Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly column for NHL.com.
Fischler, known as “The Hockey Maven.” shares his humor and insight with readers every Wednesday. This week — to coincide with the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida on Saturday (3 pm ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS) — Fischler reaches back 85 years for a story. about one of the earliest All-Star games involving NHL players.
At a time during the Roaring ’20’s when the Babe Ruth-led New York Yankees dominated baseball, their counterpart in the NHL was the Montreal Canadiens. And like the “Bronx Bombers,” the “Flying Frenchmen” had their superstar.
“Howie Morenz was the Babe Ruth of hockey,” former Toronto Star sports editor Milt Dunnell said. “He was the player who was able to sell the game to an American audience. Howie was that sensational.”
Even in the twilight of his career, Morenz continued to dazzle with the Chicago Black Hawks and then the New York Rangers before returning to the Canadiens for one last hurrah in the 1936-37 season. During a game at the Montreal Forum on Jan. 28, 1937, the Canadiens were playing against the Black Hawks when Morenz took off on one of his patented rushes. Teammate Toe Blake remembered it well.
“Howie got past the defense,” Blake recalled, “but trying to go around the net he lost his balance and went into the boards. Earl Siebert, who was checking him, kind of fell on him. Howie just lay there in terrific pain. “
The Canadiens superstar was taken off the ice on a stretcher with his leg broken in four places and transported to St. Luke’s Hospital. Morenz hoped to recover there, but that never happened.
“A multitude of well-wishers took its toll and Howie suffered a nervous breakdown,” Morenz biographer Dean Robinson wrote.
Despite intense medical attention, Morenz’s condition worsened and on Monday, March 8, 1937, Morenz died from a coronary embolism. The news spread like shockwaves throughout Montreal and the NHL.
So intense was the city’s love affair with the superstar, who had 476 points (271 goals, 205 assists) in 550 NHL regular-season games, that the funeral for Morenz was held before a capacity crowd at the Forum three days after he died.
“Many more thousands of people shivered in the cold outside,” Robinson wrote. “It was the first time in Canadian history that the details of an athlete’s funeral would be sent over the airwaves.”
“It was the saddest funeral,” Morenz’s sister Gertie Bushfield said.
Soon after the funeral service, discussions began regarding a memorial All-Star Game with proceeds donated to the Morenz family. A team consisting of both Montreal NHL teams, the Maroons and Canadiens, would face a team of NHL All-Stars.
Canadiens president Ernest Savard and Montreal Maroons manager Tommy Gorman huddled with NHL President Frank Calder about setting a date for the game. Since the Stanley Cup Playoffs were already underway, it was agreed to delay the All-Star Game until Nov. 2, 1937 at The Forum. This was two days before the start of the 1937-38 season.
“To boost the proceeds, it was announced that Howie’s hockey equipment and a number of autographed sticks would be auctioned at the game,” Robinson wrote.
It was agreed that the All-Stars would wear special Howie Morenz Memorial Game sweaters. The All-Star goalies were Normie Smith from the Detroit Red Wings and Tiny Thompson from the Boston Bruins. Wilf Cude of the Canadiens and Bill Beveridge from the Maroons were the goalies for the Montreal team.
Red Wings manager Jack Adams coached the All-Stars and Canadiens boss Cecil M. Hart coached the Montreal team.
The All-Stars roster included Siebert, Red Horner, Harvey Jackson, Hap Day, Charlie Conacher, Dit Clapper, Sweeney Schriner, Ebbie Goodfellow, Eddie Shore, Johnny Gottselig, Art Chapman, Frank Boucher, Mush March, Cecil Dillon and Marty Barry.
The combined Montreal roster featured Blake, Russ Blinco, Paul Haynes, Jimmy Ward, Aurel Joliat, Johnny Gagnon, Pit Lepine, Walt Buswell, Baldy Northcott, Lionel Conacher, Earl Robinson, Cy Wentworth, Georges Mantha and King Clancy.
A feature of the pregame warmup drills was the appearance of 10-year-old Howie Morenz, Jr. Wearing a Canadiens sweater, he skated with the pros, took shots on goal and “scored” on Thompson. He also posed for photos and signed some souvenir programs.
A crowd of 8,683 witnessed an entertaining game. The All-Stars prevailed in a 6-5 win on goals from Clapper, Gottselig, Dillon, Schriner, Barry and Conacher. Gagnon scored two goals for Montreal.
The gate proceeds totaled $11,447, not counting program sales, the auction and innumerable other donations to the Morenz family.
A smaller memorial game was later held at Stratford, Ontario, where the Canadiens divided their roster into Whites and Reds. Later in November, Calder announced that the sum of both games raised $26,595.
Howie Morenz was never forgotten and in Dec. 1950 the Canadian Press announced that he was chosen the greatest hockey player in the first half of the 20th Century. He was also one of nine original inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945.
Blake said it best: “Howie had that flair that would lift people out of their seats!”
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