The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 in one of two National Hockey League games last night. The home-ice win moves the Wings into sole possession of first place in the NHL standings.
In the other match, the Boston Bruins upset the Chicago Black Hawks 4-3.
Ullman, Howe Lead the Way
Detroit powered their way past the Canadiens thanks to big games from their two top men. Norm Ullman and Gordie Howe score two goals to pace the Detroit attack. Alex Delvecchio had the other Red Wing marker. Yvan Cournoyer and Gilles Tremblay replied for the Habs.
Montreal is now winless in their last 13 games at the Olympia. Their last victory in Detroit was February 18, 1964.
The game started out as a tight-checking affair with both teams playing things closely to the vest. Ullman opened the scoring at 7:14 of the first, but Cournoyer tied it up about five minutes later. Detroit outshot Montreal 9-5 in the opening 20 minutes.
Cournoyer’s goal came on the power play, and was his 14th of the season. The diminutive Montreal forward is turning into something of a specialist with the man advantage this season.
The only goal of the middle frame was Ullman’s second, and that came in the period’s second minute. As was the first tally, Ullman’s second was set up by young Paul Henderson. The speedy winger is meshing well with the veteran Ullman and is really coming into his own as an offensive force.
Montreal outshot Detroit 11-7 in the second, but Detroit goalie Roger Crozier was at his best in keeping the visitors off the score sheet.
The third period proved to be more wide open with the teams combining for four goals, three by the home side.
Detroit took a 3-1 lead just before the four-minute mark as 20-year veterans Howe and Bill Gadsby combined for Gordie’s 17th of the season. Gadsby won a puck battle in the Montreal corner after a two on one rush with Howe. He made a great pass to the Detroit superstar in front of Montreal goalie Charley Hodge and Howe made no mistake.
Gadsby was a tower of strength on the Detroit blue line all night.
Delvecchio made it 4-1 four minutes later with his 14th of the season. It was an unassisted marker, as he picked off a rare errant pass by Jean Beliveau in the Montreal zone.
Gilles Tremblay scored Montreal’s second goal and his 14th before Howe closed out the night’s scoring with his 18th at 18:36 of the final period.
Bruins Knock Hawks Out of First
Ron Stewart scored on a two-man advantage with less than two minutes to play to give the Boston Bruins a 4-3 win over the Chicago Black Hawks at the Garden in Boston. Chicago’s loss, coupled with the Detroit win over Montreal, knocked the Hawks out of first place in the NHL standings.
Stewart’s goal came on a tip-in of a long shot from the point by Bob Woytowich.
The game was a rough-and-tumble match, and featured a vicious fight between Chicago’s Pat Stapleton and Boston’s Forbes Kennedy in the third period. Stapleton received two majors and a 10-minute misconduct, while Kennedy was tagged with a minor, major and misconduct.
The brawl began when the two players began high-sticking each other. Stapleton apparently cut Kennedy with his stick and the Boston forward flew into a rage and went after Stapleton, chasing him all over the ice. The two finally fought for a good 30 seconds to a minute and during the set-to, Kennedy accidentally socked linesman Brian Sopp.
Stapleton received the extra major for drawing blood on Kennedy.
As far as the hockey action in the game went, the come-from-behind win has to be a big confidence booster for the Bruins. The Hawks led 3-2 at the end of 40 minutes on goals by Ken Wharram, Bobby Hull and Doug Mohns. Tommy Williams and Pit Martin had scored for Boston in the four-goal first period.
Hull’s goal was his 37th of the season. The Bruins did a decent checking job on the Chicago superstar, limiting him to only eight shots on goal. Boston goalie Ed Johnston did his best work on Hull.
The third period saw Johnny McKenzie tie the score at 3-3 just before the Stapleton-Kennedy battle. That set the stage for Stewart’s game-winner with just 102 seconds left on the clock.
Another brawl was nearly ignited with two seconds left in the game. Stan Mikita of the Black Hawks knocked down Eddie Westfall, who had shadowed Hull all night. Westfall fell to the ice and in the melee, Hull’s stick came into contact with Westfall’s head while he was prone on the playing surface. Westfall was knocked unconscious for a short time by the blow and had to be helped to the dressing room.
Boston players threatened and tried to get at Hull and Mikita, who were hauled off the ice by team mates and coach Billy Reay. The only penalty assessed for the incident was a holding infraction given to Boston’s Leo Boivin.
Brewer To Be Traded?
It would seem that if defenseman Carl Brewer, late of the Toronto Maple Leafs, doesn’t come out of retirement and return to the National Hockey League club, he will be traded by the Leafs to another NHL team.
According to report by Paul Rimstead in the Toronto Globe and Mail, Maple Leaf president Stafford Smythe says that the Leafs will trade Brewer if he doesn’t return before the beginning of next season.
“We’ve had several good offers for Brewer already. Naturally we’ll turn everything down at least until the end of the current season. We still consider him to be a Maple Leaf.”
Brewer had stayed out of the public eye until two weeks ago when he played in a pickup game at a hockey school he helped at in Summerside, PEI. He was there at the request of the provincial government. He has also played shinny every Sunday with a group of friends at Ted Reeve Arena in Toronto.
Brewer was asked if he would accept a trade out of Toronto and come back to the NHL. He declined to comment.
Smythe was asked what the Toronto asking price would be for an asset such as Brewer:
Naturally, we’d want an all-star calibre player in return.
Petes Increase OHA Lead
The Peterborough Petes were held to a 3-3 tie by the Kitchener Rangers last night, but still managed to stretch their first-place lead in the Ontario Hockey Association Junior A League. Peterborough now leads the second-place Niagara Falls Flyers by three points.
In the other OHA games, Hamilton Red Wings edged the St. Catharines Black Hawks 2-1 and the Toronto Marlboros and Montreal Junior Canadiens tied 3-3.
At Peterborough, Mickey Redmond, Andre Lacroix and Guy Dufour scored for the Petes. Kitchener goal getters were Bob Jones, Bruce Reier and Don Luce.
Rookie goalie Roger Lalancette put on a brilliant performance for the Red Wings in their win over St. Catharines. Lalancette made numerous spectacular saves, especially in the third period when the Black Hawks rallied and controlled the game.
Nick Libett scored both Hamilton goals. Steve Latinovich connected for St. Catharines.
In Montreal, Mike Byers led a Toronto comeback with two goals to garner the single point for the Marlboros. Brent Imlach had the other Marlie score.
The Baby Habs got goals from Lucien Grenier, Ralph Stewart and Bernard Cote.
Bauman Blanks Buffalo
Quebec Aces goalie Gary Bauman earned his fourth shutout of the season as the Aces blanked the Buffalo Bisons 2-0 in an American Hockey League game in Quebec City last night.
The game was almost devoid of offence as the teams basically checked each other into the ice. Terry Gray and Leon Rochefort were the Aces who did manage to score.
Notes:
- Johnny Bower says his Christmas record, Honkey the Christmas Goose, has sold 45,000 copies.
- New York Rangers have decided that Rod Seiling, acquired from the Leafs in the Andy Bathgate trade, is best suited to the forward line.
- Chicago has added University of Toronto forward Bob Awrey to its negotiation list.