Charlie Conacher

Lore & Background

Conacher played three years of junior hockey, most notably with the Toronto Marlboros. Playing with future Maple Leafs teammate Harvey 'Busher' Jackson, he achieved staggering scoring numbers, leading the Marlboros to the Memorial Cup playoffs in 1928 and 1929. In 28 playoff games with the Marlies in those two seasons, Conacher scored 50 goals, including 28 goals in the 1929 playoffs to lead his team to a Memorial Cup championship. Signed the next season by the Maple Leafs with Busher Jackson, Toronto manager Conn Smythe paired the two with former farmhand Joe Primeau. The trio, nicknamed the 'Kid Line' for their inexperience, became an immediate sensation in Toronto. Conacher scored his first NHL goal in Toronto's opening 2-2 tie with the Chicago Black Hawks on November 14. Although he missed six games at the end of the season with an infected hand, he finished the season with 20 goals. The following season, he scored 31 goals, the first of five times he led the league in goal scoring. In the 1932 season, the team moved into new Maple Leaf Gardens. With Dick Irvin the new coach of the Leafs, the Kid Line shone, leading Toronto to a Stanley Cup championship. Conacher was used sparingly after returning from injury but once again led the league in goals and was named to the Second All-Star Team. His best game came in an 11-3 romp over the New York Americans in which he scored five goals. A broken collarbone sidelined him in the 1933 season, but he was once again named to the Second All-Star Team at right wing. The next three seasons saw Conacher cemented among the top players, leading the league in goal scoring all three seasons and in points in 1934 and 1935, being named First Team All-Star all three seasons. In 1937, Primeau and Clancy retired, while Conacher broke a wrist in training camp. He would only play 15 games that season and 19 the next after suffering a dislocated shoulder, as chronic injuries caught up to him. The Detroit Red Wings purchased Conacher in the fall of 1939 for a sum reported to be $16,000. He was optioned the following season to the New York Americans, where he played his final two seasons paired on defence with former Montreal Maroons star Hooley Smith. The Amerks finished in last place both seasons, although Conacher played credibly and served as the Americans' captain both years. Only 30, Conacher retired after the 1941 season.

Reader's Guide

After his retirement, Conacher went into coaching, meeting with remarkable success: he led the junior league Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey Association to four straight OHA Championships between 1941 and 1944, as well as three straight Eastern Canada amateur championships in 1942, 1943 and 1944, and the Memorial Cup Championship in 1944. After resigning from his coaching post in Oshawa, Conacher was named to replace Johnny Gottselig as coach of the Chicago Black Hawks 28 games into the 1949 season. As a coach, Conacher was involved in a notable altercation when Detroit Times writer Lew Walter tried to interview him after the Red Wings defeated Chicago 9–2 on February 8, 1950. Conacher punched Walter, and NHL president Clarence Campbell fined him $200. Conacher later phoned Walter and apologized. Over his three seasons at the helm, Conacher coached the Black Hawks to 6th, 5th and 6th-place finishes, after which he was fired. Conacher had nine siblings, including Hockey Hall of Famers Lionel Conacher and Roy Conacher. His son, Pete Conacher, played in the NHL, as did nephews Brian Conacher and Murray Henderson. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 and, later, to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1975. In 1998, he was ranked number 36 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. In 2013, Charlie Conacher was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017 Conacher was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. Conacher died in 1967 of throat cancer just ten days after his 58th birthday. The Charlie Conacher Humanitarian Award was given out to the NHL player who best exhibited outstanding humanitarian and public services contributions from 1968 to 1984.

Did You Know?

• Conacher scored 28 goals in the 1929 Memorial Cup playoffs to lead the Toronto Marlboros to the championship.
• He scored five goals in an 11-3 win over the New York Americans during the 1932 season.
• Conacher served as captain of the New York Americans for both of his final two NHL seasons.
• He coached the Oshawa Generals to four straight OHA Championships and a Memorial Cup championship in 1944.