Getting More American.

Nine out of ten hockey players were Canadians in the 1930s, but National Hockey League (NHL) teams in Boston first and New York, Chicago, and Detroit later were helping to increase the sport's popularity and give universal recognition to the organized league. The New York Rangers had become the first American Division team to win the Stanley Cup in 1928. They came in first place in 1930, only to be eliminated in four games by the Montreal Maroons. The Chicago Black Hawks won the Stanley Cup in 1934 behind the goaltending of an ailing Charlie Gardiner (who died two months later) and the playmaking of Mush March. In 1938, with the veteran Marsh and American-born players such as Alex Levinsky, Carl Voss, and goalie Mike Karakas (who played the final game with a broken toe), the Black Hawks, who had the sixth-best — or third-worst...