1939–40 NHL season facts for kids
The 1939–40 NHL season was the 23rd season for the National Hockey League (NHL). This was a time when hockey was growing in popularity across North America. Teams played hard to win the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup.
Contents
Regular Season Highlights
The regular season is where all the teams play many games to see who is the best. The teams try to win as many games as possible. This helps them get a good spot for the playoffs.
Team Standings
Here's how the teams finished in the regular season:
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PIM | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 48 | 31 | 12 | 5 | 170 | 98 | 330 | 67 |
| New York Rangers | 48 | 27 | 11 | 10 | 136 | 77 | 520 | 64 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 48 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 134 | 110 | 485 | 56 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 48 | 23 | 19 | 6 | 112 | 120 | 351 | 52 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 48 | 16 | 26 | 6 | 90 | 126 | 250 | 38 |
| New York Americans | 48 | 15 | 29 | 4 | 106 | 140 | 236 | 34 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 48 | 10 | 33 | 5 | 90 | 167 | 338 | 25 |
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalty Minutes, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Top Scorers
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 = Total points (Goals + Assists)
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milt Schmidt | Boston Bruins | 48 | 22 | 30 | 52 |
| Woody Dumart | Boston Bruins | 48 | 22 | 21 | 43 |
| Bobby Bauer | Boston Bruins | 48 | 17 | 26 | 43 |
| Gordie Drillon | Toronto Maple Leafs | 43 | 21 | 19 | 40 |
| Bill Cowley | Boston Bruins | 48 | 13 | 27 | 40 |
| Bryan Hextall | New York Rangers | 48 | 24 | 15 | 39 |
| Neil Colville | New York Rangers | 48 | 19 | 19 | 38 |
| Syd Howe | Detroit Red Wings | 48 | 14 | 23 | 37 |
| Hector Blake | Montreal Canadiens | 48 | 17 | 19 | 36 |
| Murray Armstrong | New York Americans | 48 | 16 | 20 | 36 |
Best Goaltenders
These goalies were the best at stopping pucks during the regular season.
- GP = Games played
- Min = Minutes played
- GA = Goals against
- GAA = Goals Against Average (how many goals they let in per game)
- W = Wins
- L = Losses
- T = Ties
- SO = Shutouts (games where they let in zero goals)
| Player | Team | GP | MIN | GA | GAA | W | L | T | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Kerr | New York Rangers | 48 | 3000 | 77 | 1.54 | 27 | 11 | 10 | 8 |
| Paul Goodman | Chicago Black Hawks | 31 | 1920 | 62 | 1.94 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Frank Brimsek | Boston Bruins | 48 | 2950 | 98 | 1.99 | 31 | 12 | 5 | 6 |
| Turk Broda | Toronto Maple Leafs | 47 | 2900 | 108 | 2.23 | 25 | 17 | 5 | 4 |
| Cecil "Tiny" Thompson | Detroit Red Wings | 46 | 2830 | 120 | 2.54 | 16 | 24 | 6 | 3 |
| Earl Robertson | N.Y. Americans | 48 | 2960 | 140 | 2.84 | 15 | 29 | 4 | 6 |
| Claude Bourque | Montreal Canadiens | 36 | 2210 | 121 | 3.29 | 9 | 24 | 3 | 2 |
| Mike Karakas | Chicago Black Hawks | 17 | 1050 | 58 | 3.31 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final
The playoffs are an exciting tournament after the regular season. Teams compete in series, and the winner moves on. The final winner gets the Stanley Cup! All playoff games mentioned here happened in 1940.
Playoff Path
This chart shows how teams played each other in the playoffs:
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Stanley Cup Final | |||||||||||
| 1 | Boston Bruins | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2 | New York Rangers | 4 | |||||||||||
| 2 | New York Rangers | 4 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | 0 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 | |||||||||||
| 6 | New York Americans | 1 | |||||||||||
How the Playoffs Unfolded
The playoffs started with exciting matchups. The New York Rangers beat the Boston Bruins in a tough series, winning 4 games to 2. The Toronto Maple Leafs swept the Chicago Black Hawks, winning 2 games to 0. The Detroit Red Wings won their series against the New York Americans 2 games to 1.
In the next round, the Rangers continued their strong play, defeating the Red Wings. The Maple Leafs also advanced, beating the Red Wings. This set up an exciting Stanley Cup Final!
The Stanley Cup Final
The final series was between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers. Both teams fought hard for the championship. The Rangers eventually won the series 4 games to 2, becoming the Stanley Cup champions!
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Rangers
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 | New York Rangers | 2 | 15:30 of OT |
| April 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | New York Rangers | 6 | |
| April 6 | New York Rangers | 1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | |
| April 9 | New York Rangers | 0 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 | |
| April 11 | New York Rangers | 2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 | 11:43 of OT |
| April 13 | New York Rangers | 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | 2:07 of OT |
New York wins best of seven series 4 games to 2
Top Playoff Scorers
These players scored the most points during the playoff games.
- GP = Games played
- G = Goals
- A = Assists
- Pts = Total points (Goals + Assists)
- PIM = Penalty Minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Phil Watson |
New York Rangers | 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 16 |
| Neil Colville |
New York Rangers | 12 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 |
| Syl Apps |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 10 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| Bryan Hextall |
New York Rangers | 12 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
| Alex Shibicky |
New York Rangers | 11 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Hank Goldup |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 10 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Wilbert Hiller |
New York Rangers | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Mac Colville |
New York Rangers | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Mud Bruneteau |
Detroit Red Wings | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Alf Pike |
New York Rangers | 12 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
Top Playoff Goaltenders
These goalies had the best stats during the playoff games.
- GP = Games played
- Min = Minutes played
- W = Wins
- L = Losses
- T = Ties
- SO = Shutouts
- GAA = Goals Against Average
| Player | Team | GP | Min | W | L | T | SO | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Kerr |
New York Rangers | 12 | 770 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1.56 |
| Turk Broda |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 10 | 657 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1.74 |
 Frank Brimsek |
Boston Bruins | 6 | 360 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2.50 |
| Tiny Thompson |
Detroit Red Wings | 5 | 300 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.40 |
| Earl Robertson |
New York Americans | 3 | 180 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Paul Goodman |
Chicago Black Hawks | 2 | 127 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.36 |
NHL Awards and Honors
At the end of the season, special awards are given to players and teams for their amazing achievements.
| Calder Trophy: | Kilby MacDonald, New York Rangers (Best rookie player) |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | Ebbie Goodfellow, Detroit Red Wings (Most valuable player to his team) |
| Lady Byng Trophy: | Bobby Bauer, Boston Bruins (Most gentlemanly player) |
| O'Brien Cup: | Toronto Maple Leafs (Award for the top Canadian team in the playoffs) |
| Prince of Wales Trophy: | Boston Bruins (Award for the top team in the American Division) |
| Vezina Trophy: | Dave Kerr, New York Rangers (Best goaltender) |
All-Star Teams
The best players at each position were chosen for the First and Second All-Star Teams. This is like an "honor roll" for hockey players!
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Dave Kerr, New York Rangers | G | Frank Brimsek, Boston Bruins |
| Dit Clapper, Boston Bruins | D | Art Coulter, New York Rangers |
| Ebbie Goodfellow, Detroit Red Wings | D | Earl Seibert, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Milt Schmidt, Boston Bruins | C | Neil Colville, New York Rangers |
| Bryan Hextall, New York Rangers | RW | Bobby Bauer, Boston Bruins |
| Toe Blake, Montreal Canadiens | LW | Woody Dumart, Boston Bruins |
| Paul Thompson, Chicago Black Hawks | Coach | Frank Boucher, New York Rangers |
