1960-61 NHL Replay - week ending 11 February 1961

While the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs battle tooth-and-nail over the regular-season title, the battle for the fourth and final playoff spot has become an unexpected tussle between the Black Hawks and the Rangers . . .

5 February 1961 - Toronto (4) at Chicago (2)

Toronto won yet again, using a pair of early second-period goals to get on top of the Hawks, and then letting Johnny Bower (28 saves) handle the rest. Larry Hillman opened the scoring inside of four minutes and the first period was all Leafs (12-3 shots on goal) until Bill Hay got Chicago even against the run of play with forty-two seconds to go in the period. The visitors got ahead again early in the second when Reggie Fleming went off for a trip at 3:10 and Bob Nevin cashed in the power-play marker a minute later. Ron Stewart's steal in the neutral zone and deke-and-score on Glenn Hall less than two minutes later made it 3-1 and the long run of Maple Leaf magic looked set to continue. The Red-hot Red Kelly scored on the PP midway through the final period, and all the Black Hawks could offer was a Murray Balfour score which didn't come until the ice-care crew had already gathered on the apron at the Stadium. The Toronto top line combined for 14 shots, while Moose Vasko landed three hits for the home club. [box] [stats]

Bob Nevin's PPG put Toronto in front to stay

5 February 1961 - Montréal (3) at Detroit (1)

The Canadiens needed two goals from Jean-Guy Gendron to fight through stiff Red Wing resistance and keep pace at the top of the standings. The Wings dazzled the home crowd with a buzzing display of hockey in the opening period, firing fifteen shots at Charlie Hodge, yet went to the locker room trailing after Gendron scooped up an errant ricochet off the side boards at the Olympia and found himself with a chance to beat Terry Sawchuk one-on-one at 14:55. Detroit, however, came right back onto the ice and tied the game on Gordie Howe's goal in the first minute of the second period; their early momentum did not last, though, as the ice evened out considerably, and Dickie Moore put the visitors back in front at 12:44. It was Montréal's turn to control the play in the final twenty minutes after Gendron had scored his second less than thirty seconds after the second intermission. The Wings could mount only five shots' worth of resistance in the period, and Hodge's thirty saves were more than enough. [box] [stats]

Jean-Guy Gendron scored Montréal's first and final goals

5 February 1961 - Boston (0) at New York (6)

Boston's hopes of avoiding their first last-place finish in 27 years took a painful blow as they were hammered by the Rangers in New York. Things didn't start so poorly for the visitors, as the Bruins played a good opening period on the road just to see Red Sullivan give the home team the lead with just over a minute to go in the frame. It started to really slip from Boston's reach in the second period, as Andy Bathgate and Dean Prentice scored twenty-seven seconds apart to give New York a three-goal lead, and the third period ended with a flurry of Ranger goals as two consecutive minors to Bruin defensemen led to PP goals by Andy Hebenton and Camille Henry, with The Eel then scoring again just forty seconds after his man-advantage marker. Gump Worsley made 32 saves to whitewash the Bruins for the second-straight game and push his scoreless skein to 216 minutes. [box] [stats]

Gump Worsley has stopped every puck to come his way for the past three games

8 February 1961 - Detroit (2) at Chicago (0)

The Red Wings suffocated Chicago on defense, and goals from Val Fonteyne and Norm Ullman provided the offense required to win on the road against the struggling Black Hawks. Fonteyne's goal five minutes in suggested a big night for the visitors, but Glenn Hall stymied the Wings for the rest of the first and all of the second periods to take a one-goal game into the final third of the contest. Chicago couldn't find another gear despite the pressure from the home crowd, and it was Detroit who found the back of the net when Ullman tipped a Gordie Howe pass home at 6:36 to double the lead and secure some insurance for Terry Sawchuk, whose 18 saves were enough for the shutout. Pete Goegan padded his League-leading total with three hits and Warren Godfrey matched his total. [box] [stats]

Terry Sawchuk's 18 saves were enough to blank the Black Hawks

8 February 1961 - New York (6) at Toronto (9)

Defence took a back seat at Maple Leaf Gardens, if it were seated in the building at all, as a fifteen-goal explosion left both goaltenders battered and bruised and the Leafs winners again. The opening ten minutes of the contest provided no foreshadowing of the carnage that was yet to come, as the teams struggled to find open ice and the scoreboard remained idle until the Rangers put the Leafs on alert with the first two goals of the game, from two second-line forwards on a run of good form - Andy Hebenton (five goals in his past seven games) scored at 12:31 and Camille Henry (four in the last three) made it 2-0 five minutes later. But Toronto seems to have an answer for everything these days, and Dave Keon scored his 18th of the season just 35 seconds after Henry's goal to cut the NYR lead in half. Keon's goal brought to a close a run of 233:41 without a blemish by Gump Worsley and the NY defence, a stretch that would manage to look quite distant by the end of the game. When Bill Gadsby tallied late in the period, though, the Rangers were back up by a pair and it looked like they were well-positioned to bid for the upset, and goals from Floyd Smith and Andy Bathgate in the first 200 ticks of the second period suggested that a rout might even be on the cards. But they were facing a team that hadn't lost in five weeks, with a guy by the name of Mahovlich who had scored 15 goals in his last 11 games . . . Toronto scored six goals without answer over the remainder of the period to take a 7-5 lead. Mahovlich produced two of those, Red Kelly another two, and the go-ahead goal came from an unexpected source in Larry Regan before Keon got his second with a solitary second remaining on the scoreboard clock and the Toronto crowd in an absolute frenzy. Could there be any coming back from this for New York? No, there could not. Kelly complete his hat trick midway in the third and Nevin finished off a six-goal evening for the top line at 18:14 before Brian Cullen finished the scoring with a meaningless goal in the final forty seconds. Kelly finished with five points to tie the League season-high total, Mahovlich registered a +5, and Bill Gadsby blocked three shots for the Rangers. [box] [stats]

Red Kelly earned a warm shower after a five-point night

9 February 1961 - Montréal (8) at Boston (2)

They may have left it a little late, but things seem to be coming around again for the Canadiens, just in time to stop Toronto from running off with the regular-season crown. Montréal blitzed the Bruins with early defence and late offence on their way to a dominant victory in Boston. The visitors held the Bs to just fourteen shots in the first forty minutes, while scoring four times themselves - Boom Boom Geoffrion broke out of a five-game goalless streak with two scores, one shorthanded, and Henri Richard and Ralph Backstrom also beat Bruce Gamble to put Les Habitants comfortably in front with twenty minutes to play. While Boston finally found the back of the net against Jacques Plante in his return after missing 30 games due to knee problems, Montréal was having its way with Gamble and the Bruins defence. Geoffrion collected his League-pacing 4th hat trick of the season and Jean Beliveau his League-leading 37th goal, while Don Marshall and Marcel Bonin also got in on the scoring act. Murray Oliver continued to impress the Gallery Gods, with his fifth goal in seven games since his trade to Boston, but this one was all Canadiens - Geoffrion had seven shots for his four points, Doug Harvey had four assists, and Plante turned aside 27 shots. [box] [stats]

Jacques Plante makes a save in his return from injury with help from Doug Harvey

9 February 1961 - New York (5) at Detroit (8)

As they battle with Chicago for the final spot in the playoffs, the Ranger defence has picked a fine time to desert them; after their long scoreless run had come crashing to an end the night before in Toronto it was Detroit that ravaged them tonight, the second straight game in which NY had allowed at least eight goals. Alex Delvecchio scored two times in the first nine minutes to set the tone then, after Dean Prentice had recouped one for the visitors on a hustling unassisted effort, the Red Wings scored the next three goals to stretch it out to a 5-1 lead at the halfway mark. To give New York credit, they didn't go quietly as they answered with the next three scores, the suddenly unstoppable Camille Henry scoring twice, and it was a 5-4 game with almost a full period to play. But the defence let NY down again, as Detroit scored twice in the final seven minutes to pocket the two points. Oddly, there were only two minor penalties in the game, but both of those turned into power-play goals. The entire Wing lineup got into the offensive act, Val Fonteyne and Gerry Melnyk leading the way with six shots apiece and Floyd Smith (-4) was one of many Rangers who had a night to forget. [box] [stats]

Gerry Melnyk had two of Detroit's eight goals

11 February 1961 - Montréal (3) at New York (2)

The Canadiens scored twice in the final period to come from behind and win at New York, Doug Harvey grabbing the decision with a goal just ninety seconds from the end. This was a wide-open affair from the start, as the teams combined for 29 shots in the first period, but none of those made it into the scorebook as Gump Worsley and Jacques Plante stood firm in the nets. Jean Beliveau got the first goal early in the middle period, but Early Ingarfield countered just before the game entered its second half. Late in the period, the Rangers grabbed the advantage when Brian Cullen tipped home John Hanna's shot from the point and the final twenty minutes would put Gump and the NY defence in the spotlight. That light shone a little too brightly as the period got underway, Phil Goyette finding his way into seam after barely a minute to snap one by Gump and tie the game. Even at home New York could not match Montréal blow-for-blow, getting outshot two-for-one, and the weight of the pressure eventually told - Beliveau and Geoffrion set up camp in the NY end with two minutes to go and a quick passing play found Harvey cheating in from the point to slap one past Worsley for the game-winner at 18:25. Gump's 44 saves went for nothing, as Harvey (7 shots), Tom Johnson (7) and Jean-Guy Gendron (6) were all repeat customers at the shooting gallery. [box] [stats]

An heroic effort from Gump Worsley (44 saves) wasn't enough to stop Montréal

11 February 1961 - Boston (1) at Toronto (1)

The Maple Leafs found it surprisingly tough sledding at home against the Bruins, being held to a stalemate for most of the game and having to survive six short-handed opportunities to escape with a point that broke their six-game winning streak but kept their unbeaten string alive at 18 games. Toronto were whistled for infractions three times in the opening stanza, and this eventually paid off for the Bs when Don McKenney redirected Johnny Bucyk's pass into the net at 12:26 to convert on the third of these power plays. But Toronto responded fairly quickly, tying the game up five minutes later when Bert Olmstead found himself clear at the back post for Billy Harris' pass off the rebound of an Allan Stanley shot. The Leafs weathered two more PPs in the second period, and outshot Boston two-to-one regardless, but could not untie the contest despite the territorial advantage. The final period was much the same - Boston got a PP six minutes in, but couldn't cash in, the Leafs put thirteen pucks on Bruce Gamble without reward and it ended in a 1-1 tie that felt like a moral victory for Boston and a lost opportunity for Toronto. The Bruins defence found the antidote to Frank Mahovlich and Red Kelly (two shots combined), as Stanley led them from the blue line with five shots, and Johnny Bower (23 saves) and Gamble (30 saves) were the stars of the evening. [box] [stats]

Bruce Gamble and the Boston defence frustrated the Leafs

Standings as of 11 February 1961

Team	GP	W	L	T	PTS	Pct	GF	GA
Toronto Maple Leafs	55	33	13	9	75	0.682	193	132
Montréal Canadiens	53	32	13	8	72	0.679	213	135
Detroit Red Wings	54	23	21	10	56	0.519	152	146
Chicago Black Hawks	54	18	29	7	43	0.398	128	158
New York Rangers	54	18	29	7	43	0.398	154	204
Boston Bruins	54	14	33	7	35	0.324	136	201

League Leaders

Goals	Team	G
Beliveau, Jean	Montreal	38
Mahovlich, Frank	Toronto	36
Geoffrion, Bernie	Montreal	33
Moore, Dickie	Montreal	29
Ullman, Norm	Detroit	27

Assists	Team	A
Beliveau, Jean	Montreal	46
Kelly, Red	Toronto	44
Geoffrion, Bernie	Montreal	42
Harvey, Doug	Montreal	37
Nevin, Bob	Toronto	36

Points	Team	PTS
Beliveau, Jean	Montreal	84
Geoffrion, Bernie	Montreal	75
Kelly, Red	Toronto	65
Moore, Dickie	Montreal	63
Mahovlich, Frank	Toronto	62
Ullman, Norm	Detroit	62

Penalty Minutes	Team	PIM
Fleming, Reggie	Chicago	137
Pilote, Pierre	Chicago	118
Talbot, Jean-Guy	Montreal	112
Richard, Henri	Montreal	100
Mahovlich, Frank	Toronto	82

Plus/Minus	Team	+/-
Beliveau, Jean	Montreal	54
Johnson, Tom	Montreal	51
Langlois, Albert	Montreal	51
Geoffrion, Bernie	Montreal	50
Moore, Dickie	Montreal	40

Goals-Against Average	Team	GAA
Bower, Johnny	Toronto	2.37
Hodge, Charlie	Montreal	2.37
Sawchuk, Terry	Detroit	2.69
Bassen, Hank	Detroit	2.70
Plante, Jacques	Montreal	2.74

Save Percentage	Team	PCT
Hodge, Charlie	Montreal	0.921
Bower, Johnny	Toronto	0.920
Bassen, Hank	Detroit	0.910
Sawchuk, Terry	Detroit	0.907
Plante, Jacques	Montreal	0.907

(Boxscores and stats from the BlueLynx hockey spreadsheet.)