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THE REGULAR SEASON

After missing the playoffs twice in the previous four seasons, the time has come for the Canadiens to make some changes before the puck drops for the 1940-41 season.

The franchise is in financial trouble and a group led by Ernest Savard tries to acquire the team. The Canadian Arena Company turns down their offer, which sets off a wave of departures from the organization and Senator Donat Raymond becomes the team’s president. Tommy Gorman, who already manages the Forum, is hired as the Canadiens’ general manager and he hires Dick Irvin, recently fired by Toronto, to replace Pit Lepine behind the bench.

Gorman gets right to work and begins a recruiting drive to improve the lineup, adding players such as Johnny Quilty, Joe Benoit, Elmer Lach and Ken Reardon to the team’s roster.

The final pieces of the puzzle settle into place when Bert Gardiner takes over between the pipes from the duo of Claude Bourque and Wilf Cude and former Toronto forward Murph Chamberlain is brought in to give Montreal’s offense a little more bite.

Surprisingly, it’s the 20-year old, Quilty that sparks the team’s offense, just as his coach had predicted. Prior to the season, Irvin gave a sealed envelope with the name of the player he thought would be named the league’s rookie of the year inside it to a newspaperman who had asked the coach to predict who would claim the award.

At the end of the season, the reporter opens the envelope and to his wonder sees Quilty’s name written on the paper enclosed. Thanks to his 34-point season, Quilty becomes the first Calder Trophy winner in team history.