1929–30 NHL season

The league instituted in the new rules the standard dimensions for ice hockey rinks, that of 200 feet (61 m) × 85 feet (26 m). The already-built Boston Garden 191 feet (58 m) × 88 feet (27 m) and the Chicago Stadium 188 feet (57 m) × 85 feet (26 m), which were smaller were exempt from the new rule.^[1]

To combat low scoring, the off-side rules were rewritten. Players were now allowed forward passing in the offensive zone, instead of only in the defensive and neutral zones. Players were now allowed to enter the offensive zone before the puck.^[2] The only off-side rule left was that passing was not allowed from one zone to another.^[3] The changes led to abuse: players sat in front of the opposing net waiting for a pass. It was joked that players like the Maroons' Nels Stewart and the Bruins' Cooney Weiland were "setting up 'light housekeeping' at the opposition goal crease."^[2] The rule was changed in mid-season and players were no longer allowed to enter the offensive zone before the puck.^[4]

The Black Hawks moved from the Chicago Coliseum to the Chicago Stadium after Paddy Harmon was removed from the presidency of the Stadium in November 1929. Harmon had not been able to negotiate a deal with the Black Hawks, but within weeks of his ouster the Stadium's board of directors agreed to the Black Hawks' terms of US$4,500 (equivalent to $79,849 in 2023) per night and a guaranteed Sunday afternoon slot.^[5] The gate receipts for the Black Hawks increased to nearly triple the previous season's receipts. The team grossed US$282,350 (equivalent to $5,149,794 in 2023) and attendance jumped to 186,920.^[6]

Bruins

Black Hawks

Cougars

Canadiens

Maroons

Americans

Rangers

Senators

Pirates

Maple Leafs

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Canadian Division American Division

Cooney Weiland of the Boston Bruins took advantage of the rule changes and smashed the old NHL scoring record with 73 points. Weiland and Tiny Thompson, who won the Vezina Trophy with a 2.23 goals against average, led the Bruins to a final season standings record of 38 wins, 5 losses, and 1 tie. The Bruins set three impressive NHL records including most wins in the regular season (38), highest winning percentage (0.875), and most consecutive home ice wins (20).

The 1943–44 Montreal Canadiens and the 1944–45 Montreal Canadiens would tie the record for most wins in a season at 38. But the record remained unbroken for 21 years until March 11, 1951, when the 1950–51 Detroit Red Wings notched their 39th victory in a much longer 70-game season. The record for consecutive wins at home would stand for 82 years, being matched by the 1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers and finally surpassed on February 14, 2012, by the 2011–12 Detroit Red Wings. As of 2024 no team has ever won 38 of their first 44 games or broken the Bruins' single season winning percentage record of 0.875.^[7]

Conn Smythe brought up two outstanding forwards, Harvey "Busher" Jackson, and Charlie Conacher, and combined with Joe Primeau, the Kid Line was born. Conacher actually scored on his first shift in the NHL. Jackson got his nickname Busher from Tim Daly, the Toronto trainer, when asked by Daly to assist with some sticks. "I'm a hockey player, not a stickboy", Jackson told Daly, who replied, "Why you fresh young busher!" And it was Busher Jackson from that day on.

On January 7, 1930, Clint Benedict became the first goalie in NHL history to don a protective face mask. He did so for five games to protect a broken nose. The next time a mask made its way into the NHL was almost 30 years later when Jacques Plante wore one in a game on November 1, 1959.

Frank Frederickson badly injured his knee and the Pittsburgh Pirates fortunes went from bad to worse.

Eddie Gerard resigned as manager-coach of the Montreal Maroons. He was replaced as manager by team president James Strachan. Dunc Munro was hired as coach and led the team to first place in the Canadian Division.

There was a well-founded rumour that Gerard would take the coaching reins of Ottawa from Newsy Lalonde when Lalonde was not well. Dave Gill filled in during his absence and the team did much better and made the playoffs. Gerard turned down the coaching job.

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

After defeating the Montreal Maroons and after having not lost consecutive games all season, the Boston Bruins were swept by the Montreal Canadiens two games to none in a best-of-three series. The first game saw Boston play way below its usual form. The Canadiens then won the Stanley Cup with a 4–3 victory in game two. The Canadiens went 5–0–1 in the playoffs, making them one of the few Stanley Cup-winning teams in history to not lose a game in the playoffs.

Nels Stewart won the Hart Trophy for the second time. Frank Boucher won the Lady Byng for the third consecutive year. Tiny Thompson won the Vezina for the first time. Thompson would go on to win the trophy four times.

Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Source: NHL.^[8]

Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

Source: NHL.^[9]

• Boston Bruins: Art Ross
• Chicago Black Hawks: Tom Shaughnessy and Bill Tobin
• Detroit Cougars: Jack Adams
• New York Rangers: Lester Patrick
• Pittsburgh Pirates:Frank Frederickson

• Montreal Canadiens: Cecil Hart
• Montreal Maroons: Dunc Munro
• New York Americans: Lionel Conacher
• Ottawa Senators: Newsy Lalonde
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Conn Smythe

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1929–30 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Tom Cook, Chicago Black Hawks
• Ebbie Goodfellow, Detroit Cougars
• Syd Howe, Ottawa Senators
• Busher Jackson, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Charlie Conacher, Toronto Maple Leafs

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1929–30 (listed with their last team):

• Mickey MacKay, Boston Bruins
• Jimmy Herbert, Detroit Cougars
• Clint Benedict, Montreal Maroons
• Frank Nighbor, Toronto Maple Leafs

• 1929–30 NHL transactions
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1929 in sports
• 1930 in sports

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
• Duplacey, James (1996). Diamond, Dan (ed.). The annotated rules of hockey. Lyons & Burford. ISBN 1-55821-466-6.
• Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
• Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
• McFarlane, Brian (1973). The Story of the National Hockey League. New York: Pagurian Press. ISBN 0-684-13424-1.
• Ross, J. Andrew (2015). Joining the Clubs: The Business of the National Hockey League to 1945. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9780815633839.

• Hockey Database