1942–43 NHL season facts for kids
The 1942–43 NHL season was the 26th season for the National Hockey League (NHL). Six teams played 50 games each. This season was special because it marked the start of the "Original Six" era in the NHL. This means only six teams were part of the league for a long time.
Sadly, the league's president, Frank Calder, passed away during this season due to an illness. The Detroit Red Wings won the championship, defeating the Boston Bruins to take home the famous Stanley Cup.
Contents
Team Standings
The standings show how each team performed during the regular season. Teams get points for winning games, which helps them qualify for the playoffs. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes.
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
| National Hockey League | GP | W | L | T | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Red Wings | 50 | 25 | 14 | 11 | 61 |
| Boston Bruins | 50 | 24 | 17 | 9 | 57 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 50 | 22 | 19 | 9 | 53 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 19 | 19 | 12 | 50 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 50 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 49 |
| New York Rangers | 50 | 11 | 31 | 8 | 30 |
Top Scorers
These players scored the most points during the season. Points are counted by adding up goals (G) and assists (A). Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Bentley | Chicago Black Hawks | 50 | 33 | 40 | 73 | 18 |
| Bill Cowley | Boston Bruins | 48 | 27 | 45 | 72 | 10 |
| Max Bentley | Chicago Black Hawks | 47 | 26 | 44 | 70 | 2 |
| Lynn Patrick | New York Rangers | 50 | 22 | 39 | 61 | 28 |
| Lorne Carr | Toronto Maple Leafs | 50 | 27 | 33 | 60 | 15 |
| Billy Taylor | Toronto Maple Leafs | 50 | 18 | 42 | 60 | 2 |
| Bryan Hextall | New York Rangers | 50 | 27 | 32 | 59 | 28 |
| Toe Blake | Montreal Canadiens | 48 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 26 |
| Elmer Lach | Montreal Canadiens | 45 | 18 | 40 | 58 | 14 |
| Buddy O'Connor | Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 15 | 43 | 58 | 2 |
Best Goaltenders
These goalies had the best records, letting in the fewest goals. Note: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Mowers | Detroit Red Wings | 50 | 3010 | 124 | 2.47 | 25 | 14 | 11 | 6 |
| Turk Broda | Toronto Maple Leafs | 50 | 3000 | 159 | 3.18 | 22 | 19 | 9 | 1 |
| Frank Brimsek | Boston Bruins | 50 | 3000 | 176 | 3.53 | 24 | 17 | 9 | 1 |
| Bert Gardiner | Chicago Black Hawks | 50 | 3020 | 180 | 3.58 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 1 |
| Paul Bibeault | Montreal Canadiens | 50 | 3010 | 191 | 3.81 | 19 | 19 | 12 | 1 |
| Jimmy Franks | New York Rangers | 23 | 1380 | 103 | 4.48 | 5 | 14 | 4 | 0 |
| Bill Beveridge | New York Rangers | 17 | 1020 | 89 | 5.24 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
Playoffs
After the regular season, the top teams compete in the playoffs to win the Stanley Cup.
- see 1943 Stanley Cup Finals
Playoff Bracket
This chart shows how the teams played against each other in the playoffs.
| Semi-finals | Stanley Cup Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 4 | |||||||
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | |||||||
| 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 4 | |||||||
| 2 | Boston Bruins | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | Boston Bruins | 4 | |||||||
| 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 1 | |||||||
NHL Awards
At the end of the season, players and teams receive special awards for their great performance.
| Calder Memorial Trophy: | Gaye Stewart, Toronto Maple Leafs (Best rookie player) |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | Bill Cowley, Boston Bruins (Most valuable player to his team) |
| Lady Byng Trophy: | Max Bentley, Chicago Black Hawks (Player showing sportsmanship and skill) |
| O'Brien Cup: | Boston Bruins (Award for the top team in the Canadian Division) |
| Prince of Wales Trophy: | Detroit Red Wings (Award for the top team in the American Division) |
| Vezina Trophy: | Johnny Mowers, Detroit Red Wings (Best goaltender) |
All-Star Teams
The All-Star teams are made up of the best players at each position for the season.
| First team | Position | Second team |
|---|---|---|
| Johnny Mowers, Detroit Red Wings | G | Frank Brimsek, Boston Bruins |
| Earl Seibert, Chicago Black Hawks | D | Jack Crawford, Boston Bruins |
| Jack Stewart, Detroit Red Wings | D | Flash Hollett, Boston Bruins |
| Bill Cowley, Boston Bruins | C | Syl Apps, Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Lorne Carr, Toronto Maple Leafs | RW | Bryan Hextall, New York Rangers |
| Doug Bentley, Chicago Black Hawks | LW | Lynn Patrick, New York Rangers |
| Jack Adams, Detroit Red Wings | Coach | Art Ross, Boston Bruins |
