Howie Morenz Memorial Game
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| Date | November 2, 1937 | |||||||||||||||
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| Arena | Montreal Forum | |||||||||||||||
| City | Montreal, Quebec | |||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 8,683 | |||||||||||||||
The Howie Morenz Memorial Game was a benefit held by the National Hockey League (NHL) to raise money to support the family of Montreal Canadiens player Howie Morenz, who died shortly after suffering a broken leg during a regular league game. The game featured the Montreal All-Stars, consisting of players with the Canadiens and Montreal Maroons playing against an all-star team of the top players on the remaining teams and was played at the Montreal Forum on November 2, 1937. The NHL All-Stars defeated the Montreal All-Stars 6–5 before 8,683 spectators.
Howie Morenz established himself as one of the NHL's top players in the 1920s. He led the Montreal Canadiens to three Stanley Cup titles and won three Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player. Popular throughout the league for his offensive ability and his end-to-end rushes, Morenz was considered the "Babe Ruth of hockey". Struggling financially, the Canadiens traded him to the Chicago Black Hawks in 1934 in a deal that was so unpopular in Montreal, local fans gave him a standing ovation when he scored against the Canadiens.
Morenz spent two seasons playing with the Black Hawks and the New York Rangers until Cecil Hart insisted that Montreal re-acquire their former star as a condition of him accepting the coaching position in 1936. Morenz was overjoyed to be returning to Montreal, and looked forward to playing for the Canadiens once again.
His return did not last a full season, as on January 28, 1937, in a game against the Black Hawks at the Montreal Forum, Morenz was checked by Chicago's Earl Seibert as he attempted to rush into the offensive zone. His skate caught in the ice as he fell into the boards, resulting in a severe break to four bones in his leg. Convinced the injury had ended his career, Morenz fell into a deep depression and suffered a nervous breakdown. On March 8, just days before he was due to be released after five weeks in hospital, Morenz complained of chest pains, collapsed and died. His death was ruled the result of a coronary embolism, but teammate Aurel Joliat offered another explanation: "Howie loved to play hockey more than anyone ever loved anything, and when he realized that he would never play again, he couldn't live with it. I think Howie died of a broken heart."
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