| Year: | 1938 |
| Team1: | Chicago Black Hawks |
| Team1 Short: | Chicago |
| Team1 Coach: | Bill Stewart |
| Team1 Captain: | Johnny Gottselig |
| Team1 1: | 3 |
| Team1 2: | 1 |
| Team1 3: | 2 |
| Team1 4: | 4 |
| Team1 Tot: | 3 |
| Team2: | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Team2 Short: | Toronto |
| Team2 Captain: | Charlie Conacher |
| Team2 Coach: | Dick Irvin |
| Team2 1: | 1 |
| Team2 2: | 5 |
| Team2 3: | 1 |
| Team2 4: | 1 |
| Team2 Tot: | 1 |
| Format: | best-of-five |
| Location1: | Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens (1, 2) |
| Location2: | Chicago Chicago Stadium (3, 4) |
| Dates: | April 5–12, 1938 |
| Series Winner: | Carl Voss (16:45, second) |
| Hofers: | Black Hawks: Earl Seibert (1963) Carl Voss (1974, builder) Maple Leafs: Syl Apps (1961) Turk Broda (1967) Charlie Conacher (1961) Gordie Drillon (1975) Red Horner (1965) Busher Jackson (1971) Coaches: Dick Irvin (1958, player) |
The 1938 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-five series between the Chicago Black Hawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Chicago won the series 3–1 to win their second Stanley Cup. With their record of 14–25–9, they possess as of 2022, the lowest regular season winning percentage (.291) of any championship team in the four major professional sports leagues, and are the only ones to do so with a losing record. They are also the Stanley Cup winning team with the lowest number of Hockey Hall of Fame members as a player, with only one (Earl Seibert).
This would be the last best-of-five Stanley Cup Finals.
Toronto defeated Boston Bruins in a best-of-five 3–0 to advance to the Finals. The Black Hawks had to play two best-of three series after narrowly reaching the postseason by two points (at the time, six of the eight teams made the postseason); the Black Hawks won a 2–1 upset against Montreal Canadiens and then won 2–1 against the New York Americans to advance to the Finals.
Chicago lost their regular goaltender, Mike Karakas, during the playoffs and started Alfie Moore in game one. League president Frank Calder ruled that Moore was ineligible, but allowed the victory. Paul Goodman played and lost game two. Karakas returned for games three and four wearing a steel toe in his skate to protect his foot.[1]
Chicago set a record with eight American players winning the Stanley Cup. Also set a record for attendance with 18,497 in game three. It was the second time in NHL history a team won the Stanley cup after starting three different goalies in the playoffs after the Detroit Red Wings accomplished the feat in the previous year; no Stanley Cup Champion would win the cup while starting three different goalies until the Penguins did it in 2016. It was the last time that the Hawks would win the Stanley Cup at home until 2015, and the last year that a Chicago team would win a championship at Chicago Stadium until the Bulls won their second straight NBA championship in 1992.[2]
The NHL did not see fit to make sure that the Stanley Cup was in Chicago when they won the game and the series on April 12.[3]
The 1938 Stanley Cup was presented to Black Hawks captain Johnny Gottselig by NHL President Frank Calder following the Black Hawks 4–1 win over the Maple Leafs in game four.
The following Black Hawks players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup
1937–38 Chicago Black Hawks