Stanley Cup

The Montreal Canadiens finished first for a second straight season. The Toronto Maple Leafs encountered difficulty finding a goaltender for the 1944-45 season, but plucked Frank McCool from Calgary to fill the void. McCool played well, helping the Leafs finish in third, and won the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. But Toronto surprised the Canadiens, beating them four games to two. In the semi finals, and second place Detroit won their best of seven series against the Boston Bruins, four games to three. In the Cup final, McCool shut out the Red Wings in the first three games. But with their backs against the wall, Detroit fought back to even the series at three games apiece. Detroit’s goaltender, Harry Lumley, earned two shutouts of his own. In the seventh and deciding game, the Maple Leafs beat Detroit 2-1 to win the Stanley Cup. The Leafs’ Babe Pratt scored the winning goal.