1938 MHL Playoffs

First Round

(W2) Detroit Guardians (34-27-1) vs (W3) Chicago Wildcats (33-27-2)

Guardian Stadium was a mixture of cheer and anxiety as the two Great Lakes teams took to the ice in a first postseason meeting. Detroit was in this exact situation one year earlier, but they fell to Quebec. Meanwhile Chicago was back in the postseason, looking to get back to winning after their down year the season prior. 

The first period was energetic, and saw chances for both sides. Just 5 minutes in, David Pelletier gathered a puck, took a hard shot from just inside the blue line, and beat Claude Kepkay, much to the delight of the home fans. They had a great chance to make it 2-0, but Kepkay came back strong with a big save in front. Chicago would get a chance courtesy of Sean Doherty, but Guy Topolinski stretched out, and Doherty got hit awkwardly into the boards right after, which resulted in some fighting and scrapping. After 20, Detroit was up 1-0.

Chicago was a little better in the second, and got some looks, but Topolinski was doing his job to keep Detroit up. At the halfway point, the Guardians got a power play, and Michael Fraser danced around the ice before his shot deflected off of Bradford Russell and in, making it 2-0. Late in the period, Chicago got a power play of their own, and a beautiful pass from Marcel Lavallée to Daniel Dyck got the Wildcats on the board. Through 40, the shots were even at 22 apiece, but Detroit was still up by 1 heading into the final frame.

Chicago would tie the game in the first half of the third period, with Trevor Alrick intercepting a pass and having a shot blocked, but Dyck was right there to take a second shot, and he beat a screened Topolinski. With it tied, Detroit got more of the chances, but for the majority of the frame, it was deadlocked at that 2-2 scorelines. With 4 minutes to play, Chicago’s Lawrence Tabor took a cross-checking penalty, and Detroit was on the power play. On that man advantage, they found space, and Russell, from the corner, fed a streaking Jeff Dezouvre, who got in behind the defense, and beat Kepkay cleanly. Guardian Stadium was overjoyed. They just needed to kill the remaining 4 minutes, and Detroit did just that. Finally, in their 8th season, Detroit had won a playoff round, while Chicago went home sad.

(E2) Boston Harpers (33-28-1) vs (E3) Brooklyn Kings (31-31-0)

In the other matchup, it was a game between the upstart Boston Harpers and the reigning champion Brooklyn Kings. Boston’s Storrow Arena was rowdy as a Boston venue always is, especially against a NYC team.

Brooklyn started off incredibly strong. 5 minutes in, Matthew Graham beat Boston goalie Alberto Esposito with a bullet that absolutely rippled the net. Boston had a breakaway chance soon after, but it was saved by Randall Thomas. Boston would get on the board though, courtesy of a wraparound by Thomas Marshall. Late in the frame, Brooklyn would get a power play, and they managed an odd-man rush. On the 2-on-1, Anthony Sapnick’s initial shot was stopped, but the rebound was potted home by him, and the visitors were up once again. This 2-1 lead held through 20.

To start the second, Brooklyn got another 2-on-1, and this time, the initial shot went in. James Whaley fed Robert Bass, giving Esposito no shot at stopping it. Immediately after, the Kings had a chance, but Esposito made an unbelievable glove save to keep it out of the net. Off the ensuing faceoff, Boston would get the puck to the other end, and Michel Parent scored to get the hosts back within 1. Late in the period, Brooklyn would get a power play, their 6th of the game. Fans were not happy with the amount of calls Brooklyn was getting, so the stadium got a little rowdy. To make matters worse, Brooklyn scored on said power play, restoring their 4-2 lead and the fans were not having it. A newspaper was thrown at the referee as he left the ice, but no further kerfuffles happened.

The third was a very even period, but also a boring one. There wasn’t much that Boston was giving to make it interesting, and Brooklyn seemed content with laying low and defending their lead. In the final minute, with the score already decided, Matthew Graham took a shot from inside the blue line, and Esposito just missed it. It went in, and Brooklyn was up 5-2, with Graham having a hat trick. There were a chorus of Boos as the game ended, and The Harper faithful, despite witnessing a great season, weren’t happy with the effort shown.



Semifinals

(W1) Toronto Lakers (36-24-2) vs (W2) Detroit Guardians (34-27-1)

The Western Final was a Battle of the Great Lakes, with the Canadian Toronto Lakers hosting the American Detroit Guardians in Game 1. The Toronto Garden was rocking with anticipation as the two teams took the ice, with lots of confidence as well. The Guardians were not seen as much of a threat to their hometown Lakers.

The first period was controlled by the hosts, but it was the visiting Guardians that struck first, early on. Simon Peters wired a beautiful shot top shelf past Trevor Walker, one that even home fans had to admire. However, the hosts tied it up soon after, with Patrick Stone taking a shot that Guy Topolinski could not get all of. Detroit got a late chance off a missed call, but could not capitalize. Toronto outshot Detroit 11-6 in the opening frame, but it was all tied after 20.

The second period was all Detroit, who were settling in nicely. They peppered Walker with shots, one of which went in, on a man advantage. Now up 2-1, they kept up the pressure, with a netfront scramble, but couldn’t capitalize. They had a couple more chances of the power play, and the Toronto fans were getting a little upset that they weren’t getting any calls. Despite this, the Guardians couldn’t get a second in the frame, but were still up 2-1 after 40.

In the third, Toronto would tie it up early. They stole a puck at the blue line, and got it to Stone, who shot it off the post and in for his second of the game. A great chance to take the lead came right after, but Topolinski stood his ground in front of the net and denied the chance. At the halfway point, Michael Fraser took a shot from a distance, but Walker couldn’t see the puck, and it went right by him. Detroit had the lead once again, and they weren’t going to give it up again. They held on the remaining time, and stole game 1 from Toronto, 3-2.

The second game was in Detroit’s Guardian Stadium, and it was undeniable that the building was louder than it had ever been. The Guardians hadn’t given the Detroit faithful much reason to cheer until this season, and they were a game away from their first Abbott Cup Final.

Just 18 seconds into the game, Patrick Stone’s 3rd goal of the series gave Toronto an early lead, silencing the crowd. A minute later, Gordon Morrison scored, and it was 2-0 Toronto 90 seconds in. Detroit would come back though, and Pierre Blanchette scored a goal Walker had no chance on to make it 2-1. The craziness continued to the end of the period, where Simon Peters sniped one to tie the game, and Jeff Dezouvre scored from a bad angle 40 seconds later, giving the Guardians the lead. An insane period saw Detroit turn 0-2 to 3-2.

Detroit’s scoring continued in the second, with Bentley Doull scoring a rebound early on, making their lead 2. However, a seeing-eye shot from Justin Turgeon soon after made it a 1-goal game again. The Guardians came back, and Bradford Russell converted a pass in front to made it 5-3. This seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, as Adam Wilkinson, who had 2 goals in the regular season, scored to make it 6-3, and the crowd was loving it. Detroit was a period away from that final berth.

Toronto pushed hard in the third, but they wouldn’t be the ones that opened the scoring in the final frame. Halfway through, Russell passed a puck that deflected off of Turgeon and past Walker, making it 7-3. The Lakers continued pushing, but it was obvious they weren’t going to come back. Topolinski stopped all 14 shots he faced in the final frame, and Detroit celebrated. The Guardians were headed to their first Abbott Cup Finals, and were guaranteed home ice advantage.

(E1) New York Blue Birds (32-27-3) vs (E3) Brooklyn Kings (31-31-0)

The Battle of New York City was the scene for the Eastern Final. Two teams that didn’t like each other had to face each other if they wanted a spot in the Abbott Cup Final. The New York Times ran several columns about the intensity and fire this series was expected to have.

The first period was one of the most back-and-forth, loosest offensive periods fans had ever seen. It wasn’t high-scoring, but the entire frame was pretty much the teams skating and shooting, getting good chances. Moses Addison in particular was busy in the Blue Bird net, facing 20 shots in the opening 20 minutes. The lone goal came from New York’s Arthur Haley, who fired one home from in front. The hosts were up 1-0 after the first period.

The second period wasn’t as chaotic, but still very far from boring. Brooklyn kept firing shot after shot after shot, and they finally beat Addison on a power play, from Robert Turner. New York would get a goal late in the frame, with Jack Lilly poking home a shot that was originally a great save by Randall Thomas. There were reports of shoving in the stands after the goal, but nothing too major, according to renowned columnist Frederick Winton. 

New York had been outshot 36-20 through 40 minutes, but in the third they finally calmed down the Brooklyn attack. It was a pretty calm third, though both sides still had good looks. Addison was playing out of his mind, and the Blue Bird crowd rose to their feet with every stop. As time ran out and New York held on, the team surrounded the 39-year-old goaltender, who stopped 44 out of 45 shots in the opening game, making New York a win away from a long overdue Abbott Cup Final appearance.

The two teams headed south within NYC to the Brooklyn Auditorium for Game 2. While Game 1 was a majority Birds fans, Game 2 was majority Kings fans, but around ⅓ came to support New York.

It took the Kings many shots to solve Moses Addison in game 1, but they managed to do so quickly in Game 2, with Matthew Graham scoring his 4th of the postseason 5 minutes in. New York responded quickly on a power play, but Brooklyn responded back with Graham scoring once again, much to the delight of the home fans. Randall Thomas also made two absolutely breathtaking saves in the frame, one of which came after he was clearly interfered with, Both saves earned absolutely roaring standing ovations.

New York played a great second period, and got a goal from young blueliner John Richer 8 minutes in, tying the score. 3 minutes after that, they got a second defenseman goal, this time from Christian Harper. They almost got a third, but Thomas once again made an acrobatic save to preserve it. It definitely was not his fault they were losing. New York preserved their 3-2 lead to the end of the frame, and were a period away from the Abbott Cup Final.

The third period was Brooklyn putting everything on the table and just focusing on offense. Robert Bass scored on a power play early on, tying the game. Then, for the second time in the series, they would put up 20 shots in a single frame. Somehow, despite all this crazy pressure, Addison did not let the Kings get that winner in regulation. The MHL all-time games played leader was playing out of his mind for any age, let alone 39 years old. The score was all knotted up at 3, and overtime was necessary.

Overtime did not take long to find a winner. 5 minutes in, New York took a penalty, and the Kings headed to the power play. On the man advantage, Michael Clarke found Richard Gravel alone in the slot, and he beat Addison above his left arm, and the Brooklyn Aud erupted. The Kings had tied the series, and it was time for a winner-take-all game 3 back in Manhattan.

Game 3. Between intra-city rivals. In Manhattan. The only way the stage could be bigger was if it was the Abbott Cup Final. This was still pretty close. The entire city could feel the tension in the streets the night heading up to this game, and it was bound to be a good one either way.

Finding the opening goal didn’t take long, with Steven Davis putting a beautiful shot past Thomas but 3:23 in, making the home crowd overjoyed. 4 minutes later, Martin Ferre converted a rebound, scoring in a do-or-die game against the team that traded him. The Birds supporters were loving it, and their team was up 2-0. Brooklyn took a total of 18 shots in the frame, but Addison continued to be a menace, stopping them all and preserving that 2-0 lead.

In the second, the Kings shifted tactically to focus on tight defense rather than free-flowing offense. While this worked to stop New York getting more chances, it also meant they were playing duller offensively. The second period was the most boring of the series, as neither team could find the back of the net. The Kings were doubling New York in shots, but that 2-0 scoreline held for the entirety of the middle frame. 

2 minutes into the final frame, New York’s Richard Olson wired a shot past Thomas, making it 3-0. Soon after, Len Charter scored on a rebound, and it was basically over, especially with Addison continuing to be a literal brick wall. Richard Scott got one back late for the Kings to spoil the shutout bid, but that was all they could muster. The Blue Birds once again had the upper hand in the battle of New York, and were heading to their first Abbott Cup final since 1928.



Abbott Cup Final Preview:

(W2) Detroit Guardians vs (E1) New York Blue Birds
Previous Meeting: N/A
Result: N/A
Series Record: N/A

It’s a battle of blue to decide who will win the 1938 edition of the Abbott Cup. Detroit is making their first ever appearance, while the Blue Birds have made it many times before, but none in the past 10 years. The only remaining player from New York’s previous triumphs is 39-year-old goalie Moses Addison, who will unfortunately miss at least the first 3 games with a shoulder injury he suffered in Game 3 against Brooklyn.

Detroit won 3 of the 4 regular season meetings, which gives them a good start considering they have home ice advantage as well. Tipping the scales even more in their favour is the fact that New York’s hottest player in Addison will miss multiple games, meaning that 26-year-old Seymour Mullins will be relied on in New York. He went 5-6 with a 3.88 GAA and 0.888 SV%. What a story it would be if he steps up and helps them win it.

My Pick: The Guardians join the MHL champion club, winning in 6 games.