The
1945 World Series featured the
Detroit Tigers and the
Chicago Cubs. The Tigers had won the American League pennant by a wide margin, while the Cubs had just edged out the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League. The Tigers were led by slugger Hank Greenberg and pitcher Hal Newhouser, while the Cubs had a strong lineup with Phil Cavarretta and Stan Hack. The Tigers won the series in seven games, with Newhouser winning two games and Greenberg hitting a home run in the deciding game. The Tigers won their first World Series since
1935, and the Cubs had to wait another 71 years to win their next championship.
The
1945 Stanley Cup Finals featured the
Toronto Maple Leafs and the
Detroit Red Wings. The series went to a full seven games, with the Leafs eventually emerging victorious. The Leafs won the first two games of the series, but then the Red Wings won the next two to even the series. The Leafs then won the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead in the series. The Red Wings then won the sixth game to force a decisive seventh game. The Leafs then won the seventh game to win the Stanley Cup. The Leafs’ Ted Kennedy scored the game-winning goal in the seventh game, and the Leafs won the series 4-3.