THANKSGIVING 1949

 After an early Thanksgiving dinner on October 10, 1949, hockey fans in Toronto made their way down to Maple Leaf Gardens to witness the NHL All-Star Game. The contest featured Toronto's defending Stanley Cup champions going against the NHL All-Stars. The All-Stars emerged victorious by defeating the Leafs 3-1. 

Unlike All-Star Games we have witnessed in the last several decades, the 1949 classic was a defensive battle. Most of the Leafs were criticized for not being at the top of their game, but the exception was goalie Turk Broda. He faced an attack that included Rocket Richard, Roy Conacher, Sid Abel, Gordie Howe, and Ted Lindsay.

But it wasn't the big names that inflicted the damage. After Leafs' defenceman, Bill Barilko, opened the scoring, another defenceman netted the equalizer for the All-Stars. At 18:03 of the opening period, Chicago's Bob Goldman pulled his team even against the home team. 

In the middle frame, Goldham once again inserted himself in the thick of the action. He led a rush up ice and dished the puck off to Boston winger Paul Ronty, "Who deked Broda out of position and flipped the puck into the gaping net."

Ronty's tally turned out to be the winning goal. The All-Stars cushioned their lead when Chicago's Doug Bentley scored the lone goal in the final twenty-minutes of play.