1957–58 NHL season

The 1957–58 NHL season was the 41st season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup for the third consecutive season, defeating the Boston Bruins four games to two in the best-of-seven final series.

League business

It was announced in September that Senator Hartland Molson had purchased 60% stock from the Canadian Arena Company and the Montreal Canadiens from Senator Donat Raymond.

Organization of Players' Association

Doug Harvey and Ted Lindsay formed the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), a players' labour association, and sued the NHL over the issue of player pensions. Lindsay lost his captaincy of the Detroit Red Wings and was traded to Chicago because of his efforts.

After the NHL declined to negotiate with the players over benefits and would not open the books on the pension plan, the player's association filed an anti-trust lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged the monopolization of the professional hockey industry since 1926. At this time, the Toronto Maple Leafs players voted unanimously to certify the union.

The NHL started to fight back. First, they traded Lindsay to Chicago to separate him from the Red Wings, who the NHLPA had targeted for a union vote. Next, Jack Adams spread false stories in the press alleging various slanders had been made by Lindsay against the Red Wings players, and produced a fake contract to the press showing an over-inflated salary value for Lindsay, greater than Gordie Howe. The ruse worked and the Red Wings players voted to dis-associate themselves from the organizing.^[1]

Despite this, the anti-trust lawsuit placed the NHLPA in a strong position. In an out-of-court settlement on February 5, 1958, the NHL promised:^[2]

• a $7000 minimum wage,
• an increase in pension benefits,
• increased hospitalization benefits,
• a limit on the number of exhibition games,
• the player shall be the sole judge of his physical fitness to play after injury.

Regular season

This season saw the Montreal Canadiens regain first place overall, while the previous season's leader, the Detroit Red Wings, slipped to third. Montreal's Maurice "Rocket" Richard became the first NHL player to score 500 career goals, Jacques Plante won his third straight Vezina Trophy, and Doug Harvey his fourth straight Norris Trophy.

Glenn Hall, after two playoff years in which the Wings were eliminated, was traded, along with Ted Lindsay to the Chicago Black Hawks and Terry Sawchuk was brought back to Detroit in a deal that saw Larry Hillman and Johnny Bucyk go to Boston. Chicago almost made the playoffs, and Hall's goaltending, including seven shutouts, one of which was in his debut with the Hawks, made him a contender for the Hart Memorial Trophy.

On October 19, 1957, Rocket Richard, in a 3–1 win over Chicago, scored his 500th career goal, against Glenn Hall. He immediately dedicated it to his old coach Dick Irvin, who had died on May 15, 1957, after a long bout with bone cancer.

When Marcel Paille was brought up to the Rangers from Providence of the AHL for the ailing Gump Worsley, he sparkled, and Worsley was sent down to Providence, though he was eventually recalled. Worsley had his finest campaign up to this point, with a 2.32 goals-against average and four shutouts, and the Rangers finished second — their highest finish since 1941–42.

Two contenders for the Calder Memorial Trophy, Chicago's Bobby Hull and the Toronto Maple Leafs' Frank Mahovlich, battled all season for rookie honours. Mahovlich prevailed, although the Maple Leafs finished last in the NHL.

This season also saw the first player of African descent play in the league. Willie O'Ree suited up with the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958, in a game against the Canadiens in Montreal.

Final standings

^[3]

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Teams that qualify for the playoffs are indicated in bold.

Playoffs

The first-place Montreal Canadiens swept the third-place Detroit Red Wings to qualify for the final. In the other semi-final, the fourth-place Boston Bruins upset the second-place New York Rangers in six games to qualify for the final.

Finals

The Canadiens, making their eighth consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup final, defeated the Bruins in six games. It was the Canadiens' third consecutive Stanley Cup triumph.

Playoff bracket

NHL awards

All-Star teams

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes

^[4]

Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Min - Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1957–58 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Willie O'Ree, Boston Bruins (First ever black player to play in the NHL)
• Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks
• Murray Oliver, Detroit Red Wings
• Ab McDonald*, Montreal Canadiens
• Carl Brewer, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Bob Nevin, Toronto Maple Leafs

Last games

The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1957–58 (listed with their last team):

• Johnny Peirson, Boston Bruins
• Jimmy Thomson, Chicago Black Hawks
• Tony Leswick, Detroit Red Wings
• Metro Prystai, Detroit Red Wings
• Floyd Curry, Montreal Canadiens
• Sid Smith, Toronto Maple Leafs

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• 1957 in sports
• 1958 in sports

References

• Coleman, Charles L. (1976), Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol III, Sherbrooke, QC: Progressive Publications 
• Cruise, David (1991). Net Worth: Exploding the Myths of Pro Hockey. 
• Diamond, Dan, ed. (1994). Years of glory, 1942-1967: the National Hockey League's official book of the six-team era. Toronto, ON: McClelland and Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-2817-2. 
• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, NY: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X. 
• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5. 
• Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9. 
• Duplacey, James (2008), Hockey’s Book of Firsts, North Dighton, MA: JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9 
• Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International Inc.. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1. 
• McFarlane, Brian (1969), 50 Years Of Hockey, Winnipeg, MAN: Greywood Publishing, ISBN B000GW45S0 
• McFarlane, Brian (1973). The Story of the National Hockey League. New York, NY: Pagurian Press. ISBN 0-684-13424-1. 

Notes

External links

• Hockey Database
• NHL.com