The Chicago Black Hawks went into the weekend leading the National Hockey League with a 6-0-2 record and looking like they might not lose a game all year. The Hawks fell back to earth with a sickening thud this weekend. Not only did they lose two games, but both defeats came within the usually friendly confines of Chicago Stadium. To say the natives are restless in Chicago is an understatement.
After dropping a 5-2 decision to the Montreal Canadiens Saturday, the Black Hawks were shocked by the upstart New York Rangers, who hung a 4-2 beating on them last night. The other two NHL games on Sunday saw the lowly Boston Bruins blank the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 in Boston, while the Detroit Red Wings held first-place Montreal to a 2-2 draw.
Rangers Shock Hawks
At Chicago, coach Red Sullivan had his Rangers skating and hustling like few New York teams have during this decade. The Broadway Blueshirts out-skated and out-muscled the Hawks at every turn and were full-value for the victory. New York’s rebuild looks to be on the right track as the team moves to within two points of second place.
The first period decided the issue in this one, with the Rangers striking for three goals. Rod Seiling put the Rangers up 1-0 at 4:18, but Red Hay tied it five minutes later. New York took control on power play goals by linemates Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert just over four minutes apart to make the score 3-1 after 20 minutes. Ratelle’s marker was a slick 20-footer past Chicago netminder Glenn Hall, while Gilbert’s came in a scramble from about four feet out.
After being outshot 15-9 in the first, the Hawks rebounded somewhat in the middle stanza, putting 12 tries on the New York goal, while the Rangers had seven at Hall . Unfortunately for the home side, Ranger goalie Eddie Giacomin was up to the task, and he kept the Hawks off the score sheet in the period. The Rangers upped their lead to 4-1 with Garry Peters notching his second of the year.
Hawks Kid Line Gets One
The final period was a little more even, but the Hawks could manage only one goal. That was scored by Chicago’s version of the The Kid Line. Freddie Stanfield did the honours, set up by rookie Ken Hodge and Dennis Hull. The Hawks would draw no closer and the Rangers had their two-goal win.
Parent Stymies Leafs
Rookie Boston Bruins goalie Bernie Parent won a goaltending duel with the NHL’s oldest netminding citizen in Johnny Bower as the Boston Bruins shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 at Boston Garden. It was the first NHL shutout for Parent.
Parent, only 20, was called up from the Oklahoma City Blazers two weeks ago when regular Boston goalkeepers Gerry Cheevers and Ed Johnston went down with injuries. He has been nothing less than spectacular since his recall and will give coach Milt Schmidt and general manager Hap Emms some very tough decisions to make once the incumbent keepers are healthy.
30 Saves for Bernie
Last night was no different as far as Parent was concerned. The Leafs threw everything they had at the rookie, and he refused to yield. He made 30 saves on the night, many of the difficult variety. Admittedly, the Toronto offence is nothing to write home about, but last night the Leafs did mount a somewhat sustained attack, only to be foiled by the first-year man between the pipes for Boston.
The Bruins, also challenged offensively so far this season, had a like number of 30 shots at the Toronto goal. The difference was, two of their drives managed to elude the grasp of Bower, who also played very well. For most of the game, it looked as if this one would end up as a shutout for each goalie, with the first two periods being scoreless.
The Bruins finally opened the scoring at 7:53 of the third on a goal from an unexpected source. Forbes Kennedy, recently recalled from San Francisco of the Western Hockey League, cashed in a rebound from a Reggie Fleming backhand for his first of the season. Bower had little chance on the play.
Langlois Scores 18th Goal in Nine Years
Boston’s second marker came from an even more unlikely candidate. Defenseman Albert Langlois, acquired from the Detroit Red Wings in a big seven-player trade this past summer, was the surprise trigger man. Langlois, who had all of 17 goals in nine NHL seasons going into last night’s game, took a pass from Eddie Westfall, roared past Leaf defender Bobby Baun and rifled a 25-footer to Bower’s left.
Shack Up to Usual Tricks
Toronto’s Eddie Shack earned the ire of the Boston fans late in the third with some typically rambunctious play. Shack took a run at Boston captain Leo Boivin, himself one of the most feared body checkers in the game. Shack rocked Boivin to the core, and the Bruins blueliner went down in a heap. As Boivin tried to regain his equilibrium, Westfall and tough Teddy Green of the Bruins decided to exact some revenge. They ganged up on Shack who deftly defended himself with the only resource at hand, his stick. He knocked his assailants to the ice, making good his escape to the sin bin. For his efforts, Eddie the Entertainer received only a two-minute sentence for interference. To say the Garden faithful were infuriated is not a stretch of the truth.
Ullman Ties Habs
Norm Ullman was the hero for the Detroit Red Wings last night as they battled to a hard-fought 2-2 tie with the Montreal Canadiens at the Olympia in Detroit. Ullman scored a pair of second-period markers to bring the Wings back from a 2-0 deficit.
Montreal grabbed the early lead on two first period goals. Jacques Laperriere opened the scoring with a power play goal while Ullman was off for tripping. Detroit goalie Roger Crozier is still looking for Laperriere’s screened drive from the blue line.
Bobby Rousseau netted Montreal’s second on a power play during the period’s final minute.
Ullman went to work in the middle frame to personally tie the score. He connected at 3:44 on passes from Floyd Smith and Ab McDonald, and then fired a power play goal at 12:07, thanks to a setup by Andy Bathgate.
Worsley Upset by Ashley’s Bad Call
The power play that set the stage for Ullman’s tying goal infuriated Montreal netminder Gump Worsley. He was called for dropping on the puck outside the goal crease by referee John Ashley, a call not often seen in the NHL these days. Worsley was not happy:
“Sure that rule is in the book, but when was the last time they called it? What was I supposed to do, skate out and stickhandle like Aurel Joliat?”
Canadiens were short-staffed for this one, with both Dick Duff and Henri Richard out with injuries. Captain Jean Beliveau, invisible most of the evening, revealed he was playing with a sore left hand sustained the previous evening in Chicago. The hand was badly swollen after the game last night and his status, along with that of Duff and Richard, is doubtful for Thursday’s game at home against Toronto.
Notes:
- AHL games last night saw Buffalo edge Cleveland 3-2, Rochester bomb Springfield 8-2 and Quebec and Providence battle to a 2-2 tie.
- Hamilton Red wings brought up Danny Lawson from Junior B and he scored 2 goals to help the Wings down the Toronto Marlboros 7-3.
- Marlboros lost Jim Davidson with broken shin and ankle bones. There is no timetable for his return.
