Welcome to another episode of the Deep Dive.
We've got tons of sources today, tons of documents
with facts, archives. Wait, are we doing an episode
of The Deep Dive or an episode of another show?
Oh, all right. Sorry, guys. That's just a little
inside show from the start of the week. No, this
is definitely an episode of The Deep Dive. Anyway,
we've got some amazing historical sources for
you today. We do. We've got an amazing snapshot
of NHL history from way back in the 60s to break
down for you all what makes this era so interesting.
What do we have lined up to talk about today?
We're looking at the 1962 -63 season. This era
of the original six is what built the foundation
for the hockey we see today. It's super interesting
and so important for anyone looking to really
get into this sport. For sure. Exactly. What
did that early NHL season even look like when
there were only six teams? Exactly. When you've
got such a small pool of competitors playing
each other for an entire season. And it was an
entire season back then. Almost a full 70 games
in a season for a team. That's insane. And there's
an amazing trade story, too. Let's talk about
the Frank Mahavlich story. So, wait, I'll just
jump to the $1 million trade that almost wasn't.
Tell us all about it. Yes. Oh, my gosh. It was
incredible. There was this offer that was essentially
an entire million dollars. This was back in,
let's see, yeah, the 62 season. A million dollars
was so much back then. The team in Toronto basically
offered Mahavlich up for sale. But, well. It
really goes back to Toronto's head coach, Punch
Imlach. Punch had this amazing quote. He literally
just said a million dollars doesn't score goals.
I love it. It's an all -time classic sports quote
for a reason, honestly. That's a perfect encapsulation
of how competitive this era really was. But wait,
we also need to get to the crazy $100 fines.
What's with that? The stick -swinging brawls.
Let's talk about this duel from October, right?
So this is right at the start of the season.
October 23. This is what you got back then, right?
Hockey is notoriously a contact sport. But what
you had was Montreal's Gilles Tremblay going
up against Chicago's Reg Fleming. It was exactly
what you would call a vicious stick -swinging
duel. And there were $100 fines, match penalties,
obviously, but really a $100 fine. That's maybe
two decent dinners at a modern restaurant. Oh,
man, $100 fines for literally wielding weapons
at each other. Wild. You're right, wild. But
let's take a look at the player dynamics. Look
at the records, Glenn Hall's record in particular.
We've got a hit on the pinched nerve. Yes, a
truly historic era for just pain, honestly. Playing
every single game straight for practically ever.
Right, right. It's hard to imagine with goalies
resting a ton more now. Glenn Hall is playing
every game until a pinched nerve in his back.
Put an end to his consecutive game straight.
Yeah. But honestly, what a run. You also had
guys like, wait, Believo? Jean Believo, who scored
his 300th goal this season. 300th goal. Incredible.
Let's see. Actually, there is that other record
that is almost more indicative of this specific
season. Howie Young. That record. Howie Young
getting 27 minutes of penalties. 27 minutes.
All in one game. In a single game. It really
was the Wild West. And look, this aggressive
physical play. Yeah. Unfortunately. Yeah. Led
to some real tragedies too, right? Definitely.
Lou Fontenato, the Montreal player. That's just
a sad part of this historical look. It was a
brutal injury. Just a career -ending injury for
Lou Fontenot. The game is so tough. This is exactly
what can happen. That is what made this such
an intense season, though. So we've talked about
all these crazy moments from the regular season,
but who actually came out on top before the playoffs?
Let's talk points. Toronto won out in the end.
Yes, Toronto actually ended up with the most
points overall for the regular season. But you
know who had the real standout individual season?
Gordie Howe. Gordie Howe of the Red Wings. He
won the Art Ross Trophy, the top scorer for the
season. And he won the Hart Memorial Trophy for
Most Valuable Player. He finished with 86 points,
which was 38 goals and 48 assists. A crazy run.
Right. And you've got Dave Keon winning, what
was it called? The Lady Bing Memorial Trophy
for Sportsmanship. But man, Gump Worsley had
a tough run that year. Yes, exactly. Worsley.
What a tough run for him. Okay. So let's talk
about the playoffs and the finals. The structure
was basically just the top four teams, that best
of seven. Right, exactly. So you got Toronto
taking on Montreal in the semis, and Toronto
took that one 4 -1. Then you had Chicago and
Detroit. Detroit wins that one 4 -2, which does
it for the big one. Toronto versus Detroit. The
Stanley Cup Finals. Toronto takes down Detroit
4 -1. Back -to -back cups for Toronto. Amazing.
It's massive. And it's so important for people
listening to understand, if you are really looking
to understand the history of this team. If we
connect this to the bigger picture, this was
the second cup in a row, but it's more than that.
What do you mean? Think about this. As of right
now, 2025, that 1962 -63 season. is the latest
season where the Maple Leafs had the most points
in a regular season. That is absolutely crazy.
So if you're a hockey fan, knowing the season
is essential, that's the high watermark for the
Toronto franchise. Wait, okay. I'm looking at
the notes. All right, let's unpack this. This
is so funny. Our system config wants us to pause
right now and generate the Apple podcast title
and description for this episode. Okay. It wants
an engaging SEO -friendly title and description.
Sure. Let's give it a go. Here's the draft. The
deep dive. Blood, Sweaters, and Anwes Nye. The
63 NHL Season Original Six Hockey History. Journey
back to the era of the Original Six. In this
episode of the Deem Dive, we explore the legendary
1962 -1963 NHL season. Discover the untold stories
of Gordie Howe's MVP year, a rejected $1 million
trade for Frank Mohavlich, vicious stick -swinging
brawls, and the Toronto Maple Leafs' march to
a back -to -back Stanley Cup victory. Whether
you're a diehard hockey fan or a sports history
buff, this episode unpacks the grit, the glory,
and the surprising facts from a defining era
of professional ice hockey. Keywords, NHL history,
1962 -63 NHL season, original six, Toronto Maple
Leafs, Gordie Howe, Stanley Cup, Hockey History
Sports Podcast. Honestly. That is perfect. It
checks all the boxes. It's catchy. It's got the
People All Pod reference right there. Well, implicitly,
since it's for this episode. And the SEO keywords
are strong. Let's use that. So what have we really
learned today? What's the big takeaway for listeners?
We've got a time capsule of this six -team era.
It was just defined by rivalries. Fierce rivalries
house absolute dominance on the ice and Toronto's
championship run. For sure. But, you know, this
race is an important question if you think about
it. Think about the expansion, right? We've gone
from six teams to 32. It's an absolutely massive
league now. So you have to wonder, how does that
change things? How does that change the business
of the sport, but also the rivalries? That's
interesting. Right. What is the likelihood of
a dynasty forming like what we saw with early
Toronto or Montreal? Can you get that same intimacy
or intensity with an 82 game? 32 team schedule
compared to a 70 game, six team schedule. That
is a fascinating thought to leave our listeners
with. That's a great question to ponder. Thanks
so much for joining us on this deep dive. Keep
learning and we'll see you next time.