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November 24, 2015

Joe Carveth

Joe Carveth was known for making the big plays in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Carveth scored one of the most important goals in Red Wings history. It came at 12:09 of the 1st period in game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals vs Boston on April 8, 1943. His goal proved to be the Stanley Cup clinching goal as the Red Wings won the game 2-0 and the series in four straight games.

Then in 1950 with the New York Rangers leading 3 games to 2 in the Stanley Cup finals, Carveth set up Sid Abel brilliantly for the game winning goal at 10:34 of the 3rd period in game six as Detroit tied the series. Not only did Detroit force a game seven, but they won the deciding game as well!

Carveth showed a lot of promise back home in Regina where he was playing great in the local leagues. He was the best player for the Regina Green Shirts and Regina Jr. Aces, leading the teams in goals, assists and points. His fine play gave him a chance to play in the Michigan-Ontario Hockey League for the Detroit Pontiacs, a Detroit Red Wings sponsored club. During his two years there, from 1937 through 1939, he was one of the best players on the club, if not the best, scoring a respectable 28 goals and 69 points in 54 games. Detroit liked what they saw in Carveth and signed him as a free agent on October 5, 1939.

Joe played a few games for the Indianapolis Capitals (AHL) in 1939-40. The following season he had an impressive camp with the Red Wings and made the team. His NHL debut was a home game against the New York Americans on November 3, 1940. Detroit won the game 4-2 and although Joe didn't have any points in the game, he did well. Unfortunately Joe only played 19 games during his rookie season in 1940-41 before breaking his leg. He missed the rest of the season.

He however came back strongly the following season and was soon a fixture on the Red Wings team. In 1942-43 Joe scored 36 points (18 goals and 18 assists) in 43 regular season games plus 8 points (including six goals) in 10 playoff games, leading the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup title. The following season was Joe's most successful point-wise as he scored 56 points (21 goals and 35 points) in 46 games. His 1944-45 season was even better as he scored a career high 28 goals (54 points) and added a career high 11 points (5 goals and 6 assists) in 14 playoff games.

Joe had another fine season in 1945-46 before being traded to Boston during the off-season in 1946. In Beantown he was an immediate success, scoring 21 goals in 51 games. He started the 1947-48 season very strongly for Boston, but was for some reason unexpectedly traded to Montreal one week before Christmas in 1947. Joe had a defensive role on the Canadiens team but still managed to score a respectable 37 points (15 goals and 22 assists) in 60 games 1948-49.

Early on the following season he was traded back to Detroit. The trade was a spark for both Joe and the Red Wings. Joe was used mainly on the power play where he formed a lethal combo together with Sid Abel. Both Joe and Sid Abel tied the club record for most powerplay goals in a season, scoring 10 power play goals. Once again Joe won the Stanley Cup.

In 1950-51 Joe saw very limited ice time with Detroit. He played his last game in the NHL on December 25, 1950 against NY Rangers (4-1). Early on in January 1951 he was demoted to Indianapolis (AHL). His NHL career was over but he continued to play in the AHL (Cleveland), PCHL (Vancouver), IHL (Toledo) and the OHA Sr. league (Chatham). In 1952-53 Joe had 84 points in 47 games for Chatham. He played one more season for Chatham before hanging em' up.

Joe was a very coachable player who was used in many different game situations in his hockey career. He was not a flashy player but was an above average player in most departments. Joe was a good two-way player who could have put up even better numbers had he been given a more offensive role.

He will always be remembered as the one who scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in 1943.

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