| 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
|
T
Ties - Games that have ended in a tie
|
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
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 37 | 19 | 14 | 88 | 229 | 164 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 29 | 22 | 19 | 77 | 172 | 150 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 31 | 27 | 12 | 74 | 176 | 173 |
| New York Rangers | 70 | 28 | 31 | 11 | 67 | 170 | 189 |
| Boston Bruins | 70 | 22 | 32 | 16 | 60 | 198 | 228 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 70 | 22 | 38 | 10 | 54 | 203 | 244 |
| # | 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
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Maurice Richard | 70 | 43 | 22 | 65 |
| 16 | Elmer Lach | 64 | 15 | 33 | 48 |
| 14 | Billy Reay | 68 | 19 | 26 | 45 |
| 22 | Norm Dussault | 67 | 13 | 24 | 37 |
| 15 | Leo Gravelle | 70 | 19 | 10 | 29 |
| # | #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 | Bill Durnan | 64 | 26-21-17 | 8 | 2.20 |
| DATE | AWAY | HOME |
|---|
THE REGULAR SEASON
The story of the 1949-50 season is once again the play of goalie Bill Durnan and the Canadiens’ defense corps.
Ken Reardon, Doug Harvey, Glen Harmon and Emile Bouchard continue their excellent work in front of Durnan. At the end of the regular season, the Canadiens have allowed only 150 goals in 70 games, the lowest total in the league.
In goal, Durnan continues his dominant play of the previous season and claims 26 of the team’s 29 wins, maintaining a 2.20 goals-against average with eight shutouts. He wins his sixth Vezina Trophy in seven NHL seasons.
As they did in 1947-48 when Durnan won only 20 games, the Canadiens’ fans boo him, despite the fact that he is the league’s best goalie. In an interview, Durnan announces that he will retire at the end of the current season.
On offense, Maurice Richard leads his teammates with 43 goals and 65 points to finish fourth overall in league scoring.
Elmer Lach, now recovered from the broken jaw that sidelined him the previous season, records 48 points in 64 games, just ahead of Billy Reay. Defenseman Ken Reardon bolsters the offense with 28 points, the most among the Canadiens’ blue-liners.
Reardon gets himself in hot water when he says in a magazine interview that he will seek revenge from Cal Gardner and make sure that the Toronto defenseman gets 14 stitches in his mouth, a reference to a previous altercation when Gardner was with the New York Rangers.
On March 1, 1950, league president Clarence Campbell requires Reardon to post a $1,000 bond to insure that he will not act on his threat. At season’s end, Campbell returns the money to the Canadiens defenseman, who did not go after Gardner again.
THE PLAYOFFS
Unlike in the previous season, the Canadiens are the favorites as they enter their semifinal against the New York Rangers.
Right from the start, New York serves notice that the series will not be an easy victory. The Rangers win the first two games in Montreal to take a 2-0 series lead.
As the quarterfinal shifts to Manhattan, the Rangers claim a 4-1 win in the third game to put the Canadiens in a huge hole. To shake up his team, Montreal coach Dick Irvin pulls Bill Durnan from the net after the loss and replaces him with Gerry McNeil.
The move works as the Canadiens claim a 3-2 win in overtime in the fourth game at the Forum as Lach delivers the winning goal.
The Rangers complete their upset in five games with a 3-0 victory in the next game. Center Norm Dussault shines in the playoffs with three goals after scoring only 13 during the regular season.
| Semi-finals - New York Rangers | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| March 29th, 1950 | MTL 1 | NYR 3 | ||
| April 1st, 1950 | NYR 3 | MTL 2 | ||
| April 2nd, 1950 | MTL 1 | NYR 4 | ||
| April 4th, 1950 | NYR 2 | MTL 3 | ||
| April 6th, 1950 | NYR 3 | MTL 0 | ||
| NY Rangers won best-of-seven series 4-1 | ||||
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