The 1949 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven series between the Detroit Red Wings and the defending champion

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

, the second straight Finals series between Detroit and Toronto. The Maple Leafs won the series in four straight games to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup and eighth in the history of the franchise.

Paths to the Finals

Detroit defeated the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

4–2 to advance to the Finals. Toronto defeated the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

4–1 to advance to the Finals.

Game summaries

The Maple Leafs became the first NHL team to win the Stanley Cup in three straight seasons. The Leafs also won nine straight Finals games (beating Montreal in game six of the Finals, plus consecutive sweeps of the Wings in and this year). By defeating Detroit, Toronto won the Stanley Cup with a losing regular-season record. The only other team to win the Stanley Cup after finishing the regular season with a losing record was the

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, who qualified for the 1938 playoffs with a losing record and ultimately beat Toronto in the Cup Finals three games to one.

Stanley Cup engraving

The 1949 Stanley Cup was presented to Maple Leafs captain Ted Kennedy by NHL President

Clarence Campbell Clarence Sutherland Campbell, (July 9, 1905 – June 24, 1984) was a Canadian ice hockey executive, referee, and soldier. He refereed in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1930s, served in the Canadian Army during World War II, th ...

following the Maple Leafs 3–1 win over the Red Wings in game four. The following Maple Leafs players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup 1948–49 Toronto Maple Leafs

References and notes

* * Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). ''Lord Stanley's Cup''. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. * {{Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Stanley Cup Finals Detroit Red Wings games Toronto Maple Leafs games Sports competitions in Detroit Sports competitions in Toronto April 1949 sports events in Canada April 1949 sports events in the United States 1949 in Detroit Stanley Cup 1949 in Ontario 1940s in Toronto

Paths to the Finals

Game summaries

Stanley Cup engraving

See also

References and notes