1948-49 NHL Regular Season
On the eve of the regular season,
Johnny Bower has been put on waivers by
Detroit. That’s crazy. If he clears waivers, and the
Rangers do not claim him, the game is broken. Let’s see…
The
Rangers trade a 2nd round pick to
Boston for 21 year old goalie
Harry Lumley, instead of claiming
Johnny Bower.
Bower goes unclaimed, but the
Rangers do upgrade their goaltending.
Lumley is the best goalie in
New York now, and he’s got some solid potential. Bower heads back to the minors wondering if anyone will ever give him a chance!
Harry Lumley joins the Stanley Cup champs.
30 year old
Milt Schmidt has become the 2nd player to hit the 300 goal plateau. He does it in 562 games, and is currently second all time. He’s chasing
Toe Blake, who has 337 career goals, and still adding to his totals, though at a slower pace.
Maurice Richard, with a strong second half to the season, could hit that 300 goal mark this year as well.
300!
The most obvious thing I'm noticing at new years is how far scoring has fallen off. We are averaging 4.33 goals a game this season. That’s down more then a full goal from last season, and 2.5 goals from 1944!! Here’s a look at the table showing goals per game the past few years.
The trade deadline has just passed with a few minor deals, but the big news is the
Toronto Maple Leafs. They have gone from worst to first! The
Leafs currently sit atop the standings with 20 games to play. They lead the
Bruins by 3 points.
Toronto has quietly rebuilt their nucleus the past few years, and are now employing young players like
Marty Pavelich, Tod Sloan, Sid Smith, Paul Ronty, Bob Goldham, and
Tim Horton! Goalie
Chuck Rayner is now a 4 star goalie, and
Milt Schmidt is the glue. This
Leaf team likes like the real deal, and they still have
Terry Sawchuk in the minors!
Sid Smith and Tod Sloan, two of the youngsters the Leafs are relying on
On March 12th,
Maurice Richard did it, he reached the 300 goal plateau, the third player to get there.
Richard is only 27 years old. He’s the best player in hockey. It’s not crazy for him to reach the 500 mark. It’s only a matter of time until he is the goal scoring king!
300!
Final Standings
The
Rangers made up a deficit of 11 points in the last third of the season to pass the
Leafs and finish in 1st place. They went on a 11-2-3 run. The young
Maple Leafs meanwhile, went on a terrible 3 wins in 12 games stretch which cost them first place. Still, they are back in the playoffs!
Maurice Richard’s 61 points is the lowest league leading total in a decade.
Milt Schmidt had 59 in 1939/40.
Tim Horton played 52 games as a 18/19 year old on the
Leafs blue line. The teenager had 18 points and a plus 12. Pretty impressive.
Gordie Howe has become a legit scoring threat and top line player. His 44 points and 19 goals were both 2nd on the
Red Wings.
Johnny Bower didn’t appear in an NHL game. He’s now 24. It makes no sense to me why
Detroit won’t play him.
Harry Lumley gave
New York the best goaltending they have seen in a long time with a 2.15 GAA and a .910 save percentage.