Conscription for Canadians was made compulsory in 1944, but it wasn't for Montreal Canadiens players to appease the anti-conscription movement in Quebec lead by the nationalistc far-right.
It's easier to score 50 goals in 50 games when the netminders will actual hockey skills are being shot at on the beaches of Normandy.
Hummm... That's an unbelievable load of garbage that you've just spewn there.
Ken Reardon went to war, as did his brother, Terry.
Maurice Richard was refused in the army, due to a bad ankle.
Emile Bouchard was granted permission to remain in Canada, because he was taking care of a business (he was a beefarmer, a bee keeper, or whatever an "apiculteur" is named in english). Basically, most farmers (I can't say for farmworkers) were NOT leaving during the war.
I don't know exactly for the other players of that team (I know that Phil Watson got a derogation for whatever reason, but he was a Ranger prior to 43-44 anyways).
Moreover, I suspect Elmer Lach had a medical condition as well (he did miss like the whole 42-43 year, if i remember...)
There was an interesting tidbit about Jack Adams (or was it Lester Patrick?) trying to forbid the 6 players with a non-medical derogation (that group includes Watson, Harmon, Bouchard, and 3 other guys I can't remember). It obviously didn't go through.
Moreover, the only group that could be considered "far right" in Quebec was the PNSC, which was ultimately unsuccessful and much, much more
canadian nationalistic than
québecois nationalistic. L'Union Nationale was at the right of the political spectrum, but they were as far from Far Right than, let's say, Gilles Duceppe is far from being a
federalist. Let's just say that most
québecois didn't really care about saving Great Britain's ass, which seems unforunate today when we look at it, but it's not like any of us could see the big picture by then, when most people were illeterate.