1936-37 MHL Season: Second Half

The second half of the 1936-37 saw tons of movement, including probably the single closest and most intense playoff race, right to the very end in both conferences. Lots of firsts as well. Let’s see what happened.

Finishing first in the new North Division was Montreal, but unlike at the half where it was the Barons, it was the Greys that finished atop. They went 15-8-9 to close out the year, just enough to get that first-round bye. Big second halves from players such as Paul Boyle and William Smith definitely helped, as both players finished in the top 3 in points, and the Greys’ offense finished #1 overall. On the other end, Alan Clercius did well in net, and the defense stepped up when needed. Montreal finished at 28-21-15, 2 points clear of second.

Finishing second and making the Abbott Cup playoffs for the first time in their history are the Detroit Guardians. After coming so close so many times, they’ve finally made it to the postseason. In a bit of a surprise, they finished with the best defense in the league, giving up 157 goals for 2.45 per game. This helped their average offense, and it gives them a good advantage heading into round 1. Detroit finished at 29-24-11, and has home ice advantage in round 1.

Finishing third, in an absolutely crazy surprise, is Quebec. The team everyone wrote off to start the year, and had a dismal first half, somehow managed to get the final Northern playoff spot. While their future is still unknown, this gives them a great hope of survival beyond this year. They’re quite clearly the worst playoff team, but anything can happen. They had some young talent break out, with Calvin Thomas finishing second in goals, and Stanley Brand finishing 4th in assists. Quebec finished at 25-25-14.

Finishing fourth are the Toronto Lakers, who somehow managed to get leapfrogged at the very end of the year to miss the postseason for the first time in 5 years. They went above 0.500 in the second half, and held that final playoff spot for part of that time, but in a playoff race that went down to the wire, they fell at the end. They had the best divisional record of any Northern team, but they went 5-11-3 against the South, which ultimately cost their spot. Toronto finished at 28-29-7, just 1 point out.

Finishing fifth are the Montreal Barons, who had a spectacular collapse. They had as many draws as wins in the second half, and their losses were the same as both combined. They ended up with a positive goal differential, but their lack of clutch was very apparent. They had a chance to make the playoffs on the final day, but they gave up a tying goal in the final minute to seal their fate. The Barons finished at 24-25-15, 1 point behind Quebec, and behind Toronto on a tiebreaker.

Finishing last in the North are the Chicago Wildcats, who had quite possibly the worst title defense in MHL history. They had a dismal 0.367 P% against their division, and although they played better in the second half, it wasn’t close to getting them back in the playoff picture. Their usually high-octane offense went cold all year, the main reason they struggled so badly. It’s a season to forget for the Wildcats, and they hope to get back at it for next year. Chicago finished at 21-28-15.

Finishing first in the Southern Division and first in the league were the Philadelphia Minutemen. They were clearly the best team all year, despite slightly slowing down in the second half. They finished with the most wins, most points, and highest goal differential in the league. Their best player was 25-year-old Richard Parent, the only goalie in the league to finish top 3 in each of the major categories. With all the young talent the Minutemen have, it looks like they’re just getting started. Philly finished at 33-21-10.

Finishing second are the Brooklyn Kings, who gave Philly a run for their money, but ultimately finished 5 points back of the first seed. What set the Kings apart from all the other teams was their road record, which was playoff pace on its own. They had the second-best offense in the league as well, but despite that, they only had one player in any of the top 5 offensive categories, Anthony Sapnick. He finished 3rd in assists. Brooklyn will play at home in round 1, as they finished at 32-25-7.

Finishing third are the Nassau Scouts, meaning we’ll have a NYC metro battle in the first round. Their story this year was a tale of two teams, home and away. At home, the Scouts were the best team in the league, and had the best P% of any team at home. However, on the road, they rivalled the bottom teams of the league with how they played. Playoffs are playoffs though, and Nassau has now made the postseason in 6 of the past 8 years. They’re hoping this year is the year they can finally win a round. The Scouts finished at 28-26-10, just 1 point clear.

Finishing fourth are the New York Blue Birds, who came one point shy of their second straight postseason appearance after an 8-year drought. Overall, it was a pretty mid year for the Birds. They finished one point above 0.500, their home and away records were both near 0.500, and their divisional record was too. They had no breakthrough years from any players, either offensively or defensively. Of all the seasons, this certainly was one for them. New York finished at 27-26-11.

Finishing 5th are the Washington Bats, who are still unable to take that next step. Despite having the second-best offense in the league and multiple young players making their names known, their defense was so bad that it cancelled all that hope out and kept them below 0.500. On the bright side, Martin Valley led the league in assists and points, and James Hicks and Michael Hunter both finished top 5 in goals. So if they can fix the defensive issues, the future is very bright for the Bats. Washington finished at 24-30-10.

Finishing at the bottom of the division and the MHL were the Boston Harpers. Their league-worst offense gave them tons of struggles, while their defense didn’t help either. It’s now 4 straight years without the postseason for the Harpers, who have now made the playoffs in 5 of 16 seasons. For a city and fanbase hungry for success, the Harpers will look to make major 
improvements this offseason to get back into contention. Boston finished at 15-34-15.



Season Leaders:


Playoff Predictions:

N2 - Detroit Guardians vs N3 - Club Québécois de Hockey
Previous Meeting: None
Result: N/A
Series Record: N/A

It’s a first-ever playoff appearance for both these franchises, so that means one of these teams will also have their first series victory following this single-game matchup. There will definitely be lots of nerves here, so expect a more high-scoring affair where mistakes are capitalized on.

Detroit won 5 of the 9 meetings between the two teams in the regular season, outscoring Quebec 27-20 in those meetings. Everything seems to be in Detroit’s favour here. The home-ice advantage, the season series victory, and the fact that Quebec in general is such an inexperienced team. That doesn’t make it a write-off, but it shouldn’t be a surprise if the Guardians take this, despite waiting 8 years to make the postseason. 

My pick: Detroit wins their first ever playoff round, defeating Quebec 5-3.

S2 - Brooklyn Kings vs S3 - Nassau Scouts
Previous Meeting: 1931 Semi-Final
Result: Brooklyn 2-0 Nassau
Series Record: Brooklyn 1-0 Nassau

One of the 3 possible “Battles of New York”, it’s the Kings and Scouts fighting it out to see who moves on to Philadelphia. Their only postseason meeting came 6 years ago, when Brooklyn swept Nassau to make the Abbott Cup final they would go on to lose.

Brooklyn went 5-3-1 in the season series, outsourcing the Scouts 25-24, making it a closer series than the record may indicate. However, you need to remember that the Scouts on the road are a terrible team, and while Brooklyn’s home record isn’t as good as some other playoff teams, the Scouts should be assumed to lose until they play a decent game away from home. That’s how bad they’ve been on the road. At least they should have some supporters in Brooklyn.

My pick: Brooklyn makes quick work of the Scouts, taking this one, 4-1.

Don't forget to vote for the 1937 MHL MVP/Hackatt Trophy Winner!

I am going to choose to ignore the fact that boston came in last place and simply say that it's cool to have so much new blood in the playoffs!!!!! I hate it here