1930-31 NHL season facts for kids
The 1930–31 NHL season was the 14th time the National Hockey League played its games. Ten hockey teams competed, playing 44 games each. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row! They beat the Chicago Black Hawks in a best-of-five series, winning three games to two.
Before this season, there was a bit of a change. Art Ross, who was important in hockey, complained that the Stanley Cup final was too short. His team, the Boston Bruins, had lost quickly in the previous year. So, the league decided to make the final series longer, from a best-of-three to a best-of-five. This made the games more exciting!
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Teams and Standings
The NHL had two groups of teams: the Canadian Division and the American Division. Teams played to earn points. The teams with the most points got to go to the playoffs.
Canadian Division Teams
Here's how the teams in the Canadian Division finished: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalties In Minutes Teams that made it to the playoffs are in bold.
| Canadian Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 44 | 26 | 10 | 8 | 60 | 129 | 89 | 602 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 44 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 53 | 118 | 99 | 540 |
| Montreal Maroons | 44 | 20 | 18 | 6 | 46 | 105 | 106 | 568 |
| New York Americans | 44 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 46 | 76 | 74 | 495 |
| Ottawa Senators | 44 | 10 | 30 | 4 | 24 | 91 | 142 | 486 |
American Division Teams
And here are the standings for the American Division:
| American Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 44 | 28 | 10 | 6 | 62 | 143 | 90 | 403 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 44 | 24 | 17 | 3 | 51 | 108 | 78 | 416 |
| New York Rangers | 44 | 19 | 16 | 9 | 47 | 106 | 87 | 514 |
| Detroit Falcons | 44 | 16 | 21 | 7 | 39 | 102 | 105 | 429 |
| Philadelphia Quakers | 44 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 12 | 76 | 184 | 477 |
Top Scorers of the Season
These players scored the most points during the regular season. Points are given for goals and assists. GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howie Morenz | Montreal Canadiens | 39 | 28 | 23 | 51 | 49 |
| Ebbie Goodfellow | Detroit Red Wings | 44 | 25 | 23 | 48 | 32 |
| Charlie Conacher | Toronto Maple Leafs | 37 | 31 | 12 | 43 | 78 |
| Bill Cook | New York Rangers | 43 | 30 | 12 | 42 | 39 |
| Ace Bailey | Toronto Maple Leafs | 40 | 23 | 19 | 42 | 46 |
| Joe Primeau | Toronto Maple Leafs | 38 | 9 | 32 | 41 | 18 |
| Nels Stewart | Montreal Maroons | 42 | 25 | 14 | 39 | 75 |
| Frank Boucher | New York Rangers | 44 | 12 | 27 | 39 | 20 |
| Cooney Weiland | Boston Bruins | 44 | 25 | 13 | 38 | 14 |
| Bun Cook | New York Rangers | 44 | 18 | 17 | 35 | 72 |
| Aurel Joliat | Montreal Canadiens | 43 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 73 |
Stanley Cup Playoff Excitement
The playoffs are where the best teams compete to win the Stanley Cup. This season had a special moment! On April 3, during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens, something new happened. The coach for Boston, Art Ross, took his goalie off the ice to add another player. This was done when his team was losing by one goal with only 40 seconds left. It was the first time in NHL history that a goalie was pulled for an extra attacker!
In the final series, the Chicago Black Hawks started strong, winning two out of the first three games. But the Montreal Canadiens fought back! They won the next two games, taking the series 3–2. This gave them their second Stanley Cup win in a row.
How the Playoffs Unfolded
This bracket shows how teams played each other in the playoffs. The winners moved on to the next round.
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||
| C1 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | |||||||||||
| A1 | Boston Bruins | 2 | |||||||||||
| C1 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | |||||||||||
| A2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2 | |||||||||||
| C2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3G | |||||||||||
| A2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4G | |||||||||||
| A2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3G | |||||||||||
| A3 | New York Rangers | 0G | |||||||||||
| C3 | Montreal Maroons | 1G | |||||||||||
| A3 | New York Rangers | 8G | |||||||||||
The Stanley Cup Finals Games
Here are the results of each game in the final series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks.
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 1 | |
| April 5 | Montreal Canadiens | 1 | Chicago Blackhawks | 2 | 2OT |
| April 9 | Chicago Blackhawks | 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 | 3OT |
| April 11 | Chicago Blackhawks | 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 | |
| April 14 | Chicago Blackhawks | 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 |
Montreal won the best-of-five series 3–2.
NHL Awards and All-Stars
At the end of the season, special awards were given to the best teams and players.
Season Awards
These are the awards given out for the 1930–31 NHL season:
| 1930–31 NHL awards | |
|---|---|
| O'Brien Trophy: | Montreal Canadiens |
| Prince of Wales Trophy: | Boston Bruins |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | Howie Morenz, Montreal Canadiens |
| Lady Byng Trophy: | Frank Boucher, New York Rangers |
| Vezina Trophy: | Roy Worters, New York Americans |
All-Star Teams
The NHL also picked the best players for two "All-Star" teams. These teams show who was considered the top player at each position.
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Gardiner, Chicago Black Hawks | G | Tiny Thompson, Boston Bruins |
| Eddie Shore, Boston Bruins | D | Sylvio Mantha, Montreal Canadiens |
| King Clancy, Toronto Maple Leafs | D | Ching Johnson, New York Rangers |
| Howie Morenz, Montreal Canadiens | C | Frank Boucher, New York Rangers |
| Bill Cook, New York Rangers | RW | Dit Clapper, Boston Bruins |
| Aurel Joliat, Montreal Canadiens | LW | Bun Cook, New York Rangers |
| Lester Patrick, New York Rangers | Coach | Dick Irvin, Chicago Black Hawks |
New and Last Games for Players
Some players played their very first NHL game this season, while others played their last.
Players Starting Their NHL Careers
Here are some notable players who played their first NHL game in 1930–31:
- Art Chapman, Boston Bruins
- Doc Romnes, Chicago Black Hawks
- John Sorrell, Detroit Falcons
- Johnny Gagnon, Montreal Canadiens
- Paul Haynes, Montreal Maroons
- Dave Kerr, Montreal Maroons
- Alex Levinsky, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Bob Gracie, Toronto Maple Leafs
Players Playing Their Final NHL Games
These are some notable players who played their last game in the NHL during the 1930–31 season:
- Frank Fredrickson, Detroit Falcons
- Bert McCaffrey, Montreal Canadiens
- Joe Simpson, New York Americans
- Babe Dye, Toronto Maple Leafs
