Wartime Hockey—Page 2

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The Second World War

In 1940, Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe, who had served in the First World War, encouraged NHL players to enlist; they did en masse. Alberta NHL stars like Sweeney Schriner (Leafs), Art Weibe (Chicago Blackhawks) and Tommy Anderson (New York Americans) gathered at a summer 1940 military training camp in Sarcee, near Calgary with a large group of NHL and minor pro players from across the country.

NHL players did this across the country during the summer of 1940. While this PR effort instilled Albertans and Canadians with pride—and brought much attention to the Sarcee base—no NHL star was killed in action during the war. Yes, many minor league and amateur players were killed, but of the NHLers who were regular starters the League’s seven franchises at the beginning of the war (that number was reduced to six in 1942 when the Brooklyn Americans folded), none were on the front lines against the Axis powers. Compare that to American baseball stars who enlisted and served in some of the hairiest action in Europe and Asia such as Ted Williams who served three years as a Navy pilot.

In the ensuing years, many of the NHL stars who enlisted were shuffled off to bases to play for a series of select military all-star teams. Edmonton born-and-bred New York Rangers star Neil Colville, who joined the service in 1942, was dispatched to play in the Ottawa Commandos, who won the Allan Cup in 1943.

In Calgary, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Mustangs became a key attraction in the city, as Hall of Fame legend goaltender Cecil "Tiny" Thompson, who had enlisted for service, was shuffled to the hockey rink instead of the front.

Ottawa RCAF had captured Canada’s senior amateur men’s championship in 1942. The fact that the war did not cancel a single Stanley Cup and only the 1945 Allan Cup proved that Canadians felt more comfortable seeing games played during their time of great worry.

Many of the top professionals were still in the sporting world’s spotlight, thanks to their involvement with military hockey, and the National Hockey League soldiered on. The teams used teenagers and many semi-pros promoted to the top pro ranks to replace the stars who had enlisted. Even though the product was watered down, fans still flocked to the rink. During the 1944-45 season, Montréal Canadiens phenom Maurice Richard, who was unavailable for military action for medical reasons, became the first NHL player to score 50 goals in a season, reaching the milestone in an NHL regular season that was just 50 games long at that time. While Richard became a Canadian icon for reaching the milestone, he did it in a season where many of the top players Canada could offer were still serving their military time.

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