Morenz, McDavid helped NHL reach new heights in respective eras

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.

This week focuses on the popular theme "Then and Now" comparing stars of yesteryear with contemporary heroes: legendary Montreal Canadiens forward Howie Morenz and Edmonton Oilers superlative captain Connor McDavid.

Because of his arresting speed, Howie Morenz was alternately known as "The Stratford Streak" and "The Mitchell Meteor." Either way, he was the first superstar in the NHL and, according to Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Boucher, "The guy who popularized hockey in America."

Morenz's contemporary counterpart, Connor McDavid, is the critics' current choice as the best hockey player in the world. After all, the Edmonton Oilers captain has a Superman way about his game.

"McDavid's dizzying speed and beguiling skills -- combined with drive and determination -- are what make him the best," Hockey News Editor-in-Chief Ryan Kennedy said.

Employing similar ingredients, Morenz began dominating the NHL on Dec. 3, 1923, the day he broke in with the Montreal Canadiens. At the time, the NHL was an insular all-Canadian four-team league encompassing Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Hamilton. Morenz would be instrumental in changing that -- for the better.

When a new 16,000-seat Madison Square Garden was scheduled to open in 1925, the arena's majordomo Tex Rickard, who founded the New York Rangers, didn't plan to install an ice-making plant, but sportswriter William Macbeth and Montreal sports promoter Tom Duggan convinced Rickard to watch Morenz in action at Montreal Forum.

Awed by Morenz's speed and daring, Rickard turned to Duggan at game's end and snapped, "I'll put in an ice plant, and we'll have a team in the Garden if you'll guarantee to have this guy Morenz there for the opening."

Duggan made good on the guarantee and within eight months, New York would become a hockey town. By 1927, six United States-based teams -- the New York Americans, Rangers, Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Cougars and Pittsburgh Pirates -- filled a 10-team NHL thanks, in part, to the histrionics of Morenz.

"Indeed, it was the gameness of Morenz that impressed so many," wrote his biographer, Dean Robinson, in "Hockey's First Superstar."

"Morenz could take a beating and bounce right back."

McDavid had a goal and three assists in a 4-3 overtime win against the New York Islanders at Rogers Place on Tuesday. He got the primary assist, his 999th NHL point, on Leon Draisaitl's game-winning goal at 1:52 of OT and can get No. 1,000 against the Nashville Predators in Edmonton on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, FDSNSO). The 27-year-old (340 goals, 659 assists in 658 games) is on pace to become the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points, behind Wayne Gretzky (424 games), Mario Lemieux (513) and Mike Bossy (656). He missed three games with an ankle injury sustained 37 seconds into Edmonton's 6-1 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28, which was projected to sideline him for 2-3 weeks.

Since McDavid arrived for the 2015-16 season, the League has grown to 32 teams with the additions of the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken. In McDavid's second season, his 100 points (30 goals, 70 assists) beat Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane for the scoring title, and he's improved ever since. His 34 assists and 42 points led the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he helped the Oilers rally from down 3-0 in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final before losing 2-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 7.

"Connor's 42-point playoff performance last spring further cemented his status as the NHL's best player," wrote Carol Schram in The Hockey News Yearbook.

That's what they were saying a century ago, when Morenz was establishing the Canadiens as la creme de la creme of the NHL.

"Morenz was more than a hockey player," wrote author Ron McAllister, "he was a hockey game! While he was still playing, he had become a legend. He was a genius at winning close games."

Morenz's first sip of Stanley Cup champagne took place March 11, 1924, when the Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators. Six years later, Montreal won the 1930 Stanley Cup championship by defeating the Bruins. They made it two in a row in 1931, this time topping the Black Hawks.

Morenz combined speed and strength to overcome the opposition. Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman King Clancy recalled one such confrontation.

"He seemed to be coming faster than ever right straight at me," Clancy said, "so I balanced on my skates ready to go either way and nail him. And I wound up flat on my back; he had skated straight into me and over me. I told him, 'Try that again and I'll knock your block off!' And he said to me, 'I'll be right back and do it again.' And [darn it], he did!"

Morenz led the League in scoring in 1927-28 and 1930-31 and won the Hart Trophy three times. In 1950 the Canadian Press voted him "The greatest hockey player of the half-century."

"Many people swear that Morenz was the greatest of them all," historian Andrew Podnieks said, "greater even than Orr, Gretzky or (Gordie) Howe. Every time he touched the puck, fans in Montreal came out of their seats to see what he would do with it."

Few realize that it was Morenz and not Andy Bathgate who was responsible for the NHL's first masked goalie. During the 1928-29 season, Montreal Maroons goalie Clint Benedict was hit in the face by a Morenz shot. Benedict returned to competition against the Americans on Feb. 20, 1930, wearing a leather face mask.

Like Morenz, McDavid eased into a leadership role while his stats climbed skyward and has an NHL-high 408 points (140 goals, 268 assists) over the past three seasons. In 2022-23, he won the Hart, Art Ross, Rocket Richard and Ted Lindsay Trophies.

"Connor is the one who pulled us back into the Final after we were down by three games," Oilers forward Mattias Janmark said.

Though the versatile and ultra-productive Leon Draisaitl has been McDavid's outstanding comrade-in-arms, Morenz was equally abetted by Aurel Joliat, whose career spanned the Morenz Era. "Joliat," one historian wrote, "was as fast as electricity and could spin away from a check faster than anyone."

At their current rate of improvement, the McDavid-Draisaitl combo could very well reach their Cup goal next spring.

"As you're going through the process," McDavid once opined, "you understand why you have to go through the process."

One more pull and it could finally bring McDavid and the Oilers to the coveted Cup that Howie Morenz once owned.