Toronto Maple Leafs: The First Game of Christmas

The first game

And so, the game started. Canadiens defensemen Mummery and Corbeau were out for blood early on. They weighed more than 400 pounds together and had no trouble establishing a physical edge over the Pats’ small, zippy forwards.

At first, the difference in condition was not so apparent. Forwards Lalonde, Berlanquette, and Pitre were willing to match their rival’s quickness and energy.  They exhibited impressive chemistry as they rapidly moved the puck between one another when given the opportunity.

When the Pats did manage to break through their formidable opponents, goaltender Georges Vezina was always there to make the save. His athleticism and vision were praised even in the Globe, who were generally critical of his team’s performance on the night.

By all accounts, the Canadiens were the much better team in the first period.  The Irishmen’s bet that they could tire their rivals with fancy skating  seemed progressively more naive as the game went on. Eight minutes into the period, Lalonde was battling for the puck along the boards. Referees were seemingly much more lax about scrums at the time, as this reportedly went on for several minutes.

Frustrated, he came off for substitute Amos Arbour, who fished the puck out immediately and took a shot on goal. Goaltender Ivan Mitchell stopped the shot, but speedy Didier Pitre managed to bat the puck into the net for the first goal of the game.

10 minutes later, the Canadiens were back at it. Newsy Lalonde’s diverse skillset was what really separated him at the time. He was 32 years old in this game and physically quite small. Nevertheless, he maneuvered his way into the zone and sniped another one past Mitchell, on a shot that had the goaltender flying the other way.  Things were looking less than stellar for the Pats. After their disappointing start in Ottawa, they were now down 2-0 on their home opener. Their fans were being treated to a real Christmas farce.

Luckily, Harry Cameron had different plans. He had a reputation himself as a real scoring threat and is today considered one of the first true puck-carrying defensemen.  On the next shift, he took matters into his own hands and stickhandled all the way to front of the net. In what was described as the best individual effort of the night, he rifled a shot that finally beat a seemingly impenetrable Vezina. 2-1 Montreal.

In what had been a nearly dominant period for the visitors, Cameron acted as the team’s saving grace. His goal was what prevented the game from getting out of hand. The Pats didn’t appear much improved going into the second period, however.

The Canadiens were hard at work and hoped to run up the score to the greatest extent possible before their lack of condition took its toll. 8 minutes in, Didier Pitre performed his signature dash up the wing and scored his second of the game.

Truthfully, though, the signs had already been showing. Montreal maintained their two goal lead, but there was simply no way they could sustain this pressure and this speed. St. Pats Cully Wilson and Ken Randall seemed to find their stride.

First, Wilson partnered with center Reg Noble on a lovely give-and-go play. Their energy at this stage of the game was impressive, as they skated circles around the flying Frenchmen. The former tipped a shot past Vezina at the edge of the crease, and the lead was down to one.

When Randall duplicated his effort not five minutes later, it was clear that the tide was shifting. When the 33-year-old Randall showed off his playmaking abilities later in the period, even substitute, Mikey Roach got a lick in, as he was able to slide the puck past Vezina near the goalpost.

The Canadiens had simply tired too quickly and headed into the third period down 4-3. Their capabilities perhaps eclipsed those of their rivals, but the game finally seemed beyond their reach. Besides, the Pats had some of their own talents to throw around.

Defenseman Babe Dye would go on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. At this point in his career, though, he was not much more than a promising up-and-comer who had performed impressively at lower levels. He had scored two goals against the Canadiens 3 days ago, where he played a single game on loan to the Hamilton Tigers. He didn’t exhibit the physical prowess of Mummery or Corbeau, but he might have been one of the most precise shooters of all time.

He frequently scored goals from behind the red line. From close range, his shots could be so precise and unexpected that he would celebrate his goal before the goaltender or even the referee realized the puck was in the net.

Seven minutes into the period, the puck trickled out of a mix-up and right onto his stick. Dye made no mistake and scored the home team’s fourth unanswered goal. Corbeau managed to steal one back for Montreal, but it was too little too late. Though the visitors seemed somewhat rejuvenated for the final ten minutes of play, Pitre and Mummery were forced to leave the ice early from exhaustion and a potential injury.

At long last, this entertaining Christmas spectacle had come to a close. The St. Pats escaped with a narrow 5-4 victory to capture their first win of the season. Despite this, the Canadian Press was quite critical of their performance. They were a speedy bunch but rarely made the most of their chances and were too content to shoot from poor positions.

Nevertheless, this Christmas game gave the team the chance to find a new beginning. They began to really separate themselves from the Arenas’ mediocrity, and went on to win the Stanley Cup in 1922.

Though they  had played as the St. Patricks the season prior, this game debuted a distinct style. A small, but well-conditioned and quick team, defensemen who could help on the rush, and a variety of other pieces to fill the mold. You might say that this group is not so different than the Leafs of today.