1949 Stanley Cup Finals

1949 Stanley Cup Finals
1 2 3 4 Total Toronto Maple Leafs 3 3 3 3 4 Detroit Red Wings 2 1 1 1 0
* – Denotes overtime period(s)
Location(s)	Detroit, MI (Detroit Olympia) (1,2) Toronto, ON (Maple Leaf Gardens) (3,4)
Coaches	Toronto: Hap Day Detroit: Tommy Ivan
Captains	Toronto: Ted Kennedy Detroit: Sid Abel
Dates	April 8 to April 16, 1949
Series-winning goal	Cal Gardner (19:45, second)
Stanley Cup Finals

The 1949 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series between the Detroit Red Wings and the defending champion Toronto Maple Leafs, the second straight final series between Detroit and Toronto. The Maple Leafs won the series in four straight games to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup and eighth in the history of the franchise.

Paths to the final

Detroit defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4–2 to advance to the finals. Toronto defeated the Boston Bruins 4–1 to advance to the finals.

The series

The Maple Leafs became the first NHL team to win the Cup in three straight seasons. The Leafs also won nine straight Finals games (beating Montreal in game six of the 1947 Finals, plus consecutive sweeps of the Wings in 1948 and this year). By defeating Detroit, Toronto won the Stanley Cup with a losing record. The only other team to win the Stanley Cup after finishing the regular season with a losing record was the Chicago Black Hawks, who qualified for the 1938 playoffs with a losing record and ultimately beat Toronto in the Cup Finals three games to one.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 8	Toronto	3	Detroit	2	OT
April 10	Toronto	3	Detroit	1
April 13	Detroit	1	Toronto	3
April 16	Detroit	1	Toronto	3

Toronto wins best-of-seven series 4–0.

Toronto Maple Leafs 1949 Stanley Cup Champions

Players

  Centres

  Wingers

• 4 Harry Watson (A)
• 8 Joe Klukay
• 11 Howie Meeker
• 12 Bill Ezinicki†
• 14 Vic Lynn
• 17 Sid Smith
• 19 Don Metz
• 22 Ray Timgren
• 22–15 Tod Sloan††

  Defencemen

• 2 Jimmy Thomson
• 3 Gus Mortson
• 18 Garth Boesch
• 19 Bill Barilko
• 20 Bill Juzda

  Goaltenders

1 Walter Turk Broda

Coaching and administrative staff

• Conn Smythe (President/Manager/Owner),George McGillach (Vice President)
• John Murdoch (Vice President), Jack Bickell (Director/Owner)
• Ed Bickle (Director/Owner), George Walker (Chief Scout)
• William MacBrien (Chairman/Owner), Tim Daly (Trainer)
• Clarence Hap Day (Coach)
• Kerry Day (Mascot)
• Archie Campbell† (Ass't Trainer), Ed Fitkin† (Publicity Director),
• Norman Delarue†, Robert Galloway†, Horance MacIntyre† (Team Doctors)

Stanley Cup engraving

• †The following members were engraved on the original Stanley Cup in 1949, but removed from the current Cup Bill Ezinicki† (player-by mistake-played in the finals), Archie Campbell†, Ed Finkin†, Norman Delarue†, Horance MacIntyre†, James Murphy† (non players). There is room for 5 more names to be included on the cup.
• ††Tod Sloan's name is not on the cup in 1949, but was included on the team picture. Sloan only played 29 games, and did not play in the playoffs. Sloan name was engraved on the cup in 1951, 1961.
• William A.H. MacBrien's last name was spelt wrong. W.A.H. MacBRIAN with an "E" instead of an "A". Mistake was corrected on the Replica Cup created in 1992–93.

See also

• 1948–49 NHL season

References and notes

• Diamond, Dan (2000). Total Stanley Cup. Toronto: Total Sports Canada. ISBN 978-1-892129-07-9.

• Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7