1933–34 NHL season

The 1933–34 NHL season was the 17th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nine teams each played 48 games. The Chicago Black Hawks were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the Detroit Red Wings three games to one.

Ace Bailey Benefit All-Star Game

On February 14, 1934, the first NHL All-Star Game, albeit an unofficial one, was held to benefit Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ace Bailey, who suffered a career-ending injury. On December 12, 1933, near the end of the second period of a game between the Leafs and the Boston Bruins in the Boston Garden, Bailey was tripped from behind by Bruins defenceman Eddie Shore, in retaliation for a check that Toronto defenceman King Clancy had delivered to Shore. Bailey was not the intended target of the check; Shore wanted to hit Clancy instead. Bailey was badly hurt, unconscious and bleeding. The Leafs' Red Horner took offence to the hit, and subsequently knocked out Shore with a punch. Shore was forgiven after the game when both players regained consciousness, with Bailey saying that it was "all part of the game." However, Bailey would pass out and lapse into convulsions.

Bailey was not expected to live after a single night in the hospital after suffering from severe hemorrhaging. It was made well-known that Shore would have been charged with manslaughter were Bailey to die. Fortunately, he gradually recovered, but his hockey career was over. For his actions, Shore received a 16-game suspension, a third of the 48-game schedule of the time, while Horner was suspended for the remainder of 1933.

The game itself was proposed by Walter Gilhooley, the sports editor of the "Journal" in Montreal. This proposal would become a reality on January 24, 1934, in a meeting of the NHL's Board of Governors in 1934.

The NHL's first All-Star Game was held at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, during which Bailey's #6 uniform was retired by the Leafs. It was the first number to be retired in the NHL. The game saw the Leafs battle against an All-Star team made of players from the other seven teams, which the Leafs won 7–3. One of the more memorable moments before the game was when Bailey presented Shore with his All-Star jersey, showing to the public that Bailey had clearly forgiven him for his actions. Bailey also presented a trophy to NHL President Frank Calder before a game in the hope that the trophy would go to the winner of an annual All-Star Game for the benefit of injured players.

coring leaders

"Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes"

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1933–34 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
*Russ Blinco, Montreal Maroons
*Herb Cain, Montreal Maroons
*Lorne Carr, New York Rangers
*Flash Hollett, Toronto Maple Leafs

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1933–34 (listed with their last team):
*Lionel Hitchman, Boston Bruins
*Percy Galbraith, Boston Bruins
*Charles Gardiner, Chicago Black Hawks
*Clarence Abel, Chicago Black Hawks
*George Hay, Detroit Red Wings
*Ace Bailey, Toronto Maple Leafs

ee also

*National Hockey League All-Star Game
*List of Stanley Cup champions
*1933 in sports
*1934 in sports

References

* [http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/nhl19271934.html Hockeydb.com 1933-34 season]
* [http://nhl.com/ NHL.com]
* [http://www.hickoksports.com/history/nhl193334.shtml HickokSports.com]