1943–44 Montreal Canadiens season

At the Habs' training camp in 1943, Canadiens manager Tommy Gorman settled on Bill Durnan as his goalie. Durnan stated that he was happy as an amateur and happy with less money if it meant avoiding the stress of the professional game. On opening night, Durnan was not yet signed. Ten minutes before the first faceoff, he spoke with Gorman and reached a deal. Durnan signed the contract and played in the game. The result was a 2–2 draw with the Boston Bruins. The rookie netminder was a few months shy of his 27th birthday. ==Regular season==

Some of Durnan's teammates included the "Punch Line" of Elmer Lach, Rocket Richard and Toe Blake. Durnan was a key element that took Montreal back to the Stanley Cup Final after 13 years of frustration. Durnan led the league in games played, wins and goals-against average in the regular season. Final standings Record vs. opponents ==Schedule and results==

In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Durnan allowed only 1.53 goals per game as the Canadiens skated to the title. At season's end, Durnan was awarded the Vezina Trophy, the first rookie to win the award, and was selected to the league's First All-Star Team. Stanley Cup Final: Montreal vs. Chicago Maurice 'Rocket' Richard made his Stanley Cup debut with a five-goal performance in the series, including a hat-trick in game two. The Punch Line of Richard, Elmer Lach and Toe Blake scored 10 of the Canadiens 16 goals. Blake scored the Cup winner in overtime. In the same overtime, Bill Durnan stopped the first penalty shot awarded in the finals, awarded to Virgil Johnson. Montreal won the best-of-seven series 4–0. ==Player statistics==

Regular season Scoring Goaltending Playoffs Scoring Goaltending ==Awards and records==

• Bill Durnan, Vezina Trophy • Bill Durnan, NHL First Team All-Star • Emile "Butch" Bouchard, Defence, NHL Second Team All-Star • Elmer Lach, Centre, NHL Second Team All-Star • Maurice Richard, Right wing, NHL Second Team All-Star • Dick Irvin, Coach, NHL First Team All-Star ==See also==