detroit net would cost former Vezina and Stanley Cup winner Johnny Mowers his job when he returned from service. Mowers would play just 7 games in 1946-47, his skills eroded by the extended absence.
The Wings qualified for the playoffs in 1945-46, drawing the Boston Bruins in Round 1. The Bruins were 24-18-8, just five points behind league-leading Montreal. They were led by the returning Kraut Line of Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart, as well as the dependable goaltending of Frank "Mr. Zero" Brimsek. The Bruins would make short work of the Red Wings, downing Detroit in five games and outscoring them 16-10. Boston would then fall to Montreal in five games in the Stanley Cup Final.
This program is from the January 13, 1946, game between the Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. The Wings defeated the Habs, 3-1, to improve to 13-9-5 on the season. The program is 34 pages long, loaded with ads, stats and articles. Veteran left winger Carl Liscombe is featured on the cover. Notice the V patch on Liscombe's sleeve. That's the "V for Victory" patch, with the Morse Code underneath. Liscombe was the "Wing of the Week" featured on page 31. On page 22, the upcoming opponent is profiled with the article "Troubled Toronto Here Sunday". The Leafs had several players returning from war duty but were rusty and struggled to return to form. Over The Boards is the last article on page 34.
Here is the Red Wings roster for that night. 1945-46 is kind of a transition season for the roster, as veterans from the last championship team are mixing with youngsters that would lead the Wings to glory in the late 1940s and 1950s. Joe Carveth was part of the 1943 and 1950 Stanley Cup teams. Harry Lumley would spend 16 years in the NHL, winning the 1950 Stanley Cup and the 1954 Vezina Trophy. Ted Lindsay was in his second season with the Red Wings, and would become the heart and soul of the franchise for the next decade, as his competitive fire would lead the team to four Stanley Cups, 8 first-place finishes, while personally racking up a lot of goals, penalty minutes and stitches. Bill Quackenbush was a solid defenseman and future Hall of Famer. His trade in 1949 was one of the worst moves by Jack Adams. Jack Stewart was a rugged, tough-as-nails defenseman who won the 1943 and 1950 Stanley Cup with the Wings. When a young Gordie Howe marveled at the weight of Stewart's hockey stick, "Black Jack" remarked "It's not for shooting, it's for breaking arms". Syd Howe was no relation to Gordie, but like Gordie was one of the top scorers of his era. He played 17 years in the NHL, winning three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings (1936, 1937, 1943). Modere "Mud" Bruneteau's most famous goal ended the longest game in NHL history, as the Red Wings defeated the Montreal Maroons after 176:30 of hockey (six overtime periods.
Here's the Montreal roster for that night. Paul Bibeault, the goaltender for the Habs, was well-traveled during the war years. Paul played for the Habs, Leafs and Bruins. He would finish his NHL career in 1946-47 with the Chicago Black Hawks. Emile "Butch" Bouchard played his entire 15-year career with Montreal, winning four Stanley Cups. Toe Blake started his NHL career with the Montreal Maroons, then joined the Canadiens when the Maroons folded. He would be the left wing for the famous Punch Line, consisting of center Elmer Lach and right wing Maurice Richard. After retiring, Blake would become a legendary head coach, winning 8 Stanley Cups behind the bench to go with the two he won as a player. Jimmy Peters would later join the Red Wings and be part of two Stanley Cup championship teams in 1950 and 1954, with a stint in Chicago in between. Billy Reay would win two Cups with the Canadiens, then go into a long coaching career, two years with Toronto and 13 with Chicago. And of course, there's #9, Maurice Richard. The Rocket was coming off a "50 goals in 50 games" season in 1944-45. Despite those big numbers, critics thought that Richard was simply padding stats against inferior wartime rosters. He went on to prove all doubters wrong, as he retired in 1960 as the NHL's all-time leading scorer and a French-Canadian icon. The sixteen-minute standing ovation Richard received at the Montreal Forum's last game is one of hockey's most memorable moments.
Since World War 2 was still going on, recognition for players serving their countries overseas was necessary. Sid Abel would play several games for the Wings in 1945-46, and would captain the team to the Cup in 1950 and 1952, to go along with his 1943 Cup win. Johnny Mowers was the goaltender for the Wings in the early 1940s, leading the Wings to three Stanley Cup Finals and the 1943 championship. He won the Vezina Trophy in 1942-43, but, when his skills had eroded after returning from service in 1946, lost his spot in the Wings net to Harry Lumley. Joseph Turner was a goaltender in the Red Wings system who was killed in action during the war. The newly formed International Hockey League named it's championship trophy after Turner, the Turner Cup. William Grant was the other Red Wings player killed in action during the conflict.
This advertisement includes a schedule for the International Hockey League. The IHL was founded in 1945-46, and split its games between Olympia Stadium and Windsor Arena. The IHL started off as teams sponsored by local businesses, but would grow into a Great Lakes minor pro circuit by the 1970s. It would expand throughout the country by the late 1980s and into major cities before going out of business in 2001. Detroit's teams would disappear by 1951 and the Motor City would not return to "The I" until 1995 with the arrival of the Detroit Vipers, who played their home games at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Vipers would be the second Detroit team to hoist the Turner Cup, following the 1946 Detroit Auto Club.
According to an ad on the following page, ticket prices for IHL games at Olympia Stadium were 50¢ and 80¢ a piece, or between $8.31 and $13.29, not bad for minor league hockey.
Local advertisements include Alfred A. Smith General Contractor, Savage Motor Sales of Livernois, Papa Joe Italian Restaurant, Epps Government Surplus and Sports Apparel and Town Florists. Auto advertisements include Jerry Lynch ("The Jeep is here!"), JP McGuire Pontiac, and Alan's Nash Sales and Service.
Aftermath: In 1946-47, a rookie from Floral, Saskatchewan would make his debut with the Detroit Red Wings. 18-year old Gordie Howe would eventually be put on a line with Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel, and "The Production Line" would be born as a result.
Reference:
National Hockey League Season Statistics: 1945-46, from hockeydb.com
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