| 1927–28 NHL season | |
| League: | National Hockey League |
| Sport: | Ice hockey |
| Duration: | November 15, 1927 – April 14, 1928 |
| Season: | Regular season |
| No Of Games: | 44 |
| No Of Teams: | 10 |
| Season Champs: | Montreal Canadiens |
| Mvp: | Howie Morenz (Canadiens) |
| Mvp Link: | Hart Memorial Trophy |
| Top Scorer: | Howie Morenz (Canadiens) |
| Conf1: | Canadian Division |
| Conf1 Champ: | Montreal Canadiens |
| Conf2: | American Division |
| Conf2 Champ: | Boston Bruins |
| Finals: | Stanley Cup |
| Finals Link: | 1928 Stanley Cup Finals |
| Finals Champ: | New York Rangers |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Montreal Maroons |
| Nextseason Link: | 1928–29 NHL season |
| Prevseason Link: | 1926–27 NHL season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1928–29 |
| Prevseason Year: | 1926–27 |
| Seasonslistnames: | NHL |
The 1927–28 NHL season was the 11th season of the National Hockey League. Ten teams played 44 games each. This was the first full season that the Toronto club used the Toronto Maple Leafs name following ownership changex in February 1927. The New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup beating the Montreal Maroons, becoming the first NHL team based in the United States to win it.
The O'Brien Cup, which used to go to the National Hockey Association (NHA), later the NHL league champion, would now go to the winner of the Canadian Division. The Prince of Wales Trophy, first awarded to the winner of the first game at Madison Square Garden, and later the NHL league champion, would now go to the winner of the American division.
The first indications that the Ottawa Senators were in financial trouble surfaced when they asked the league for a bigger share of road game income. Though the league entertained the Senators suggestion, the Senators did not receive this income. It was decided by the Ottawa management to sell star right wing Hooley Smith to the Montreal Maroons for an undisclosed amount of money ($22,500 it was believed). At the same time, right wing Punch Broadbent returned to Ottawa.
The Toronto Maple Leafs introduced new sweaters of blue and white, changing from the former green logo on white uniform. They are the first team in the NHL to have a set of white uniforms and a set of dark uniforms.[1] [2]
The league changed the rule for substitution, allowing "on the fly" changes, as long as the player going off is on the bench before the substitute goes on.
The league implemented new measures to increase scoring. The blue lines were introduced, dividing the rink into three zones: defending, neutral and attacking. Teams with possession in their defending zone could now pass the puck forward, and both teams could pass the puck forward in the neutral zone, although forward passing across the blue lines was still disallowed. New penalties were given for picking up the puck; and for clearing the puck out of play. Goalie leg pads were reduced in width to ten inches from twelve and goalies were disallowed from travelling more than four feet with the puck. However, the new changes did not improve scoring, as the average number of goals per game decreased to 3.8, from 4.0. A new ten-minute sudden-death overtime period was introduced to resolve games tied after 60 minutes. This was also ineffective, and the number of tie games doubled from 36 to 74.
The Detroit Cougars moved from Border Cities Arena in Windsor, Ontario to Olympia Stadium in Detroit.
| 1927-28 National Hockey League | |||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian | |||||
| Montreal Canadiens | Montreal, Quebec | Montreal Forum | 12,500 | ||
| Montreal Maroons | Montreal, Quebec | Montreal Forum | 12,500 | ||
| New York Americans | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 15,925 | ||
| Ottawa Senators | Ottawa, Ontario | Ottawa Auditorium | 7,500 | ||
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | Arena Gardens | 7,500 | ||
| American | Boston Bruins | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Arena | 5,000 | |
| Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Coliseum | 6,000 | ||
| Detroit Cougars | Detroit, Michigan | Detroit Olympia | 15,000 | ||
| New York Rangers | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 15,925 | ||
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Duquesne Garden | 5,000 | ||
The Chicago Black Hawks fired coach Pete Muldoon before the season, and coaching was split between Hugh Lehman and Barney Stanley. The Black Hawks finished last, recording only seven wins. The firing of Muldoon prompted him to publicly put "a curse" (known as the "curse of the Muldoons") on the Black Hawks, stating that the team would never win the NHL pennant. The Black Hawks would not place first in the NHL until the 1966–67 season.
The Ottawa Senators, the smallest market in the league, were affected by franchises in the U.S. and sold their star right wing Hooley Smith to the Montreal Maroons for $22,500 plus the return of right wing Punch Broadbent, followed by the sale of defenceman Edwin Gorman to Toronto.
Howie Morenz, the NHL's top drawing card, dominated the scoring race and was runaway winner of the Hart Trophy. He scored 33 goals and led the league in assists as well. Despite Ottawa's financial difficulties, Alex Connell, Ottawa goalkeeper, set an all-time record with six consecutive shutouts. His record shutout sequence reached 460 minutes and 59 seconds without being scored on.
Toronto, now the Maple Leafs, showed power early on and it looked like they would make the playoffs. However, injuries to Hap Day and Bill Carson doomed the team, and the Leafs sagged to fourth, out of the playoffs for the third straight year. It would take another 80 years until the Leafs missed the playoffs three straight times again.
Thanks to the great play of Eddie Shore and goaltender Hal Winkler, who tied with Connell for the leader in shutouts with 15, the Boston Bruins finished first for the first time in the American Division, while the Canadiens, who were running away with the Canadian Division at mid-season, slumped after an injury to Pit Lepine but managed to hold onto first place at season's end.
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold
In the Canadian Division, the Montreal Maroons beat the Ottawa Senators and then went to the limit against the Canadiens before Russell Oatman put the Maroons into the finals with a goal in overtime.
In the American Division, the New York Rangers knocked off the Pittsburgh Pirates in a rough series, and then beat Boston to go to the finals against the Montreal Maroons.
See main article: 1928 Stanley Cup Finals. The circus knocked the Rangers out of Madison Square Garden, and all games were played in the Montreal Forum, even though Boston offered to host the Rangers. The Maroons won game one 2–0, with Nels Stewart and goaltender Clint Benedict the stars.
Drama took over in game two when Nels Stewart fired a hard shot that struck New York goaltender Lorne Chabot in the eye. He could not continue, and the Rangers needed a goaltender. However, when coach Eddie Gerard refused to let the Rangers use Alex Connell or minor league goaltender Hugh McCormick, Lester Patrick, Ranger coach, in anger, decided to don the pads himself. The Rangers then body-blasted any Maroon who got near Patrick. Bill Cook scored, putting the Rangers ahead 1–0, but Nels Stewart was not to be denied and scored, tying the game. In overtime, Frank Boucher got the winner for the Rangers and they carried Patrick, tears streaming down his eyes, off the ice. Patrick stopped 17 of 18 shots he faced. Joe "Red Light" Miller, New York Americans goalie, was allowed to take Chabot's place in goal and he played well in a 2–0 loss in game three. However, Frank Boucher starred as the Rangers took the next two games, and the Stanley Cup. Drama almost took place in the final game when Miller was badly cut on a shot, but he was able to continue. The crowd became unruly at times and referee Mike Rodden took abuse for disallowed goals by Maroon players. Even NHL president Frank Calder was a target of some fans for not intervening. The Rangers became the second American team to win the Cup and the first NHL American team to do so. In addition, the Rangers became the first team to win the Stanley Cup at the Montreal Forum which was only repeated in 1989
The terms for awarding the O'Brien Cup and the Prince of Wales Trophy were changed to honour the top finisher in each of the NHL's divisions. Howie Morenz won the Hart Trophy, the first of three times he would be named most valuable player. Frank Boucher won the Lady Byng, the first of seven times he would win the award. George Hainsworth won the Vezina Trophy for the second consecutive year.
| 1927–28 NHL awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hart Trophy
| Howie Morenz, Montreal Canadiens | |
| Lady Byng Trophy
| Frank Boucher, New York Rangers | |
| O'Brien Cup
| Montreal Canadiens | |
| Prince of Wales Trophy
| Boston Bruins | |
| Vezina Trophy
| George Hainsworth, Montreal Canadiens | |
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 43 | 33 | 18 | 51 | ||
| Montreal Canadiens | 44 | 28 | 11 | 39 | ||
| New York Rangers | 44 | 23 | 12 | 35 | ||
| Detroit Cougars | 42 | 22 | 13 | 35 | ||
| Montreal Maroons | 41 | 27 | 7 | 34 | ||
| Montreal Canadiens | 44 | 20 | 10 | 30 | ||
| New York Rangers | 44 | 14 | 14 | 28 | ||
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 32 | 20 | 6 | 26 | ||
| Ottawa Senators | 38 | 20 | 5 | 25 | ||
| New York Rangers | 43 | 18 | 6 | 24 | ||
| Detroit Cougars/Chicago Black Hawks | 38 | 14 | 10 | 24 |
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; SO = Shut outs; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | Team | GP | Mins | GA | SO | GAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 44 | 2730 | 48 | 13 | 1.05 | ||
| Ottawa Senators | 44 | 2760 | 57 | 15 | 1.24 | ||
| Boston Bruins | 44 | 2780 | 70 | 15 | 1.51 | ||
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 44 | 2740 | 76 | 11 | 1.66 | ||
| Montreal Maroons | 44 | 2690 | 76 | 6 | 1.70 |
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1927–28 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1927–28 (listed with their last team):* Denotes last game was in the playoffs.