Black Hawks Win Game 3 of NHL Final Series

Apr. 22, 1965 - The Black Hawks beat the Canadiens, 3-1, tonight at Chicago Stadium for new life in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup final series, which continues at Chicago Sunday night.

Ken Wharram (pictured), who missed the first two games of the set, and Pierre Pilote, who had been rated a doubtful starter for the whole series, helped ignite the Hawks’ reversal of form with big performances before a capacity throng of over 18,000 screaming fans.

Wharram, who had been poison against the Canadiens during the regular season with 10 goals, connected for the winner in the third minute of the finale, and the Hawks outskated and outchecked the Canadiens the rest of the way.

Chico Maki’s empty-net goal was just icing on the victory cake.

Before that, the teams matched goals 47 seconds apart in the first period with John Ferguson netting his third series goal for Montreal and Phil Esposito his first for Chicago.

Wharram, who had been out with twisted knees since the Detroit semifinal, got what coach Billy Reay rated “one of the best goals I’ve seen Kenny score this season.”The plucky winger took a pass from Stan Mikita with only one Montreal defenseman back and skated in neatly to beat goalie Gump Worsley.

“I’ve been shooting all winter, and this was the first time I tried to deke the goalie,” said Wharram. “Gump came out a bit, apparently expecting the shot, and I was able to get around him before shoving the puck home.”

Mikita, who played by far his best game of the series, praised Wharram for the play. “The Gump is still looking for his underwear,” joked Mikita.

“We missed too many chances, and that’s all I want to say about it,” said Montreal coach Toe Blake after the loss. “We missed our chances, and that was the ball game.”

Worsley became involved with the end zone fans following an outburst of fighting and a mass exodus to the penalty box with just 23 seconds remaining in the game.

The Habs’ netminder claimed he had been struck with empty beverage cups.

“That’s when I blew,” Gump said.

Worsley tried to get at the taunting fans but was unable to do so because of the glass partition surrounding the end of the rink.

In the Montreal dressing room, Worsley expressed the view that the sale of alcoholic beverages in the rink often incites normally well-behaved hockey addicts to acts of violence.

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