WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.299 For a podcast title, The Deep Dive, Blood, Sweat, 00:00:03.299 --> 00:00:07.839 and Six OTs, Unpacking the Wild 1932 -33 NHL 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:11.179 Season, Apple Podcast Description. Strap on your 00:00:11.179 --> 00:00:13.460 skates for a journey back to the winter of 1932. 00:00:14.339 --> 00:00:16.379 In this episode of The Deep Dive, we explore 00:00:16.379 --> 00:00:18.399 a pivotal year in hockey history, filled with 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:20.620 bizarre rule changes, legendary brawls, and the 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:22.989 longest game ever played at the time. Discover 00:00:22.989 --> 00:00:25.309 how the Detroit Red Wings got their iconic name, 00:00:25.410 --> 00:00:27.670 why a referee had a coach arrested mid -game, 00:00:27.829 --> 00:00:30.309 and the grueling physical reality of a six -overtime 00:00:30.309 --> 00:00:32.729 playoff marathon between the Boston Bruins and 00:00:32.729 --> 00:00:34.950 Toronto Maple Leafs. Whether you're a diehard 00:00:34.950 --> 00:00:37.250 hockey fan or just love a story of chaotic sports 00:00:37.250 --> 00:00:39.750 history, this deep dive delivers the ultimate 00:00:39.750 --> 00:00:43.899 synthesis of the 16th NHL season. Keywords, 1932 00:00:43.899 --> 00:00:46.460 -33 NHL season, hockey history, Stanley Cup, 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:48.700 New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston 00:00:48.700 --> 00:00:51.039 Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, NHL rules, classic 00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:53.700 sports trivia, six overtime game. Strap on your 00:00:53.700 --> 00:00:55.799 skates for a journey back to the winter of 1932. 00:00:56.060 --> 00:00:58.179 In this episode of the Deep Top, we explore a 00:00:58.179 --> 00:01:00.219 pivotal year in hockey history filled with bizarre 00:01:00.219 --> 00:01:02.659 rule changes, legendary brawls, and the longest 00:01:02.659 --> 00:01:04.640 game ever played at the time. Discover how the 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:06.879 Detroit Red Wings got their iconic name. Why 00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:09.519 a referee had a coach arrested mid -game. and 00:01:09.519 --> 00:01:12.340 the grueling physical reality of a six -overtime 00:01:12.340 --> 00:01:14.439 playoff marathon between the Boston Bruins and 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:16.640 Toronto Maple Leafs. Whether you're a diehard 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:19.060 hockey fan or just love a story of chaotic sports 00:01:19.060 --> 00:01:21.400 history, this deep dive delivers the ultimate 00:01:21.400 --> 00:01:24.560 synthesis of the 16th NHL season. Key words. 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:29.260 Welcome to the deep dive. Today, we are we're 00:01:29.260 --> 00:01:31.359 doing a bit of time traveling. I want you to 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:34.700 really picture the winter of 1932. You're stepping 00:01:34.700 --> 00:01:37.579 out of the freezing cold and into this smoky, 00:01:37.579 --> 00:01:40.159 packed hockey arena. Right. The Great Depression 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:42.599 is just hanging heavy over absolutely everything 00:01:42.599 --> 00:01:45.879 outside those doors. Exactly. But on the ice, 00:01:46.040 --> 00:01:48.140 things are moving fast. We've got this massive 00:01:48.140 --> 00:01:50.700 stack of notes here covering the National Hockey 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:53.920 League 16th season. And I got to say, the stories 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:57.280 buried in these archives are completely. It really 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:00.379 is a remarkable snapshot in time. You have a 00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:03.040 league that's caught directly between two eras. 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:05.620 The players are still wearing heavy wool sweaters 00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:07.920 and basically zero protective equipment. Just 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:09.960 flying around out there. Yeah, exactly. But the 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:11.800 business side of the sport is desperately trying 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:14.139 to modernize. OK, let's unpack this. We're looking 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:17.159 at a nine team league playing a pretty grueling 00:02:17.159 --> 00:02:20.360 48 game schedule. But this isn't the highly polished 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:23.080 corporate product you see on TV today. This is 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:25.060 an era where the rules of the game were still 00:02:25.060 --> 00:02:27.539 being hammered out in real time. What's fascinating 00:02:27.539 --> 00:02:32.039 here is that this season, 1932 to 1933, serves 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:34.780 as a perfect case study of a league in transition. 00:02:35.629 --> 00:02:37.650 We're going on a mission today to understand 00:02:37.650 --> 00:02:41.009 not just the stats, who scored what, who won 00:02:41.009 --> 00:02:43.930 the cup, but why this specific year was a chaotic 00:02:43.930 --> 00:02:47.270 crucible. The NHL was actively trying to balance 00:02:47.270 --> 00:02:50.969 the raw, almost frontier justice style of early 00:02:50.969 --> 00:02:54.090 hockey with this intense push for structure and 00:02:54.090 --> 00:02:56.659 professionalism. Because if they couldn't legitimize 00:02:56.659 --> 00:02:58.360 the sport, they couldn't survive the economic 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:00.919 collapse. The financial pressure must have been 00:03:00.919 --> 00:03:02.939 immense. You can actually see it in the franchise 00:03:02.939 --> 00:03:05.460 shifts right before the puck even dropped. The 00:03:05.460 --> 00:03:07.819 Ottawa Senators, for example, they made their 00:03:07.819 --> 00:03:09.759 return after being forced to sit out the entire 00:03:09.759 --> 00:03:11.580 previous season because they just ran out of 00:03:11.580 --> 00:03:13.620 money. And on the flip side, the Philadelphia 00:03:13.620 --> 00:03:16.219 Quakers, who also sat out the prior year, are 00:03:16.219 --> 00:03:17.939 officially gone for good at this point. They 00:03:17.939 --> 00:03:19.800 just couldn't make the math work anymore. But 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:21.719 the biggest branding shift happens in Michigan. 00:03:21.939 --> 00:03:24.379 The Detroit Falcons decide to rename themselves, 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:27.439 and they officially become the iconic Detroit 00:03:27.439 --> 00:03:30.460 Red Wings. Which is such a monumental moment 00:03:30.460 --> 00:03:33.039 in sports history. They establish one of the 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:35.180 most recognizable identities in North American 00:03:35.180 --> 00:03:38.759 sports. But while Detroit is securing its future, 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:42.199 the financial desperation of the era is glaringly 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:44.240 obvious in the front offices of other teams. 00:03:44.729 --> 00:03:47.409 The gap between the haves and the have nots was 00:03:47.409 --> 00:03:50.189 incredibly wide. Yeah. And that actually brings 00:03:50.189 --> 00:03:52.969 up a wild front office anecdote from the Montreal 00:03:52.969 --> 00:03:56.370 Maroons. The Maroons already had flat Walsh. 00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:59.120 Dave Kerr, and Normie Smith in net. That's three 00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:01.659 capable goalies. Plenty of depth, you'd think. 00:04:01.819 --> 00:04:04.080 Right. But apparently they felt they needed an 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:06.520 absolute superstar to stay competitive because 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:09.080 they set their sights on acquiring Chuck Gardner 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:11.960 from the Chicago Blackhawks. Montreal formally 00:04:11.960 --> 00:04:15.099 offered $10 ,000 plus one of their own goalkeepers 00:04:15.099 --> 00:04:17.680 just to get Gardner. If we connect this to the 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:19.740 bigger picture. You have to remember, this is 00:04:19.740 --> 00:04:23.060 the early 1930s. We're in a massive deflationary 00:04:23.060 --> 00:04:27.199 period. $10 ,000 is a staggering, almost unthinkable 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:30.480 sum of money for a single -player transfer. It 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:32.579 highlights this fascinating economic desperation. 00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:35.560 They were to stop piling talent. Absolutely desperate 00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:39.319 for a competitive edge to draw fans. Ultimately, 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:42.410 there was no deal. But the sheer audacity of 00:04:42.410 --> 00:04:45.550 the offer tells you how highly valued elite goaltending 00:04:45.550 --> 00:04:48.449 was becoming. Speaking of goalies, the league 00:04:48.449 --> 00:04:50.970 made a couple of quirky rule changes that directly 00:04:50.970 --> 00:04:53.790 impacted the men in the crease this season. First, 00:04:53.949 --> 00:04:56.709 they finally allowed a substitute player to serve 00:04:56.709 --> 00:04:59.230 a penalty on behalf of a goaltender. Which was 00:04:59.230 --> 00:05:02.310 a highly practical change. Before that, the logistics 00:05:02.310 --> 00:05:05.250 of penalizing a goalie were just a mess. This 00:05:05.250 --> 00:05:07.029 codified that you wouldn't just be left with 00:05:07.029 --> 00:05:09.410 an empty net if your goaltender committed a slashing 00:05:09.410 --> 00:05:11.810 penalty. Makes sense. But the second rule change 00:05:11.810 --> 00:05:15.230 is a total doozy. The NHL mandated that a team 00:05:15.230 --> 00:05:17.629 captain or an alternate captain must be on the 00:05:17.629 --> 00:05:19.790 ice at all times. Yeah, the reasoning was that 00:05:19.790 --> 00:05:21.910 teams were wasting too much time having players 00:05:21.910 --> 00:05:24.730 skate over to the referee to argue calls. They 00:05:24.730 --> 00:05:27.189 wanted one designated person responsible for 00:05:27.189 --> 00:05:29.550 communication, instantly available to keep the 00:05:29.550 --> 00:05:31.970 pace moving. But wait, if you're required to 00:05:31.970 --> 00:05:34.250 have a captain on the ice at all times, how do 00:05:34.250 --> 00:05:37.029 you manage that with line changes? Forwards are 00:05:37.029 --> 00:05:39.959 only out there for a minute or two. This rule 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:42.720 led to an NHL record of four goaltenders serving 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:45.879 as team captains this season. George Hainsworth, 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:49.120 Roy Waters, Charlie Gardner, and Alex Connell. 00:05:49.620 --> 00:05:52.199 I have to ask, does that mean the goalie was 00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:54.800 literally skating out of the crease in those 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:57.259 heavy waterlogged pads all the way to center 00:05:57.259 --> 00:06:00.319 ice to argue with the referee? That is exactly 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:02.079 what it means. And it looked just as ridiculous 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:04.360 as it sounds. But from a coaching perspective, 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:07.199 it makes perfect sense. Who is the one player 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:09.740 who plays all 60 minutes of a regulation game? 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:11.839 Your goaltender. Your goaltender. It's a brilliant 00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:14.319 loophole. Teams exploited it to avoid having 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:16.620 to constantly juggle the captaincy between forward 00:06:16.620 --> 00:06:19.319 lines and defensive pairings. The league eventually 00:06:19.319 --> 00:06:21.680 had to ban goalies from being captains in 1948, 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:24.420 specifically because of the delays caused by 00:06:24.420 --> 00:06:27.060 goalies slowly skating back and forth to argue 00:06:27.060 --> 00:06:30.430 calls. That is amazing. So we have goalies skating 00:06:30.430 --> 00:06:32.350 out to argue with refs, but the drama doesn't 00:06:32.350 --> 00:06:34.509 stop at the rulebook. In the American division 00:06:34.509 --> 00:06:37.149 standings, it was a dead heat. Boston and the 00:06:37.149 --> 00:06:39.930 newly minted Detroit Red Wings tied for the best 00:06:39.930 --> 00:06:42.750 overall record in the entire league, finishing 00:06:42.750 --> 00:06:46.350 with 58 points apiece. Boston was awarded first 00:06:46.350 --> 00:06:49.089 place via a head -to -head tiebreaker. But in 00:06:49.089 --> 00:06:51.970 the Canadian division, the story was a bit bleaker 00:06:51.970 --> 00:06:54.269 for some. The Toronto Maple Leafs took first 00:06:54.269 --> 00:06:55.959 place in that division. But I know you want to 00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:58.600 look at the Ottawa Senators. They are a fascinating 00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:01.040 case study in how dictatorial team management 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:04.060 was at the time. Yes. The Senators started off 00:07:04.060 --> 00:07:06.259 reasonably well. At midseason, they were up in 00:07:06.259 --> 00:07:08.579 second place in their division, hovering right 00:07:08.579 --> 00:07:11.160 around a 500 record. And then the wheels completely 00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:13.680 fall off. They collapse in the second half and 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:16.860 finish dead last with just 32 points. And the 00:07:16.860 --> 00:07:19.459 response from management is what blows my mind. 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:22.319 It's pretty extreme. NHL president Frank Ahern 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:25.079 was so furious with Ottawa's performance that 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:28.379 he instructed their coach, Sy Denany, to literally 00:07:28.379 --> 00:07:31.300 fine players for displaying, quote, indifferent 00:07:31.300 --> 00:07:35.459 hockey. It's ruthless. Ahern is essentially taxing 00:07:35.459 --> 00:07:38.120 his players for looking bored. And at the exact 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:40.899 same time he's ordering these fines, he has to 00:07:40.899 --> 00:07:43.839 publicly state that star player Hector Correa 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:46.759 is not for sale, desperately trying to stop a 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:50.160 fire sale of his few remaining assets. This wasn't 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:52.620 just a funny quirk. It was a reflection of the 00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:55.720 absolute power owners held. There was no players' 00:07:55.839 --> 00:07:58.439 union to file a grievance. None at all. If the 00:07:58.439 --> 00:08:00.459 owner felt you weren't trying hard enough, he 00:08:00.459 --> 00:08:02.459 just reached into your pocket and took your paycheck. 00:08:02.699 --> 00:08:04.199 Here's where it gets really interesting, though. 00:08:04.579 --> 00:08:07.500 If you think fining players is an extreme reaction, 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:10.360 I want to take you to the Boston Garden on March 00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:14.220 14, 1933. This is the date of the very first 00:08:14.220 --> 00:08:16.319 forfeit in the history of the National Hockey 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:18.540 League. This specific event is the ultimate example 00:08:18.540 --> 00:08:20.899 of that clash we talked about earlier, the frontier 00:08:20.899 --> 00:08:23.699 justice era of hockey smashing into the corporate 00:08:23.699 --> 00:08:25.839 league it was trying to become. It is absolute 00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:28.839 chaos. It's the Chicago Blackhawks visiting the 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:32.370 Boston Bruins. The game goes into overtime. Boston's 00:08:32.370 --> 00:08:34.870 Marty Berry scores a goal to win it. But Chicago 00:08:34.870 --> 00:08:37.490 vehemently disputes the call. They're claiming 00:08:37.490 --> 00:08:39.129 the play was offside or there was interference. 00:08:39.889 --> 00:08:42.629 Chicago's coach, Tommy Gorman, completely loses 00:08:42.629 --> 00:08:45.149 his mind. He doesn't just yell at referee Bill 00:08:45.149 --> 00:08:48.049 Stewart. He physically punches him. And Stewart, 00:08:48.210 --> 00:08:50.590 fitting the mold of the 1930s NHL perfectly, 00:08:50.950 --> 00:08:53.409 doesn't just blow his whistle and issue a game 00:08:53.409 --> 00:08:56.049 misconduct. He throws several punches right back 00:08:56.049 --> 00:08:58.759 at the coach. So you have a referee and a head 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:02.120 coach engaged in a literal fistfight on the ice. 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:04.659 Yeah, full -on brawl. Stewart then calls over 00:09:04.659 --> 00:09:06.779 the police, actual Boston law enforcement, to 00:09:06.779 --> 00:09:09.039 forcefully drag Gorman from the visitor's bench. 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:11.980 But the Chicago players refuse to back down. 00:09:12.220 --> 00:09:14.960 They sit on the bench and flat -out refuse to 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:17.000 continue the game without their coach. Which 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:19.159 leaves Bill Stewart standing on the ice, realizing 00:09:19.159 --> 00:09:22.080 the opposing team is effectively staging a wildcat 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:24.360 strike. So Stewart places the puck at center 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:27.870 ice. Boston's Cooney Weiland skates down an entirely 00:09:27.870 --> 00:09:30.990 empty rink, completely alone, and scores a goal 00:09:30.990 --> 00:09:33.850 without a single Chicago player on the ice. The 00:09:33.850 --> 00:09:36.169 game is officially forfeited to Boston. And this 00:09:36.169 --> 00:09:38.549 wasn't just a funny brawl for the papers. This 00:09:38.549 --> 00:09:41.129 was a breaking point. It forced the NHL executives 00:09:41.129 --> 00:09:43.450 to realize they couldn't be taken seriously as 00:09:43.450 --> 00:09:46.110 a national business if their officials were engaging 00:09:46.110 --> 00:09:48.330 in street fights and teams were refusing to play. 00:09:48.669 --> 00:09:51.009 You just can't sell that product to advertisers. 00:09:51.629 --> 00:09:53.649 Also, there's a brilliant piece of irony buried 00:09:53.649 --> 00:09:55.629 in the sources here. Oh, about Stewart. Yeah. 00:09:56.169 --> 00:09:58.690 That same referee, Bill Stewart, who had the 00:09:58.690 --> 00:10:01.009 Chicago coach arrested, would actually go on 00:10:01.009 --> 00:10:03.009 to become the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks 00:10:03.009 --> 00:10:05.730 just a few years later. He led them to a Stanley 00:10:05.730 --> 00:10:08.990 Cup in the 1937 -38 season. The guy you had arrested 00:10:08.990 --> 00:10:12.790 comes back to win you a championship. Incredible. 00:10:12.790 --> 00:10:16.070 So, after a regular season featuring brawling 00:10:16.070 --> 00:10:18.669 refs and goalie captains, we arrive at the playoffs. 00:10:18.970 --> 00:10:21.350 And the structure back then was very different. 00:10:21.570 --> 00:10:24.070 The two division winners, Boston and Toronto, 00:10:24.370 --> 00:10:26.830 got a bye directly to the semifinals to face 00:10:26.830 --> 00:10:29.730 each other. Meanwhile, the second and third place 00:10:29.730 --> 00:10:32.330 teams battled it out in two -game total goal 00:10:32.330 --> 00:10:35.370 series. For the listener who is only used to 00:10:35.370 --> 00:10:37.330 modern playoff series where you just have to 00:10:37.330 --> 00:10:39.909 win four games, how does a total goal series 00:10:39.909 --> 00:10:42.950 actually work on the ice? It completely changes 00:10:42.950 --> 00:10:45.090 the strategy of the game. You aren't just trying 00:10:45.090 --> 00:10:47.509 to win the night. You are managing an aggregate 00:10:47.509 --> 00:10:50.149 score over two games. Let's say your team wins 00:10:50.149 --> 00:10:52.669 game one by a score of five to nothing. A blowout. 00:10:52.850 --> 00:10:55.809 Exactly. But in game two, you could theoretically 00:10:55.809 --> 00:10:58.289 lose door to nothing and you still advance because 00:10:58.289 --> 00:11:00.649 your total aggregate score is five to four. Yeah. 00:11:00.710 --> 00:11:02.629 It meant that late in the game, even if you were 00:11:02.629 --> 00:11:04.730 losing badly on the scoreboard that night, every 00:11:04.730 --> 00:11:07.559 single goal mattered immensely. You could never 00:11:07.559 --> 00:11:10.039 take your foot off the gas. And the New York 00:11:10.039 --> 00:11:12.559 Rangers were the absolute masters of it this 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:15.200 year. As the third seed in the American division, 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:18.480 the Rangers had to survive a brutal total goal 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:20.779 series against the Montreal Canadiens, winning 00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:23.419 8 -5 on aggregate. Then they went up against 00:11:23.419 --> 00:11:25.720 the Detroit Red Wings in another total goal series 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:29.019 and won that one 6 -3. So the Rangers punched 00:11:29.019 --> 00:11:31.559 their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals. But the 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:34.559 real story of the playoffs. the event that truly 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:37.159 defines this entire season, happened in that 00:11:37.159 --> 00:11:39.679 other bracket. The semifinal matchup between 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:41.740 the American division champion Boston Bruins 00:11:41.740 --> 00:11:44.299 and the Canadian division champion Toronto Maple 00:11:44.299 --> 00:11:46.320 Leafs. The Maple Leafs were powered by their 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:48.820 famous kid line, right? Yes, the kid line was 00:11:48.820 --> 00:11:51.759 legendary. It was a trio of young, dynamic stars, 00:11:51.980 --> 00:11:54.159 Charlie Conacher, Harvey Busher Jackson, and 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:56.299 Joe Primo. They were fast, they were incredibly 00:11:56.299 --> 00:11:58.639 skilled, and they were the undeniable engine 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:00.820 of that Toronto team. So they go up against Boston. 00:12:00.980 --> 00:12:02.879 It's a best -of -five series. They split the 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:05.240 first four games. Boston takes Game 3 in overtime. 00:12:05.419 --> 00:12:08.399 Toronto takes Game 4. It all comes down to a 00:12:08.399 --> 00:12:12.820 decisive Game 5 on April 3, 1933, at Maple Leaf 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:14.850 Gardens. And this game... The game becomes a 00:12:14.850 --> 00:12:17.710 monument to human endurance. I want you to really 00:12:17.710 --> 00:12:20.850 visualize this arena. It's important to set the 00:12:20.850 --> 00:12:23.070 scene. They play the first period, no score. 00:12:23.590 --> 00:12:26.750 Second period, no score. Third period, no score. 00:12:27.110 --> 00:12:29.769 We head into sudden death overtime. One period 00:12:29.769 --> 00:12:32.169 of overtime goes by, nothing. Double overtime, 00:12:32.370 --> 00:12:34.710 nothing. Triple overtime. Think about the fans 00:12:34.710 --> 00:12:36.649 sitting in the stands. It's past midnight. They 00:12:36.649 --> 00:12:38.090 have to go to work the next day, but they can't 00:12:38.090 --> 00:12:40.169 leave because it's sudden death. Every shot could 00:12:40.169 --> 00:12:42.190 end the season. And you have to consider the 00:12:42.190 --> 00:12:44.970 physical toll on the players. These men are wearing 00:12:44.970 --> 00:12:47.690 heavy, waterlogged wool sweaters and thick leather 00:12:47.690 --> 00:12:49.889 pads. They don't have the lightweight composite 00:12:49.889 --> 00:12:52.529 materials, the carbon fiber skates, or the advanced 00:12:52.529 --> 00:12:55.149 nutrition and hydration we see today. They didn't 00:12:55.149 --> 00:12:57.450 even have Zambonas back then to resurface the 00:12:57.450 --> 00:12:59.889 ice. Oh, wow. So by the third or fourth overtime, 00:13:00.129 --> 00:13:02.850 that ice must have been absolute garbage. Deep 00:13:02.850 --> 00:13:05.490 ruts, snow everywhere, making it nearly impossible 00:13:05.490 --> 00:13:08.029 to make a crisp pass or skate at full speed. 00:13:08.250 --> 00:13:11.029 Exactly. It was a slushy, heavy mess. They were 00:13:11.029 --> 00:13:14.490 running on pure, unadulterated willpower. And 00:13:14.490 --> 00:13:17.769 the goaltenders, it's a duel for the ages between 00:13:17.769 --> 00:13:20.929 Boston's Tiny Thompson and Toronto's Lorne Chabot, 00:13:20.950 --> 00:13:23.490 making save after save, period after period, 00:13:23.610 --> 00:13:25.929 kicking away heavy wet pucks through the snow. 00:13:26.269 --> 00:13:28.570 It goes into the fourth overtime, the fifth overtime. 00:13:28.629 --> 00:13:31.029 Can you imagine the atmosphere? The sheer exhaustion, 00:13:31.309 --> 00:13:33.490 your skates are dull, your jersey weighs 15 pounds 00:13:33.490 --> 00:13:36.350 from the sweat and melting ice. Finally, at four 00:13:36.350 --> 00:13:38.610 minutes and 46 seconds into the sixth overtime 00:13:38.610 --> 00:13:41.370 period, Toronto's Ken Doherty manages to find 00:13:41.370 --> 00:13:43.309 a lane and slip the puck past Tiny Thompson. 00:13:43.570 --> 00:13:46.389 Toronto wins it 1 -0. The time is approaching 00:13:46.389 --> 00:13:49.909 1 .30 in the morning. That game immediately entered 00:13:49.909 --> 00:13:53.169 the record books as the longest game in NHL history 00:13:53.169 --> 00:13:55.009 at the time. It is still the second longest game 00:13:55.009 --> 00:13:57.200 ever played. league. When you think about the 00:13:57.200 --> 00:13:59.159 physical and mental toll playing essentially 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:03.080 three entire hockey games back to back in a single 00:14:03.080 --> 00:14:07.279 night, it is almost incomprehensible. The precision 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:10.159 required to finally end it, or perhaps just the 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:12.639 sheer breakdown of the Boston defense that allowed 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:15.379 Doherty to score, is a testament to the absolute 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:17.360 limits of these athletes. It's an incredible 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:20.149 feat. But for Toronto, the victory was almost 00:14:20.149 --> 00:14:22.769 a curse. Because remember those Newark Rangers 00:14:22.769 --> 00:14:25.889 who advanced through the total goal series? They 00:14:25.889 --> 00:14:28.070 were waiting in the Stanley Cup final. Exhaustion 00:14:28.070 --> 00:14:30.149 inevitably catches up. It's a classic sports 00:14:30.149 --> 00:14:32.450 narrative. The team that survives the marathon 00:14:32.450 --> 00:14:34.929 battle rarely has enough left in the tank for 00:14:34.929 --> 00:14:37.529 the final war. The Rangers were rested and ready. 00:14:37.899 --> 00:14:40.019 The Maple Leafs were essentially dead on their 00:14:40.019 --> 00:14:42.759 feet. In Game 1 of the Finals, the Rangers completely 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:46.200 blew them out, winning 5 -1. Toronto managed 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:48.460 to scrape together enough energy to rally for 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:51.179 a win in Game 2, but they quickly hit a wall. 00:14:51.639 --> 00:14:54.919 New York's goalie, Andy Aikenhead, was phenomenal, 00:14:55.320 --> 00:14:57.879 shutting the door when it mattered most. And 00:14:57.879 --> 00:15:00.559 the Rangers' star forward, Bill Cook, completely 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:03.620 stole the show, ultimately scoring the cup -clinching 00:15:03.620 --> 00:15:06.679 goal in overtime of Game 4. The Rangers defeated 00:15:06.679 --> 00:15:09.039 the exhausted Maple Leafs three games to one, 00:15:09.139 --> 00:15:11.720 capturing the Stanley Cup. It really highlights 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:14.559 the brutal reality of the playoff format at the 00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:17.320 time. You fight through the longest game in history 00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:19.720 just to earn the right to play a fully rested 00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:22.029 opponent. And a huge reason the Rangers were 00:15:22.029 --> 00:15:24.289 ready was Bill Cook. He wasn't just a playoff 00:15:24.289 --> 00:15:25.950 hero. If you look at the regular season data, 00:15:26.110 --> 00:15:28.730 he was dominant. He led the entire league in 00:15:28.730 --> 00:15:31.389 scoring with 28 goals and 50 points in 48 games. 00:15:31.789 --> 00:15:34.509 Meanwhile, Boston's legendary defenseman, Eddie 00:15:34.509 --> 00:15:37.049 Shore, won the Hart Trophy as the league's most 00:15:37.049 --> 00:15:40.149 valuable player. We also saw a significant historical 00:15:40.149 --> 00:15:43.409 first in the awards department this season. This 00:15:43.409 --> 00:15:45.730 was the very first time that NHL president Frank 00:15:45.730 --> 00:15:47.909 Calder officially named a rookie of the year. 00:15:48.250 --> 00:15:51.149 The inaugural honor went to Detroit Red Wings 00:15:51.149 --> 00:15:54.600 forward Carl Voss. Carl Voss, cementing his name 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:57.519 in trivia history forever. But as much as we 00:15:57.519 --> 00:15:59.500 love looking at these historical stats, there's 00:15:59.500 --> 00:16:01.480 something in the award voting from this season 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:04.600 that mathematically makes no sense. This raises 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:06.960 an important question about how we evaluate greatness. 00:16:07.299 --> 00:16:09.740 We see the analytics versus the eye test debate 00:16:09.740 --> 00:16:12.460 all the time on sports media today. But it turns 00:16:12.460 --> 00:16:14.600 out this exact same argument was happening in 00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:17.960 1933. There's a glaring contradiction centered 00:16:17.960 --> 00:16:20.360 entirely around Boston's goaltender, Tiny Thompson. 00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:22.820 The guy who just played six overtimes and made 00:16:22.820 --> 00:16:26.039 countless saves in slushy ice. Yes. So Tiny Thompson 00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:28.480 won the Vazina Trophy, which is awarded to the 00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:30.840 league's top goaltender. If you look at the hard 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:33.360 data, it is undisputed. He led the league with 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:36.960 a staggering 1 .76 goals against average. He 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:39.419 recorded 11 shutouts. He played exactly 3 ,000 00:16:39.419 --> 00:16:41.659 minutes. The stats declare him unequivocally 00:16:41.659 --> 00:16:43.500 the best goalie on the ice that year based on 00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:45.840 preventing goals. That seems pretty cut and dry. 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:48.120 You stopped the most pucks. You were the best 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:51.679 goalie. You would think so. And yet, when it 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:54.480 came time to name the NHL All -Star team, Tiny 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:56.620 Thompson was completely left off the first team. 00:16:57.059 --> 00:16:59.419 That honor went to Detroit's John Ross Roach. 00:16:59.799 --> 00:17:01.759 Thompson wasn't even named to the second team 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:03.639 that went to Chicago's Chuck Gardner. Wait, so 00:17:03.639 --> 00:17:06.079 the guy who officially wins the award for being 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:08.039 the best goaltender in the entire league, based 00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:10.200 on the actual math, isn't considered one of the 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:12.059 top two goaltenders by the All -Star voters? 00:17:12.299 --> 00:17:14.599 Precisely. I want you to consider how subjective 00:17:14.599 --> 00:17:17.460 human voting can completely contradict hard data. 00:17:17.829 --> 00:17:20.230 The Vizina was based on an objective mathematical 00:17:20.230 --> 00:17:23.589 reality, allowing the fewest goals. But the all 00:17:23.589 --> 00:17:25.609 -star teams were voted on by people with biases, 00:17:25.869 --> 00:17:28.369 regional favorites, and subjective opinions on 00:17:28.369 --> 00:17:31.230 what made a player look great on the ice. The 00:17:31.230 --> 00:17:34.069 eye test completely ignored the analytics. It's 00:17:34.069 --> 00:17:36.069 a paradox that proves some arguments in sports 00:17:36.069 --> 00:17:38.329 never actually change. So what does this all 00:17:38.329 --> 00:17:40.630 mean? We've talked about a league navigating 00:17:40.630 --> 00:17:43.329 the Great Depression, rule changes that forced 00:17:43.329 --> 00:17:46.569 goalies to become captains, owners taxing players 00:17:46.569 --> 00:17:49.309 for looking apathetic, referees throwing punches 00:17:49.309 --> 00:17:52.490 and calling the cops on coaches, and a six overtime 00:17:52.490 --> 00:17:55.109 epic that pushed the human body to its absolute 00:17:55.109 --> 00:17:58.309 limits. It means that the highly polished corporate 00:17:58.309 --> 00:18:00.769 sports leagues you watch today didn't just spring 00:18:00.769 --> 00:18:03.069 into existence fully formed. They were forged 00:18:03.069 --> 00:18:05.789 in an era of trial, error and sheer passion. 00:18:06.299 --> 00:18:09.819 The 1932 -33 NHL season is a microcosm of a sport 00:18:09.819 --> 00:18:12.680 figuring out its boundaries. It's raw, it's unfiltered, 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:14.420 and the characters who lived it were navigating 00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:17.019 a completely different world. Every bizarre rule, 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:19.559 every total goals series, and every unbelievable 00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:21.599 anecdote from this season became a stepping stone 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:24.079 to the modern game we recognize today. Just an 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:26.680 incredible slice of history. And I want to leave 00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:28.680 you with one final thought to mull over as we 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:31.119 wrap up this deep dive. Think about the psychology 00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:34.099 of the Boston Bruins after Game 5 of the semifinals. 00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:36.769 Imagine playing the... equivalent of nearly three 00:18:36.769 --> 00:18:39.609 full hockey games in a single night. You're skating 00:18:39.609 --> 00:18:42.329 on heavy waterlogged equipment. You're taking 00:18:42.329 --> 00:18:44.890 hit after hit on chewed up ice. Your goalie is 00:18:44.890 --> 00:18:47.789 making save after save. You pour every ounce 00:18:47.789 --> 00:18:49.869 of your physical and emotional being onto that 00:18:49.869 --> 00:18:52.450 rink only to lose one to zero in the sixth overtime 00:18:52.450 --> 00:18:55.470 and have your entire season instantly end. How 00:18:55.470 --> 00:18:58.150 long does a ghost like that haunt a locker room? 00:18:58.250 --> 00:19:00.470 What does the silent train ride back to Boston 00:19:00.470 --> 00:19:03.009 even sound like? It's something to ponder the 00:19:03.009 --> 00:19:04.829 next time you hear a modern team complain about 00:19:04.910 --> 00:19:06.789 being tired on the second night of a back to 00:19:06.789 --> 00:19:09.390 back. Thank you for diving deep with us today.