War on Ice

Many consider the Original Six to be hockey's most competitive era.

As the ad above depicts clashes were marketed as all out war. The drawing cleverly shows Black Hawks circling the Maple Leaf bandwagon. Under attack, Hap Day grips the reins and leads his charges down the war path.

The ad promoted a January 8, 1947, confrontation between Chicago and Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens.

Toronto easily won this battle by defeating the Black Hawks 10-4. One soldier for the Maple Leafs went on the offensive and never stopped blasting. Employing all his weapons, Howie Meeker accounted for 5 of Toronto's goals.

"I got three that I put in and two others I steered in," Meeker told reporters.