PHL: 1958-59

Season Summary:

As the 1958-59 season began, all eyes were on Boston Bulldogs' rookie Don Greer. Greer had set scoring records playing junior hockey in Mississauga and he made an immediate impact on the Bulldogs, scoring 44 goals and leading the Bulldogs to a 1st place finish. In Philadelphia another rookie, Vince Ward, had a fantastic rookie season, with 39 goals and 47 assists leading the Redshirts to second place in the American Division. The Chicago Shamrocks suffered a disasterous season despite the efforts of Norwegian rookie Bjorn Rasmussen, finishing last in the division and missing the playoffs for the first time in their PHL history. New York superstar Skippy Cleveland reached a significant milestone in February, 1959, becoming the first player ever to score 500 career goals.

Heading into the playoffs, Quebec was the team to beat in the Canadian Division. Montreal, on the other hand, had struggled throughout the regular season. The tables would turn in the playoffs, however, as Montreal came back from a 3-1 deficit to win a very physical series in 7 games before losing to Toronto in the Canadian Division finals. In the American Division, Boston finally shook off their recent playoff demons, defeating Detroit and Philadelphia to reach the finals against the defending champions. In the finals, Boston jumped to a 2-0 series lead before giving up games 3 and 4 in Toronto. The Bulldogs then won game 5 at home to set up an opportunity to win another championship in game 6. A hat-trick in game 6 from Mark Benson forced a seventh and deciding game. In game 7, Don Greer and Jack MacDonald each scored as Boston won 2-1 to claim their 6th Lewis Cup.