Freddy Hockey, Meet Johnny Harms

Nashville Predators rookie Frederick Gaudreau has scored three goals in four Stanley Cup final games...before having scored a regular season goal in the NHL. Indeed this is an extremely rare feat, as it hasn't happened in 73 years. In 1944, Saskatoon native, Johnny Harms of the Chicago Black Hawks also scored 3 goals in a four game final prior to scoring in regular season.
18-year old Harms had spent the 1943/44 campaign with Hershey of the AHL collecting 10 goals and 31 points in 52 games, he played only one game with Chicago. After not playing in the Semifinal upset of Detroit, Harms drew into the lineup against the heavily favoured Habs. His first goal came in game two with one second remaining in the game to break up Bill Durnan's shutout as the Hawks lost 3-1.
With Chicago down two games to none, Harms put them ahead by a score of 2-1 early in the third period of game three. Unfortunately, Montreal scored two goals within the next three minutes and won 3-2. In the fourth game, Harms notched the potential winning goal to put the Black Hawks up 2-1 halfway through the game and two minutes later they were up 4-1 on goals from George Allen and Doug Bentley. Alas, Montreal stormed back with three in the last half of the third and won the Stanley Cup in overtime on a goal by Toe Blake. 
In the end, John Harms had scored three of Chicago's eight goals in the Cup final. He played 43 games for Chicago the next year collecting five goals and five assists. That would be the end of his NHL career. Harms played the next five years with Kansas City of the USHL, averaging a point per game. He then played the last ten years of his career with Vernon Canadians of the Okanagan Senior League in British Columbia. Harms played in four Allan Cups winning in 1956.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thank you posting this story and the two photos about my grandfather, Johnny Harms.
April 9, 2022 at 12:27 PM
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