Herb Cain
- For the former San Francisco Chronicle columnist, see Herb Caen
Herbert James Cain (born - December 24, 1912, in Newmarket, Ontario - died February 23, 1982 in Newmarket, Ontario) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Maroons, Montreal Canadiens, and Boston Bruins.
Playing career
Herbert Cain grew up in Newmarket, he played junior hockey for the Newmarket Redmen and the Hamilton Tigers of the OHA. His NHL career started when he joined the Montreal Maroons of the NHL in the 1933-34 season. He split that season playing with the Maroons and the Hamilton Tigers of the OHA. In 1934-35 Cain briefly played for the Windsor Bulldogs of the IHL and with the exception of a one game stint with the Hershey Bears in 1940-41, he would remain in the NHL for the next 11 seasons.
As a member of the Montreal Maroons Herb Cain played on a line with Gus Marker and Bob Gracie. They were dubbed the "Green Line" and their combined offensive prowess led Montreal to their second Stanley Cup Championship in 1934-35. Cain was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens in the fall of 1938 and after one fairly strong season with the Canadiens. He was traded to the Boston Bruins in 1939 for Charlie Sands and Ray Getliffe. Cain had his best years in Beantown. Playing on a line with Hall of Famer Bill Cowley, they would help the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1940-41.
Cain then went on to win the NHL scoring title in 1943-44 with 82 points. His mark broke the then-record for points in a season and stood until Gordie Howe broke the record in 1950-51 with 86. Despite criticism that the war-depleted league had led to a freak season -- his mark was more than double his previous season high -- Cain was also selected as a Second Team All-Star at left wing and was runner up to Clint Smith of the Chicago Black Hawks for the Lady Byng Trophy.
The following season, he scored 32 goals for Boston, but fell well short of his previous point mark, and the season thereafter (with former soldiers coming back to the NHL) his totals plummeted further. In 1946-47 Cain was sent to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League and he went on to help the Bears win their first Calder Cup in franchise history. Cain ended his professional career in 1949-50 as a member of the Hershey Bears.
He remains the only eligible former NHL scoring champion yet to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Cain was the last active player in the NHL to have ever played for the Montreal Maroons. In his career, Herbert Cain played 571 NHL regular season games.
Cain's older brother Jack Cain played professional hockey in the AHL for the New Haven Eagles and the Hershey Bears. His cousin Jim "Dutch" Cain also played in the NHL.
Awards & achievements
Records
1943-44 - Set NHL record for most points in a season with 82
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1932-33 | Hamilton Tigers | OHASr | 0 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 0 | |||||||
| 1933-34 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 31 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1933-34 | Hamilton Tigers | OHASr | ||||||||||||
| 1935-36 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 44 | 20 | 7 | 27 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1935-36 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 47 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1936-37 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 43 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1937-38 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 47 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1938-39 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 45 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1939-40 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 21 | 10 | 31 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1940-41 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| 1940-41 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 40 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | ||
| 1941-42 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 35 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1942-43 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 45 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1943-44 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 36 | 46 | 82 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1944-45 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 50 | 32 | 13 | 45 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1945-46 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1946-47 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 59 | 36 | 30 | 66 | 19 | |||||||
| 1947-48 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 49 | 19 | 19 | 38 | 25 | |||||||
| 1948-49 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 49 | 25 | 35 | 60 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 | ||
| 1949-50 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 41 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 8 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| NHL Totals | 571 | 206 | 194 | 400 | 178 | 67 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 13 | ||||
External links
- Herb Cain's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- Herb Cain's statistics & photos hockeyhalloffame.com
See also
- List of Boston Bruins players
- List of Montreal Canadiens players
- List of Montreal Maroons players
- Notable families in the NHL
| Preceded by Doug Bentley |
NHL Scoring
Champion 1944 |
Succeeded by Elmer Lach |
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