WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.319 Welcome to this deep dive. We have got something 00:00:03.319 --> 00:00:06.040 incredibly special custom tailored just for you 00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:08.419 today. We really do. If you have any interest 00:00:08.419 --> 00:00:11.220 in sports history or, you know, just stories 00:00:11.220 --> 00:00:14.220 of absolute human endurance and massive institutional 00:00:14.220 --> 00:00:17.379 shifts, you are in the exact right place. Absolutely. 00:00:17.539 --> 00:00:19.679 Today we're looking at a comprehensive Wikipedia 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:24.179 article detailing the 1963 -64 NHL season. And 00:00:24.179 --> 00:00:26.019 our mission today, what we're really trying to 00:00:26.019 --> 00:00:29.199 do here, is explore a truly transformative year 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:32.060 in hockey history. Yeah. It's a big one. We aren't 00:00:32.060 --> 00:00:34.939 just going to read off a list of game scores 00:00:34.939 --> 00:00:37.719 or dry statistics. We want to show you how this 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:41.039 one specific season acted as this chaotic, grueling 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:43.939 bridge between the old school rough and tumble 00:00:43.939 --> 00:00:46.579 era of the sport and the modern game we recognize 00:00:46.579 --> 00:00:49.509 today. Right. The turning point. Exactly. So 00:00:49.509 --> 00:00:51.310 to set the scene for you, this is the peak of 00:00:51.310 --> 00:00:53.990 the original six era. You have exactly six teams, 00:00:54.070 --> 00:00:56.130 the Montreal Canadiens, the Chicago Blackhawks, 00:00:56.130 --> 00:00:58.009 the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Detroit Red Wings, 00:00:58.030 --> 00:01:00.549 the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins. That's 00:01:00.549 --> 00:01:03.270 the whole league. That is the whole league. They 00:01:03.270 --> 00:01:06.230 are playing a 70 game schedule in a tight knit, 00:01:06.269 --> 00:01:09.310 incredibly physical environment where every team 00:01:09.310 --> 00:01:12.049 plays each other over and over again. And I mean, 00:01:12.069 --> 00:01:14.469 the rivalries are just blood deep. They really 00:01:14.469 --> 00:01:18.219 are. It is a fascinating year to analyze because 00:01:18.219 --> 00:01:21.439 the 1963 -64 season was essentially a pressure 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:24.959 cooker. Yeah. You have these major systemic changes 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:27.459 happening at the league level, completely monumental 00:01:27.459 --> 00:01:30.079 shattered records on the ice, and some of the 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:32.239 most punishing playoff series we have ever seen. 00:01:32.340 --> 00:01:34.780 Brutal stuff. The overarching theme you'll notice 00:01:34.780 --> 00:01:37.620 as we go through this deep dive is how institutional 00:01:37.620 --> 00:01:42.250 evolution and individual greatness just... collided 00:01:42.250 --> 00:01:45.230 in one unforgettable stretch. It is the perfect 00:01:45.230 --> 00:01:47.549 microcosm of a sport trying to grow up in real 00:01:47.549 --> 00:01:49.730 time. OK, let's unpack this, because to really 00:01:49.730 --> 00:01:51.329 understand this season, we have to look at the 00:01:51.329 --> 00:01:53.609 offseason chaos first. Oh, yeah. The drama started 00:01:53.609 --> 00:01:55.549 way before the puck even dropped on opening night. 00:01:55.609 --> 00:01:58.370 It really did. In June of 1963, the New York 00:01:58.370 --> 00:02:00.510 Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens pulled off 00:02:00.510 --> 00:02:03.290 this blockbuster goalie swap. Massive news at 00:02:03.290 --> 00:02:06.299 the time. Right. So Montreal was desperate to 00:02:06.299 --> 00:02:08.219 get rid of their goaltender, Jacques Plante, 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:10.180 because he constantly butted heads with their 00:02:10.180 --> 00:02:12.639 coach, Toblake. So they shipped him off to New 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:15.599 York in a multiplayer deal, bringing Gump Worsley 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:18.419 to Montreal in return. And we have to put some 00:02:18.419 --> 00:02:21.139 context around the name Jacques Plante for anyone 00:02:21.139 --> 00:02:23.060 who might not be a diehard hockey historian. 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:25.659 Please do. You don't just trade a guy like Plante 00:02:25.659 --> 00:02:28.180 lightly. He had already won the Vizina Trophy. 00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:31.879 Meaning he was crowned the absolute best goaltender 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:34.439 in the entire league. Right. Six times. Six times. 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:37.319 Six times. Imagine a modern sports franchise 00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:42.020 creating a six -time MVP in his prime simply 00:02:42.020 --> 00:02:44.020 because the head coach couldn't stand his attitude 00:02:44.020 --> 00:02:46.900 anymore. The tension in that Montreal locker 00:02:46.900 --> 00:02:48.860 room must have been completely suffocating for 00:02:48.860 --> 00:02:51.219 management to finally pull the trigger on a deal 00:02:51.219 --> 00:02:53.500 like that. Suffocating is the right word. And 00:02:53.500 --> 00:02:56.080 the fallout was immediate. The reception Tlanti 00:02:56.080 --> 00:02:58.500 got in his new Rangers uniform was just brutal. 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:01.900 Rough start. Very rough. He makes his debut in 00:03:01.900 --> 00:03:05.009 New York. in early October against Chicago. Not 00:03:05.009 --> 00:03:07.289 only do the Rangers lose that game 3 -1, but 00:03:07.289 --> 00:03:10.110 Plante actually gets cut open by an elbow from 00:03:10.110 --> 00:03:12.490 Chicago's Johnny McKenzie. Welcome to New York. 00:03:12.569 --> 00:03:15.349 Exactly. Welcome to New York. Then, just four 00:03:15.349 --> 00:03:17.729 nights later, the schedule has him playing his 00:03:17.729 --> 00:03:20.590 very first game back in Montreal against his 00:03:20.590 --> 00:03:23.699 old team. The Rangers lose 6 -2 in the forum, 00:03:23.819 --> 00:03:26.580 and the Montreal fans are simultaneously applauding 00:03:26.580 --> 00:03:29.780 his legacy and jeering him mercilessly. Just 00:03:29.780 --> 00:03:32.639 a chaotic, emotional start to the year. But that 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:34.699 trade wasn't even the biggest offseason news. 00:03:34.979 --> 00:03:37.280 We also have to talk about what happened on June 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:39.539 5th at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. 00:03:39.800 --> 00:03:42.800 Yes. The league held its first ever NHL amateur 00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:45.419 draft. where Montreal took a player named Gary 00:03:45.419 --> 00:03:47.860 Monahan with the historic first overall pick. 00:03:48.080 --> 00:03:50.460 But did a draft actually fix the league's problems 00:03:50.460 --> 00:03:53.439 right away, or was it more of a PR move? If we 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:55.219 connect this to the bigger picture, it was definitely 00:03:55.219 --> 00:03:57.379 a baby step, and it took years to actually balance 00:03:57.379 --> 00:04:00.039 the league. But the birth of the first NHL draft 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:02.780 is arguably the most significant structural change 00:04:02.780 --> 00:04:06.659 in the history of the sport. Wow. Yes. NHL president 00:04:06.659 --> 00:04:09.340 Clarence Campbell instituted it to phase out 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:13.800 a really archaic, almost futile system. Previously, 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:16.980 wealthy NHL clubs would actually sponsor entire 00:04:16.980 --> 00:04:20.480 amateur teams. By doing so, they essentially 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:23.160 monopolized all the young talent on those sponsored 00:04:23.160 --> 00:04:26.220 rosters. If you were a talented teenager playing 00:04:26.220 --> 00:04:28.899 for a sponsored amateur club in Canada, your 00:04:28.899 --> 00:04:30.839 professional rights were practically owned by 00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:33.879 the NHL team that funded your local rink. Your 00:04:33.879 --> 00:04:36.540 prospects were severely limited. So if you were 00:04:36.540 --> 00:04:38.720 a kid in Montreal's harm system, you could only 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:41.800 ever play for Montreal. Precisely. And that allowed 00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:44.240 powerhouses like Montreal and Toronto to hoard 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:47.019 all the best youth talent, creating these impenetrable 00:04:47.019 --> 00:04:49.959 dynasties while teams like Boston just languished 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:51.720 at the bottom. That makes total sense. Campbell 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:53.860 wanted to create what he called a uniform opportunity 00:04:53.860 --> 00:04:57.240 for each team to acquire a star player. It was 00:04:57.240 --> 00:04:59.379 the very beginning of the league trying to manufacture 00:04:59.379 --> 00:05:01.800 competitive parity and break the stranglehold 00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:04.279 that the wealthier franchises had on the future 00:05:04.279 --> 00:05:07.120 of the sport. It totally changed the DNA of how 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:09.639 teams were built. Now let's transition into the 00:05:09.639 --> 00:05:12.079 regular season itself because the sheer volume 00:05:12.079 --> 00:05:14.899 of history made on the ice this year is staggering. 00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:17.879 It's a busy year. Very busy. Picture this. It's 00:05:17.879 --> 00:05:20.480 November. Detroit is playing Montreal and Detroit 00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:23.720 is blanking them. Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey himself, 00:05:23.980 --> 00:05:27.839 is on the ice. He scores his 545th career goal, 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:30.279 officially breaking Maurice Richard's all -time 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:32.660 career goal scoring record. A massive milestone. 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:35.459 But the detail here that is just so memorable 00:05:35.459 --> 00:05:38.319 is how he did it. He didn't score on a standard 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:40.899 power play or a lucky bounce. He broke the all 00:05:40.899 --> 00:05:43.240 -time record by scoring a shorthanded goal against 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:46.480 Montreal's goaltender Charlie Hodge. His team 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:49.000 was down a man and he still pushed through to 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:51.379 make history. It's an incredible display of dominance 00:05:51.379 --> 00:05:53.439 and you really have to consider the sheer longevity 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:56.610 of this achievement to appreciate it. Gordie 00:05:56.610 --> 00:05:58.629 Howe would go on to hold that all -time career 00:05:58.629 --> 00:06:02.149 goal scoring record for 30 years. 30 years. It 00:06:02.149 --> 00:06:05.329 wasn't until Wayne Gretzky broke it in 1994 that 00:06:05.329 --> 00:06:07.310 Howe's name was finally moved to second place. 00:06:07.970 --> 00:06:10.209 That speaks to the monumental nature of what 00:06:10.209 --> 00:06:12.350 happened on that November night. But wait, because 00:06:12.350 --> 00:06:14.250 the history books weren't done with that specific 00:06:14.250 --> 00:06:16.990 game. No, they weren't. In that exact same match 00:06:16.990 --> 00:06:19.670 on November 10th, the same night, Howe broke 00:06:19.670 --> 00:06:22.560 the goal record. Detroit's goaltender, Terry 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:26.540 Sawchuck, recorded his 94th career NHL shutout. 00:06:26.660 --> 00:06:28.920 In the exact same game. In the exact same game. 00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:31.779 That tied him with George Hainsworth as the all 00:06:31.779 --> 00:06:34.800 -time NHL shutout leader. He would officially 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:37.240 break that record entirely just a couple months 00:06:37.240 --> 00:06:40.680 later in January with his 95th shutout in a 2 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:43.879 -0 win over Montreal. And much like Howe's record, 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:46.560 Sawchuck's achievement stood the test of time, 00:06:46.579 --> 00:06:49.750 but for even longer. Sawchuck held that all -time 00:06:49.750 --> 00:06:52.910 shutout record for an astonishing 45 years. That's 00:06:52.910 --> 00:06:55.310 half a century. It stood all the way until Martin 00:06:55.310 --> 00:06:58.089 Berger finally broke it in 2009. To have two 00:06:58.089 --> 00:07:00.069 records of that magnitude records that would 00:07:00.069 --> 00:07:02.089 define the ceiling of the sport for decades, 00:07:02.389 --> 00:07:05.329 cross paths in the very same season, and tie 00:07:05.329 --> 00:07:09.259 or break in the very same games. It really highlights 00:07:09.259 --> 00:07:11.600 the insane concentration of legendary talent 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:14.019 in the original six era. It does. The milestones 00:07:14.019 --> 00:07:16.379 just kept falling all season long. We have to 00:07:16.379 --> 00:07:18.139 talk about the sheer physical endurance of these 00:07:18.139 --> 00:07:20.740 guys. Andy Hebenton of the Boston Bruins broke 00:07:20.740 --> 00:07:23.660 the all -time career Ironman streak. He played 00:07:23.660 --> 00:07:27.199 in his 581st consecutive game, passing Johnny 00:07:27.199 --> 00:07:29.319 Wilson's mark, and Hebenton would eventually 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:32.819 extend that NHL streak to 630 games. Which is 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:35.120 mind -boggling when you factor in the physicality 00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:38.670 of the game at that time. 630 consecutive games 00:07:38.670 --> 00:07:41.689 in a league where checking was ferocious, equipment 00:07:41.689 --> 00:07:43.870 was essentially heavy leather and thin padding, 00:07:44.050 --> 00:07:46.490 and sports medicine was practically non -existent 00:07:46.490 --> 00:07:48.990 is a testament to raw toughness. And while Hebenton 00:07:48.990 --> 00:07:51.529 was surviving, Jean Beliveau was thriving. Yes, 00:07:51.529 --> 00:07:54.480 he was. During a completely wild game against 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:56.680 Detroit where the Montreal Canadiens exploded 00:07:56.680 --> 00:07:59.079 for five goals in just nine minutes of the second 00:07:59.079 --> 00:08:01.000 period, Beliveau scored a goal that made him 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:03.000 the highest scoring center in league history. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:05.800 It genuinely felt like every single week a piece 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:08.079 of hockey history was being rewritten. And that 00:08:08.079 --> 00:08:10.220 speed of scoring you mentioned, five goals in 00:08:10.220 --> 00:08:13.019 nine minutes, shows how explosive the offensive 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:15.600 talent was, even in an era often remembered for 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:18.930 its defensive grinding and physical play. Speaking 00:08:18.930 --> 00:08:21.050 of explosive moments, here's where it gets really 00:08:21.050 --> 00:08:24.290 interesting. This season is absolutely packed 00:08:24.290 --> 00:08:27.870 with bizarre trivia and historical firsts that 00:08:27.870 --> 00:08:29.889 really paint a picture of what it was like to 00:08:29.889 --> 00:08:33.730 be a fan or a player in 1963. Some of these stories 00:08:33.730 --> 00:08:36.049 are just fantastic. They are. For instance, in 00:08:36.049 --> 00:08:38.629 December, Montreal and New York played a game 00:08:38.629 --> 00:08:42.289 that Montreal won 6 -4. During that match, three 00:08:42.289 --> 00:08:44.110 different players scored three goals between 00:08:44.110 --> 00:08:47.370 them in a span of just 18 seconds. An 18 second 00:08:47.370 --> 00:08:50.090 frenzy. Exactly. It set a new record for the 00:08:50.090 --> 00:08:53.009 fastest three goals by two teams. But as fast 00:08:53.009 --> 00:08:55.169 as the scoring was, the tempers were even faster. 00:08:55.450 --> 00:08:57.669 Which leads us to what happened at Maple Leaf 00:08:57.669 --> 00:09:00.309 Gardens in October. Ah, yes. Toronto defeated 00:09:00.309 --> 00:09:03.250 Montreal 6 -3 in a massively penalty -filled 00:09:03.250 --> 00:09:06.789 game. A huge brawl broke out between Montreal's 00:09:06.789 --> 00:09:09.149 Terry Harper and Toronto's Bob Pulford, and they 00:09:09.149 --> 00:09:11.889 both drew fighting majors. The fallout from this 00:09:11.889 --> 00:09:13.929 fight actually changed the architecture of hockey 00:09:13.929 --> 00:09:16.470 rinks forever. It really did. On November 8th, 00:09:16.470 --> 00:09:18.529 Maple Leaf... Gardens became the first arena 00:09:18.529 --> 00:09:20.929 in the NHL to install separate penalty boxes. 00:09:21.370 --> 00:09:24.450 It seems almost comical to us now, right? Before 00:09:24.450 --> 00:09:27.370 this, opposing players who had just been throwing 00:09:27.370 --> 00:09:30.169 bare -knuckle punches at each other were forced 00:09:30.169 --> 00:09:32.690 to sit in the exact same penalty box together. 00:09:32.970 --> 00:09:35.070 Just sitting there. Just shoulder to shoulder, 00:09:35.190 --> 00:09:38.389 bleeding and furious, confined in a tiny wooden 00:09:38.389 --> 00:09:42.470 box. It took a heated original six rivalry game 00:09:42.470 --> 00:09:46.049 in 1963 to make the league look at that situation 00:09:46.049 --> 00:09:50.009 and realize that maybe, just maybe, separate 00:09:50.009 --> 00:09:52.490 boxes were a good idea for player safety. Better 00:09:52.490 --> 00:09:54.610 late than never. Right. It's a perfect example 00:09:54.610 --> 00:09:56.850 of the game's infrastructure evolving out of 00:09:56.850 --> 00:09:59.769 pure necessity. I love those quirky details where 00:09:59.769 --> 00:10:01.889 the history of the sport is shaped by a single 00:10:01.889 --> 00:10:04.789 chaotic moment. And, you know, the fans were 00:10:04.789 --> 00:10:06.870 just as involved in the drama as the players. 00:10:07.049 --> 00:10:09.610 Take the Boston Bruins that year. Oh, the poor 00:10:09.610 --> 00:10:11.610 Bruins. They were struggling terribly, finishing 00:10:11.610 --> 00:10:13.750 in last place with only 18 wins in the entire 00:10:13.750 --> 00:10:17.330 70 -game season. In January, rookie Detroit goaltender 00:10:17.330 --> 00:10:19.769 Roger Crozier, who was just filling in for an 00:10:19.769 --> 00:10:22.090 injured Terry Sawchuck, completely shut out the 00:10:22.090 --> 00:10:25.789 Bruins in Boston. Imagine paying for a ticket, 00:10:25.950 --> 00:10:28.330 watching your team get absolutely blanked by 00:10:28.330 --> 00:10:31.129 a rookie backup goalie, and the whole arena just 00:10:31.129 --> 00:10:35.830 gives up. There were only 7 ,000 fans in attendance 00:10:35.830 --> 00:10:38.230 at the Boston Garden that night. They were so 00:10:38.230 --> 00:10:40.990 fed up with their team's dismal performance that 00:10:40.990 --> 00:10:43.769 they actually started singing, We Shall Overcome. 00:10:44.299 --> 00:10:46.879 To mock the Bruins. That is a special level of 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:48.519 sports misery. I thought it really is. It's a 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:50.840 hilarious anecdote, but it reflects the deep 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:53.279 frustration of a fan base in a six -team league. 00:10:53.500 --> 00:10:55.940 If your team was at the bottom, there was nowhere 00:10:55.940 --> 00:10:58.460 to hide. You played the same five elite teams 00:10:58.460 --> 00:11:01.480 over and over. Yeah, that's rough. But speaking 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:03.500 of Boston, despite their last -place finish, 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:05.960 they had a player who delivered what I consider 00:11:05.960 --> 00:11:08.100 one of the most phenomenal displays of endurance 00:11:08.100 --> 00:11:11.480 in sports history. Boston goaltender Eddie Johnston 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:14.509 played every single minute. of all 70 regular 00:11:14.509 --> 00:11:17.610 season games. Wait, every single game without 00:11:17.610 --> 00:11:19.789 being pulled once? Every single minute. That 00:11:19.789 --> 00:11:22.350 is 4 ,200 minutes of ice time. And what makes 00:11:22.350 --> 00:11:24.769 this so significant is that this was the absolute 00:11:24.769 --> 00:11:27.210 last time in NHL history a goaltender would ever 00:11:27.210 --> 00:11:30.470 achieve this. Really? Yes. Playing every minute 00:11:30.470 --> 00:11:33.470 of a 70 -game season without a backup, taking 00:11:33.470 --> 00:11:36.740 the net for even a second. is unfathomable by 00:11:36.740 --> 00:11:38.539 today's standards. Especially when you think 00:11:38.539 --> 00:11:40.639 about the gear. We aren't talking about modern, 00:11:40.740 --> 00:11:42.879 lightweight, synthetic pads. We're talking about 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:46.840 heavy, waterlogged equipment, heavy wooden sticks, 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:49.460 and taking slap shots night after night. Exactly. 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:52.460 The sheer physical toll of stopping pucks in 00:11:52.460 --> 00:11:55.860 the 1960s, combined with the brutal train travel 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:58.899 schedules across North America, makes Johnston's 00:11:58.899 --> 00:12:01.399 endurance absolutely staggering. It's a feat 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:04.179 that will simply never be replicated. The modern 00:12:04.179 --> 00:12:06.080 game's pace and the understanding of physical 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:09.080 fatigue make it impossible. So with all of this 00:12:09.080 --> 00:12:11.320 exhaustion and all of these records, let's look 00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:13.320 at how this regular season drama actually wrapped 00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:15.669 up. It was a tight finish. The race for the regular 00:12:15.669 --> 00:12:18.529 season title was a photo finish. The Chicago 00:12:18.529 --> 00:12:20.769 Blackhawks had a substantial lead halfway through 00:12:20.769 --> 00:12:22.250 the season. It looked like they were going to 00:12:22.250 --> 00:12:24.950 run away with it, but Montreal surged back. It 00:12:24.950 --> 00:12:27.429 came down to the absolute wire. The very end. 00:12:27.769 --> 00:12:30.149 Montreal actually needed a win against the Rangers 00:12:30.149 --> 00:12:32.750 on the road in their very last game of the season 00:12:32.750 --> 00:12:35.389 just to nose ahead of Chicago and secure the 00:12:35.389 --> 00:12:38.940 top spot. They got it. finishing with 85 points, 00:12:39.059 --> 00:12:42.519 while Chicago finished with 84. Ouch. Heartbreaking 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:44.580 for the Blackhawks, who had never finished first 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:46.840 in the league standings to that date, to lose 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:49.779 it by a single point on the final day. That one 00:12:49.779 --> 00:12:52.019 -point differential perfectly set the stage for 00:12:52.019 --> 00:12:53.960 the postseason. And if you think the regular 00:12:53.960 --> 00:12:57.039 season sounded grueling, the playoffs were historic 00:12:57.039 --> 00:12:59.480 in their intensity. I can imagine. The matchups 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:01.460 were essentially a carbon copy of the previous 00:13:01.460 --> 00:13:04.460 year. In the semifinals, you had the first place 00:13:04.460 --> 00:13:06.879 Montreal Canadiens facing the third place Toronto 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:09.919 Maple Leafs, while the second place Chicago Blackhawks 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:13.039 played the fourth place Detroit Red Wings. Two 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:15.860 bitter Canadian rivals battling it out and two 00:13:15.860 --> 00:13:18.580 fierce American rivals battling it out. The Maple 00:13:18.580 --> 00:13:20.500 Leafs had won the Stanley Cup the previous two 00:13:20.500 --> 00:13:22.360 years, so they were looking for a massive three 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:25.500 -peat. But these playoffs were an absolute war 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:28.980 of attrition. They really were. We need to dedicate 00:13:28.980 --> 00:13:31.899 some time to just how punishing this postseason 00:13:31.899 --> 00:13:35.559 was. The defining stat of the 1964 playoffs is 00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:38.820 this. For the first time since the league adopted 00:13:38.820 --> 00:13:42.740 the best of seven format in 1939, every single 00:13:42.740 --> 00:13:47.259 series went the full seven games. Wow. Both semifinals 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:50.200 required seven games to decide a winner, and 00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:52.240 the Stanley Cup finals went to seven games. Which 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:55.320 means they played 21 total playoff games in a 00:13:55.320 --> 00:13:58.080 span of just a few weeks. Exactly. You have to 00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:00.639 imagine the incredible physical and mental toll 00:14:00.639 --> 00:14:03.720 this took on the players. In an era with smaller 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:05.840 rosters and less sophisticated medical support, 00:14:06.100 --> 00:14:08.419 playing three consecutive seven -game series 00:14:08.419 --> 00:14:11.700 is... Just exhausting. And remember, because 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:13.220 there were only six teams in the league, these 00:14:13.220 --> 00:14:14.779 players had already played against these exact 00:14:14.779 --> 00:14:17.279 same opponents 14 times during the regular season. 00:14:17.720 --> 00:14:20.039 The hatred, the exhaustion, and the familiarity 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:23.039 must have been palpable on the ice. It was Toronto 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:25.600 and Detroit who survived those brutal seven -game 00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:27.639 semifinals to face each other for the Cup, and 00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:29.480 the Stanley Cup finals were just a back -and 00:14:29.480 --> 00:14:31.980 -forth heavyweight fight. A classic series. Toronto 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:35.330 wins Game 1. Detroit bounces back and wins Game 00:14:35.330 --> 00:14:38.210 2 in overtime. They trade blows until Detroit 00:14:38.210 --> 00:14:40.370 goes up 3 -2 in the series after winning Game 00:14:40.370 --> 00:14:43.850 5. It all comes down to Game 6 in Detroit. Toronto 00:14:43.850 --> 00:14:47.429 is facing elimination. The tension is sky high, 00:14:47.669 --> 00:14:50.230 the game is tied, and it goes into sudden death 00:14:50.230 --> 00:14:52.710 overtime. The stakes couldn't be higher. Just 00:14:52.710 --> 00:14:55.830 under two minutes into the extra period, Toronto's 00:14:55.830 --> 00:14:58.049 Bob Bowne scores the game -winning goal to keep 00:14:58.049 --> 00:15:01.029 their season alive and force a Game 7. That Bob 00:15:01.029 --> 00:15:03.250 Bowne goal is one of the most legendary moments 00:15:03.250 --> 00:15:05.169 in Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup history. 00:15:05.389 --> 00:15:07.830 It completely shifted the psychological momentum 00:15:07.830 --> 00:15:10.629 of the series. Detroit had the cup in their building 00:15:10.629 --> 00:15:12.929 ready to lift it, and Bowne snatches it away 00:15:12.929 --> 00:15:15.549 in overtime. It broke Detroit's spirit. Because 00:15:15.549 --> 00:15:17.710 when we get to Game 7 at Maple Leaf Gardens on 00:15:17.710 --> 00:15:20.769 April 25th, Toronto just completely dominates. 00:15:20.809 --> 00:15:23.509 They shut out Detroit Fournaro, Andy Bathgate, 00:15:23.649 --> 00:15:26.110 Dave Keon, Red Kelly, and George Armstrong all 00:15:26.110 --> 00:15:28.990 score for Toronto, while their legendary goaltender 00:15:28.990 --> 00:15:32.049 Johnny Bauer makes 33 saves for the flawless 00:15:32.049 --> 00:15:34.529 shutout. Incredible performance. Toronto wins 00:15:34.529 --> 00:15:37.669 their third consecutive Stanley Cup. They cemented 00:15:37.669 --> 00:15:39.990 a true dynasty right at the end of this historically 00:15:39.990 --> 00:15:42.509 exhausting season. So what does this all mean 00:15:42.509 --> 00:15:44.389 when we take a step back? Yeah, let's tie it 00:15:44.389 --> 00:15:46.269 all together. If we look at the sources we've 00:15:46.269 --> 00:15:50.389 discussed today, the 1963 -64 NHL season really 00:15:50.389 --> 00:15:52.590 serves as a pivotal turning point for the sport. 00:15:53.289 --> 00:15:56.909 It perfectly encapsulates the end of an era and 00:15:56.909 --> 00:15:59.750 the birth of modern parody. Right. On one hand, 00:15:59.750 --> 00:16:02.169 you have the Death of the amateur sponsorship 00:16:02.169 --> 00:16:05.370 system and the very last time a goalie would 00:16:05.370 --> 00:16:08.450 ever play every single minute of a season. These 00:16:08.450 --> 00:16:11.990 are symbols of the old, localized Ironman era 00:16:11.990 --> 00:16:14.929 of hockey fading away. Like closing a chapter. 00:16:15.230 --> 00:16:17.110 Exactly. And on the other hand, you have the 00:16:17.110 --> 00:16:19.200 birth of the draft. which was designed to spread 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:21.860 talent evenly across the league, and the introduction 00:16:21.860 --> 00:16:24.759 of separate penalty boxes, symbols of a league 00:16:24.759 --> 00:16:27.100 modernizing its infrastructure and standardizing 00:16:27.100 --> 00:16:30.019 its rules for safety and fairness. It is a brilliant 00:16:30.019 --> 00:16:32.389 snapshot of a sport growing up. I love how you 00:16:32.389 --> 00:16:34.250 frame that. It really was a bridge between two 00:16:34.250 --> 00:16:36.789 worlds, the old rough and tumble days and the 00:16:36.789 --> 00:16:39.129 highly regulated modern era. And I want to leave 00:16:39.129 --> 00:16:41.690 you, our listener, with a final thought to ponder 00:16:41.690 --> 00:16:43.990 today. Go for it. We spent a lot of time talking 00:16:43.990 --> 00:16:46.570 about the sheer exhaustion of this specific season. 00:16:46.990 --> 00:16:51.230 4 ,200 minutes for Eddie Johnston. 14 regular 00:16:51.230 --> 00:16:54.029 season matchups against the same teams, followed 00:16:54.029 --> 00:16:57.470 by three grueling seven game playoff series. 00:16:57.629 --> 00:17:01.730 Consider this. 1964 was the peak of this localized, 00:17:01.970 --> 00:17:05.250 brutal six team pressure cooker. But just three 00:17:05.250 --> 00:17:08.289 years later in 1967, the NHL would double in 00:17:08.289 --> 00:17:10.750 size to 12 teams, completely ending the original 00:17:10.750 --> 00:17:14.140 six era forever. Did this grueling 64 season 00:17:14.140 --> 00:17:16.819 push the players and the product to their absolute 00:17:16.819 --> 00:17:18.980 breaking point, forcing the league to expand 00:17:18.980 --> 00:17:21.059 just to survive the physical toll? That's a great 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:22.859 question. Did the league realize that if they 00:17:22.859 --> 00:17:24.839 didn't widen the pool of teams and players, the 00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:27.539 sport would just cannibalize itself? How much 00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:29.839 does modern sports infrastructure like massive 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:32.400 rosters, load management and 32 team leagues 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:34.640 change the very nature of competition compared 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:37.380 to the intimate, brutal pressure cooker of the 00:17:37.380 --> 00:17:40.440 1964 NHL? It's a completely different world now. 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:42.519 It really is. It's something fascinating to mull 00:17:42.519 --> 00:17:44.539 over. Thank you so much for joining us on this 00:17:44.539 --> 00:17:47.500 deep dive. We hope you enjoyed exploring the 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:51.740 1963 -64 NHL season as much as we did. Keep seeking 00:17:51.740 --> 00:17:54.359 out the fascinating stories hidden in the footnotes 00:17:54.359 --> 00:17:56.700 of history, and we will catch you next time.