This Day in Hockey History – April 16, 1953 and 1954 – Lach and Leswick with the Last

On the same date, April 16, in back-to-back years, an overtime goal decided the Stanley Cup victor. In 1953, Elmer Lach earned the win for the Montreal Canadiens by scoring on the Boston Bruins. The following year, Tony Leswick scored on the Canadiens to win for the Detroit Red Wings. It was the sixth time each team had won the Stanley Cup.

For the 1952-53 championship finals, the Canadiens and Bruins faced off just as they had back in 1946, the last time Montreal had taken home the Stanley Cup. Going into the game on April 16, the Canadiens led the series 3-1. About 14,450 gathered at the Forum to see if the home team could take home the hardware. Before the game Montreal coach Dick Irvin told Lach, “I have a feeling you’re going to get a goal tonight.” According to Irvin, Lach replied, “You’re darn right I am.” However, the game remained completely scoreless as regulation ended.

At 1:22 into overtime, the 35-year-old, 13-season veteran center made the most of his chance. The Boston Globe’s recap claimed that Lach intercepted a pass when Bruins Milt Schmidt tried to clear the puck. As told by the Montreal Gazette, the Bruins goalie, Jim Henry, “had to make a sudden lunge to save from Eddie Mazur. Rocket Richard grabbed the rebound and passed to Elmer from the end boards. It was a perfect pass, directly on Elmer’s stick as he wheeled to pick it up and let go with the big drive that wrapped up the coveted Cup.” It was Lach’s only goal and Richard’s only assist in the playoffs that season.

The Globe reported that Henry “played a terrific game despite a painful ankle injury never had a chance. The shot was screened all the way and he never saw it, until the puck was in the net.” The Gazette noticed that “Henry looked a trifle off balance on the play.” Afterwards, Henry “was in tears as he pulled off his goalie armor for the last time” and blamed himself for letting the Bruins down with his injury. No one else blamed him but instead admired him for playing with everything he had.

Meanwhile, Lach and the Canadiens celebrated their 1-0 victory. Lach said, “I didn’t even have time to see the puck go into the net before the Rocket hugged me, knocked me down. I just let the shot go when the puck suddenly came in front of me.” He raised his stick and went “rolling and sprawling along the ice” before his teammates carried him on their shoulders to the bench. The crowd joined the celebration by throwing things and “several hundred scrambled over the boards.” It took a while to clear enough space for President Clarence Campbell to present the Cup to captain Butch Bouchard. Later, Lach exclaimed, “I never expected it would be me who would score the big goal in the Stanley Cup. It’s the most important goal I ever scored.” Canadiens GM Frank Selke said to him, “They told me you were too tired to skate, too old to do anything. You’ll be back again with us next year.”

Indeed, Lach was back with the Canadiens the next year (for his final season) as they played the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup finals. The series was tied 3-3 going into the April 16 finale. Olympia Stadium hosted a record crowd of 15,791, who watched regulation run out with a 1-1 tie.

This time it took until 4:29 of overtime for a winner to emerge. The Detroit Free Press described the unfolding of events, Glen “Skov’s forechecking suddenly proved fatal to Montreal. He slapped at Elmer Lach’s attempted pass out and Leswick outfought Rocket Richard for the puck.” So the same duo that had won the Cup the previous season were on the ice to lose it in 1954. The Free Press continued, “It was a routine effort when it started. Leswick’s drive from near the right boards had neither speed nor sting.” However, the shot was screened by Montreal defenseman Doug Harvey, who said later that he made to grab for the puck when “it ticked off my glove into the net.” The Free Press commented, “Gerry McNeil, the terrific little Montreal goalie, knew a shot was on its way, but he couldn’t tell exactly where it was headed. … It slipped cleanly over McNeil’s upraised right arm and high into the Montreal cage.” Meanwhile, the Montreal Gazette recapped, “Gerry didn’t see it and it appeared to hit him on the arm and bounce off into the net.”

Like the celebrations in 1953, Leswick’s teammates carried him off the ice as fans swarmed the ice. President Campbell presented the Cup to captain Ted Lindsay, who climbed over the wall to kiss his wife in the stands. That was the last time the Stanley Cup was decided with an overtime goal in Game 7.

During the 1950s, the Canadiens and Red Wings sent the Cup back and forth between Montreal and Detroit. The Cup won by Detroit in 1950, 1952, 1954, and 1955. Alternately, Montreal held the Cup in 1953 and for the rest of the decade from 1955 through 1960. Both Lach and Leswick won three Stanley Cup championships with their respective teams.

Additional Sources:

• Herb Ralby, “Henry Never Saw the Shot That Beat B’s for Title,” Boston Globe, 17 April 1953, p. 20.
• “Overtime Score by Lach Beats Bruins 1-0, Wins Cup,” Montreal Gazette, 17 April 1953, pp. 22-23.
• Marshall Dann, “Record 15,791 See Wings Win Cup,” Detroit Free Press, 17 April 1954, pp. 1 and 11.
• “Wings Cop Stanley Cup on Leswick’s Overtime Goal,” Montreal Gazette, 17 April 1954, p. 8.