Part 3 of Toronto’s Kid Line. The past few articles we’ve looked at Busher Jackson and Joe Primeau. Today, it’s the biggest part of the famous line from the 1930’s, right winger Charlie Conacher.
Conacher played in the National Hockey League from 1929-30 until the end of the 1940-41 season. He began his career with the Maple Leafs and played with the team through the 1937-38 season. After a year with the Detroit Red Wings, Charlie finished his NHL career playing for the New York Americans for two seasons.
Many decades before there was a Rocket Richard Trophy and about 15 years before the Art Ross Trophy was established, Conacher was leading the NHL in goals and points. He led the league in goal scoring on five occasions over a six year span starting in 1930-31. Conacher topped out with 36 goals in 47 games during the 1934-35 season. Charlie led the league in points for two consecutive seasons, 1933-34 and 1934-35. By no means a Lady Byng candidate, Conacher finished fourth in penalty minutes in 1935-36.
In 1931-32, Busher Jackson, Joe Primeau and Conacher finished first, second and fourth in points with Howie Morenz of the Montreal Canadiens spoiling the party and finishing third. Morenz was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP. Conacher was never awarded the Hart, despite dominating the league in 1933-34 and 1934-35. Instead, the NHL chose Aurel Joliet of the Canadiens and Eddie Shore of the Boston Bruins.
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No stranger to the Stanley Cup finals, Conacher led the Maple Leafs to the championship series four times in five years. In 1931-32, Toronto swept the New York Rangers in three games. The following season, the Maple Leafs lost the rematch in four games, 3-1. In 1934-35, Toronto was swept in three by the Montreal Maroons. They fell to the Detroit Red Wings, 3-1, the following year.
Conacher entered the coaching world after retirement. With the Oshawa Generals of the OHA, Charlie led he team to four straight Roberton Cup victories during the 1940’s. In 1944, he won the ultimate junior hockey prize as the Generals were crowned Memorial Cup champions.
His attempt at coaching in the National Hockey League was not quite as successful. He took the reigns of the Chicago Black Hawks midway through the 1947-48 season and was fired after 1949-50 with the Hawks failing to qualify for the post season in any of the three seasons. Charlie was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961.
The first appearance of Conacher on cardboard was in 1933-34. The 1933-34 O-Pee-Chee V304a Charlie Conacher rookie card is valued by Beckett Hockey Monthly at $1000. His V129 hockey card from the same year is valued at $1000, as well. There were two more O-Pee-Chee cards of Conacher in the following years. The 1936-37 O-Pee-Chee V304d #123 is valued at $800 and the 1937-38 O-Pee-Chee V304e #138 is valued at $500.
