1960-61 NHL Replay - week ending 25 February 1961

After riding high for so long, the Maple Leafs face what could already be considered a "must-win" date with the Canadiens in Montréal . . .

19 February 1961 - Boston (0) at Chicago (7)

What started out as a feisty road performance by the Bruins went sideways in the second period and straight to Hull in the third as the Hawks piled on six goals in the final forty minutes to win going away at home. The visitors were actually in complete control of the opening period, holding Chicago to just three shots on goal, but Ed Litzenberger's tip got under Bruce Gamble in the final minute and Boston went to their dressing room unrewarded for their strong performance. The middle frame was a different story as the Black Hawks swung the play their way and scored twice courtesy of Al Arbour and Bill Hay to take a three-goal lead. Perhaps there wasn't much of a realistic chance that the Bs could take the game back in the final twenty minutes, but you probably wouldn't have predicted the complete collapse that actually ensued - Bobby Hull scored four goals in the span of 9:33, the second four-goal performance in the NHL this season, as Chicago buried the Bostonians. Hull's four scores (he also had an assist) game on just seven shots, and linemate Hay also had a five-point night (G, 4A) and Glenn Hall recorded his fourth shutout of the season on 24 saves. [box] [stats]

Bobby Hull was all smiles after his four-goal evening

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

The Canadiens spotted the Wings an early goal, then stormed back with three of their own in the first period to take control before withstanding a late Detroit charge. Vic Stasiuk got the action started and the Olympia crowd on its feet when he got into the slot to one-time home Pete Goegan's pass less than two minutes after the puck drop, but Montréal was unfazed. Jean Beliveau, suddenly under threat in a goal-scoring race which he seemed to have in hand a month ago, scored twice in a thirty-second span to give the visitors the lead and Bill Hicke added another at 11:25 to make it a 3-1 game for the Montréal at the end of the first. Hicke scored again midway through the second, and it was looking like a comfortable Canadiens conquest, but not quite so fast . . . Gordie Howe scored two minutes later and Leo Labine two minutes after that and it was a one-goal game with twenty-five minutes to go, Detroit outplaying the Habs on the shot clock, and playing in front of a full-throated audience. The visitors showed their first-place quality in the final period, though, having the better of the play despite Detroit's need for pressure and Jacques Plante turned aside all eleven Red Wing attempts on goal before Tom Johnson got a loose puck over center ice and flipped it into the empty Detroit goal. Bernie Geoffrion had three assists and Henri Richard registered eight shots on goal for the victors, while Goegan had two assists, two hits and three minor penalties for the Wings.  [box] [stats]

Jean Beliveau's two goals gave Montréal the lead, and padded his NHL goal-scoring lead

19 February 1961 - Toronto (6) at New York (0)

The huge chasm between the NHL's haves and its have-nots continues to widen as the season wears on, and the Maple Leafs gave a lesson in having your way with a have-not as they pummelled the Rangers when it counted. New York put up some resistance in the first period, playing the visitors on roughly level terms for twenty minutes, but the star quality of the Toronto roster began to wear on the Blueshirts in the second. The Leafs' top line scored twice early in the period, and again early in the third to make the score 3-0, and then the supporting cast took over - third period goals from Eddie Shack (who made no attempt to hide his satisfaction with his first goal against his former teammates, and was driven into the boards by Red Sullivan two minutes later in recompense), Dave Keon and Ron Stewart sent the MSG crowd home early and sealed a whitewash win for Gerry McNamara despite Andy Bathgate's eight shots on goal. [box] [stats]

Gerry McNamara kept New York off the scoresheet in front of their home fans

22 February 1961 - Chicago (3) at New York (3)

The Hawks scored twice in the final period to overcome a sluggish start and steal a point on th road. A quiet first stanza burst into life with about three minutes to go when Earl Ingarfield was hauled down by Jack Evans as he broke into the clear at the Ranger blueline, and was awarded a penalty shot. The NY center calmly tucked the freebie between Glenn Hall's pads to give New York the lead at the first intermission. Camille Henry scored three minutes into the middle period to double the Ranger lead and, after Murray Balfour countered for Chicago, Andy Hebenton turned Henry's pass into a goal that sent the Rangers to the changing room for the second time with a two-goal edge. But the Black Hawks signaled their intent when Ab McDonald scored less than two minutes into the third, and the visitors began to put the Rangers under more and more pressure. Gump Worsley and the NY defence held out for another ten minutes before Chicago tied the game at 12:28 when a broken play in the neutral zone gave Ron Murphy a chance to thread a pass up the middle to the charging Tod Sloan, who zipped the puck over Worsley's glove. Now it was the Rangers who were scrambling, but they held the Hawks off for the final seven minutes to at least grab their taxis home with a point in their pockets.  [box] [stats]

Tod Sloan's goal with seven minutes left forced a tie

23 February 1961 - Boston (1) at Detroit (5)

The Red Wings controlled the game from the opening face-off and used three goals from former Bruins acquired exactly one month ago to cruise to a 5-1 victory. Detroit didn't waste any time putting their stamp on the game at home, as Parker MacDonald scored just two minutes into the game to give Detroit the lead, and then recent acquisition Vic Stasiuk took over. He potted one with just six seconds left in the period to make it 2-0 and then a second midway through the second that gave the Wings a 3-0 lead that appeared safe given Boston's scoring woes (dead last in the NHL in scoring). Don McKenney gave the Bs a little bit of hope with a goal less than a minute after Stasiuk's second, but another former Bruin (Leo Labine) put that to rest with a response just ninety seconds later. The Wings skated out the final period efficiently, and got a late goal from Marcel Pronovost to round out the scoring. [box] [stats]

Vic Stasiuk tortured his former team with a pair of goals

23 February 1961 - Toronto (2) at Montréal (3)

The Maple Leafs came to the Forum clinging hopefully to slim hopes of clawing back some ground in the title race with the schedule running out. Trailing by four points with about ten games to play, they could hardly afford to cede any more ground, and the opening twenty minutes looked every bit like a battle for the final stronghold after a five-month siege. Toronto held Montréal to only three shots, but only got off eight of their own, as the two clubs checked themselves into a stalemate that resulted in twenty penalty minutes (including fisticuffs between Eddie Shack and Jean-Guy Talbot) and a scoreless period. The game opened up a bit after the intermission, and it didn't take long for the Canadiens to put down a marker - Henri Richard fired Bill Hicke's feed past Gerry McNamara at 2:28 and Toronto was already chasing the game. Midway in the period, Bob Baun took a cross-checking penalty and Richard made it hurt with a PPG to double the Montréal lead. When Ralph Backstrom made it 3-0 two minutes later and Frank Mahovlich then went off or a slash late in the period, it looked as if the game and the regular-season title had been reduced to mere formalities. But Toronto fought back - Ron Stewart scored shorthanded just before the penalty expired and Dick Duff scored jsut three minutes into the third period and it was a one-goal game with honors again hanging in the balance. The Leafs survived a Tim Horton penalty a few minutes later and a late Toronto chance at an open net was stopped by Bob Tuner's sliding block as the Canadiens held on to win and stick a dagger into Toronto's title hopes. [Ed. note - Bob and I played this one out face-to-face at D2D Con 2026.] [box] [stats]

Henri Richard's two goals put Montréal in front to stay

25 February 1961 - Chicago (1) at Montréal (5)

Riding high after their crucial defeat of Toronto two nights ago, the Canadiens rolled relentlessly over the Black Hawks, holding the visitors to just nineteen shots on goal while scoring four unanswered goals in the second half of the game. Montréal came out flying with seventeen shots in the first period and took the lead when Jean Beliveau forced a turnover in the neutral zone and beat Glenn Hall one-on-one for his 44th goal of the season. The Hawks got level early in the second when Eric Nesterenko found a way past Jacques Plante, but the equilibrium was fleeting - "Boom Boom" Geoffrion put the Canadiens back in front midway through the period, and then Don Marshall and Bill Hicke tallied on the power play in the first half of the final period to put the Hawks in the rear-view mirror. Twenty-year-old rookie Cliff Pennington scored his first NHL goal, in his second start, with twenty seconds to go to complete the scoring. [box] [stats]

Is Cliff Pennington's first NHL goal a sign of things to come?

25 February 1961 - Detroit (0) at Toronto (2)

The Leafs did their best to shake off the disappointment of their trip to Montréal earlier in the week, but the Red Wings gave them a fight before debutant Cesare Maniago and their top line joined forces to tough out a 2-0 win. Toronto got an early chance when Marcel Pronovost was sent to the bin for holding four minutes into the game, and Frank Mahovlich scored his 41st goal of the season on the power play to get Toronto off to a flying start. But Detroit was skating stride-for-stride with the home team and still trailed by just the one goal at the break. But Pete Goegan's penalty late in the period proved costly after the restart, when Bob Nevin got the Maple Leafs' second PPG of the game to make the score 2-0 and Toronto turned things up a notch (16 SOG) for the remainder of the period. Detroit could make no inroads against the 22-year-old rookie Maniago, making his NHL debut a memorable one with save after save to frustrate the Wings, and the Leafs held on for the shutout win behind the rookie's 31 saves. Gordie Howe had six shots and Frank Mahovlich had seven as the stars came out to play. [box] [stats]

What a debut for Cesare Maniago - a 31-save shutout!

Standings as of 25 February 1961

Team	GP	W	L	T	PTS	Pct	GF	GA
Montréal Canadiens	60	38	13	9	85	0.708	247	152
Toronto Maple Leafs	61	35	17	9	79	0.648	208	147
Detroit Red Wings	59	26	23	10	62	0.525	169	156
Chicago Black Hawks	60	21	31	8	50	0.417	146	174
New York Rangers	59	18	33	8	44	0.373	165	227
Boston Bruins	59	15	36	8	38	0.322	146	225

League Leaders

Goals	Team	G
Beliveau, Jean	Montreal	44
Mahovlich, Frank	Toronto	41
Geoffrion, Bernie	Montreal	38
Moore, Dickie	Montreal	33
Ullman, Norm	Detroit	28

Assists	Team	A
Beliveau, Jean	Montreal	52
Geoffrion, Bernie	Montreal	50
Kelly, Red	Toronto	50
Harvey, Doug	Montreal	42
Richard, Henri	Montreal	41

Points	Team	PTS
Beliveau, Jean	Montreal	96
Geoffrion, Bernie	Montreal	88
Kelly, Red	Toronto	71
Mahovlich, Frank	Toronto	69
Moore, Dickie	Montreal	69

Penalty Minutes	Team	PIM
Fleming, Reggie	Chicago	139
Pilote, Pierre	Chicago	130
Talbot, Jean-Guy	Montreal	123
Richard, Henri	Montreal	121
Mahovlich, Frank	Toronto	88

Plus/Minus	Team	+/-
Johnson, Tom	Montreal	59
Beliveau, Jean	Montreal	58
Geoffrion, Bernie	Montreal	56
Langlois, Albert	Montreal	54
Moore, Dickie	Montreal	45

Goals-Against Average	Team	GAA
Hodge, Charlie	Montreal	2.37
Bower, Johnny	Toronto	2.38
Bassen, Hank	Detroit	2.54
Plante, Jacques	Montreal	2.67
Sawchuk, Terry	Detroit	2.69

Save Percentage	Team	PCT
Hodge, Charlie	Montreal	0.921
Bower, Johnny	Toronto	0.920
Bassen, Hank	Detroit	0.915
Plante, Jacques	Montreal	0.908
Sawchuk, Terry	Detroit	0.907

(Boxscores and stats from the BlueLynx hockey spreadsheet.)