overpass
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- Jun 7, 2007
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I've posted before about the NHL's power play goal statistics, which go back to 1933-34. Briefly, there are reasons to doubt the accuracy of the pre-WII totals, especially for the Boston Bruins.
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I went through the game reports of the 1939 playoffs for the Boston Bruins and found that the power play goals scored in Boston were not recorded as power play goals.
According to official NHL statistics, the following goals were power play goals or shorthanded goals during the 12 Boston playoff games.
Official Boston special teams Goals For
Official Boston special teams Goals Against
According to the official league stats, the Bruins scored 2 power play goals, and allowed 3 power play goals and one shorthanded goal, all on the road.
After reviewing the game reports, I conclude that Boston also scored 5 power play goals while at home, and allowed 4 power play goals against in their home games. None of the power play goals scored in Boston were reported as such in the NHL box scores.
Unofficial Boston special teams Goals For
Unofficial Boston special teams Goals Against
This result supports my contention that the Boston Bruins did not report special teams goals accurately in their box scores. I wouldn't trust any Boston power play stats to be accurate until some time after the war, when box scores started reporting the penalty times.
For the playoffs as a whole, the Bruins scored 26 goals and allowed 18 goals. Per the NHL, they scored 24 EVG and 2 PPG, and allowed 14 EVGA, 3 PPGA, and 1 SHGA. As far as I can tell, they actually scored 19 EVG and 7 PPG, and allowed 10 EVGA, 7 PPGA, and 1 SHGA.
March 23, 1939 (Round 1, Game 2)
"The Bruins caught Rangers shorthanded but once during the game, late in the first period when Rookie George Allen went off for tripping. After massing their strength, the Bruins scored twice in 23 seconds, Roy Conacher countering the first and Cowley the second. Both were assisted by two teammates who relayed shots from the backboards."
March 30, 1939 (Round 1, Game 5)
"Rangers...opened the scoring in the seventh minute of play by taking advantage of the first Boston penalty. They had that lead for little more than a minute, until the Bruins caught them shorthanded."
April 6, 1939 (Round 2, Game 1)
"Woody Dumart, Bauer's fellow-townsman, put Boston ahead in the late stages of the first period while Toronto was a man short."
April 9, 1939 (Round 2, Game 2)
"A penalty to Mel Hill, sudden-death scoring start of Bruins' series with the Rangers, brought Toronto the chance for its first two goals in the opening period. While he was off, Murph Chamberlain and Syl Apps scored power-play goals."
April 16, 1939 (Round 2, Game 5)
"Hill, hero of the round with Rangers, sent Boston into an early lead while Gordon Drillon of the Leafs was serving a penalty."
"Kampman tied the count just before the first period ended, while Hill was off for hooking Murph Chamberlain."
New NHL Historical Data - Situational scoring
In the last year, situational scoring by EV/PP/SH has been added to nhl.com, going back to 1933-34. I'll post some tables here and see what we can learn about how the game was played in different eras, and which teams and players were best in which situations. Let's start with the pre-WWII era...
I went through the game reports of the 1939 playoffs for the Boston Bruins and found that the power play goals scored in Boston were not recorded as power play goals.
According to official NHL statistics, the following goals were power play goals or shorthanded goals during the 12 Boston playoff games.
Official Boston special teams Goals For
| Date | Road | Home | Period | Time | Team | Goal | Assist1 | Assist2 | State |
1939-03-21 | BOS | NYR | 3 | 4:50 | BOS | Bill Cowley | Dit Clapper | Roy Conacher | PP |
1939-04-13 | BOS | TOR | 1 | 2:20 | BOS | Roy Conacher | Mel Hill | PP |
Official Boston special teams Goals Against
| Date | Road | Home | Period | Time | Team | Goal | Assist1 | Assist2 | State |
1939-03-21 | BOS | NYR | 2 | 18:18 | NYR | Alex Shibicky | Neil Colville | Babe Pratt | PP |
1939-03-28 | BOS | NYR | 2 | 10:02 | NYR | Lynn Patrick | Clint Smith | Ott Heller | SH |
1939-04-01 | BOS | NYR | 3 | 5:58 | NYR | Bill Carse | Art Coulter | Clint Smith | PP |
1939-04-01 | BOS | NYR | 3 | 9:25 | NYR | Alex Shibicky | Mac Colville | Neil Colville | PP |
According to the official league stats, the Bruins scored 2 power play goals, and allowed 3 power play goals and one shorthanded goal, all on the road.
After reviewing the game reports, I conclude that Boston also scored 5 power play goals while at home, and allowed 4 power play goals against in their home games. None of the power play goals scored in Boston were reported as such in the NHL box scores.
Unofficial Boston special teams Goals For
| Date | Road | Home | Period | Time | Team | Goal | Assist1 | Assist2 | State |
1939-03-23 | NYR | BOS | 1 | 18:15 | BOS | Roy Conacher | Eddie Shore | Flash Hollett | PP |
1939-03-23 | NYR | BOS | 1 | 19:13 | BOS | Bill Cowley | Roy Conacher | Mel Hill | PP |
1939-03-30 | NYR | BOS | 1 | 7:39 | BOS | Bobby Bauer | Woody Dumart | Milt Schmidt | PP |
1939-04-06 | TOR | BOS | 1 | 16:04 | BOS | Woody Dumart | Eddie Shore | Bobby Bauer | PP |
1939-04-16 | TOR | BOS | 1 | 11:40 | BOS | Mel Hill | Roy Conacher | Bill Cowley | PP |
Unofficial Boston special teams Goals Against
| Date | Road | Home | Period | Time | Team | Goal | Assist1 | Assist2 | State |
1939-03-30 | NYR | BOS | 1 | 6:20 | NYR | Art Coulter | PP | ||
1939-04-09 | TOR | BOS | 1 | 8:55 | TOR | Murph Chamberlain | Bingo Kampman | Gordie Drillon | PP |
1939-04-09 | TOR | BOS | 1 | 9:29 | TOR | Syl Apps | Nick Metz | Gordie Drillon | PP |
1939-04-16 | TOR | BOS | 1 | 18:40 | TOR | Bingo Kampman | Doc Romnes | PP |
This result supports my contention that the Boston Bruins did not report special teams goals accurately in their box scores. I wouldn't trust any Boston power play stats to be accurate until some time after the war, when box scores started reporting the penalty times.
For the playoffs as a whole, the Bruins scored 26 goals and allowed 18 goals. Per the NHL, they scored 24 EVG and 2 PPG, and allowed 14 EVGA, 3 PPGA, and 1 SHGA. As far as I can tell, they actually scored 19 EVG and 7 PPG, and allowed 10 EVGA, 7 PPGA, and 1 SHGA.
March 23, 1939 (Round 1, Game 2)
"The Bruins caught Rangers shorthanded but once during the game, late in the first period when Rookie George Allen went off for tripping. After massing their strength, the Bruins scored twice in 23 seconds, Roy Conacher countering the first and Cowley the second. Both were assisted by two teammates who relayed shots from the backboards."
March 30, 1939 (Round 1, Game 5)
"Rangers...opened the scoring in the seventh minute of play by taking advantage of the first Boston penalty. They had that lead for little more than a minute, until the Bruins caught them shorthanded."
April 6, 1939 (Round 2, Game 1)
"Woody Dumart, Bauer's fellow-townsman, put Boston ahead in the late stages of the first period while Toronto was a man short."
April 9, 1939 (Round 2, Game 2)
"A penalty to Mel Hill, sudden-death scoring start of Bruins' series with the Rangers, brought Toronto the chance for its first two goals in the opening period. While he was off, Murph Chamberlain and Syl Apps scored power-play goals."
April 16, 1939 (Round 2, Game 5)
"Hill, hero of the round with Rangers, sent Boston into an early lead while Gordon Drillon of the Leafs was serving a penalty."
"Kampman tied the count just before the first period ended, while Hill was off for hooking Murph Chamberlain."
