Herb Cain

Herbert James Cain (December 24, 1912 – February 23, 1982) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Maroons, Montreal Canadiens, and Boston Bruins between 1933 and 1946.

Cain was born in Newmarket, Ontario to John (Jack) and Elizabeth "Eliza" Cain (née Currier).

He started to develop his skills on "the pond" now known as Fairy Lake, with Liberty magazines for shin guards.

One year his team from St John's Separate School counted 56 goals.

Cain netted every one of them.

He played Junior A hockey in Newmarket and Hamilton.

Cain finished fifth in Bruins goal scoring, well behind Cowley's 27 markers, and was 22nd in the league.

Cain's future as an NHL great was foreshadowed in 1931 playing for the Newmarket Redmen.

Just turned 20, he scored 11 goals in six playoff games.

Cain launched his National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Montreal Maroons for part of the 1933–34 season.

Boston sportswriter Bill Grimes claimed that a Maroons scout had gone to Windsor to evaluate the play of Toe Blake, but he picked Cain over Blake, who remained a life-long friend of Cain.

Another version from Cain's family is that the scout picked both of them.

As a member of the Maroons, Cain played on a line with Gus Marker and Bob Gracie.

They were dubbed the "Green Line" and their combined offensive skills led to the teams' second Stanley Cup Championship in 1934–35.

In his first full season, as a 22-year-old NHL rookie, Cain scored a team-leading 20 goals in 44 games.

This placed him eighth in NHL goal scoring for 1934-35—as a rookie.

After the Montreal Maroons folded during the Great Depression, Cain was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens in the fall of 1938.

In his one season with the Habs, or the "French" as some Boston sportswriters called them, Cain stood second in goal scoring (13) behind Toe Blake (24).

This was before Montreal became a powerhouse and in 1938–39, they finished sixth of seven teams in season play.

Montreal notching only 39 points that year against Boston's 74; eventually Boston won the Stanley Cup.

At the beginning of the 1939–40 season, Cain was a holdout in the Montreal Canadiens' training camp, bargaining for a better salary.

Montreal traded him to the Boston Bruins for Charlie Sands and Ray Getliffe.

Cain played his first game for the Bruins, their season opener, in Toronto on November 4, before practising with his new team.

The Bruins lost 5-0 but went on to finish first in the league on the season.

That year Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart led the Bruins goal scoring with 22 goals each, with Cain in third with 21, tied with Bobby Bauer.

Cain had seven game winners, and his 21 total goals tied him with Hall of Famer Gordie Drillon for fourth place in goal scoring in the entire league.

Only five NHL players scored 20 goals or more, with four of them on the Bruins.

These three had finished one-two-three in NHL scoring in 1939–40: Schmidt with 52 points and Bauer and Dumart tied with 43 points.

In spite of their initial military call-up, the Krauts played the entire 1940–41 season.

Cain was injured, missed nine games and finished the 1940–41 season with just eight goals and ten assists.

With the Second World War continuing into 1941, Canadian authorities threatened to prohibit single men between the ages of 21 and 25 from working in the United States; nearly all hockey players in the U.S. were Canadian.

Cain turned 29 in 1941 and he was married so he was free to make his living in the U.S. but the younger Schmidt and Dumart enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force, potentially breaking up the Bruins' famous Kraut line of Schmidt, Dumart and Bauer.

In the playoffs, however, with two goals and three assists, he was sixth in Bruin scoring and helped to win the Stanley Cup in 1941.

In 1941–42, Cain again notched eight goals and ten assists when he missed 15 games due to injuries.

In 1942, more hockey players were joining the war effort.

In all ten eventual Hall of Fame forwards from Herb Cain's era, served in World War II.

Boston lost its entire first line when the Krauts enlisted.

On February 10, 1942, Montreal Canadiens and Boston players, archenemies during the match, hoisted the Krauts to their shoulders and skated them around the Boston Garden to honour their patriotic duty, which in large part meant being physical education instructors and playing hockey for military teams.

With the Kraut Line out of the NHL, left-winger Herb Cain, centre Bill Cowley and various right wingers, including Art Jackson, became Boston's first line.

In 1942–43, Cain missed five games due to injuries but managed to score 18 goals and add 18 assists.