1951 Stanley Cup Finals

1951 Stanley Cup Finals
Teams 1* 2* 3* 4* 5* Games Toronto Maple Leafs  3 2 2 3 3 4 Montreal Canadiens  2 3 1 2 2 1 * – Denotes overtime period(s)
Location: Toronto, ON (Maple Leaf Gardens) (1,2,5) Montreal, QC (Montreal Forum) (3,4) Format: Best-of-seven Coaches: Toronto: Joe Primeau Montreal: Dick Irvin Captains: Toronto: Ted Kennedy Montreal: Emile Bouchard Dates: April 11 to April 21, 1951 Series-winning goal: Bill Barilko (2:53, OT)
< 1950 Stanley Cup Finals 1952 >

The 1951 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. The Maple Leafs would win the series 4–1, with all five games going into overtime. It was the Toronto franchise's ninth Stanley Cup win and the last in a series of six wins starting in 1942. It was the first appearance in a string of ten consecutive appearances by the Canadiens.

Paths to the final

Toronto defeated the Boston Bruins 4–1 to reach the final. Montreal defeated the defending champion Detroit Red Wings 4–2 to reach the final.

The series

Every game went into overtime in this series. Bill Barilko scored the Cup-winning goal, his last goal in the NHL as he would die in a plane crash during the summer.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 11	Montreal	2	Toronto	3	OT
April 14	Montreal	3	Toronto	2	OT
April 17	Toronto	2	Montreal	1	OT
April 19	Toronto	3	Montreal	2	OT
April 21	Montreal	2	Toronto	3	OT

Toronto wins best-of-seven series four games to one

Toronto Maple Leafs 1951 Stanley Cup champions

Roster

  Centres

• 7 Max Bentley(A)
• 9 Ted Kennedy (Captain)
• 14 Cal Gardner
• 16 Fleming Mackell
• 20 John McCormack**
• 25 Bob Hassard^A

  Wingers

• 4 Harry Watson(A)
• 8 Joe Klukay
• 11 Howie Meeker
• 15 Tod Sloan
• 17 Sid Smith
• 21 Danny Lewicki
• 22 Ray Timgren

  Defencemen

• 2 Jimmy Thomson
• 3 Gus Mortson
• 5 Bill Barilko
• 12 Fern Flaman
• 18 Bill Juzda
• 4–19 Hugh Bolton^B

  Goaltenders

• 1 Walter "Turk" Broda
• 23 Al Rollins

  Coaching and administrative staff

• Conn Smythe (President/Manager/Owner), Clarence Hap Day (Asst. Manager)
• George McGillach (Vice President), John Murdoch (Vice President)
• Ed Bickle (Director/Owner), Jack Bickell (Director/Owner)
• Tim Daly (Trainer), Ed Fitkin (Publicity Director)
• Archie Campbell (Asst. Trainer), Tom Nayler (Asst. Trainer), George Walker (Chief Scout)
• Joe Primeau (Coach), William MacBrien (Chairman/Owner)
• Norman Delarue†, Robert Galloway†, Horance MacIntyre† (Team Doctors)

Stanley Cup engraving

• † Included on the original ring in 1951. There was no room left for the 3 team doctors the way that the Toronto Maple Leafs 1951 members were engraved on the new ring during the 1957–58 season.
• ^A played only 13 games, but name is on the cup. ^B played only 12 games, but name is on the cup. Both Hugh Holton, Bob Hassard did not play in the playoff, or and did not qualify to be on the cup.
• Joe Primeau was the 7th NHL rookie coach to win the Stanley Cup.
• ** John McCormack played 46 regular season games, he was sent to the minors to play in the playoffs. McCormack was still included on the Stanley Cup.

Engraving mistakes

Several mistakes happened in the engraving of the names:

• Gus Mortson's last name was misspelled WORTSON with a "W" instead a "M".
• Danny Lewicki's last name was misspelled LEWESKI, with a "S" instead of a "C".
• Ted Kennedy's name was misspelled KENNEDYY with an extra "Y". His position as Captain was also left off the Stanley Cup.
• William A. H. MacBrien's last name was misspelled as McBrien, missing an "A"
• Elwin "Al" Rollins' first name was misspelled ELVIN with a "V" instead a "W". The Rollins mistake was not corrected on the Replica Cup created in 1992–93. The other 4 mistakes were corrected on the Replica Cup.

Members of Toronto Maple Leafs that won 4 cups in 5 years 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951 dynasty

Bill Barilko, Turk Broda, Ted Kennedy†, Joe Klukay, Howie Meeker, Gus Mortson, Jimmy Thomson, Harry Watson (8 players),

Ed Bickle†, John Bickell†, Conn Smythe†, John Mordoch†, William MacBrien†, Hap Day†, Tim Daly†, George Walker, Ed Finkin, Horance McIntre (10 non-players).

† also won the Stanley Cup in 1945.

See also

• 1950–51 NHL season

Notes

References

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Stanley Cup. NHL.
• Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7.