1949-1950 Detroit Red Wings: Star Power

1949-1950 Detroit Red Wings: Star Power

What was considered to be star power in the National Hockey League in the 1940’s and 1950’s was a player who could grind out the rough minutes of a game and contribute in some way, whether that be in  scoring goals or even getting penalty minutes just to send a message to opposing teams. The Detroit Red Wings had plenty of that kind of star power on their team.

In the 1949-1950 NHL season the Detroit Red Wings went 37-19-14 with 88 points, finishing as the best team in the NHL’s Original Six. They finished 11 points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. The Red Wings busted out of the gate in the best way possible as they went 12-2-3 in their first 17 games. The Red Wings handled the other 5 teams very well in head-to-head play as they went 9-3-2 against the Chicago Blackhawks (back then known as the Black Hawks), 8-3-3 against the Boston Bruins, 8-5-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-5-2 against the New York Rangers, and 5-3-6 against the Montreal Canadiens.

Right winger Gordie Howe was only 21 years of age when he began his journey of winning Stanley Cups. Howe led the Red Wings with 35 goals and 33 assists for 68 points. Center Sid Abel was the Captain of the Red Wings and he had the most points on the team as he had 34 goals and 35 assists for 69 points. Right winger Gerry Couture had 24 goals and 7 assists for 31 points. Left winger Ted Lindsay had 23 goals and 55 assists for 78 points. Lindsay had the honor of accumulating the most penalty minutes on the Red Wings with a whopping 141.

Center George Gee had 17 goals and 21 assists for 38 points. Defenseman Leonard Patrick “Red” Kelly had 15 goals and 25 assists for 40 points. Center Jim McFadden had 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points. Right winger Jimmy Peters had 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points. Right winger Joe Carveth had 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points. Left winger Marty Pavelich had 8 goals and 15 assists for 23 points. Left winger Steve Black had 7 goals and 14 assists for 21 points.

Goaltending wasn’t an issue for Detroit as they had one reliable player to guard the net, and that would be Harry Lumley. Lumley went 33-16-14, allowing 148 goals in 3780 minutes, recording a 2.35 goals against average and 7 shutouts. However, Lumley would get injured and the Red Wings had to find a backup goaltender for 7 games. They would find Terry Sawchuk who went 4-3, allowing just 16 goals in 420 minutes, recording a 2.29 goals against average and 1 shutout.

Only 4 of the Original Six would qualify for the playoffs, and in the NHL Semifinals the Red Wings were pitted against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In Game 1 on March 28 at Detroit Olympia the Maple Leafs blew out the Red Wings 5-0. The Red Wings responded by winning Game 2 on March 30 by the score of 3-1. On April 1 at the Maple Leaf Gardens, the Red Wings lost Game 3 by the score of 2-0. In Game 4 on April 4 the Red Wings won 2-1 in double overtime. The Leafs came back to shut out the Wings again by the score of 2-0 in Game 5 on April 6 at Detroit Olympia. The Wings returned the favor and shut out the Leafs 4-0 in Game 6 on April 8 at the Maple Leaf Gardens. Finally in the deciding Game 7 on April 9 at Detroit Olympia the Red Wings shut out the Maple Leafs 1-0.

The 1950 Stanley Cup Finals would be between the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers. None of the 7 games that would be played in this series would take place at Madison Square Garden in New York because the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus had taken over the venue. Games 2 and 3 of this series would be played at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens instead.

In Game 1 on April 11 at Detroit Olympia the Red Wings defeated the Rangers 4-1. However, the Red Wings would lose Gordie Howe for the rest of the series as he got injured in this game. In Game 2 on April 13 the Rangers beat the Red Wings 3-1. The Red Wings came back to shut out the Rangers 4-0 on April 15. Back at Detroit Olympia for the rest of the series, the Red Wings would surprisingly lose 4-3 in overtime in Game 4 on April 18. The Wings then lost again by the score of 2-1 in overtime in Game 5 on April 20. However, the Red Wings came back with a 5-4 win in Game 6 on April 22, and then they beat the Rangers 4-3 in double overtime in the deciding Game 7 on April 23.

Highlighting a successful hockey season some Red Wings players received honors and awards. Ted Lindsay won the Art Ross Memorial Trophy and would be named an NHL First Team All-Star. Sid Abel would also be named an NHL First Team All-Star. Gordie Howe, Red Kelly and defenseman Leo Reise would all be named as NHL Second Team All-Stars.

It would be this collection of star power that would carry the Detroit Red Wings throughout the 1950’s as the next dominant Stanley Cup Championship dynasty.