Montreal Canadiens Defeated Toronto Maple Leafs 11-0 in 1944

Published on June 22nd, 2021 12:15 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


The most lopsided victory in professional hockey playoffs. There have been some massive blowouts in NHL playoff history, though none were bigger than the Montreal Canadiens' 11-0 lambasting of the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 30th, 1944.

The Edmonton Oilers would come close to tying the record for most lopsided playoff victory on April 9th, 1987, after they crushed the Los Angeles Kings 13-3.

The record, however, still belongs to the Canadiens, and this is a record that may never be broken.

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The Canadians were playing at home for the record-breaking game. They were leading the series 3-1 and were looking to advance to the next round.

The Canadiens were looking for a strong effort, and certainly got it.

The first two periods were fairly underwhelming, as the Canadiens were leading 4-0 at the end of the second period.

At this point, most teams would have gone into cruise mode, though the Canadiens decided to turn it on instead.

The Canadiens would blow the doors off the Leafs in the third period, notching an additional 7 goals to make it a final of 11-0.

Maurice Richard would have five points in the game, while Ray Getliffe would also post a similar stat line of two goals and three assists.

The Maple Leafs were overwhelmed and reeling after the game, left to face the embarrassment of the most lopsided loss in the history of the league - a record that still stands today.

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Again, this is a record that will very likely never be broken, due to the different style of play, increased quality of goaltending, better equipment, increased parity in the league, etc.

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