Unidentified Maple Leafs Photo #7
I sure loves me some old hockey photos! Here's another from Vintage Sports Images, a great pic of Gordie Howe and the Red Wings playing the Maple Leafs. Let's start with the goaltender. A look at the Society for International Hockey Research visual database from the late 1940's through the 50's (to hook up with the fact Howe is playing) and we can conclude it is Ed Chadwick. The Leafs goalie progression went from Turk Broda to Harry Lumley to Ed Chadwick (below) who played every game in 1956/57 and 57/58. This is definitely not Broda or Lumley in the photo. Johnny Bower then took the helm of the Leaf net afterward.
Ed Chadwick |
So it is either 56/57 or 57/58, now to the other players. Leafs #3 is Jim Morrison who wore that number for a four year span. #17 for the Leafs in both of these seasons was Dick Duff, seen checking Howe.
The Red Wing battling Morrison in front of Chadwick is #16, a young Norm Ullman who wore that number his first three seasons before switching to #7. The Leaf on the right edge of the photo is a right-shooter, likely a defenceman. Over these two seasons that could only be Jimmy Thomson or Tim Horton and I'm fairly sure it is Horton.
The Leafs finished in fifth and sixth place missing the playoffs in each of these seasons. Detroit finished first in 56/57 and third the following year only to be bounced in the first round each time.
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