1929–30 NHL season

Did You Know?

• Nels Stewart won the Hart Trophy for the second time.
• Frank Boucher won the Lady Byng for the third consecutive year.

League business

The league instituted standard ice hockey rink dimensions of 200 ft × 85 ft, though the already-built Boston Garden (191 ft × 88 ft) and Chicago Stadium (188 ft × 85 ft) were exempt. To combat low scoring, off-side rules were rewritten: forward passing was allowed in the offensive zone, and players could enter the offensive zone before the puck. The only remaining off-side rule prohibited passing from one zone to another. This led to players waiting in front of the opposing net, prompting a mid-season change that barred players from entering the offensive zone before the puck.

Arena changes

The Chicago Black Hawks moved from the Chicago Coliseum to the Chicago Stadium in December 1929 after Paddy Harmon was removed from the Stadium's presidency in November.

Regular season

The 1929-30 Boston Bruins, powered by Cooney Weiland's 73 points—a new NHL scoring mark helped by rule changes—and Vezina Trophy winner Tiny Thompson's 2.23 goals-against average, finished with 38 wins, 5 losses, and 1 tie. This gave them three league records: most wins in a season (38), highest winning percentage (.875), and 20 straight home victories. The 1943-44 and 1944-45 Montreal Canadiens later matched the wins record, which held until March 11, 1951, when the 1950-51 Detroit Red Wings earned their 39th win in a 70-game schedule. The home win streak stood for 82 years, tied by the 1975-76 Philadelphia Flyers and broken on February 14, 2012, by the 2011-12 Detroit Red Wings. No team has since won 38 of its first 44 games or topped the Bruins' .875 winning percentage.

Conn Smythe brought up Harvey "Busher" Jackson and Charlie Conacher, who with Joe Primeau formed the Kid Line; Conacher scored on his first NHL shift. Jackson got his nickname from Toronto trainer Tim Daly after refusing to help with sticks, calling himself a hockey player, not a stickboy; Daly called him a "fresh young busher," and the name stuck.

On January 7, 1930, Clint Benedict became the first goalie to wear a protective face mask, using it for five games to shield a broken nose. The next NHL mask wouldn't appear until Jacques Plante's on November 1, 1959.

Frank Frederickson's severe knee injury worsened the Pittsburgh Pirates' already poor season.

Eddie Gerard resigned as manager-coach of the Montreal Maroons. Team president James Strachan took over as manager, and Dunc Munro was hired as coach, leading the Maroons to first place in the Canadian Division. A rumor said Gerard would coach Ottawa while Newsy Lalonde was ill, but Dave Gill filled in, and the team improved enough to make the playoffs. Gerard declined the job.