1934-1935 Montreal Maroons: Forgotten Hockey History

1934-1935 Montreal Maroons: Forgotten Hockey History

1934-1935 Montreal Maroons: Forgotten Hockey History

While the Montreal Canadiens made themselves at home and claimed the Montreal Forum, the historic hockey venue was built primarily for a hockey team founded in 1924. That team was called the Montreal Maroons and they initially had success at the gate in the 1920’s. The Montreal Forum officially opened on November 29, 1924 and its total cost of construction amounted to 1,500,000 Canadian Dollars. The Maroons won their first Stanley Cup Championship in 1926 and it would take nearly 10 years for them to claim their 2nd Stanley Cup.

The successful run in 1934-1935 was made possible by the signing of coach Tommy Gorman, who had guided the Chicago Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup Championship in the previous season of 1933-1934. The Maroons went 24-19-5 with 53 points in their 11th year of existence, finishing in 2nd place in the Canadian Division. The Maroons finished 5.5 games and 11 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs in the division.

In head-to-head play the Maroons went 5-1 against the St. Louis Eagles, who only lasted 1 season, 4-1-1 against the Boston Bruins and New York Americans, 3-2-1 against the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers, and 3-3 against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Maroons enjoyed a 6-game winning streak during the regular season which began on November 20 with a 3-0 shutout win over the New York Americans, and it ended on December 8 with a 1-0 shutout win over the St. Louis Eagles.

Left winger Herb Cain ended up being the last active player in the NHL who played for the Montreal Maroons as he would play until 1946. Cain had 20 goals and 7 assists for 27 points in 1934-1935. Right winger Earl Robinson had 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points, playing in all 48 games. Center Russ Blinco had 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points, playing in all 48 games. Center and left winger Bob Gracie had 10 goals and 8 assists for 18 points. Left winger Lawrence “Baldy” Northcott had 9 goals and 14 assists for 23 points. Northcott also saw plenty of time in the penalty box as he had 44 penalty minutes. Right winger Jimmy Ward had 9 goals in 41 games.

Along with Northcott there were a few Maroons who weren’t afraid to risk being sent to the penalty box. Defenseman Stewart Evans had 54 penalty minutes, defenseman Al Shields had 45 penalty minutes, and defenseman Lionel Conacher had 44 penalty minutes.

The Maroons had one of the best goaltenders in the 1930’s in Alec Connell, who allowed 92 goals in 2970 minutes, recording a small 1.86 goals against average and 9 shutouts.

The playoff format in the NHL was much different than what has been seen in recent years. The Montreal Maroons would face the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL Quarterfinals, but it would only be a 2-game series where the team that scored the most goals advanced. Both in Game 1 on March 23 at the Montreal Forum and Game 2 on March 26 at Chicago Stadium were played to 0-0 ties, so there would be an overtime period played to determine who would advance. Left winger Dave Trottier suffered a cut and had to leave the game to receive stitches. However, as he entered the dressing room for treatment, 4:02 into the overtime period was when Baldy Northcott scored the series-winning goal.

The NHL Semifinals pitted the Montreal Maroons against the New York Rangers, and it would once again be a 2-game series where the team that scored the most goals advanced. In Game 1 on March 28 at Madison Square Garden III the Maroons defeated the Rangers 2-1. In Game 2 on March 30 at the Montreal Forum the Maroons and the Rangers played to a 3-3 tie. However, the Maroons eliminated the Rangers because of the 5-4 overall score in goals.

The 1935 Stanley Cup Finals appeared to be a mismatch of sorts as the Montreal Maroons faced the Toronto Maple Leafs. During the regular season the Maple Leafs had the edge over the Maroons as Montreal only went 1-5 against Toronto. However, the Stanley Cup Finals would end up telling a different story. In game 1 on April 4 at the Maple Leaf Gardens the Maroons beat the Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime. In Game 2 on April 6 the Maroons beat the Maple Leafs again by the score of 3-1.

Finally in Game 3 on April 9 at the Montreal Forum the Maroons beat the Maple Leafs to claim their 2nd Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history. In the 2nd period of Game 3 Baldy Northcott scored the series-winning goal, which would be part of a 3-goal game for Northcott. He went on to have 4 goals and 1 assist for the entire playoffs. Defenseman Cy Wentworth had 3 goals and 2 assists while Russ Blinco and Earl Robinson both had 2 goals and 2 assists. Dave Trottier had 2 goals and 1 assist in the playoffs. Alec Connell had one of the best runs in NHL playoff history by allowing just 4 goals in 429 minutes, going 5-0 and recording a 1.12 goals against average and 2 shutouts.

After the 1937-1938 NHL season the Montreal Maroons would dissolve. After long and tiresome efforts by the ownership group led by Len Peto to move the team to places like St. Louis and Philadelphia, it was determined that no suitable arena could be found for the franchise. After the 1946-1947 NHL season the Montreal Maroons completely ceased operations, and they quickly became a forgotten part of hockey history. The things that remain fresh in the minds of hockey fans are the 2 Stanley Cup Championships won by the Maroons, including the impressive 1934-1935 campaign.