Habs John McCormack stopped Mr. Hockey at 49

John McCormack isn’t one of the standout names in the history and lore of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1950’s, but he had a key hand during the team’s 1953 Stanley Cup run.

A Memorial Cup winner, with the St. Mike’s Majors in 1945, McCormack got his break in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1947-48 season. He only played three games that season, and just one the following season.

McCormack spent a pair of part-time seasons between Toronto and the minors after that. Playing 46 games, during the 1950-51 season, was enough to get his name on the Stanley Cup, despite being in Pittsburgh (AHL) during the playoffs.

His demotion had been a result of a mid-season marriage to his pregnant girlfriend. It was something that enraged Leafs owner Conn Smythe.

"I was playing with Pittsburgh and we were in Cleveland that night,” McCormack said, in 2005 interview with the Hockey Hall of Fame. “We lost that night and they (Toronto) won that night with Billy (Barilko) scoring the goal. I was very pleased for him.”

Despite the Leafs adding his name to the Cup roster, Smythe sold McCormack’s rights to the rival Montreal Canadiens the following summer. One could argue for Smythe that McCormack’s offensive numbers never lived to expectations he had in Jr. and in the OHA.

In Montreal, coach Dick Irvin found good use for McCormack’s other talent as a defensive specialist.

In his second season with the Canadiens (1952-53), the gritty centre found himself in a pivotal role on the last game of the regular season.

Montreal would be in Detroit to face Gordie Howe and the Red Wings. Sitting on 49 goals, Howe needed just one to reach the illustrious 50-goal mark, something only the Canadiens Maurice Richard had achieved to that point.

McCormack and linemate Bert Olmstead were in charge of checking Howe. Whenever “Mr. Hockey” was on a shift, one or both of the Canadiens forwards was out there on him.

The prominent checking pairing off, as Howe had only one decent and unsuccessful scoring chance on the night. It was the closest The Red Wings legend ever came to 50 goals in his career, and it would be another eight years until Bernie Geoffrion became the NHL’s second 50-goal scorer.

“The Rocket always had that competitive fire,” McCormack said during brief chat with me at a recent Toronto autograph signing. “Afterwards, he came over to me and Bert and thanked me for not letting Howe get to 50.”

The Canadiens would go on to win the Stanley Cup, with McCormack seeing action in all seven semi-final games and the first two of the Finals.

John McCormack with the Stanley Cup on his 80th Birthday in 2005 –Photo: Walt Neubrand HHOF

He would have one final season with Montreal, while spending 16 games with their AHL affiliate in Buffalo, and was in the bizarre seven game Stanley Cup Final against Detroit.

“Let’s see, 1954,” McCormack said as he began to sign a puck.

“Oh no sir,” I said. “You won with Montreal in ‘53. You might have won in ‘54, but Doug Harvey “threw it” into your net in overtime.”

“That’s right,” he replied with a smile. “Thanks for re-educating me.” I failed to note he signed his Leafs number (20) instead of the No. 17 he wore in Montreal.

In the summer of 1954. McCormack was left open to the Intra-League draft, and would play one last NHL season with the Chicago Blackhawks. He retired from hockey, after a season in the WHL with his hometown Edmonton Flyers,at age 30.

Article Sources

Montreal Gazette – March 23, 1953

Hockey Hall of Fame - “Stanley Cup Journal #21”

Legends of Hockey – Player Profile

Greatest Hockey Legends

Ab McDonald's bridged Cup run between the Habs and Blackhawks

Alvin Brian "Ab" McDonald would probably be considered a power forward of his era. Standing a very solid 6'3, the now 74-year-old greeted fans and collectors at a Toronto appearance this weekend. For a man 35 years removed from the playing the game. he still looks to be in the best of shape.

McDonald joined the bably bruised Canadiens roster, at the end of the 1957-58 season, after a successful year in Rochester (AHL) that saw him score 30 goals. Despite injuries to several key players, he only appeared in two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, against the Boston Bruins. McDonald just had a had a single hooking penalty to show for his efforts, but nonetheless his name was etched on the Stanley Cup for his contribution.

The next season, McDonald was playing full time, and began to show his offensive abilities with 13 and nine-goal seasons. Not bad for a third-year player on a team stacked with future Hall of Fame players.

With another pair of Cup wins in his pocket, McDonald was looking forward to another season in Montreal. It didn't happen as he would be traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in a multi player deal.

Though disheartened to be going from a team that had just won it's fifth straight Cup to a team that hadn't see one since 1938, McDonald wouldn't let that stop him. The Blackhawks had a team of young and eager players, led by Stan Mikita, Pierre Pilote and Bobby Hull, and an iron man goaltender named Glenn Hall.

The Blackhawks would face the Canadiens in the semi finals that year, and led by Hall's brilliant goaltending, would oust Montreal in six games. Nursing a skin infection McDonald didn't see action until Game Five, but recorded a goal and an assist against his former team.

Chicago would square off against the Detroit Red Wings in the Finals. The Blackhawks had the Red Wings in a predicament by the sixth game. Down 3-2 in the series, Detroit would be without goaltender Terry Sawchuk, who had been injured in Game Five. Chicago put the pressure on the Red Wings and backup goalie Hank Bassen after a Reg Fleming shorthanded goal tied the game at one apiece.

McDonald's goal at 18:49 of the second period, when he cased a reboun off a Hull rush, would be the Cup clincher in a 5-1 Blackhawks win. McDonald was named the game's first star and he now had four straight Stanley Cups to his name.

He would go on to have successive 20-goal season the next two years, with the Blackhawks, reaching the finals again in 1962, but losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After a season in Boston, McDonald found himself in the finals again in 1966 playing with Detroit. however he was on the losing end as the Canadiens defeated the Red Wings in six games, in light of a Conn Smythe performance from the Wings' Rogr Crozier.

Expansion brought personal success to McDonald, first scoring 22 goals for the Pittsburgh Penguins, then 21 and 25 the following years with the St. Louis Blues. In St. Louis, he was back in the Stanley Cup Finals but again fell to the Canadiens and Bruins in succesive seasons.

By 1972, McDonald was names captain of his hometown Winnipeg Jets in the new WHA. He would go on to score the franchise's first goal on October 12, 1972, retiring after two seasons with the Jets.

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More on the Blackhawks '61 win at Habs Eyes on the Prize

Remembering the Rocket and other post-playoffs Habs notes

Ten Years Ago Today, we bid adieu to Maurice “Rocket” Richard.

Below is a clip from CBC’s “The Magazine’s” coverage of Richard’s State Funeral, held four days later, with some retrospective on Richard from Jean Beliveau, Gerry McNeil and Elmer Lach.

It’s followed by a clip that really needs no introduction.

 

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The Montreal Canadiens season may be over playing-wise, but there’s still lots of talk on the team as well as tidbits on and from other former players.

A signing already?: No it’s not Halak, Price or Plekanec. The Habs signed defenseman Kyle Klubertanz to a one-year deal.

Price’s lesson learned: Marc-Antoine Godin had a great piece in today’s  La Presse on Carey’ Price’s learning experience sitting on the bench. Robert Lefebvre offers an english translation on his site.

More on Carey: Dennis Kane submits his thoughts on keeping Carey Price and/or Jaroslav Halak at Hockey54. His choice is…

The Flower weighs in: Guy Lafleur spoke to the Montreal Gazette’s Arpon Basu about the Canadiens season after an awards ceremony in his name at the Bell Centre. You’d be surprised to hear what he had so say.

Habs make playoff profit, but tickets going up: Canadiens owner Geoff Molson spoke to the Montreal board of trade on Wednesday. Despite profits from the playoffs, ticket prices for next season will rise approximately 3% on most seats.

A video retrospective:  A collection of video highlights of the Habs 2009-10 season,including the one below, has been compiled by Shauna Denis at canadiens.com

Russ Courtnall figure skater:  Former Habs forward Russ Courtnall and Calgary Flames star Theoren Fleury are the first two hockey players confirmed to compete in season two of the popular CBC program “Battle of the Blades”. The news came as part of the CBC’s fall lineup release. The remaining competitors have yet to be announced.

I am Iron Man: Ok I’m not, but Kyle Roussell has a great piece assigning superheroes to the Habs roster. Kyle actually has a good choice for Iron Man.

Habs Sale this weekend: The Canadiens are having an end-of-season and game-used equipment sale this weekend at the Bell Centre. I was at one of the game-used equipment sales in November, and saw some great deals not just for collectors but even for the beer-league hockey player all under $100. Well worth the trip if you’re in town.

If that’s not enough for you to spend: Classic Auctions has it’s latest up for grabs through June 22. The highlight is the jersey worn by Paul Henderson when he scored the winning goal in the ‘72 Summit Series.  Dennis Kane weighs in on this as well.

Unless the LottoMax kicks in, I won’t be bidding, but I’ll be perusing through the under $200 stuff, and still dreaming.

More Habs signings: Again, not Price, Halak or Pleks. A trio of former Cup-winning Habs from the ‘50s and ‘60s will be at an autograph signing in Toronto on Saturday. Ab McDonald, Albert Langlois and John McCormack will be signing from 12pm onward at AJSportsworld.

Ab McDonald has an interesting tie in to this season’s Stanley Cup Final. He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks after the 1959-60 season, and went on to score the Cup-winning goal for Chicago the following year.

The Great One’s dad meets my dad: My dad has his brush with hockey greatness this afternoon, when he ran into Walter Gretzky at a Cambridge, ON bank promotion. He reports he had a lengthy and  memorable chat with the “World’s Number One Hockey Dad” and was really impressed with how gracious a man he is.