December 2, 1942
The first controlled nuclear chain reaction was achieved by Enrico Fermi and his group of scientists, paving the way for nuclear energy and the creation of an atomic bomb.

February 7, 1943
Shoe rationing began limiting American civilians to three pair per year, followed by the rationing of canned goods, which began March 1, 1943.

June 22, 1943
Federal troops moved into Detroit to help restore order following a race riot in which 29 people were killed and hundreds injured.



Most Goals - "Mud" Bruneteau: 23
Most Assists - Syd Howe: 35
Most Points - Syd Howe: 55
Most Penalty Minutes - Jimmy Orlando: 99
Most Wins, Goaltender - Johnny Mowers: 25
Lowest Goals-Against Average - Johnny Mowers: 2.48
Most Shutouts - Johnny Mowers: 6
NHL Award Winners - Johnny Mowers - Vezina Trophy
& 1st Team All-Star - Jack Stewart 1st Team All-Star

Central Division	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA
DETROIT	25	14	11	61	169	124
Boston	24	17	9	57	195	176
Toronto	22	19	9	53	198	159
Montreal	19	19	12	50	181	191
Chicago	17	18	15	49	179	180
New York	11	31	8	30	161	253

Playoff Results
Defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Series "A" (4-2)
Defeated the Boston Bruins in Series "C" (4-0)
Leading Playoff Scorers
Carl Liscombe (14PTS) - Sid Abel (13PTS)
Stanley Cup Champion
Detroit Red Wings



Two trips to the Stanley Cup finals which ended in heartbreak only served to fuel the fire inside the bellies of Red Wings players as they entered the dawning of the NHL's six-team era, created when the Brooklyn Americans ceased operations prior to the start of the 1942-43 season.

Signs of Detroit's single-minded determination emerged quickly, as the Wings rolled to a 25-14-11 first-place finish. In the season opener, goalie Johnny Mowers blanked Boston 3-0. Four nights later on Nov. 5, Detroit swamped the New York Rangers 12-5, establishing team and individual marks on several fronts.

The dozen goals were a Red Wings record and the most registered by an NHL team in a single game since the Montreal Canadiens blasted the Quebec Athletics 16-3 on March 3, 1920.

Left-winger Carlk Liscombe led the assault with three goals and four assists, establishing a club mark for points in a game which has never been bettered. At the time, it also tied the NHL standard in this category.

The Wings tallied six power-play goals in this contest, four of them in one period, to establish two more club records.

Detroit kept rolling and there were signs that this would be the year the Wings got the breaks. Take, for instance, a 2-2 tie Jan. 17 at Chicago, which saw Detroit captain Sid Abel net the tying goal at 19:59 of the third period.

In goal, Mowers was dominant. His six shutouts were one more than the other five NHL teams managed to gather collectively, helping the third-year netminder earn his first Vezina Trophy, as well as selection to the NHL's First All-Star Team. On defense, (Black) Jack Stewart's preeminence as the NHL's most terrifying bodychecker was recognized when he was also made a First All-Star Team choice.

Offensively, balance was the story of Detroit's attack. No Detroit player cracked the top 10 in scoring, as only the Rangers (161) scored fewer goals than the 165 registered by the Wings. However, Detroit's Syd Howe set a club record with 55 points and eight players reached double-digits in goals. Familiar foes provided playoff opposition. Toronto was doused in a six-game semifinal series, with Adam Brown's overtime goal giving Detroit a 3-2 verdict in the deciding game.

Afterwards, Toronto captain Syl Apps criticized the Wings for playing scrambly hockey, insisting it was, "The only way they could beat clubs better than themselves."

NHL president Red Dutton took issue with Apps criticism, describing Detroit as, "The best-coached team in hockey."

Boston, the team responsible for sweeping Detroit in the 1941 final, found itself on the business end of the broom this time, as the Wings swept to their first title since 1937.



Wings Win Their 3rd Stanley Cup

Call it third-time lucky. Detroit finally found Stanley Cup success in its third consecutive trip to the finals, whipping Boston in the minimum four games.

Mud Bruneteau, always a strong playoff performer, fired a hat-trick in Detroit's 6-2 victory in the series opener. Don Grosso had a three-goal night and Mowers posted a shutout for a 4-0 verdict in Game 3. Mowers also kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 decision in Game 4. Joe Carveth tallied the Cup winner and Carl Liscombe's goal was his 14th point of the playoffs, equaling the post-season scoring mark shared by Grosso and Boston's Bill Cowley.

The only disappointments came during the playoffs. Detroit defenseman Jimmy Orlando was arrested by the FBI and charged with draft evasion, accused of falsifying documents suggesting he held an essential war job and was therefore exempt from military service. Convicted, Orlando avoided jail time by enlisting in the Canadian armed forces.

Meanwhile, in the midst of Detroit's Stanley Cup celebration party, manager Jack Adams was informed that his mother had passed away.



Mowers captures the Vezina Trophy

The faith Jack Adams bestowed in Johnny Mowers when he installed the 23-year-old in the Red Wings net in 1940 continued to pay dividends. Mowers backstopped Detroit to the Stanley Cup finals in each of his first three seasons and in 1942-43, pulled out all the stops.

Mowers led NHL goalies in wins (25), shutouts (six) and goals-against average (2.47), to win the Vezina Trophy. Selected to the NHL's First All-Star Team, Mowers continued to excel in the playoffs, posting back-to-back shutouts in Games 3 and 4 of the final series at Boston to clinch a Detroit sweep. "There's no doubt who won it for us," Wings forward Joe Carveth said. "Mowers did."

It would be the last hurrah for Mowers in a Detroit uniform. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force before the start of the 1943-44 season and never won another game as a Red Wing.



Detroit selected forwards Harry Watson and Murray Armstrong and defenseman Pat Egan in a dispersal draft of the defunct Brooklyn Americans roster. Rookies making the grade included deenseman Cully Simon and forwards Les Douglas and Johnny Holota.



Last Two Successful Penalty Shots Against The Red Wings
Joe Nieuwendyk (Dallas) February 18, 2001
Chris Drury (Colorado) March 18, 2000



Detroit's Ebbie Goodfellow, who played his final season in 1942-43, was awarded 10 career penalty shots, but scored on just two of them.


1942-43 Final
A new era in hockey history was ushered in with the 1942-43 season. The departure of the New York Americans franchise left the NHL with the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadians – the so-called “Original Six.”
After losing the Stanley Cup Final in 1941 and 1942, the Red Wings’ third straight trip to the Final proved to be the charm as they swept the Bruins, avenging the similar treatment they had received from Boston two years before. Goaltender Johnny Mowers blanked the Bruins at Boston Garden in the last two games to ice the championship.

Semifinals