1934–35 St. Louis Eagles season

The 1934–35 St. Louis Eagles season was the Eagles' only season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Eagles finished last in the Canadian Division and did not qualify for the playoffs. The team made a coaching change, replacing Eddie Gerard after a 2–11 start, with Buck Boucher, who could not turn the team around.

1934–35 St. Louis Eagles
Division5th Canadian
1934–35 record11–31–6
Home record7–14–3
Road record4–17–3
Goals for86
Goals against144
Team information
CoachEddie Gerard (Oct.-Dec.)
Buck Boucher (Dec. '34-Mar. '35)
CaptainSyd Howe
ArenaSt. Louis Arena
Team leaders
GoalsSyd Howe (14)
AssistsCarl Voss & Glen Brydson (18)
PointsCarl Voss (31)
Penalty minutesIrv Frew (89)
WinsBill Beveridge (11)
Goals against averageBill Beveridge (2.89)

The Ottawa Senators relocated their NHL franchise and players to St. Louis in the summer of 1934 due to financial losses in Ottawa. Despite good attendance at the St. Louis Arena, the Eagles would have financial problems, due to travel costs. The Eagles would take the Senators' spot in the Canadian Division, and would face numerous road trips to Montreal and Toronto throughout the season, despite being closer to Chicago and Detroit, who played in the American Division. The Eagles were forced to sell players, such as Syd Howe and Frank Finnigan. After the season, the NHL bought the franchise and dispersed its players.

Off-season

The St. Louis Arena had an ice surface that was 215 feet (66 m) × 115 feet (35 m), reputedly the "largest ice surface in the world". The rink was cut down to the league standard 75 feet (23 m) wide, but left 215 ft long, leaving a neutral zone of 75 feet (23 m). It was the largest ice surface in the NHL.[1]

Regular season

The first game of NHL hockey in St. Louis was played on November 8, 1934, against the Chicago Black Hawks with a paid attendance of 12,622.[1] The Eagles lost 1–3 and their only goal was scored by Earl Roche.

The Eagles were led offensively by Carl Voss and his team leading 31 points, team captain Syd Howe would lead the club with 14 goals, despite being traded to the Detroit Red Wings late in the season, while Glen Brydson would finish 2nd in team scoring with 29 points. Joe Jerwa, acquired by the Boston Bruins, would lead the defense with 11 points in only 16 games in St. Louis.

Bill Beveridge would be the Eagles goaltender, winning 11 games with a 2.89 GAA and 3 shutouts.

The strain of so many long train rides showed early on. Midway through the season, new head coach and former Senators player Eddie Gerard was relieved of his duties after a 2–11–0 start and was replaced by Buck Boucher, who was the head coach of the Senators the previous season. Boucher would post a 9–20–6 record in 35 games. All told, the Eagles finished 11–31–6, dead last in the league with a winning percentage of .292.

After the season, the franchise owners asked permission to suspend operations for a year. Instead, the NHL bought the players' contracts for $40,000 and dispersed the players to the other NHL teams. The NHL took back the franchise, on the condition that if it were resold, the original franchisees would share in the proceeds.[2]

The Montreal Maroons nearly relocated to St. Louis in 1938, but the NHL nixed the move. St. Louis would be without an NHL team until 1967, when the league expanded from 6 teams to 12, and the St. Louis Blues took the ice.

Final standings
Canadian Division
GP W L T GF GA PTS
Toronto Maple Leafs483014415711164
Montreal Maroons48241951239253
Montreal Canadiens481923611014544
New York Americans481227910014233
St. Louis Eagles48113168614428

[3]

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results
1934-35 St. Louis Eagles (11-31-6)

Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Player stats

Regular season
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM
Carl VossC4813183114
Glen BrydsonRW4811182945
Syd HoweC/LW3614132723
Joe LambRW3111122319
Pete KellyRW253101314
Bill CowleyC41571210
Oscar AsmundsonC1147112
Frank JerwaLW/D16471114
Frank FinniganRW34551010
Earl RocheLW193362
Vic RipleyLW3115610
Nick WasnieRW133142
Vernon AyresD4722460
Ralph BowmanD3122451
Gerry ShannonLW2522411
Fido PurpurRW251238
Mickey BlakeLW/D81122
Ed FinniganLW121122
Irv FrewD4802289
Gene CarriganC40110
George PattersonW210112
Bill BeveridgeG480000
Bud CookC40000
Ted GrahamD130002
Walter KalbfleischD30006
Max KaminskyC120000
Des RocheRW70000
Archie WilcoxRW/D80000
Burr WilliamsD90006
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Bill Beveridge299048113161442.893
Team:299048113161442.893

[5]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;


See also

References
  1. Wernig, Darin (October 2014). Gateway City Puckchasers: The History of Hockey in St. Louis. Wernig Media, LLC. p. 33. ISBN 9780990723202.
  2. Colemen, Charles. Trail of the Stanley Cup, vol. 2 1927–1946 inc.
  3. Standings: NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al. (eds.). THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009. National Hockey League. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0.
  4. "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  5. "1934-35 St. Louis Eagles Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
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