Toronto Maple Leafs

Stanley Cup Champions 1942

Team Roster
Front Row L to R - Johnny McCreedy, Lorne Carr, Ed Bickle (vice president/owner), Major Conn Smythe (manager/owner), Clarence "Hap" Day (coach), Syl Apps, Frank Selke Sr. (publicity), William MacBrien (vice president/owner), Pete Langelle, Billy Taylor.

Middle Row - Bob Davidson, Nick Metz, Rudolph "Bingo" Kampman, Don Metz, Gaye Stewart, Walter "Turk" Broda, Tim Daly (trainer).

Top Row - Reg Hamilton, Wally Stanowski, Bob Goldham, Gordie Drillon, Hank Goldup, Ernie Dickens, Dave "Sweeney" Schriner, "Bucko" McDonald.

The Maple Leafs played a 48 game regular NHL season, winning 27, losing 18 with 3 ties, finishing 2nd in NHL standings.

In the 1942 NHL playoffs, the Maple Leafs defeated New York Rangers 4-2 in games in the semifinals, then they faced Detroit, who had defeated both Montreal and Boston to get to the final.

This was the series of the remarkable comeback.

Toronto came back from a 3–0 deficit to win the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final.

The feat has not been duplicated since in Stanley Cup play.

It was the 1st Stanley Cup Final in history to go 7 games.

The 1st game was held in Toronto. Detroit's Don Grosso opened the scoring in the second minute before John McCreedy tied it for Toronto. Sid Abel put the Red Wings ahead, only to have Sweeney Schriner tie it to leave the teams tied after the 1st period. Grosso scored again at the 14:11 mark of the 2nd and the Red Wings held off the Maple Leafs from there to win the opening game 2–1.

Detroit took the 2nd game in Toronto by a score of 4–2. Don Grosso scored 2 goals again for the Red Wings. The Wings took the lead 2–0 after the 1st period on goals by Grosso and Mud Bruneteau. Schriner scored in the second for the Maple Leafs to close the score to 2–1 after 2 periods. Grosso scored early in the 3rd along with Gerry Brown to put the Red Wings ahead 4–1 before Wally Stanowski scored in the 15th minute for the Maple Leafs. Detroit held off the Maple Leafs from there to take the series lead 2–0.

In game 3 in Detroit, the Maple Leafs took an early 2–0 lead on goals by Lorne Carr, but the Red Wings evened the score before the end of the 1st period on goals by Gerry Brown and Joe Carveth. Late in the 1st period, Sid Abel had to leave the game with a possible fractured jaw. His replacement, Pat McReavy, scored the winning goal early in the 2nd, and Syd Howe added another to put the Red Wings up 4–2 after 2. Eddie Bush scored for the Red Wings in the third to push the final score to 5–2

In the 4th game, held in Detroit, the Maple Leafs staved off elimination with a 4–3 victory. Toronto coach Hap Day pulled Gordie Drillon and Bucko McDonald, replacing them with Don Metz and Hank Goldup. There was no scoring in the 1st. Bruneteau and Abel scored to put the Red Wings ahead 2–0 before the 2nd period was half over. The Maple Leafs tied it up on goals by Bob Davidson and Carr to leave the teams even after 2 periods. Carl Liscombe scored in the 5th minute of the 3rd to put the Red Wings ahead, but two minutes later Syl Apps tied it up. Nick Metz scored the winning goal for Toronto with 7 minutes to play.
The game ended in a near-riot. In the final minute, Detroit's Eddie Wares drew a misconduct penalty and then a $50 fine for arguing and refusing to leave the ice. Referee Mel Harwood dropped the puck for the faceoff while Wares was still on the ice and promptly called a too-many-men penalty on Don Grosso. Grosso threw down his stick and gloves and was fined $25 by Harwood. At the end of the game Detroit coach Jack Adams then attacked Harwood, punching him in the face following an profanity-laced outburst. The fans booed the officiating, littering the ice with paper and peanuts and even a woman's shoe. NHL president Frank Calder and referee Harwood were escorted out of the rink under police protection. Calder immediately suspended Adams indefinitely and imposed $100 fines on Grosso and Wares.

The teams returned to Toronto for the fifth game. Ebbie Goodfellow took over the coaching duties for the suspended Jack Adams. Maple Leafs' coach Hap Day had worked out Drillon and McDonald but chose to leave them out and his decision was vindicated. The game was a mismatch as the Maple Leafs won 9–3 behind 3 goals and 2 assists from Don Metz. Nick Metz scored the 1st goal and Stanowski scored a 2nd to put the Maple Leafs ahead 2–0 after 1 period. In the 2nd period, the Maple Leafs scored 5 goals. Bob Goldham, followed by Schriner, Don Metz, Apps and Don Metz again raised the score to 7–0 after 2. In the 3rd period, Howe put Detroit on the board but Don Metz and Apps scored before Alex Motter and Carl Liscombe scored for the Red Wings to finish the scoring.

Game 6 presented a chance for Detroit to win the Stanley Cup on home ice. Although the team had lost the momentum of the series, the Detroit players promised it would be a different outcome from game 5, especially the 1st period, where the Red Wings had drawn penalties leading to 2 power-play goals by the Maple Leafs. The teams both showed a lot of discipline in the game and no penalties were called. The closest to an incident came in the 3rd period when Jack Stewart of the Red Wings and Bingo Kampman of the Maple Leafs collided and almost came to blows. At that time a fan threw a 3 lb perch to the ice.
The 1st period was described as "hard-hitting Hockey" and the teams ended the period scoreless. Just 14 seconds after the start of the 2nd, Don Metz stole the puck near the Detroit goal and beat Johnny Mowers to put the Maple Leafs ahead. Turk Broda held off the Red Wings for the rest of the game to record the series' only shutout. Goldham and Billy Taylor scored goals 32 seconds apart late in the third period to clinch the game for the Maple Leafs 3-0, who now were being considered the favourites to win the series in the 7th game.

The 7th and deciding game was again a close game. Detroit survived a two-man disadvantage in the 1st period and the teams finished the period tied at 0. Detroit's Syd Howe opened the scoring in the 2nd period on a pretty passing play between Abel, Jimmy Orlando and Howe. The Red Wings were determined to protect the lead and led after 2 periods 1–0. Toronto got its chance in the 3rd period to tie the score when Orlando drew a tripping penalty on Apps. Just as the penalty expired, Schriner scored for Toronto in a goalmouth scramble to tie the game. After the goal, Toronto picked up the pace, eventually out-shooting Detroit 16–7 in the 3rd. Pete Langelle scored the series winner 2 minutes later in another goalmouth scramble. Schhriner scored the 3rd goal for the Maple Leafs at the 16:13 mark to close out the scoring and the unprecedented comeback win was complete.

It was the first time a crowd of over 16,000 attended a Hockey game in Canada. 16,218 fans squeezed into Maple Leaf Gardens and remained for an hour after the game waiting for the Maple Leafs to reappear from the dressing room after the game. Coach Day, who had played for the Maple Leafs in their last win in 1932 deadpanned "We won it the hard way." He was asked if he had any doubts during the series, and replied "I had my doubts right up until that final bell rang." Rookie Gaye Stewart, who had joined the club for the 5th game of the final, became the youngest player to win the Stanley Cup as he was still 18 years of age. John McCreedy completed his triple championship with the win. He was a member of the Winnipeg Monarchs' 1937 Memorial Cup win and won an Allan Cup with the Kirkland Lake Blue Devils.