1948 Stanley Cup playoffs

The 1948 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL), began with four teams on March 4, 1948. It concluded on April 14, with the Toronto Maple Leafs defeating the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup.

Series edit

All dates in 1948

Semifinals edit

The first round of the playoffs saw third place Boston Bruins matched up with first place Toronto Maple Leafs and fourth place New York Rangers against second place Detroit Red Wings.

Toronto vs. Boston edit

Toronto beat Boston 4 games to 1. Although Boston kept it close. Three of the five games were decided by one goal.


March 24 Boston Bruins 4-5 OT Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Murray Henderson (1) - 1:18 First period 11:29 - Bill Ezinicki (1)
Ed Harrison (1) - 8:39 Second period 17:33 - Max Bentley (1)
Pat Egan (1) - 2:35
Ken Smith (1) - 8:38
Third period 12:03 - Syl Apps (1)
15:34 - Jimmy Thomson (1)
No scoring First overtime period 17:03 - Nick Metz (1)
Frank Brimsek Goalie stats Turk Broda
March 27 Boston Bruins 3-5 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Johnny Peirson (1) - pp - 8:39 First period 5:41 - Ted Kennedy (1)
19:54 - pp - Ted Kennedy (2)
Pete Babando (1) - pp - 2:16 Second period 6:34 - Ted Kennedy (3)
12:24 - Ted Kennedy (4)
Milt Schmidt (1) - 10:43 Third period 7:37 - Max Bentley (2)
Frank Brimsek Goalie stats Turk Broda
March 30 Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Howie Meeker (1) - 3:40
Bill Barilko (1) - 12:28
First period No scoring
Ted Kennedy (5) - 9:24 Second period 1:10 - Milt Schmidt (2)
Garth Boesch (1) - 7:00
Nick Metz (2) - 17:49
Third period No scoring
Turk Broda Goalie stats Frank Brimsek
April 1 Toronto Maple Leafs 2-3 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 2:47 - Ed Sandford (1)
Bill Ezinicki (2) - 1:36 Second period 7:31 - Johnny Peirson (2)
Syl Apps (2) - 15:08 Third period 13:24 - Johnny Peirson (3)
Turk Broda Goalie stats Frank Brimsek
April 3 Boston Bruins 2-3 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Jimmy Peters (1) - pp - 5:20 First period 8:41 - Vic Lynn (1)
16:13 - Les Costello (1)
Ken Smith (2) - 12:08 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 5:52 - Ted Kennedy (6)
Frank Brimsek Goalie stats Turk Broda
Toronto won series 4–1


NY Rangers vs. Detroit edit

It looked initially to be a close series as, after the Blueshirts lost the first two games, the Wings Production line got lazy. But wingers, Ted Lindsay and Gordie Howe chose follow Lindsay's recent quote —

In this game, you have to be mean, or you're going to get pushed around.

(Glenn Liebman, Hockey Shorts: 1,001 of the Game's Funniest One Liners" (Contemporary Books, 1996) ) —

Detroil was now pursuing Lord Stanley's Mug for the fourth time in six years.


March 24 New York Rangers 1-2 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 15:04 - Ted Lindsay (1)
19:06 - pp - Jim Conacher (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Tony Leswick (1) - 3:35 Third period No scoring
Chuck Rayner Goalie stats Harry Lumley
March 26 New York Rangers 2-5 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
Edgar Laprade (1) - 14:53 First period 4:00 - Jim McFadden (1)
No scoring Second period 4:57 - Jim McFadden (2)
8:18 - pp - Marty Pavelich (1)
Neil Colville (1) - 10:51 Third period 10:04 - Leo Reise (1)
14:49 - Marty Pavelich (2)
Chuck Rayner Goalie stats Harry Lumley
March 28 Detroit Red Wings 2-3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden III Recap  
No scoring First period 3:32 - Phil Watson (1)
10:35 - Phil Watson (2)
Ted Lindsay (2) - 19:40 Second period No scoring
Jack Stewart (1) - 16:03 Third period 9:02 - Tony Leswick (2)
Harry Lumley Goalie stats Chuck Rayner
March 30 Detroit Red Wings 1-3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden III Recap  
Jim McFadden (3) - 3:41 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 10:08 - pp - Bryan Hextall (1)
10:41 - Eddie Kullman (1)
No scoring Third period 13:32 - Tony Leswick (3)
Harry Lumley Goalie stats Chuck Rayner
April 1 New York Rangers 1-3 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 4:02 - pp - Red Kelly (1)
No scoring Second period 14:13 - pp - Pete Horeck (1)
Buddy O'Connor (1) - 12:49 Third period 13:55 - Red Kelly (2)
Chuck Rayner Goalie stats Harry Lumley
April 4 Detroit Red Wings 4-2 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden III Recap  
Red Kelly (3) - pp - 13:46
Gordie Howe (1) - pp - 14:30
Pat Lundy (1) - 17:51
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Jim McFadden (4) - 10:49 Third period 12:49 - Don Raleigh (1)
19:08 - Don Raleigh (2)
Harry Lumley Goalie stats Chuck Rayner
Detroit won series 4–2


Finals edit


April 7 Detroit Red Wings 3-5 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Jim McFadden (5) - 7:20 First period 8:21 - Harry Watson (1)
9:04 - Joe Klukay (1)
18:24 - Syl Apps (3)
No scoring Second period 14:31 - Gus Mortson (1)
19:21 - Howie Meeker (2)
Jim Conacher (2) - 4:28
Ted Lindsay (3) - 5:25
Third period No scoring
Harry Lumley Goalie stats Turk Broda
April 10 Detroit Red Wings 2-4 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
No scoring First period 13:31 - Max Bentley (3)
Pete Horeck (2) - 18:18 Second period 3:38 - pp - Bill Ezinicki (3)
17:16 - pp - Max Bentley (4)
18:50 - Harry Watson (2)
Fern Gauthier (1) - pp - 17:18 Third period No scoring
Harry Lumley Goalie stats Turk Broda
April 11 Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Harry Watson (3) - 19:42 Second period No scoring
Vic Lynn (2) - 15:16 Third period No scoring
Turk Broda Goalie stats Harry Lumley
April 14 Toronto Maple Leafs 7-2 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium Recap  
Ted Kennedy (7) - pp - 2:51
Garth Boesch (2) - sh - 5:03
Harry Watson (4) - 11:13
First period No scoring
Syl Apps (4) - 4:26
Ted Kennedy (8) - 9:42
Harry Watson (5) - sh - 11:38
Second period 2:41 - Leo Reise (2)
Les Costello (2) - pp - 14:37 Third period 18:48 - Pete Horeck (3)
Turk Broda Goalie stats Harry Lumley
Toronto won series 4–0


Playoff bracket edit

Semifinals Stanley Cup Finals
      
1 Toronto Maple Leafs 4
3 Boston Bruins 1
1 Toronto Maple Leafs 4
2 Detroit Red Wings 0
2 Detroit Red Wings 4
4 New York Rangers 2

Playoff scoring leaders edit

GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Player Team GP G A Pts
Ted Kennedy Toronto Maple Leafs 9 8 6 14
Max Bentley Toronto Maple Leafs 9 4 7 11
Pete Horeck Detroit Red Wings 10 3 7 10
Jim McFadden Detroit Red Wings 10 5 3 8
Syl Apps Toronto Maple Leafs 9 4 4 8
Harry Watson Toronto Maple Leafs 9 5 2 7
Milt Schmidt Boston Bruins 5 2 5 7

See also edit

References edit

Preceded by Stanley Cup playoffs Succeeded by