This Day in Hockey History – November 22, 1930 – X’s and O’s

Nov 22, 2019

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Every goalie wishes to start the season like Lorne Chabot and Benny Grant did in 1930-31. They led the Toronto Maple Leafs through five consecutive shutouts. Chabot’s three straight shutouts made him the first NHL goalie to accomplish such a feat. It was not until November 25 that anyone scored against Toronto.

The Maple Leafs were already predicted to perform well during the 1930-31 season. In an exhibition game held at Windsor on November 7, they blanked the International League’s Bulldogs 5-0. The Windsor Star complimented, “Sensational goal-tending by Lorne Chabot, fighting to keep his regular job in the Toronto cage, turned back the very best plays that the Windsorites could engineer.”

To start the NHL regular season, on November 13, Toronto’s Arena Gardens hosted a crowd of 8,000. After 70 minutes of hockey, the Maple Leafs (led by Chabot) maintained a scoreless deadlock with the New York Americans.

Two days later, Toronto hosted the Philadelphia Quakers. “The opposing goalies both saved brilliantly in the early test,” noted the Philadelphia Inquirer. “The Quakers began to drift through the Leaf defense as the second period got under way, but Grant was too good.” Amidst the fist-fighting and paper throwing by the spectators, the Leafs won 4-0.

The Leafs played their first road game on November 18 at the Montreal Maroons’ home opener. The 9,500 in attendance mostly were not happy with Toronto’s 3-0 victory and were really unhappy that this was the Maroons’ third-straight shutout loss. The Montreal Gazette commented that “there was always the long, lanky figure of Chabot in the way. Sometimes Chabot was saved by miracles as desperate Maroons swarmed about him in teeming numbers, and sometimes the miracles he himself performed saved the day – but in one way or another he was always just a jump ahead of Maroons’ best efforts.”

In the rematch with the Americans in New York on November 20, 6,000 booed as the score refused to change. After another 70 minutes, the teams again ended 0-0. The only difference was that Grant was in the net instead of Chabot. The New York Daily News disliked the outcome. “Either the goalies are becoming too expert, the defenses too tight or the rules of the game need a little more revision.”

Returning home, on November 22, Toronto beat the Ottawa Senators 2-0. According to the recap, “Finally, just as the timekeepers were reaching for the bell, Ottawa sent five men up around the Toronto goal. Chabot saved brilliantly time after time.” Instead of letting in a goal, his teammate Charlie Conacher scored with just three seconds remaining. With that, the Leafs had started the season with five shutouts and had an unbeaten streak that included two exhibition games.

At the end of the 1930-31 season, Chabot had a record of 21-8-8 and Grant had just 1-5-1. Chabot added three more shutouts. Toronto (with 53 points) finished second in the Canadian Division and third in the NHL but lost in the quarter-finals. However, they went on to win their first Stanley Cup (as the Maple Leafs) the following season, when Chabot had a record of 21-16-6, and Grant improved to 2-2-1.

Additional Sources:

https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/sen-vs-tor/1930/11/22/1930020020/recap/stats#game=1930020020,game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=stats
Dick Gibson, “Leafs Flash Best Form in Drubbing Bulldogs, 5-0,” Windsor Star, 8 Nov. 1930, p. 19.
“Toronto Leafs and Americans Battle to Scoreless Tie,” Montreal Gazette, 14 Nov. 1930, p. 18.
“Americans Hold Leafs to Goalless Tie,” Ottawa Citizen, 14 Nov. 1930, p. 11. “Quakers Lose, 4-0, in Battle of Fists,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 16 Nov. 1930, p. 5.
Marc T. McNeil, “Maroons Blanked in Local Opener by Toronto, 3-0,” Montreal Gazette, 19 Nov. 1930, p. 18.
“Leafs Still on Winning Streak Blank Maroons at Montreal,” Ottawa Journal, 19 Nov. 1930, p. 18.
Pat Robinson, “What! No Scoring Again!” New York Daily News, 21 Nov. 1930, pp. 72 and 79.
“Ottawa Senators Lose in Toronto 2 to 0,” Ottawa Citizen, 24 Nov. 1930, p. 11.
“Leafs Blank Ottawas 2 to 0 and Continue Winning Streak,” Ottawa Journal, 24 Nov. 1930, p. 16.
“Leafs Maintain Shutout Record,” Montreal Gazette, 24 Nov. 1930, p. 20.