1939–40 NHL season

In June 1939, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association notified the NHL of the request for development fees when signing amateur players to contracts, after the existing professional-amateur deal expired in 1940.{{cite news|title=C.A.H.A. Will Spend $5,000 To Send Ports To Olympics|date=June 26, 1939|newspaper=Winnipeg Tribune|location=Winnipeg, Manitoba|page=13|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-jun-26-1939-1471103/}}{{free access}}

Tragedy struck the Montreal Canadiens when Babe Siebert, named coach of the struggling club, drowned along with his daughter in August. It put a big hole in the Habs defence and the team finished last under Pit Lepine. An all-star benefit was held in Siebert's memory.

The New York Americans, in financial trouble, decided to trade their star left wing

Sweeney Schriner to Toronto for Harvey "Busher" Jackson, Buzz Boll, Murray Armstrong, and minor-leaguer Jimmy Fowler. Late in the season, they traded Eddie Wiseman and $5000 to Boston for Eddie Shore. The Americans then managed to make the playoffs by finishing a poor sixth. They also obtained Charlie Conacher and used him as a defenceman.

The first place Boston Bruins had a new coach in Cooney Weiland, their one-time captain, and were once again led by their Kraut Line, Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer as they finished 1–2–3 in overall league scoring. Unfortunately, the potent three were unable to help the Bruins get past the first round of the playoffs as the Bruins lost in six games to the Rangers.

The New York Rangers were coasting in first place and went 19 consecutive games without a loss.

They slumped in the second half, though, and Boston edged them out for first place.

The first NHL game broadcast on television was between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens on February 25, 1940. The game was seen by only 300 people in a small area in the United States. This, though, was not the first ice hockey game broadcast on television, as a broadcast had been made in England in 1938.{{cite web|format=PDF|url=https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/RT-TV-1938.pdf|title=RT-TV-1938|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|page=76|accessdate=June 17, 2024}} The CBC's first hockey broadcast was in 1952 between the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings.

{{1939–40 NHL standings}}

The Boston Bruins were expected to make the Stanley Cup Finals after a first overall finish during the regular season riding the shoulders of the "Kraut Line", but the New York Rangers were too much for the Bruins who lost in six games, got out-scored 14 to 8, and got shut-out twice in the Semifinals. The third seed Toronto Maple Leafs swept the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks en route to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Rangers Cup win would begin the 54 Year Curse, and they would not win another Cup until 1994.

The top six teams in the league qualified for the playoffs. The top two teams played in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup semifinal series. The third-place team then met the fourth-place team in one best-of-five series, and the fifth-place team faced the sixth-place team in another best-of-five series, to determine the participants for the other best-of-five semifinal series. The semifinal winners then met in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Finals (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each series).

{{6TeamBracket-Info |style=2

|RD1=Quarterfinals

|RD2=Semifinals

|RD3=Stanley Cup Finals

| RD1-seed1=3

| RD1-team1=Toronto

| RD1-score1=2

| RD1-seed2=4

| RD1-team2=Chicago

| RD1-score2=0

| RD1-seed3=5

| RD1-team3=Detroit

| RD1-score3=2

| RD1-seed4=6

| RD1-team4=NY Americans

| RD1-score4=1

| RD2-seed1=1

| RD2-team1=Boston

| RD2-score1=2

| RD2-seed2=2

| RD2-team2=NY Rangers

| RD2-score2=4

| RD2-seed3=3

| RD2-team3=Toronto

| RD2-score3=2

| RD2-seed4=5

| RD2-team4=Detroit

| RD2-score4=0

| RD3-seed1=2

| RD3-team1=NY Rangers

| RD3-score1=4

| RD3-seed2=3

| RD3-team2=Toronto

| RD3-score2=2

}}

{{NHLPlayoffs

|team1=Chicago Black Hawks

|team2=Toronto Maple Leafs

|stadium2=Chicago Stadium

|stadium1=Maple Leaf Gardens

|date1 =March 19

|score1 =2–3

|ot1 =1

|won1 =2

|recap1 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-tor/1940/03/19/1939030121#game=1939030121,game_state=final

|1-1-1 =Art Wiebe (1) – 02:31
Mush March (1) – sh – 19:41

|1-1-2 =No scoring

|1-2-1 =No scoring

|1-2-2 =No scoring

|1-3-1 =No scoring

|1-3-2 =01:45 – Jack Church (1)
09:09 – Syl Apps (1)

|1-4-1 =No scoring

|1-4-2 =06:36 – Syl Apps (2)

|goalie1-1 =Paul Goodman

|goalie1-2 =Turk Broda

|date2 =March 21

|score2 =2–1

|home2 =2

|won2 =2

|recap2 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-chi/1940/03/21/1939030122#game=1939030122,game_state=final

|2-1-1 =No scoring

|2-1-2 =No scoring

|2-2-1 =No scoring

|2-2-2 =Gordie Drillon (1) – 04:18

|2-3-1 =09:02 – pp – Bill Carse (1)

|2-3-2 =Hank Goldup (1) – 11:56

|goalie2-1 =Paul Goodman

|goalie2-2 =Turk Broda

|series = Toronto won series 2–0

}}

{{NHLPlayoffs

|team1=New York Americans

|team2=Detroit Red Wings

|stadium2=Madison Square Garden III

|stadium1=Olympia Stadium

|date1 =March 19

|score1 =1–2

|ot1 =1

|won1 =2

|recap1 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nya-vs-det/1940/03/19/1939030131#game=1939030131,game_state=final

|1-1-1 =Johnny Gagnon (1) – 19:20

|1-1-2 =No scoring

|1-2-1 =No scoring

|1-2-2 =01:29 – pp – Alex Motter (1)

|1-3-1 =No scoring

|1-3-2 =No scoring

|1-4-1 =No scoring

|1-4-2 =00:25 – Syd Howe (1)

|goalie1-1 =Earl Robertson

|goalie1-2 =Tiny Thompson

|date2 =March 22

|score2 =4–5

|home2 =2

|won2 =1

|recap2 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-nya/1940/03/22/1939030132#game=1939030132,game_state=final

|2-1-1 =No scoring

|2-1-2 =No scoring

|2-2-1 =18:52 – Charlie Conacher (1)

|2-2-2 =Mud Bruneteau (1) – 10:58

|2-3-1 =05:10 – Hooley Smith (1)
16:15 – Tommy Anderson (1)
17:18 – Hooley Smith (2)
19:39 – Art Chapman (1)

|2-3-2 =Joe Fisher (1) – 05:54
Mud Bruneteau (2) – 08:18
Connie Brown (1) – 14:16

|goalie2-1 =Earl Robertson

|goalie2-2 =Tiny Thompson

|date3 =March 24

|score3 =1–3

|home3 =1

|won3 =2

|recap3 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nya-vs-det/1940/03/24/1939030133#game=1939030133,game_state=final

|3-1-1 =Hooley Smith (3) – 18:39

|3-1-2 =05:18 – Cecil Dillon (1)

|3-2-1 =No scoring

|3-2-2 =No scoring

|3-3-1 =No scoring

|3-3-2 =07:33 – pp – Mud Bruneteau (3)
16:45 – Ken Kilrea (1)

|goalie3-1 =Earl Robertson

|goalie3-2 =Tiny Thompson

|series = Detroit won series 2–1

}}

{{NHLPlayoffs

|team1=New York Rangers

|team2=Boston Bruins

|stadium2=Madison Square Garden III

|stadium1=Boston Garden

|date1 =March 19

|score1 =0–4

|home1 =2

|won1 =1

|recap1 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-nyr/1940/03/19/1939030111#game=1939030111,game_state=final

|1-1-1 =No scoring

|1-1-2 =No scoring

|1-2-1 =10:29 – Phil Watson (1)
12:13 – sh – Alex Shibicky (1)

|1-2-2 =No scoring

|1-3-1 =02:37 – sh – Mac Colville (1)
16:58 – Mac Colville (2)

|1-3-2 =No scoring

|goalie1-1 =Dave Kerr

|goalie1-2 =Frank Brimsek

|date2 =March 21

|score2 =2–4

|won2 =2

|recap2 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-bos/1940/03/21/1939030112#game=1939030112,game_state=final

|2-1-1 =Mac Colville (3) – sh – 03:45

|2-1-2 =No scoring

|2-2-1 =No scoring

|2-2-2 =05:45 – pp – Flash Hollett (1)
08:19 – sh – Herb Cain (1)
19:34 – pp – Woody Dumart (1)

|2-3-1 =Dutch Hiller (1) – 09:56

|2-3-2 =18:16 – Art Jackson (1)

|goalie2-1 =Dave Kerr

|goalie2-2 =Frank Brimsek

|date3 =March 24

|score3 =3–4

|home3 =1

|won3 =2

|recap3 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-bos/1940/03/24/1939030113#game=1939030113,game_state=final

|3-1-1 =No scoring

|3-1-2 =07:21 – Eddie Wiseman (1)

|3-2-1 =Muzz Patrick (1) – 13:49

|3-2-2 =16:06 – Bobby Bauer (1)
17:55 – Roy Conacher (1)

|3-3-1 =Babe Pratt (1) – 03:40
Lynn Patrick (1) – 12:35

|3-3-2 =07:49 – Eddie Wiseman (2)

|goalie3-1 =Dave Kerr

|goalie3-2 =Frank Brimsek

|date4 =March 26

|score4 =0–1

|won4 =1

|recap4 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-nyr/1940/03/26/1939030114#game=1939030114,game_state=final

|4-1-1 =No scoring

|4-1-2 =No scoring

|4-2-1 =No scoring

|4-2-2 =No scoring

|4-3-1 =10:40 – Muzz Patrick (2)

|4-3-2 =No scoring

|goalie4-1 =Dave Kerr

|goalie4-2 =Frank Brimsek

|date5 =March 28

|score5 =1–0

|won5 =1

|recap5 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-bos/1940/03/28/1939030115#game=1939030115,game_state=final

|5-1-1 =No scoring

|5-1-2 =No scoring

|5-2-1 =No scoring

|5-2-2 =No scoring

|5-3-1 =Babe Pratt (2) – 04:27

|5-3-2 =No scoring

|goalie5-1 =Dave Kerr

|goalie5-2 =Frank Brimsek

|date6 =March 30

|score6 =1–4

|won6 =1

|recap6 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-nyr/1940/03/30/1939030116#game=1939030116,game_state=final

|6-1-1 =No scoring

|6-1-2 =Roy Conacher (2) – 19:53

|6-2-1 =08:14 – Alf Pike (1)

|6-2-2 =No scoring

|6-3-1 =11:09 – Alex Shibicky (2)
12:494 – pp – Clint Smith (1)
14:46 – pp – Phil Watson (2)

|6-3-2 =No scoring

|goalie6-1 =Dave Kerr

|goalie6-2 =Frank Brimsek

|series = New York won series 4–2

}}

{{NHLPlayoffs

|team1=Detroit Red Wings

|team2=Toronto Maple Leafs

|stadium2=Olympia Stadium

|stadium1=Maple Leaf Gardens

|date1 =March 26

|score1 =1–2

|won1 =2

|recap1 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-tor/1940/03/26/1939030141#game=1939030141,game_state=final

|1-1-1 =No scoring

|1-1-2 =No scoring

|1-2-1 =No scoring

|1-2-2 =11:18 – pp – Syl Apps (3)

|1-3-1 =Connie Brown (2) – 10:26

|1-3-2 =00:57 – Sweeney Schriner (1)

|goalie1-1 =Tiny Thompson

|goalie1-2 =Turk Broda

|date2 =March 28

|score2 =3–1

|home2 =2

|won2 =2

|recap2 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-det/1940/03/28/1939030142#game=1939030142,game_state=final

|2-1-1 =No scoring

|2-1-2 =Red Heron (1) – 03:04
Hank Goldup (2) – 19:51

|2-2-1 =No scoring

|2-2-2 =No scoring

|2-3-1 =19:20 – Syd Howe (2)

|2-3-2 =Hank Goldup (3) – 07:07

|goalie2-1 =Tiny Thompson

|goalie2-2 =Turk Broda

|series = Toronto won series 2–0

}}

{{main|1940 Stanley Cup Finals}}

{{NHLPlayoffs

|team1=Toronto Maple Leafs

|team2=New York Rangers

|stadium2=Maple Leaf Gardens

|stadium1=Madison Square Garden III

|date1 =April 2

|score1 =1–2

|ot1 =1

|won1 =2

|recap1 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-nyr/1940/04/02/1939030211#game=1939030211,game_state=final

|1-1-1 =Red Heron (2) – 11:01

|1-1-2 =09:09 – pp – Art Coulter (1)

|1-2-1 =No scoring

|1-2-2 =No scoring

|1-3-1 =No scoring

|1-3-2 =No scoring

|1-4-1 =No scoring

|1-4-2 =15:30 – Alf Pike (2)

|goalie1-1 =Turk Broda

|goalie1-2 =Dave Kerr

|date2 =April 3

|score2 =2–6

|won2 =2

|recap2 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-nyr/1940/04/03/1939030212#game=1939030212,game_state=final

|2-1-1 =Billy Taylor (1) – 05:01
Hank Goldup (4) – 06:01

|2-1-2 =15:14 – Bryan Hextall

|2-2-1 =No scoring

|2-2-2 =03:57 – Babe Pratt (3)
19:48 – pp – Bryan Hextall (2)

|2-3-1 =No scoring

|2-3-2 =06:26 – Bryan Hextall (3)
12:21 – pp – Dutch Heller (2)
13:09 – pp – Lynn Patrick (2)

|goalie2-1 =Turk Broda

|goalie2-2 =Dave Kerr

|date3 =April 6

|score3 =1–2

|won3 =1

|recap3 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-tor/1940/04/06/1939030213#game=1939030213,game_state=final

|3-1-1 =No scoring

|3-1-2 =Phil Watson (3) – 18:19

|3-2-1 =No scoring

|3-2-2 =No scoring

|3-3-1 =10:32 – Gordie Drillon (2)
13:40 – Hank Goldup (5)

|3-3-2 =No scoring

|goalie3-1 =Turk Broda

|goalie3-2 =Dave Kerr

|date4 =April 9

|score4 =0–3

|won4 =1

|recap4 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-tor/1940/04/09/1939030214#game=1939030214,game_state=final

|4-1-1 =19:20 – Gus Marker (1)

|4-1-2 =No scoring

|4-2-1 =No scoring

|4-2-2 =No scoring

|4-3-1 =16:03 – Wally Stanowski (1)
19:26 – Gordie Drillon (3)

|4-3-2 =No scoring

|goalie4-1 =Turk Broda

|goalie4-2 =Dave Kerr

|date5 =April 11

|score5 =2–1

|home5 =2

|ot5 =2

|won5 =2

|recap5 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-tor/1940/04/11/1939030215#game=1939030215,game_state=final

|5-1-1 =No scoring

|5-1-2 =Neil Colville (1) – 12:21

|5-2-1 =16:55 – Syl Apps (4)

|5-2-2 =No scoring

|5-3-1 =No scoring

|5-3-2 =No scoring

|5-4-1 =No scoring

|5-4-2 =Muzz Patrick (3) – 11:43

|goalie5-1 =Turk Broda

|goalie5-2 =Dave Kerr

|date6 =April 13

|score6 =3–2

|ot6 =1

|won6 =2

|recap6 =www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-tor/1940/04/13/1939030216#game=1939030216,game_state=final

|6-1-1 =06:52 – Syl Apps (5)

|6-1-2 =No scoring

|6-2-1 =04:51 – Nick Metz (1)

|6-2-2 =No scoring

|6-3-1 =No scoring

|6-3-2 =Neil Colville (2) – 08:08
Alf Pike (3) – 10:01

|6-4-1 =No scoring

|6-4-2 =Bryan Hextall (4) – 02:07

|goalie6-1 =Turk Broda

|goalie6-2 =Dave Kerr

|series = New York won series 4–2

}}

;Regular season

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Source: NHL{{sfn |Dinger |2011 |p=147}}

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts

;Playoffs

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts

• Boston Bruins: Cooney Weiland
• Chicago Black Hawks: Paul Thompson
• Detroit Red Wings: Jack Adams
• Montreal Canadiens: Babe Siebert and Alfred Lepine
• New York Americans: Red Dutton
• New York Rangers: Frank Boucher
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Dick Irvin

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1939–40 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Doug Bentley, Chicago Black Hawks
• Johnny Mowers, Detroit Red Wings
• Pat Egan, New York Americans
• Kilby MacDonald, New York Rangers

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1939–40 (listed with their last team):

• Tiny Thompson, Detroit Red Wings
• Cecil Dillon, Detroit Red Wings
• Hec Kilrea, Detroit Red Wings
• Cy Wentworth, Montreal Canadiens
• Earl Robinson, Montreal Canadiens
• Armand Mondou, Montreal Canadiens
• Marty Barry, Montreal Canadiens
• Doc Romnes, New York Americans
• Art Chapman, New York Americans
• Nels Stewart, New York Americans
• Eddie Shore, New York Americans
• Cliff Barton, New York Rangers, last active player form the Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL) franchise.
• Johnny Gagnon, New York Rangers
• Red Horner, Toronto Maple Leafs

• 1939–40 NHL transactions
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1939 in sports
• 1940 in sports

• {{cite book|title=Total Hockey |editor=Diamond, Dan |publisher=Total Sports |year=2000 |isbn=1-892129-85-X }}
• {{cite book |editor-last=Dinger |editor-first=Ralph |year=2011 |title=The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012 |publisher=Dan Diamond & Associates |isbn=978-1-894801-22-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/nationalhockeyle0000unse_u6g5 }}
• {{cite book |editor-last=Dryden |editor-first=Steve |title=Century of hockey |publisher=McClelland & Stewart Ltd. |location=Toronto, ON |year=2000 |isbn=0-7710-4179-9 }}
• {{cite book |last1=Fischler |first1=Stan |last2=Fischler |first2=Shirley

|last3=Hughes |first3=Morgan |last4=Romain |first4=Joseph |last5=Duplacey |first5=James

|year=2003 |title=The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League |publisher=Publications International Inc. |isbn=0-7853-9624-1 |ref={{harvid|Fischler|2003}}}}

• {{cite book |last=McFarlane |first=Brian |title=The Story of the National Hockey League |publisher=Pagurian Press |location=New York |year=1973 |isbn=0-684-13424-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/storyofnationalh0000mcfa }}

;Notes

{{reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• [http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/nhl1927.html Hockey Database]
• [http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/seasons/1939-40-nhl-players-playoff-stats.html 1939–40 NHL Playoff Season Stats – quanthockey.com]
• [http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/seasons/1939-40-nhl-goalies-playoff-stats.html 1939–40 NHL Playoff Season Goaltender Stats]
• [http://nhl.com/ NHL.com]

{{Refend}}

{{1939–40 NHL season by team}}

{{NHL seasons|1939}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:NHL, 1939-40}}

Category:1939–40 in Canadian ice hockey by league

Category:1939–40 in American ice hockey by league