1929–30 Boston Bruins season

1929–30 Boston Bruins
American Division Champions
Division 1st American
1929–30 record 38–5–1
Home record 21–1–0
Road record 17–4–1
Goals for 179 (1st)
Goals against 98 (1st)
Team information
General Manager Art Ross
Coach Art Ross
Captain Lionel Hitchman
Arena Boston Garden
Team leaders
Goals Cooney Weiland (43)
Assists Dutch Gainor (31)
Points Cooney Weiland (73)
Penalties in minutes Eddie Shore (105)
Wins Tiny Thompson (38)
Goals against average Tiny Thompson (2.23)
<1928–29 1930–31>

The 1929–30 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' sixth season in the NHL. In defending its American Division title for the second straight season, the Bruins took advantage of new rules and its powerhouse lineup to set three impressive records including most wins in a single regular season (38), most regular season wins on home ice (20), and the best single season winning percentage in NHL history (0.875) – a record which still stands.[1] However, the club failed to defend its Stanley Cup title, losing in the finals to the Montreal Canadiens.

Regular season

See also: 1929–30 NHL season

To combat low scoring – the previous season had the fewest goals per game recorded before or thereafter[2] – a major rule change was implemented. Players were now allowed forward passing in the offensive zone, instead of only in the defensive and neutral zones.[3] This led to abuse: players sat in front of the opposing net waiting for a pass, and goals scored nearly tripled league-wide.[2] The rule was changed again mid-season in December 1929, and players were no longer allowed to enter the offensive zone before the puck, thus giving birth to the modern offside rule.[4]

In the meantime, however, Boston took advantage of the new rule from its opening match, defeating Detroit 5–2 before a sellout crowd behind Cooney Weiland's two goals.[5] The team was noted in the press for its skill in dealing with the new infractions called for hanging back, recording many fewer penalties than the other teams in early season play.[5]

After a rough match on November 23 against the Montreal Maroons, superstar defenseman Eddie Shore went to the hospital with multiple injuries, missing the return match against the Maroons on the 26th. Bruins' president Charles Adams presented Shore with a check for $500, purportedly $100 for each facial scar he received at the hands of the Maroons.[6][7]

The Bruins went on a tear starting with a 3–2 win over Pittsburgh on November 30, winning fourteen straight games through to a January 9 4–3 win against Pittsburgh; this set a new league mark for consecutive wins that would last for 52 years until the New York Islanders broke it in 1982, and is still the third longest such streak in league history.[8] The streak was broken by the New York Americans – the league's last place team at the time – on January 12.[9] The Dynamite Line of Cooney Weiland, Dit Clapper and Dutch Gainor was responsible for most of the team's goals to that point,[10] and by the halfway mark of the season, the Bruins had a 20–3 record, nearly twice as many wins as any other team in the league.[11]

In another unusual incident involving Shore, well known for his fighting ability, the Bruins' defenseman was challenged to a boxing match by baseball player Art Shires.[12] While NHL President Frank Calder said that Shore's participation was up to Bruins' manager Art Ross to decide, baseball commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis vetoed Shires' participation, and the match was never held.[7]

The Bruins had yet another streak (broken by a Chicago Black Hawks overtime win on March 13) of seventeen games without a defeat, tying the then-league record.[13] By season's end, Weiland led the league in scoring (one goal shy of Joe Malone's 1918 record of 44, Dit Clapper had finished third, and Dutch Gainor ninth.[14] The Dynamite Line scored 102 of the Bruins' league record 179 goals, as many as last-place Pittsburgh managed.[14]

Among the many marks set by the Bruins in the 1930 season that remain NHL records was the fewest ties in an NHL season with 1;[8] and the fewest losses in a season with 5.[1] The Bruins also set a record with 38 regular season wins, a winning percentage of 0.875, and 20 consecutive home ice wins in a season.

The 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens and the 1944-45 Montreal Canadiens would tie the Bruins' record for most wins in a season at 38. But the record remained unbroken for 21 years until March 11, 1951 when the 1950-51 Detroit Red Wings notched their 39th victory in a much longer 70-game season. The record for consecutive wins at home would stand for 82 years, being matched by the 1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers and finally surpassed on February 14, 2012 by the 2011–12 Detroit Red Wings. As of 2016 no team has ever broken the Bruins' single season winning percentage record of 0.875.[15]

Final standings

American Division
GP W L T GF GA PTS
Boston Bruins 44 38 5 1 179 98 77
Chicago Black Hawks 44 21 18 5 117 111 47
New York Rangers 44 17 17 10 136 143 44
Detroit Cougars 44 14 24 6 117 133 34
Pittsburgh Pirates 44 5 36 3 102 185 13

[16]

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Schedule and results

Regular season schedule
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1WNovember 14, 19295–2 @ Detroit Cougars (1929–30) 1–0–0
2WNovember 16, 19296–5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1929–30) 2–0–0
3WNovember 19, 19293–2 New York Rangers (1929–30) 3–0–0
4WNovember 23, 19294–3 @ Montreal Maroons (1929–30) 4–0–0
5LNovember 26, 19291–6 Montreal Maroons (1929–30) 4–1–0
6WNovember 30, 19296–2 @ Pittsburgh Pirates (1929–30) 5–1–0
7LDecember 1, 19291–3 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1929–30) 5–2–0
8WDecember 3, 19293–1 Montreal Canadiens (1929–30) 6–2–0
9WDecember 7, 19292–1 Detroit Cougars (1929–30) 7–2–0
10WDecember 10, 19295–4 Pittsburgh Pirates (1929–30) 8–2–0
11WDecember 12, 19293–2 @ Ottawa Senators (1929–30) 9–2–0
12WDecember 15, 19298–4 @ New York Americans (1929–30) 10–2–0
13WDecember 17, 19296–2 Ottawa Senators (1929–30) 11–2–0
14WDecember 21, 19294–1 Chicago Black Hawks (1929–30) 12–2–0
15WDecember 25, 19296–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1929–30) 13–2–0
16WDecember 26, 19294–2 @ New York Rangers (1929–30) 14–2–0
17WDecember 28, 19293–2 @ Montreal Canadiens (1929–30) 15–2–0
18WJanuary 1, 19305–2 New York Americans (1929–30) 16–2–0
19WJanuary 4, 19304–2 @ Montreal Maroons (1929–30) 17–2–0
20WJanuary 7, 19303–0 New York Rangers (1929–30) 18–2–0
21WJanuary 9, 19304–3 @ Pittsburgh Pirates (1929–30) 19–2–0
22LJanuary 12, 19302–3 @ New York Americans (1929–30) 19–3–0
23WJanuary 14, 19305–1 Ottawa Senators (1929–30) 20–3–0
24LJanuary 16, 19301–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1929–30) 20–4–0
25WJanuary 19, 19305–4 @ Detroit Cougars (1929–30) 21–4–0
26WJanuary 21, 19305–1 Chicago Black Hawks (1929–30) 22–4–0
27WJanuary 23, 19302–1 OT New York Americans (1929–30) 23–4–0
28WJanuary 25, 19302–1 @ Montreal Canadiens (1929–30) 24–4–0
29WJanuary 28, 19306–0 Pittsburgh Pirates (1929–30) 25–4–0
30TFebruary 2, 19303–3 OT @ New York Rangers (1929–30) 25–4–1
31WFebruary 4, 19303–1 Detroit Cougars (1929–30) 26–4–1
32WFebruary 11, 19306–5 OT Toronto Maple Leafs (1929–30) 27–4–1
33WFebruary 12, 19304–3 @ Pittsburgh Pirates (1929–30) 28–4–1
34WFebruary 15, 19305–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1929–30) 29–4–1
35WFebruary 16, 19304–2 @ Detroit Cougars (1929–30) 30–4–1
36WFebruary 18, 19303–2 Montreal Maroons (1929–30) 31–4–1
37WFebruary 23, 19303–2 @ New York Rangers (1929–30) 32–4–1
38WFebruary 25, 19307–0 Pittsburgh Pirates (1929–30) 33–4–1
39WMarch 1, 19302–1 @ Ottawa Senators (1929–30) 34–4–1
40WMarch 4, 19305–2 Montreal Canadiens (1929–30) 35–4–1
41WMarch 11, 19304–3 Chicago Black Hawks (1929–30) 36–4–1
42LMarch 13, 19302–3 OT @ Chicago Black Hawks (1929–30) 36–5–1
43WMarch 15, 19305–2 Detroit Cougars (1929–30) 37–5–1
44WMarch 18, 19309–2 New York Rangers (1929–30) 38–5–1

Playoffs

As the American Division champions, Boston enjoyed a first round bye in the playoffs, and faced the Montreal Maroons, the Canadian Division champions, in the semi-finals in a best-of-five series. The first game of the series was a grueling overtime match in which Bruins' coach Art Ross was noted for ceaseless criticism of the officiating and the ice condition, to the annoyance of the home crowd in Montreal,[17] won on a Harry Oliver overtime goal at the 45 minute mark. The Bruins won the second match handily on two goals from Clapper, partially due to an injury forcing Montreal star Babe Siebert out only a few minutes into the game,[18] but with Siebert's return in the third game the match was much closer. Unusually, Montreal starter Buck Boucher broke a leg 24 minutes into overtime, and his replacement, little-used defenseman Archie Wilcox, scored the game winner at the 26 minute mark.[18] Siebert did not dress for the final game, and the Bruins overwhelmed the Maroons to reach the Cup finals, behind two goals from Marty Barry, earning the Bruins a rest while they waited for their next opponents.[19]

Boston Bruins 3, Montreal Maroons 1

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 March 20 Boston Bruins 2–1 Montreal Maroons 1–0
2 March 22 Boston Bruins 4–2 Montreal Maroons 2–0
3 March 25 Montreal Maroons 1–0 Boston Bruins 2–1
4 March 27 Montreal Maroons 5–1 Boston Bruins 3–1

The Bruins were heavily favored to retain the Stanley Cup, but were shocked in the first game of the best-of-three Finals by the play of Canadiens' goaltender George Hainsworth, who shut out the Bruins' powerful offense. In the second game, Montreal went out to a three-goal lead until Eddie Shore began a rally with a goal that spurred the Bruins to tie the match, before the Canadiens scored the final goal to win the Cup. It was the first time all season long the Bruins had lost two games in a row,[20] and the stunning defeat of the regular season champions in such a short series spurred the league to change the Cup Finals to a best-of-five series for subsequent years.[21]

Montreal Canadiens 2, Boston Bruins 0

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 1 Montreal Canadiens 3–0 Boston Bruins 0–1
2 April 3 Boston Bruins 3–4 Montreal Canadiens 0–2

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM
Weiland, CooneyCooney Weiland C 44 43 30 73 27
Clapper, DitDit Clapper RW/D 44 41 20 61 48
Gainor, DutchDutch Gainor C 42 18 31 49 39
Barry, MartyMarty Barry C 44 18 15 33 34
Shore, EddieEddie Shore D 42 12 19 31 105
Oliver, HarryHarry Oliver RW 40 16 5 21 12
Galbraith, PercyPercy Galbraith LW/D 44 7 9 16 38
Owen, GeorgeGeorge Owen D 42 9 4 13 31
Carson, BillBill Carson C 44 7 4 11 24
MacKay, MickeyMickey MacKay C 37 4 5 9 13
Hitchman, LionelLionel Hitchman D 39 2 7 9 58
Hutton, BillBill Hutton D/RW 16 2 0 2 2
Gagne, ArtArt Gagne RW 6 0 1 1 6
Connor, HarryHarry Connor LW 13 0 0 0 4
Lane, MylesMyles Lane D 3 0 0 0 0
Taylor, BobBob Taylor RW 8 0 0 0 6
Thompson, TinyTiny Thompson G 44 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Thompson, TinyTiny Thompson 2680 44 38 5 1 98 2.19 3
Team: 2680 44 38 5 1 98 2.19 3

Playoffs

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM
Barry, MartyMarty Barry C 6 3 3 6 14
Weiland, CooneyCooney Weiland C 6 1 5 6 2
Clapper, DitDit Clapper RW/D 6 4 0 4 4
Galbraith, PercyPercy Galbraith LW/D 6 1 3 4 8
Oliver, HarryHarry Oliver RW 6 2 1 3 6
Owen, GeorgeGeorge Owen D 6 0 2 2 6
Carson, BillBill Carson C 6 1 0 1 6
Hitchman, LionelLionel Hitchman D 6 1 0 1 14
Shore, EddieEddie Shore D 6 1 0 1 26
Connor, HarryHarry Connor LW 6 0 0 0 0
Gainor, DutchDutch Gainor C 3 0 0 0 0
Lane, MylesMyles Lane D 6 0 0 0 0
MacKay, MickeyMickey MacKay C 6 0 0 0 4
Thompson, TinyTiny Thompson G 6 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO
Thompson, TinyTiny Thompson 432 6 3 3 12 1.67 0
Team: 432 6 3 3 12 1.67 0

[22]

Note:

Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

NB: Up through the 1930 season, the NHL did not select end-of-season All-Star Teams.

Transactions

Roster

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 NHL Guide 2004, p. 154.
  2. 1 2 Diamond 1998, p. 57.
  3. ↑ Coleman 1969, p. 83.
  4. ↑ Coleman 1969, p. 87.
  5. 1 2 Coleman 1969, p. 85.
  6. ↑ Coleman 1969, p. 86.
  7. 1 2 Vautour 1997, p. 52.
  8. 1 2 NHL Guide 2004, p. 155.
  9. ↑ Coleman 1969, p. 88.
  10. ↑ Vautour 1997, p. 53.
  11. ↑ Coleman 1969, p. 89.
  12. ↑ "Eddie Shore Wants Shot At Art Shires". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Associated Press. 13 January 1930. p. 6. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  13. ↑ Coleman 1969, p. 91.
  14. 1 2 Coleman 1969, p. 95.
  15. ↑ "NHL Team Records". HockeyCentral.co.uk. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  16. ↑ Standings: NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al., eds. THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009. National Hockey League. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0.
  17. ↑ Coleman 1969, p. 98.
  18. 1 2 Coleman 1969, p. 99.
  19. ↑ Coleman 1969, p. 100.
  20. ↑ Coleman 1969, p. 104.
  21. ↑ Coleman 1969, p. 128.
  22. ↑ "1929-30 Boston Bruins Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
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