| TEAM |
GP
Games played - Number of games the team has played
|
W
Wins - Games the team has won, either in regulation or in overtime
|
L
Losses - Games the team has lost in regulation
|
PTS
Points - Team points, calculated from W, L, T, OTL and SOL; used to determine standings
|
GF
Goals for - Number of goals the team has scored
|
GA
Goals against - Number of goals scored against the team
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Senators | 24 | 16 | 8 | 32 | 74 | 54 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 24 | 13 | 11 | 26 | 59 | 48 |
| Toronto St.Patricks | 24 | 10 | 14 | 20 | 59 | 85 |
| Hamilton Tigers | 24 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 63 | 68 |
| # | SKATERS |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
G
Goals - Number of goals the player has scored
|
A
Assists - Number of goals the player has assisted in
|
PTS
Points - Scoring points, calculated as the sum of G and A
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Billy Boucher | 23 | 16 | 6 | 22 |
| 4 | Aurèle Joliat | 24 | 15 | 5 | 20 |
| 7 | Howie Morenz | 24 | 13 | 3 | 16 |
| 2 | Sprague Cleghorn | 23 | 8 | 4 | 12 |
| 6 | Odie Cleghorn | 22 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| # | #1 GOALIE |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
RECORD
Record - Goalie record (W-L-T)
|
SO
Shutouts - Number of games where the goaltender has not allowed a goal
|
GAA
Goals against average - Mean goals-per-game scored on the goaltender
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges Vézina | 24 | 13-11-0 | 3 | 1.97 |
| DATE | AWAY | HOME |
|---|
THE REGULAR SEASON
The league-wide trend towards low-scoring matches continued, a development that worried some teams but did not seem to inconvenience the Canadiens, who added new blood and reached new heights before the 1923-24 hockey season was put into the books.
Montreal native, Sylvio Mantha, began his 14-year NHL career paired with blue line bad man, Sprague Cleghorn. At 33 the veteran captain had lost none of his fire, still used his stick on opponents as often as on the puck and as a result would be sanctioned by both league and the civil authorities that year.
Less confident in his abilities than the Canadiens were, Howie Morenz, the team’s other rookie of note, pleaded to have his contract voided before training camp but the Canadiens stood firm, he reported and a legend was born.
Placed at center between a youthful veteran, Billy Boucher, and the feisty Aurel Joliat, Morenz was an immediate sensation. He and his undersized linemates skated circles around defencemen, attracting notice at home and on the road.
Weighing in at a total of only 456 pounds, the trio used speed and manoeuvrability to great effect with all three linemates finished among the NHL’s top ten marksmen.
Netminder Georges Vezina stood tall in the regular season, allowing an average of only two goals a game, the NHL’s top netminder for the first time since his club joined the league.
A 13-11 regular season record resulted in a second place finish as Ottawa once again led the league. The 1924 playoffs, while featuring the same adversaries as the previous spring, would have a much different outcome.
THE PLAYOFFS
Having finished atop the regular season standings three years running, the Ottawa Senators were heavily favored to get past Montreal and challenge for the Stanley Cup once again in 1924 but that spring, as sometimes happens, the experts were wrong.
After riding a Vezina shutout to a one-goal lead in the two-game, total point series, the Canadiens took the final game 4-1 and were on to the next level, facing the western Canadian contenders for the Stanley Cup.
First up were the Vancouver Maroons who, like Montreal, had toppled a first place favorite to move on to the best-of-three series. Coming out the right end of 3-2 and 2-1 decisions, both presented before home town fans, the Canadiens overcome the stiffest opposition they would face in the 1924 postseason.
Calgary’s Tigers represented the final opponent standing between Montreal and their first Stanley Cup title as an NHL team. Once again it was Montreal in a sweep. Game one, a 6-1 blowout featured a Howie Morenz hat trick while the second and final match, played in Ottawa due to inadequate ice conditions in Montreal, ended as a 3-0 Canadiens victory with Morenz, Joliat and Boucher sharing the scoring honors.
Captain Sprague Cleghorn managed to curb his enthusiasm for mayhem on the way to first Stanley Cup as an NHL team, picking up four postseason points but only two minutes in penalty time.
| NHL Finals - Ottawa Senators | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| March 8th, 1924 | OTT 0 | MTL 1 | ||
| March 11th, 1924 | MTL 4 | OTT 2 | ||
| Canadiens won total-goals series 5-2 | ||||
| Stanley Cup Semifinals - Vancouver Millionaires | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| March 18th, 1924 | VAN 2 | MTL 3 | ||
| March 20th, 1924 | VAN 1 | MTL 2 | ||
| Canadiens won best-of-three series 2-0 | ||||
| Stanley Cup Finals - Calgary Tigers | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| March 22nd, 1924 | CGY 1 | MTL 6 | ||
| March 25th, 1924 | MTL 3 | CGY 0 | ||
| Canadiens won best-of-three series 2-0 | ||||
After eliminating the Ottawa Senators and the Vancouver Millionaires at the end of March 1924, [...]
More
On March 25, 1924, the Canadiens completed an undefeated postseason run, overcoming adversity [...]
More
A founding member of both the National Hockey Association and National Hockey League, the [...]
More