Champion Toronto Maple Leafs | Start date April 9, 1963 | |
Location(s) Toronto, ON (Maple Leaf Gardens) (1,2,5)
Detroit, MI (Detroit Olympia) (3,4) Coaches Detroit: Sid Abel
Toronto: Punch Imlach Captains Detroit: Alex Delvecchio
Toronto: George Armstrong Dates April 9 to April 18, 1963 Series-winning goal Eddie Shack (13:28, third, G6) Similar 1964 Stanley Cup Finals, 1962 Stanley Cup Finals, 1959 Stanley Cup Finals, 1967 Stanley Cup Finals, 1942 Stanley Cup Finals | ||
The 1963 Stanley Cup Final was contested by the defending champion Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. The Maple Leafs would win the best-of-seven series four games to one to win the Stanley Cup, their second straight NHL championship.
Contents
- Paths to the Final
- The series
- Game one
- Game two
- Game three
- Game four
- Game five
- Stanley Cup engraving
- References
Paths to the Final
Toronto defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4–1 to advance to the finals and Detroit defeated the Chicago Black Hawks 4–2
The series
Johnny Bower limited the Wings to 10 goals in the five games, and five different Leafs had multiple-goal games: Duff, Nevin, Stewart, Kelly and Keon.
The Leafs had finished first in the regular season, and were installed as 13–5 favourites by oddsmakers.
Game one
In the first 68 seconds, Dick Duff scored twice on Detroit's Terry Sawchuk, the fastest two goals to start a game in Stanley Cup history. The Leafs would suffer a second-period letdown but would win 4–2 to take the lead in the series. Because of the second period letdown, Punch Imlach would put the team through a morning practice the next morning.
Game two
The Leafs would again win 4–2 and would again have to have a morning after workout assigned by Imlach.
Game three
The series now moved to Detroit. The team was sequestered out of town in a Toledo, Ohio hotel. The Red Wings, led by rookie centre Alex Faulkner's two goals, including the winner, captured the game 3–2. It was his third game-winning goal and all had been scored on Sundays. Faulkner was a native of Newfoundland and Howie Meeker, excaimed that there would be "dancing in the streets tonight".
Game four
The Leafs felt that they had let game three slip away due to overconfidence and were determined to not repeat the mistake in game four. The game was close, and was tied 2–2 until with ten minutes to go Dave Keon scored. Red Kelly added another to make the score 4–2. On the way to the dressing room the Leafs' players were pelted with paper cups, programs and food containers.
Game five
Back in Toronto, the Red Wings kept the score close. After Keon scored a short-handed goal, Marcel Pronovost scored for Detroit to tie the game. The game and series winner was scored by Eddie Shack with seven minutes to go on a deflection. Shack had scored the goal unintentionally as he later admitted. Keon then scored another short-handed goal to put the game out of reach for Detroit.
The Leafs celebrated their second consecutive Stanley Cup by throwing Imlach, Harold Ballard and Stafford Smythe into the showers fully clothed. The team was given a victory parade along Bay Street with a reception at Toronto City Hall.
Toronto wins 1963 Stanley Cup four games to one