The Golden Age of Sports: A Roaring Replay of the 1920's
by James Marshall
The decade of the 1920's is often referred to as the Golden Age of Sports. This was a time
when America and the world wanted to put the memory of the Great War behind them
and enjoy life. That war provided an economic boom for Americans, along with the
timing of the automobile becoming the common means of transportation and many other
new modern devices finding their way into the homes people had more free time on their
hands then ever before. So with this free time they turned their attention to sports. It was
good timing on their part because in this decade they got to watch the exploits of Jack
Dempsey, Man O' War, The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame,Red Grange, Big Bill
Tilden and Suzanne Lenglen, Eddie Shore and Howie Morenz, Bobby Jones and the
biggest of them all Babe Ruth. What a decade it was.
Horse Racing- Man o' War
Man of War on his way to another Victory
We start the things off with perhaps the most impressive athlete of the Decade. Like Babe
Ruth is to baseball so is Man O' War is to horse racing. The horse they called Big Red
burst onto the scene as a two year old and except in one race where he had a bad start and
lost to a horse ironically named Upset would win 20 of 21 races. As a three-year-old he
did not lose. He was so good that it was hard to find anyone to race him, and when he did
race he often gave 30 pounds to his rivals. Although he did not win the Triple Crown it
was only because he did not race in the Kentucky Derby. He won the other two legs of
the crown by a large margin. His final race of his career was in a match race against the
first ever Triple Crown winner Sir Barton. So I thought that I would replay that race.
1920 Kenilworth Park Gold Cup
This was a match race against the first ever Triple Crown winner Sir Barton over 1 and
half miles. Both horses would run at the weight of 126 lbs. It was a clean start as both
horse ran neck and neck to the first turn. Man O'War was ahead slightly at the first split
of 23.07. As the two make their way around the first turn and down the backstretch Man
O' War has opened his lead by a full length at the split time of 46.25 . They keep about
this distance as they get to next split of 1:10.77. The two horses are no charging into the
final turn and Sir Barton starts to make a move along the rail and is now just a half of
length behind. As the track announcer calls "down the stretch they come" Man O' War
starts to pull away at this time. So much so it is as Sir Barton is standing still. Man O'
War wins the Gold Cup by a margin of 15 1/2 lengths and a winning time of 2:25.28 on
the fast track surface. Man O' War proves to be the best horse of the decade if not of all
time.
Olympic Games- Paris 1924
The 1924 Olympic games were made famous in the movie Chariots of Fire. In that film
it chronicled the struggles and triumphs of two sprinters from Great Britain. The movie
was very well done, despite many historical inaccuracies. The basic facts were not
changed, Harold Abrahams did win the 100 meter gold. Eric Liddle was not willing to
race on Sunday and did by pass up the 100 meter event and did go on to win gold in the
400 meter race. Some of the events in the movie that led up to this were either distorted
or out of sequence. Never the less, they both were somewhat of upset victories. In the 100
meter final the two Americans were expected to win race. Charley Paddock was regarded
as " The Fastest Human Alive" and won the event in the 1920 games. Jackson Scholz the
other American would win the gold in the 200 meter event later in the games. Abrahams
was running very well in the heats wiched increased his already high excpectations for
himself. When it was time for the 100 meter final he continued to run well and won the
gold. For Eric Liddle he was regarded as some what more the underdog in the 400
meters. Although like Abrahams he was running well in the heats. In the 400 meter final
Liddle ran at an incredible pace that most felt he could not maintain. However he did, and
went on to win the race by a comfortable margin. Liddle had taken some criticism earlier
for withdrawing from the 100 meter race, put-ting religion above his country. However
most in the end found it admirable.
Here is the lineup for the 100 meter final. The Americans had won this event in six of the
last seven Olympics. In this final four of the runners represented the USA.
The gun fired and all the sprinters were off. Jackson Scholz got a great start and
converted it into a lead through the first third of therace. Just a nat's eyelash behind was a
charging Abrahams and then Paddock a step behind him. Abrahams was able to move
ahead of Scholz by same narrow distance as they made thier way past the two thirds
mark. Paddock was not able to make up any ground and it looked to be just a two man
race now between Abrahams and Schulz. Down the final 25 meters with every step
Abrahams seem to increase his lead over Scholz. When they got to the tape Abraham was
three feet ahead of Scholz. Charley Paddock finished third. Their final times were 10.58
for Abrahams, 10.68 for Scholz and 10.80 for Paddock. Abrahams ran about the same
race that he actually did in 1924 just this time Scholz challanged him a little longer.
Charley Paddock shaved a 1/10 of a second off his time in the replay and moved up two
stops for the Bronze.
In some of the other events Paavo Nurmi of Finland won another gold this time in the
1500 with a time of 3:53.6. In the Marathon it was another Fin Albin Stenroos who won
the race in the time of 2:41:22.6.
College Football- The Four Horsemen
In the 1920's one of the most famous college football teams of today was really starting
to come to the national stage. The team was led by their legendary coach Knute Rockne
and in 1924 they featured one of the greatest backfields in college football history. They
were Harry Stuhldreher, Jim Crowley, Don Miller and Elmer Layden. They got their
nickname the four horseman by sports writer Grantland Rice who compared them to
those of biblical fame. " Outlined against a blue-gray October sky the four horseman rode
again" Rice wrote in his account of the Notre Dame-Army game of 1924. Notre Dame
that year went on to an undefeated season of 10-0 which included a win at the Rose Bowl
and a National Championship, the first of many for the Fighting Irish. So lets go back to
that day in October, and let the four horseman ride again.
Notre Dame vs Army The Polo Grounds 1924
Fifty-five thousands fan showed up to watch the contest between the Cadets of Army take
on Notre Dame. In attendance at the game was the captain of the German zepplin ZR-31
which had got most of the city's attention when it buzzed over the city causing traffic
jams in it's wake. Notre Dame got a big play on their first possession of the game when
Crowley took the pitch from Stuhldreher and then tossed it 20 yards down field to Miller
who went twenty-six more yards to the Army 25 yard line. Miller was given the ball
again and went around the left end for 12 yards. The next two plays the Army defense
stiffened and stuffed two attempts by the fullback Layden. On third down it was Crowley
who was held for just a yard and on 4th down they were forced to kick. Crowley split the
uprights and his boot gave Notre Dame the early lead. After several drives had stalled for
the Cadets in the first quarter of the game in second they finally started to click. Wilson
and Gilmore made two longs runs, and they continued to push the South Bend defenders
back. At the one yard line Schmidt in for Wood this quarter got his only attempt of the
game, it was less then a yard but good for six points. Garbisch kicked the point after and
the Cadets now led 7-3. Notre Dame offence now was having trouble. Layden could not
make it past the line of scrimmage on a couple of tries for a first down and they were
forced to punt. Later in the period, with the combination of the accurate throws by
Stuhldreher and good runs by Crowley and Miller, Notre Dame worked their way into the
endzone for the lead. Crowley missed the point after so the score stood at 9-7 at the half.
In the third quarter Notre Dame and the Four Horseman went back to work. Every rush a
positive gain. Starting from their six yard line they went 94 yards for the touchdown this
time a one yard plunge by Miller. Crowley made good on the attempt and the Irish led
16-7. Notre Dame picked up play on defense as well, and contained the Army backs.
Yeomans' forward pass attempts also continue to fall short. In the final period of play,
Stuhldreher was just trying to run out the clock broke through the middle of the Army
line and went 35 yards for the score. Crowley's point after attempt made it 23-7 and that
was the score when the gun sounded.
Red Grange
When you mention football in the 20's the first name to come to mind has to be Red
Grange. He is one of those players that most of us probably have known his name as long
as we have known football. Red Grange became a household name when he scored 5
touchdowns against Michigan. However his biggest accomplishment was probably
establishing the pro game. Up to that point the NFL was in the same category as monster
truck shows aretoday. Well that changed when Red Grange decided to go pro after his
final college game. A decision that was met with some criticism claiming Grange was
selling out. Although Grange was the first admit that he was doing to make a pile of
money, and so he did. He signed with the Bears and the team went on a 12 day a 8 game
tour. When they got to New York 72,000 fans showed up to see Grange and the Bears
take on the Giants. This game by it's self saved football in New York and perhaps the
league. So we will go back to that December day and see what magic Grange might have
in store.
1925 The Polo Grounds -The first half of the game was a defensive struggle with neither
team able to get on the board. The crowd did a get a little excitement when Grange was
able to get by the Giants line and scurry down the sidelines for a 29 yard gain. The Bears
failed to score on that drive however. The Bears finally were able to put together a good
drive, which included a 25 yard completion to Stermaman, which brought them to the
Giants 8-yard line. On the next play Grange bolted through for the final 8 yards and the
TD. The Giants were able to tie the game early in the 4th when Jappe caught a 14-yard
pass from McBride in the endzone and after the point after it was 7 all. The Giants later
in the quarter looked as though they might pull out the win after a field goal made it 10-7
New York with just 1:25 to play. The following kickoff was fielded by Grange, and the
Galloping Ghost made good on his name as he went down the field past defenders as if
he really was transparent for 95 yards and the touchdown. The Bears win the game 14-10
with both TD's scored by Grange.
Tennis- Suzanne Lenglen
Lenglen on the left with other roaring 20's star Grange, in the middle
is C&C Pile. (right) Hellen WIlls getting off the boat in France.
Without a doubt the most famous and if not the best female athlete of the 1920's was
Suzanne Lenglen. She brought a lot of attention to the game of tennis both by her
exceptional play on the court and the outfits that she wore. In era when women tennis
players played in long and sometimes heavy dresses, Lenglen appeared in a dress that
exposed her ankles and forearms. This was considering shocking at first. Also she didn't
mind showing her emotion on the court. She also like to take sips of brandy between sets.
All these things combined with her grace and style on the court made the Frenchwomen
one the most famous women in the world. She won Wimbledon 5 straight years in a row.
In 1926 another great women's tennis player was making a name for herself. An
American named Helen Wills. She had just won the last three US Singles titles and was
on a tour of France. A match was arrange between Lenglen and Wills. This was only time
they would play, Lenglen turned pro later and Wills would take over where Lenglen left
off. The two were almost complete opposites on the court, where as Lenglen would often
express her emotions on the court, Wills had the nickname " Little Miss Poker Face".
Lenglen liked to come to the net, where as Wills was happy to stay on the baseline and
use her power to overcome opponents. The small country club where they played had
fans packed in, many watching from rooftops near by to see Lenglen beat Wills 6-3, 10-8
1926 Carlton Club Lenglen v Wills
In the first set the story wasn't so much how well Wills played but how poorly Lenglen
did. The usually extremely accurate Lenglen made 10 unforced errors to just 6 winners.
Even more telling was her first serve which was getting in just 48 percent of the time.
This led to two breaks of her serve as Wills cruised to take the first set 6-3. In the second
set Wills open well breaking Lenglen in the first game and then winning her first service
game without dropping a point. Lenglen has to go to three deuces to win her first game of
the set and then was force to overcome break points in her next two service games.
Lenglen's net game began to pick up. Where as before she was missing easy volleys but
now they were hitting the lines for her. She was able to get back a break and the set
continued on. In the 16th game of the set with Lenglen at 8-7 on serve she got a huge
break. Wills double faulted to start the game and then missed to easy shots to fall quickly
to love 40. Lenglen wins the game and set 9-7. Her service percentage was now up to 62
percent for the match and her unforced errors were down. This forced Wills to be more
aggressive with her shots. This increased her winners but also her errors. In third set the
two stayed on serve through 6 games although as the match went on it seemed Lenglen's
confidence grew. More of her shots were hitting the mark and she broke Wills in the
seventh and then won her service game to take the lead 5-3. Wills fought hard to keep the
matching going, and in the final game saw 5 deuces but Lenglen came out on top to take
deciding set 6-3 and the match 3-6, 9-7, 6-3.
Bill Tilden
Bill Tilden on the left, and on the Right Rene Lacoste
Tilden is probably the first nationally known tennis star in the US. Big Bill as he was
known won 10 majors, including Wimbledon at the age of 37. When you mention the
sports stars of the decade Tilden name is always there. He had powerful game, with hard
serves and ground strokes. He preferred to play at the baseline. Although he won at
Wimbledon 3 times and won seven US titles. He never was able to win the French.
Although in 1927 he had two match points on Rene Lacoste in the finals but lost the
match. Later that year he lost to Lacoste again in the US Championships. So I thought
that we would give Tilden another shot at the match against Lacoste in the French
Championships. Rene Lacoste " the crocodile" was not known to be the most athletic
player but was able to win by will and determination. He was the type of player who was
the master of hanging around forcing the other guy to make a mistake first. This style
served him well. Lacoste won 7 Major single titles.
1927 French Championships- Stade Francais Tilden v Lacoste
In the first set both players seem to be able to stick to their game plan or style of play.
Tilden sending rocket like serves and powerful ground strokes at Lacoste who was able to
track most of them down. At 4-4 Lacoste was finally able to make Tilden blink. First he
missed a wide open court with a wild overhand, and then double faulted to give the first
break of the set to Lacoste. Lacoste served out the set to take it 6-4. The next set the
wheels came off of Tilden's game. Lacoste seem to be really frustrating him. He opened
the set by going down a break and things didn't improve from there. Lacoste won the first
4 games of the set. Tilden never really could get back into the set. His unforced errors
now past his winners, and he could only muster one ace in the set. In the third set Tilden
seem to find his game again. He was serving very well losing just one point on his first
three service games. He was able break Lacoste in the 4th game but Lacoste was still able
to hang in there. Lacoste came back from 40-Love to break back with a series of great
shots one right after the other. The Frenchmen was able to break Tilden again and took
the final set 8-6. If you looked at the numbers in the final set you would of thought Tilden
won easily. He had 14 winners, and 5 aces, but the type of gritty play of Lacoste doesn't
often show in the numbers. Lacoste wins the match 6-4, 6-2, 8-6
Automobile Racing- The Indy 500
In the 1920's the automobile took over as the number one means of transportation in
America. Now that the average Americans had a car of their own interest in motor racing
increased. The Indy 500 first held in 1911 and just about every year since is one the most
famous races in the world. So I felt no replay of a decade could be complete without the
inclusion of the Indy 500. I selected the 1927 race because I have included replays of a
couple other events from that same year. The winner that year was George Souders
starting from 22nd he worked his way to be first when the checkered flag was waved.
1927 was also the year that WWI Ace Eddie Rickenbacher bought the race track. So in
my replay I thought I would track Souders and see if he could repeat his real life
performance.
1927 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Souders starting at 22nd did an excellent job working his way through the field. His
Duesenberg was running well and by lap 20 he had made his way to 8th place. By the
30th lap he had overtaken the winner of the 1926 race Frank Lockhart whose car was
having engine problems and was out of the race by lap 91. Souders was now in first place
although he had to battle Dave Evans and Tony Gulotta almost every lap to keep the lead.
Later in the race a well timed pit stop allowed him to then increase his lead over the field
as they went into pit later. It was a little bit of gamble though because it ment he would
be pushing his car on the final laps. Souders lead stretch to over a minute as the race
approached the final 50 laps. However as several crashes forced yellow flags it allowed
Evans and Gulotta to make up a lot of distance. On lap 191 Gulotta was able to catch
Souders and slip past him. Souders car appeared to riding a little rough. His tires were not
as fresh as Gulotta's or Evans. He was still just a little behind as he tried to chase down
Gulotta. However he then had to try to hold off Evans who manage to get by him. Dave
Evans ran brilliantly for the final 5 laps and overtook Gulotta as well and won the Indy
500. Souders ended up third. 15 of the 33 cars were still running when the checkered flag
was dropped, Evans average time was 108.643 mph and his margin of victory was 22.30
seconds. The time of the race was 4:36:20 with 7 yellow flags for 46 laps.
Boxing- Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey was not just the greatest heavyweight of the decade but usually makes
anyone short list for the best of all-time. He was a fierce fighter and usually awarded
boxing fans with exciting fights. This made him very popular figure of the day, along
with Babe Ruth he was probably the most well known sportsmen of his time. He also
took par in one of the most famous fights in boxing history " The Long Count fight in a
rematch with Gene Tunney. Dempsey failed to return to a neutral corner and that delayed
the count of Tunney who was down for some 14 seconds. Tunney was able to regroup
and beat Dempsey to defend his title. So I thought this would make the ideal fight to
replay. Also the combination of these fighters made for a good match, the classic slugger
vs the boxer. Tunney the boxer never really gained the popularity of the fans that
Dempsey did. Part of this was due to Tunney style and also because he beat a very
popular champion in Dempsey in their first fight in 1926. Tunney was a great tactical
fighter in the ring, a very smart fighter. He was a pretty smart guy out ofhe ring too. He
was the first heavyweight champ to retire as the champ.
1927 Soldier Field
Over 100,000 fans were on hand in the hopes to see if Manassa Mauler could reclaim the
title from Gene Tunney. In the early rounds Gene Tunney was so an very elusive target
for Dempsey. He was able to slip away from the big bombs that Dempsey tried connect
with and then countered with some quick combinations. The frustrated Dempsey finally
was able to find the mark in the 4th round. He landed some big shots that rattled Tunney,
but he seemed to be able to escape each time before the coup de gra could be landed. In
the middle rounds neither fighter seemed to have much of an edge so it was anyone's
guess who was ahead on the judges score cards. In round seven both fighters felt they
needed to pick things up a little as the final third of the 10 round bout was approaching. It
seemed Tunney should be ahead but he didn't seem confident to coast at this point.
Dempsey had Tunney trapped in the corner with abouta minute left in round seven and
both fighters launched a barrage of blows at each other with neither backing down. The
crowd erupted with each shot. In the 9th round Dempsey seemed to have found a reserve
of energy that Tunney could not counter. He dominated the round landing several
combination of shots on the champ. However Tunney never got into any real danger and
survived the onslaught. Round 10, this was it. It looked that Dempsey was the most
concerned about the score card, or he just wanted to end this with a KO. He went after
Tunney like a lion released from it's cage for dinner. However Tunney was able to
counter back with some big blows although he paid the price, taking several big punches
from Dempsey. Dempsey seemed to lose a little momentum when he was warned for
hitting at the break. This allowed Tunney to regroup. He landed a hard cross that sent
Dempsey into the ropes. Dempsey bounced back though and continued to stalk Tunney.
The bell sounded and the fight was in hands of the judges. The first judge saw it as 96-96,
the second ruled it 98-94 Gene Tunney, and the third judge ruled it 96-95 for Dempsey.
So the final result is a draw. Perhaps it is a fitting conclusion as both were great fighters.
Although based on what I saw and the numbers I think Dempsey might of got away with
one. It looks as if Dempsey's efforts in round 9 seem to be the deciding factor which put
him over the top for the draw on one card and a win on the other. Tunney landed almost
twice as often 48.8 percent to 28.8. He also landed more jabs and power shots, although a
much great percentage of Dempsey's blows were power shots over jabs which might of
been an influence for the judges. Whatever the result it was another great fight by two of
the sports best.
Baseball- Babe Ruth and 1927 Yankees
When you think of American sports legends of the 20th century or any century for that
matter number one on the list has to be Babe Ruth. As George Will put it so well when he
said he was like an Everest in Kansas. No player has dominated his sport in such a way
that Babe Ruth did, either before or since. While watching one of the playoff games
recently I heard them say that to equal the number of homers Ruth hit in 1921 vs what the
league did a player today would have to hit over 300 homers in a season. The Babe saved
baseball from the 1919 scandal, as well as changed the way the game was played. In era
when the longball was becoming the number one weapon nobody was better then Ruth.
Also no team was better then the Yankees. They made six trips to the series in the 20's
and won 3 of them, of those World Series wins two came on 4 game sweeps. The 1927
team is often considered the greatest team of all-time. Their lineup which includes
Combs, Ruth, Gehrig, Meusel and Lazzeri was known as " Murders Row ". They all
batted over .300 led by Gehrig at .373. Ruth, Gehrig and Lazzeri finished 1,2 and 3 in
homers with 60, 47 and 18. Gehrig led the league with 175 RBIs followed by Ruth with
164. Lazzeri and Meusel also surpassed the century mark for the season. As a team,
compared to the last place Red Sox they score almost 400 more runs, batted 48 points
higher, hit 130 more homers (158-28) and finished 59 games ahead with 110 wins to 51
by Boston. Their opponent in the series that year was the Pittsburgh Pirates. Who were a
good hitting team who hit for average as well as any team in the Majors that season. They
played in huge park, so their homer total was just 58 but they had 78 triples to go along
with it. Still despite that talent, in the series they went down in 4 games to the Yankees.
Yanks take the series 4 games to 2.
Lou Gehrig was named Series MVP.
Hockey- The Stanley Cup
The 1928-29 Boston Bruins and the New York Ranges
Although the NHL did not play it's first season until 1917 the Stanley Cup has been
contested since 1893. So like with the Indy 500, a replay of sports of a decade had to
include a Stanley Cup contest. For the first half of the 1920's the NHL competed with
rival leagues the PCHA and the WCHA. Those leagues folded after the 1925-26 season
and it was then the NHL started to thrive. Before the start of the 1928-29 season a new
rule was past to allow forward passing of the puck in all zones as opposed to before when
it was just allowed in the defensive zone. Hockey and the NHL really started to come into
it's own at this time. Although the new rule didn't boost scoring like they hoped for the
28-29 season it would in the seasons to follow. So I thought since the 1928-29 was the
most modern of seasons in the decade it would be the best choice to replay. Also the
Stanley Cup finals that year had the New York Rangers meeting the Boston Bruins which
I felt made for a good match up. The Bruins led the two division league in wins that
season and in goals scored, although just 89 in 44 games. The Rangers finished second to
the Bruins in the American Division 5 points behind. The Rangers featured a powerful
line with Frank Boucher and the Cook brothers. They combined to score 30 of the 72
goals the Rangers scored that season. The Bruins also had some of the games' greats like
Dit Clapper and Eddie Shore. So lets go back and play some old time hockey.
1929 Boston Garden
The first game of this best of three final opened to a sold out Boston Garden. The first
period didn't see much action as both teams did a good job keeping each other away from
the net. Boston was limited to just 5 shots and New York 7. However all H-E-Double
hockey sticks broke out with 7 seconds left in the period. Bourgealt of New York took
offence to a check by Denneny in-between the two teams benches and a fight between the
two started. Then Able of the Ranger got into a shoving contest with the Bruins Oliver
and before you know it a free for all broke out. When order was restored a total of 54
penalty minutes were past out (bringing the period total to 66, 34 for Boston 32 for New
York). Included in those penalties were misconduct penalties to Shore and Vail, and
Game Misconduct penalties to Bill Cook and Owen of the Bruins. Teams back then only
carried about dozen skaters so this was a even more severe blow. In the second period the
game remained scoreless until the 11 minute mark when Boston's Cooney Weiland broke
the scoreless tie. It wasn't until a minute later the penalty box had finally emptied out
from first the period's melee. The Bruins later in the period were called for 3 more
penalties although these were all minors. Tiny Thompson made some great saves to
thwart all three power play chances by the Rangers in the period. With just 27 second left
in the period Weiland pick up a rebound in front of the net and got his and Boston's
second goal of the game. Early in the third the Rangers got another power play chance
but once again great defense and goaltending by Thompson stop the Rangers. At the
11:10 mark Weiland got his third point of the game when he fed a pass to Shore who
wristed it by Roach for the Bruins third goal. The Rangers did get two more power play
opportunities and made good on the final one although with only 7 seconds left all
Boucher goal did was spoil the shutout. Tiny Thompson had stopped 22 straight Ranger
shots. The Rangers had 7 power play chances in the game but only got one goal. The
stars of the game were Thompson 22-23 SA/SOG, Weiland 2 G 1A, Bocuher 1 G.
Madison Square Garden
Series went to New York, and the Rangers were in a must win situation if they wanted to
repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. The Bruins were able to quiet the fans early when
three minutes into the game Weiland score his third goal of the series to put the Bruins in
the lead. Later in the period Ranger deffencemen Vail was called for a 5 minute major for
spearing and the Bruins made good on the opportunity. Once again it was (who else)
Cooney Weiland. Back out of the box Vail gave the Rangers life when he got the puck by
Thompson to get the Rangers on the board. Five minutes into the second period the
Bruins got there second power play chance and made it two for two when Weiland got
yet another goal for the hat trick and his 5th of the series. Now the Bruins were back with
to a two goal lead. It wasn't too much later when Dit Clapper made it a three goal game
when he slid the puck under the legs of Roach the Ranger goalie to make it 4-1. A three
goal lead seem just about impossible to overcome the way Thompson Bruins goalie had
been playing. In the third period the Bruins tighten their defense and just tried to protect
their lead. However with 10 minutes left in the game Shore caught the Rangers sleeping
and made a great pass to Weiland who buried the puck into the net for his 4th goal of the
game and it was now 5-1 Boston. Weiland had just 11 goals during the regular season.
Which wasn't a bad total when you consider that the league lead was 22 by Toronto's Ace
Bailey, but Weiland had now scored more then half as many goals in two game. Maybe
he was giving the fans a preview of what was to come next season when he would lead
the league in goals with 43 goals and 73 points. The Bruins went on and won the game 51 and sweep the series 2 games to none. In the second game Boston had just 2 minutes of
penalties after 46 in the first game. The Stars of Game Weiland 4 G, Thompson 20 SA of
21 SOG, Vail 1 G
The series MVP went to Cooney Weiland.
The Bruins were almost perfect on the power play scoring on 3 of 4 chances. The
Rangers were just 1 of 8 on the power plays.