1970–71 NHL season
The 1970–71 NHL season was the 54th season of the National Hockey League. Two new teams, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks made their debuts and were both put into the East Division. The Chicago Black Hawks were moved to the West Division. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup by beating the Black Hawks in seven games in the finals.
| 1970–71 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 9, 1970 – May 18, 1971 |
| Number of games | 78 |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Gilbert Perreault |
| Picked by | Buffalo Sabres |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Boston Bruins |
| Season MVP | Bobby Orr (Bruins) |
| Top scorer | Phil Esposito (Bruins) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Ken Dryden (Canadiens) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Runners-up | Chicago Black Hawks |
League business
The NHL added two expansion teams in Buffalo and Vancouver.
At the beginning of the season, the Oakland Seals were renamed California Golden Seals.
From this season through the 2002–03 season, teams wore their white (or yellow) jerseys at home and their colored jerseys on the road.
Regular season
For 1970–71 the NHL went to a balanced schedule, with each team playing each other team six times, three at home and three on the road, without regard to divisional alignment. Nevertheless, playoff qualification was determined entirely by divisional standings, with the top four teams in each division qualifying.
This season saw a marked increase in goal scoring, especially by the Boston Bruins, who shattered scoring records as they set the mark for most goals by a team (399) by nearly a hundred over the previous record holder. They also set records for most victories (57) and points (121). Phil Esposito set records for most goals in a season with 76 and for most points with 152. Defenceman Bobby Orr won his second consecutive Hart Memorial Trophy and set a new record for assists with 102. The Bruins also had the four league leading scorers, the first time in history this was achieved (the only other time being by the Bruins in 1974), and seven of the top eleven leading scorers, the only time in NHL history this has ever been achieved. They had 6 of the top 8 scorers in the league. Furthermore, the Bruins set marks for the highest scoring single season marks at every position: center (Esposito), left wing (Johnny Bucyk with 116), right wing (Ken Hodge with 105) and defence (Orr), as well as for a forward line (Esposito centering Wayne Cashman and Hodge).
Boston won the East Division championship in a runaway. In the West Division, the powerful Chicago Black Hawks had been moved there partially to accommodate the expansion Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks (both of which were placed in the East Division) but more in an effort to provide greater balance between the divisions. Chicago broke St. Louis' stranglehold over the division, winning handily over the Blues and advancing to the Stanley Cup finals.
The Montreal Canadiens, who missed the playoffs in 1969–70, appeared to be sinking once more. Players did not like Claude Ruel's dictatorial rule as coach, and Ralph Backstrom and John Ferguson retired. Ruel resigned and Al MacNeil took over. Both Ferguson and Backstrom returned, but Backstrom was later traded to Los Angeles for draft choices.
The Vancouver Canucks played well at first and were around the .500 mark at mid-season. Then Orland Kurtenbach was injured and the team sagged.
On October 29, Gordie Howe became the first player to record 1000 assists in a 5–3 win over Boston at the Detroit Olympia.
Detroit introduced a fine rookie goaltender, Jim Rutherford, who had bright moments despite the Red Wings last place finish. However, they suffered their worst defeat in franchise history January 2, when Toronto crushed them 13–0.
On March 12, Boston's Phil Esposito broke Bobby Hull's record for goals by a player in a season at 7:03 of the first period on Denis DeJordy of Los Angeles at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Then, at 15:40 he became the first player to score 60 goals. The Bruins won 7–2.
Buffalo had a star, Gilbert Perreault, who on March 18 broke Nels Stewart's (and Danny Grant's, and Norm Ferguson's) rookie record with his 35th goal in a 5–3 win over St. Louis. He went on to finish the season with 38.
Billy Taylor and Don Gallinger, now middle-aged, were finally forgiven for their gambling in 1948 and were reinstated to the NHL. However, they did not return to the NHL.
Final standings
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Bruins | 78 | 57 | 14 | 7 | 399 | 207 | +192 | 121 |
| 2 | New York Rangers | 78 | 49 | 18 | 11 | 259 | 177 | +82 | 109 |
| 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 78 | 42 | 23 | 13 | 291 | 216 | +75 | 97 |
| 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 78 | 37 | 33 | 8 | 248 | 211 | +37 | 82 |
| 5 | Buffalo Sabres | 78 | 24 | 39 | 15 | 217 | 291 | −74 | 63 |
| 6 | Vancouver Canucks | 78 | 24 | 46 | 8 | 229 | 296 | −67 | 56 |
| 7 | Detroit Red Wings | 78 | 22 | 45 | 11 | 209 | 308 | −99 | 55 |
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 78 | 49 | 20 | 9 | 277 | 184 | +93 | 107 |
| 2 | St. Louis Blues | 78 | 34 | 25 | 19 | 223 | 208 | +15 | 87 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 78 | 28 | 33 | 17 | 207 | 225 | −18 | 73 |
| 4 | Minnesota North Stars | 78 | 28 | 34 | 16 | 191 | 223 | −32 | 72 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 25 | 40 | 13 | 239 | 303 | −64 | 63 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 78 | 21 | 37 | 20 | 221 | 240 | −19 | 62 |
| 7 | California Golden Seals | 78 | 20 | 53 | 5 | 199 | 320 | −121 | 45 |
Playoffs
Format change
Due to three straight years of non-competitive finals (where the West Division winning St. Louis Blues were swept all 3 years by an established East Division club); the NHL changed the match-ups for the semifinals by having the winner of the series of the 1st vs. 3rd East Division teams play the winner of the 2nd vs. 4th West Division teams. Similarly, the other semifinal series pitted the winner of the 1st vs. 3rd West Division teams against the winner of the 2nd vs. 4th East Division teams. Combined with the transfer of the Chicago Black Hawks into the West Division (which previously consisted only of expansion teams), the Stanley Cup Final series was expected to be more competitive. The realignment and change in playoff format brought the desired results in that each Stanley Cup Final for the next 3 years was either between two East Division teams or Montreal vs Chicago. None of the finals were sweeps. Until realignment in 1974–75 when the original six and expansion teams were more thoroughly mixed, the Philadelphia Flyers were the only West Division/1967 expansion team to reach a Cup final (they won).
A significant controversy arose before the playoffs. With 4 games to play, the Minnesota North Stars were in 3rd place with a record of 28–30–16 for 72 points while the Philadelphia Flyers were in 4th at 26–33–15 for 67 points. Minnesota then lost their final four games while the Flyers went 2–0–2 to jump ahead of Minnesota in the final standings by 1 point. It was widely rumored that Minnesota did so to avoid playing the far superior Chicago Black Hawks, since at this time in the playoffs the first place team played the third place team and the second played the fourth. Nothing was proven against the North Stars (who defeated their first round opponents, St. Louis, four games to two, while the Flyers were swept by the powerful Black Hawks), but the format was changed the following year to the 1 vs. 4/2 vs.3 format that prevailed thereafter.
Playoff bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | St. Louis | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Minnesota | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Chicago | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Chicago | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Philadelphia | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Chicago | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Toronto | 2 | ||||||||||||
(E1) Boston Bruins vs. (E3) Montreal Canadiens
The Boston Bruins finished first in the league with 121 points. The Montreal Canadiens finished third in the East Division with 97 points. This was the fifteenth playoff series between these two teams with Montreal winning twelve of the fourteen previous series. They last met in the 1969 Stanley Cup Semifinals which Montreal won in six games. Boston won five of the six games in this year's regular season series.
The Montreal Canadiens were matched against the Boston Bruins, and in one of the most extraordinary upsets in hockey history, Ken Dryden was hot in goal for the Canadiens as they ousted the Bruins in seven games. Game 2 featured what many perceive as one of the greatest comebacks in NHL history. With the Bruins leading 5–2 heading into the third period, the Canadiens, who had trailed 5–1, scored 5 goals in the final session to win 7–5. The prominent Canadian sports journalist Red Fisher lists the Canadiens' comeback has the 8th most memorable moment in his over 49 years of covering hockey. In game 4, Bobby Orr became the first defenceman to get a hat trick in a playoff game when Boston won 5–2.
| April 7 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–3 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 03:57 – pp – Bobby Orr (1) | ||||||
| John Ferguson (1) – pp – 01:34 | Second period | 09:41 – Wayne Cashman (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 08:47 – Fred Stanfield (1) | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 39 saves / 42 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 30 saves / 31 shots | ||||||
| April 8 | Montreal Canadiens | 7–5 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Yvan Cournoyer (1) – 03:32 | First period | 04:34 – Bobby Orr (2) 05:43 – Ted Green (1) | ||||||
| Henri Richard (1) – 15:33 | Second period | 02:49 – pp – John McKenzie (1) 06:31 – Wayne Cashman (2) 08:41 – Derek Sanderson (1) | ||||||
| Jean Beliveau (1) – pp – 02:58 Jean Beliveau (2) – 04:22 Jacques Lemaire (1) – 09:59 John Ferguson (2) – 15:23 Frank Mahovlich (1) – 18:40 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 31 saves / 36 shots | Goalie stats | Eddie Johnston 30 saves / 37 shots | ||||||
| April 10 | Boston Bruins | 1–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Phil Esposito (1) – 00:29 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 04:04 – Frank Mahovlich (2) 12:05 – Jacques Laperriere (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 03:55 – Frank Mahovlich (3) | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 28 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 37 saves / 38 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | Boston Bruins | 5–2 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 05:30 – pp – Frank Mahovlich (4) | ||||||
| Bobby Orr (3) – 11:01 Mike Walton (1) – pp – 18:26 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bobby Orr (4) – 00:37 Fred Stanfield (2) – 17:21 Bobby Orr (5) – sh – 19:57 |
Third period | 06:13 – Yvan Cournoyer (2) | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 26 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 29 saves / 33 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–7 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Yvan Cournoyer (3) – 05:38 | First period | 00:57 – Wayne Cashman (3) 09:32 – pp – Phil Esposito (2) 16:45 – Mike Walton (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 11:44 – John McKenzie (2) 17:43 – sh – Ed Westfall (1) | ||||||
| Frank Mahovlich (5) – 01:55 John Ferguson (3) – 08:19 |
Third period | 12:47 – Johnny Bucyk (1) 15:57 – Ken Hodge (1) | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 49 saves / 56 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 24 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| April 15 | Boston Bruins | 3–8 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Phil Esposito (3) – pp – 09:51 | First period | 06:36 – Peter Mahovlich (1) 11:12 – Henri Richard (2) | ||||||
| Fred Stanfield (3) – pp – 05:57 | Second period | 10:34 – pp – Jacques Lemaire (2) 14:39 – J.C. Tremblay (1) | ||||||
| Derek Sanderson (2) – 16:52 | Third period | 05:14 – Henri Richard (3) 14:46 – Peter Mahovlich (2) 17:15 – Marc Tardif (1) 19:34 – pp – Jacques Laperriere (2) | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 35 saves / 43 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 29 saves / 32 shots | ||||||
| April 18 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–2 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Frank Mahovlich (6) – 14:48 Rejean Houle (1) – 17:38 |
First period | 06:50 – Ken Hodge (2) | ||||||
| J.C. Tremblay (2) – 15:44 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Frank Mahovlich (7) – 00:14 | Third period | 01:02 – Johnny Bucyk (2) | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 46 saves / 48 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 30 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–3 | |
(E2) New York Rangers vs. (E4) Toronto Maple Leafs
The New York Rangers finished second in the East Division with 109 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished fourth with 82 points. This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams with New York winning four of the seven previous series. They last met in the 1962 Stanley Cup Semifinals which Toronto won in six games. New York won five of the six games in this year's regular season series.
| April 7 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–5 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Dave Keon (1) – 04:56 Dave Keon (2) – 19:55 |
First period | 06:05 – pp – Vic Hadfield (1) | ||||||
| Paul Henderson (1) – 10:10 Paul Henderson (2) – 13:13 |
Second period | 10:05 – pp – Rod Gilbert (1) 19:57 – Bob Nevin (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 01:20 – Vic Hadfield (2) 06:44 – Walt Tkaczuk (1) | ||||||
| Jacques Plante 26 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Ed Giacomin 24 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| April 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–1 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Garry Monahan (1) – 13:23 Paul Henderson (3) – 14:11 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Dave Keon (3) – 01:35 | Second period | 16:11 – Tim Horton (1) | ||||||
| Paul Henderson (4) – 11:53 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Plante 2 saves / 2 shots Bernie Parent 21 saves / 22 shots |
Goalie stats | Ed Giacomin 19 saves / 23 shots | ||||||
| April 10 | New York Rangers | 1–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 05:03 – pp – Ron Ellis (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 04:19 – pp – Paul Henderson (5) | ||||||
| Dave Balon (1) – 03:17 | Third period | 05:22 – Garry Monahan (2) | ||||||
| Gilles Villemure 21 saves / 24 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 33 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | New York Rangers | 4–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| Bob Nevin (2) – pp – 12:54 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Vic Hadfield (3) – 04:41 Dave Balon (2) – pp – 07:41 Ron Stewart (1) – sh – 18:10 |
Second period | 19:33 – pp – Darryl Sittler (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 11:12 – Darryl Sittler (2) | ||||||
| Ed Giacomin 24 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 26 saves / 29 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–3 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 00:34 – Ted Irvine (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 04:59 – Vic Hadfield (4) | ||||||
| Jim McKenny (1) – pp – 13:42 | Third period | 06:25 – Bob Nevin (3) | ||||||
| Bernie Parent 26 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Ed Giacomin 24 saves / 25 shots | ||||||
| April 15 | New York Rangers | 2–1 | OT | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bob Nevin (4) – 12:39 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 17:26 – Jim McKenny (2) | ||||||
| Bob Nevin (5) – 09:07 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ed Giacomin 27 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante 36 saves / 38 shots | ||||||
| New York won series 4–2 | |
(W1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (W3) Philadelphia Flyers
The Chicago Black Hawks finished first in the West Division with 107 points. The Philadelphia Flyers finished third in the West Division with 73 points. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Chicago won this year's six game regular season series earning nine of twelve points.
| April 7 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| Bill Lesuk (1) – pp – 19:02 | First period | 02:50 – pp – Bobby Hull (1) 07:05 – sh – Pat Stapleton (1) | ||||||
| Bob Kelly (1) – 11:06 | Second period | 06:24 – pp – Bobby Hull (2) 18:26 – pp – Doug Jarrett (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 00:59 – Pit Martin (1) | ||||||
| Doug Favell 24 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 33 saves / 35 shots | ||||||
| April 8 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2–6 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 16:18 – Bobby Hull (3) 17:00 – Stan Mikita (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 04:46 – Stan Mikita (2) 10:39 – Bobby Hull (4) 18:57 – Jim Pappin (1) | ||||||
| Jim Mair (1) – pp – 06:18 Garry Peters (1) – 16:11 |
Third period | 09:41 – Lou Angotti (1) | ||||||
| Bruce Gamble 32 saves / 38 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 25 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| April 10 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–2 | Philadelphia Flyers | The Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Pat Stapleton (2) – pp – 13:30 | First period | 10:18 – Rick MacLeish (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 06:42 – pp – Simon Nolet (1) | ||||||
| Bobby Hull (5) – pp – 05:52 Bobby Hull (6) – pp – 10:24 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 28 saves / 30 shots | Goalie stats | Doug Favell 28 saves / 31 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | Chicago Black Hawks | 6–2 | Philadelphia Flyers | The Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Jim Pappin (2) – 00:21 Jim Pappin (3) – pp – 09:16 |
First period | 14:33 – pp – Serge Bernier (1) | ||||||
| Pit Martin (2) – 09:54 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Cliff Koroll (1) – 03:24 Cliff Koroll (2) – 08:37 Jim Pappin (4) – 11:26 |
Third period | 10:07 – Simon Nolet (2) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 38 saves / 40 shots | Goalie stats | Bruce Gamble 23 saves / 29 shots | ||||||
| Chicago won series 4–0 | |
(W2) St. Louis Blues vs. (W4) Minnesota North Stars
The St. Louis Blues finished second in the West Division with 87 points. The Minnesota North Stars finished fourth in the West Division with 72 points. This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams with St. Louis winning both of the previous series. They met in the previous year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which the Blues won in six games. Minnesota won this year's six game regular season series earning eight of twelve points.
| April 7 | Minnesota North Stars | 3–2 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena | Recap | |||
| Jude Drouin (1) – 05:16 | First period | 10:52 – Fran Huck (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| J.P. Parise (1) – pp – 03:57 Danny Grant (1) – pp – 07:12 |
Third period | 19:54 – Garry Unger (1) | ||||||
| Cesare Maniago 42 saves / 44 shots | Goalie stats | Glenn Hall 19 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| April 8 | Minnesota North Stars | 2–4 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 10:19 – Bill McCreary Sr. (1) | ||||||
| Murray Oliver (1) – 00:09 Murray Oliver (2) – 10:58 |
Third period | 03:45 – Jimmy Roberts (1) 08:34 – pp – Wayne Connelly (1) 19:40 – Jimmy Roberts (2) | ||||||
| Cesare Maniago 26 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Ernie Wakely 26 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| April 10 | St. Louis Blues | 3–0 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Frank St. Marseille (1) – pp – 08:04 Noel Picard (1) – pp – 19:17 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Terry Crisp (1) – 08:39 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ernie Wakely 29 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Cesare Maniago 24 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | St. Louis Blues | 1–2 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| Garry Unger (2) – sh – 04:08 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 02:44 – Bobby Rousseau (1) 03:08 – Charlie Burns (1) | ||||||
| Glenn Hall 20 saves / 22 shots | Goalie stats | Gump Worsley 25 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | Minnesota North Stars | 4–3 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena | Recap | |||
| Murray Oliver (3) – pp – 05:03 Jude Drouin (2) – pp – 16:33 |
First period | 04:28 – Craig Cameron (1) | ||||||
| Jude Drouin (3) – 02:49 | Second period | 02:42 – Craig Cameron (2) 09:43 – Wayne Connelly (2) | ||||||
| Lou Nanne (1) – 16:25 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gump Worsley 33 saves / 36 shots | Goalie stats | Glenn Hall 18 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| April 15 | St. Louis Blues | 2–5 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Frank St. Marseille (2) – pp – 04:45 | Second period | 10:36 – Ted Hampson (1) 10:58 – Lou Nanne (2) 14:15 – pp – Bobby Rousseau 19:29 – pp – Doug Mohns (1) | ||||||
| Garry Unger (2) – 17:20 | Third period | 07:01 – Doug Mohns (2) | ||||||
| Ernie Wakely 25 saves / 30 shots | Goalie stats | Gump Worsley 19 saves / 21 shots | ||||||
| Minnesota won series 4–2 | |
(E3) Montreal Canadiens vs. (W4) Minnesota North Stars
This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Montreal won this year's six game regular season series earning eight of twelve points.
The Canadiens' upset of Boston was so sensational that the Canadiens nearly suffered a fatal letdown against the Minnesota North Stars. The Canadiens' 6–3 loss in Montreal on April 22 to Minnesota, led by the goaltending of Cesare Maniago was the first playoff defeat for an Original Six team at the hands of a 1967 Expansion franchise.
| April 20 | Minnesota North Stars | 2–7 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Danny Grant (2) – pp – 11:45 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 05:48 – Marc Tardif (2) 11:07 – Jacques Lemaire (3) 16:33 – pp – Jacques Lemaire (4) 18:51 – Jacques Lemaire (5) | ||||||
| Bill Goldsworthy (1) – 17:12 | Third period | 07:26 – Marc Tardif (3) 15:21 – pp – Guy Lapointe (1) 17:40 – Frank Mahovlich (8) | ||||||
| Gump Worsley 26 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 26 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| April 22 | Minnesota North Stars | 6–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| J. P. Parise (2) – pp – 05:14 Jude Drouin (4) – 10:04 Ted Hampson (2) – pp – 15:58 Lou Nanne (3) – 19:04 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Murray Oliver (4) – 17:46 | Second period | 04:17 – Peter Mahovlich (3) 16:41 – Guy Lapointe (2) | ||||||
| Charlie Burns (1) – 19:36 | Third period | 04:59 – Jean Beliveau (3) | ||||||
| Cesare Maniago 32 saves / 35 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 29 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| April 24 | Montreal Canadiens | 6–3 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| Frank Mahovlich (9) – 08:47 Jacques Lemaire (6) – 17:39 |
First period | 07:11 – Murray Oliver (5) | ||||||
| Yvan Cournoyer (4) – 01:45 J.C. Tremblay (3) – pp – 05:17 Jacques Laperriere (3) – 08:30 |
Second period | 15:56 – Danny Grant (3) | ||||||
| Jacques Laperriere (4) – 02:26 | Third period | 19:34 – Bill Goldsworthy (2) | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 30 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Cesare Maniago 25 saves / 31 shots | ||||||
| April 25 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–5 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| Jean Beliveau (4) – 01:22 | First period | 16:35 – pp – Murray Oliver (6) 19:04 – pp – Danny Grant (4) | ||||||
| Jean Beliveau (5) – 07:52 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 03:00 – J. P. Parise (3) 11:26 – Murray Oliver (7) 15:59 – Ted Hampson (3) | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 37 saves / 42 shots | Goalie stats | Cesare Maniago 35 saves / 37 shots | ||||||
| April 27 | Minnesota North Stars | 1–6 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 02:24 – Peter Mahovlich (4) | ||||||
| Danny Grant (5) – 01:40 | Third period | 01:14 – Guy Lapointe (3) 10:08 – pp – Peter Mahovlich (5) 12:50 – John Ferguson, Sr. (4) 13:41 – Frank Mahovlich (10) 14>35 – Yvan Cournoyer (5) | ||||||
| Cesare Maniago 24 saves / 30 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 26 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| April 29 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–2 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| Yvan Cournoyer (6) – pp – 16:00 | First period | 09:50 – Charlie Burns (2) | ||||||
| Claude Larose (1) – 01:07 Rejean Houle (2) – 13:29 |
Second period | 09:18 – Jude Drouin (5) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 30 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Cesare Maniago 34 saves / 37 shots | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–2 | |
(W1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (E2) New York Rangers
This was the third playoff series between these two teams with Chicago winning both previous series. They last met in the 1968 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which the Black Hawks won in six games. The teams split this year's six-game regular season series.
Bobby Hull and the Chicago Black Hawks were just too much for the Rangers and the Black Hawks advanced to the finals in seven games. Hull won two games with goals on face-offs, despite Glen Sather's coverage to check him.
| April 18 | New York Rangers | 2–1 | OT | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | 12:59 – pp – Cliff Koroll (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jean Ratelle (1) – 16:44 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Pete Stemkowski (1) – 01:37 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ed Giacomin 31 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 32 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| April 20 | New York Rangers | 0–3 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 17:54 – Cliff Koroll (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 14:06 – Dennis Hull (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 19:45 – Dennis Hull (2) | ||||||
| Ed Giacomin 26 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 32 saves / 32 shots | ||||||
| April 22 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–4 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Stan Mikita (3) – 05:16 | First period | 03:05 – Vic Hadfield (5) 13:37 – Rod Gilbert (2) 15:50 – Vic Hadfield (6) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 16:09 – Vic Hadfield (7) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 28 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Ed Giacomin 16 saves / 17 shots | ||||||
| April 25 | Chicago Black Hawks | 7–1 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Jim Pappin (5) – 12:49 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bill White (1) – 05:45 Danny O'Shea (1) – 07:28 Stan Mikita (4) – 17:23 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Dennis Hull (3) – 00:14 Chico Maki (1) – 12:09 Jerry Korab (1) – 18:24 |
Third period | 14:34 – pp – Dave Balon (3) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 27 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Ed Giacomin20 saves / 24 shots Gilles Villemure 8 saves / 11 shots | ||||||
| April 27 | New York Rangers | 2–3 | OT | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | ||
| Vic Hadfield (8) – 15:57 | First period | 10:56 – Pat Stapleton (3) 15:41 – pp – Chico Maki (2) | ||||||
| Rod Seiling (1) – 19:28 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 06:35 – Bobby Hull (7) | ||||||
| Ed Giacomin 29 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 27 saves / 29 shots | ||||||
| April 29 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–3 | 3OT | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | ||
| Dennis Hull (4) – 10:19 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Chico Maki (3) – 01:54 | Second period | 07:07 – Rod Gilbert (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 04:21 – Jean Ratelle (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third overtime period | 01:29 – Pete Stemkowski (2) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 46 saves / 49 shots | Goalie stats | Ed Giacomin 24 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| May 2 | New York Rangers | 2–4 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| Pete Stemkowski (3) – 18:31 | First period | 14:49 – pp – Jim Pappin (6) | ||||||
| Rod Gilbert (4) – 11:43 | Second period | 13:27 – pp – Cliff Koroll (5) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 04:25 – Bobby Hull (8) 19:34 – Chico Maki (4) | ||||||
| Ed Giacomin 25 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 36 saves / 38 shots | ||||||
| Chicago won series 4–3 | |
Stanley Cup Finals
This was the fifteenth series between these two teams with the Montreal Canadiens winning nine of the fourteen previous series. They last met in the 1968 Stanley Cup Semifinals which Montreal won in five games. The teams split this year's six-game regular season series.
The series went the full seven games, with the Canadiens winning in Chicago despite trailing 2–0 halfway into the second period of game seven. Jacques Lemaire took a shot from centre ice that miraculously escaped goaltender Tony Esposito cutting the Black Hawks' lead to 2–1. Henri Richard tied the game just before the end of the second period, and scored again 02:34 into the third, giving the Habs the lead. Montreal goalie Ken Dryden kept Chicago off the board for the rest of the game, and the Habs won their third Stanley Cup in four years. It was the final game for Canadiens superstar and captain Jean Beliveau who retired after the season. The Canadiens were the last road team to win a Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final until the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. It was Al MacNeil's final game as Montreal coach — after he had benched Richard for Game 5, The Pocket Rocket declared "[MacNeil] is the worst coach I ever played for!"[2] Although Richard retracted his "angry comment", as he called it, MacNeil still resigned.
| May 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–2 | OT | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Lemaire (7) – pp – 12:29 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 07:54 – pp – Bobby Hull (9) | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 01:11 – Jim Pappin (7) | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 56 saves / 58 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 36 saves / 37 shots | ||||||
| May 6 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| Jacques Lemaire (8) – pp – 09:06 Peter Mahovlich (6) – 17:58 |
First period | 04:39 – pp – Bobby Hull (10) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 11:58 – Chico Maki (5) 13:50 – Jim Pappin (8) | ||||||
| Frank Mahovlich (11) – 08:56 | Third period | 07:27 – Lou Angotti (2) 16:47 – Lou Angotti (3) | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 30 saves / 35 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 24 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| May 9 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Cliff Koroll (6) – pp – 04:26 Bobby Hull (11) – 13:38 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 05:56 – Peter Mahovlich (7) 17:34 – pp – Frank Mahovlich (12) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 06:23 – Yvan Cournoyer (7) 12:13 – pp – Frank Mahovlich (13) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 36 saves / 40 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 16 saves / 18 shots | ||||||
| May 11 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–5 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Stan Mikita (5) – pp – 03:09 | First period | 01:00 – Peter Mahovlich (8) 06:55 – pp – Jean Beliveau (6) 16:33 – Guy Lapointe (4) | ||||||
| Dennis Hull (5) – 12:30 | Second period | 09:07 – Yvan Cournoyer (8) 15:53 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (9) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 27 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 30 saves / 32 shots | ||||||
| May 13 | Montreal Canadiens | 0–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 10:57 – pp – Dennis Hull (6) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 11:26 – Cliff Koroll (7) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 20 saves / 22 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 31 saves / 31 shots | ||||||
| May 16 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Jim Pappin (9) – 11:25 | First period | 12:33 – Yvan Cournoyer (10) | ||||||
| Chico Maki (6) – 17:40 Jim Pappin (10) – 18:48 |
Second period | 05:04 – Peter Mahovlich (9) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 05:10 – Frank Mahovlich (14) 08:56 – sh – Peter Mahovlich (10) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 12 saves / 16 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 27 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| May 18 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 19:12 – pp – Dennis Hull (7) | ||||||
| Jacques Lemaire (9) – 14:18 Henri Richard (4) – 18:20 |
Second period | 07:33 – Danny O'Shea (2) | ||||||
| Henri Richard (5) – 02:34 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ken Dryden 31 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 22 saves / 25 shots | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–3 | |
Awards
A new award for the most outstanding player as voted by the members of the NHL Players Association, the Lester B. Pearson Award, was introduced this season and the first winner was Phil Esposito.
| 1971 NHL awards | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (East Division champion, regular season) | Boston Bruins |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (West Division champion, regular season) | Chicago Black Hawks |
| Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer, regular season) | Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: (Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication) | Jean Ratelle, New York Rangers |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: (Top first-year player) | Gilbert Perreault, Buffalo Sabres |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: (Most valuable player, playoffs) | Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: (Most valuable player, regular season) | Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman) | Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) | Johnny Bucyk, Boston Bruins |
| Lester B. Pearson Award: (Outstanding player, regular season) | Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins |
| Vezina Trophy: (Goaltender(s) of team with best goaltending record) | Eddie Giacomin & Gilles Villemure, New York Rangers |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: (Service to hockey in the U.S.) | William M. Jennings, John B. Sollenberger, Terrance G. Sawchuk |
All-Star teams
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Ed Giacomin, New York Rangers | G | Jacques Plante, Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins | D | Brad Park, New York Rangers |
| J. C. Tremblay, Montreal Canadiens | D | Pat Stapleton, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins | C | Dave Keon, Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Ken Hodge, Boston Bruins | RW | Yvan Cournoyer, Montreal Canadiens |
| Johnny Bucyk, Boston Bruins | LW | Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks |
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Esposito | Boston Bruins | 78 | 76 | 76 | 152 | 71 |
| Bobby Orr | Boston Bruins | 78 | 37 | 102 | 139 | 91 |
| Johnny Bucyk | Boston Bruins | 78 | 51 | 65 | 116 | 8 |
| Ken Hodge | Boston Bruins | 78 | 43 | 62 | 105 | 113 |
| Bobby Hull | Chicago Black Hawks | 78 | 44 | 52 | 96 | 32 |
| Norm Ullman | Toronto Maple Leafs | 73 | 34 | 51 | 85 | 24 |
| Wayne Cashman | Boston Bruins | 77 | 21 | 58 | 79 | 100 |
| John McKenzie | Boston Bruins | 65 | 31 | 46 | 77 | 120 |
| Dave Keon | Toronto Maple Leafs | 76 | 38 | 38 | 76 | 4 |
| Jean Beliveau | Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 25 | 51 | 76 | 40 |
| Fred Stanfield | Boston Bruins | 75 | 24 | 52 | 76 | 12 |
Source: NHL.[3]
Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts
| Player | Team | GP | MIN | GA | GAA | W | L | T | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacques Plante | Toronto Maple Leafs | 40 | 2329 | 73 | 1.88 | 24 | 11 | 4 | 4 |
| Eddie Giacomin | New York Rangers | 45 | 2641 | 95 | 2.16 | 27 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Tony Esposito | Chicago Black Hawks | 57 | 3325 | 126 | 2.27 | 35 | 14 | 6 | 6 |
| Gilles Villemure | New York Rangers | 34 | 2039 | 78 | 2.30 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| Glenn Hall | St. Louis Blues | 32 | 1761 | 71 | 2.42 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 2 |
| Gump Worsley | Minnesota North Stars | 24 | 1369 | 57 | 2.50 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 0 |
| Eddie Johnston | Boston Bruins | 38 | 2280 | 96 | 2.53 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Rogie Vachon | Montreal Canadiens | 47 | 2676 | 118 | 2.64 | 23 | 12 | 9 | 2 |
| Doug Favell | Philadelphia Flyers | 44 | 2434 | 108 | 2.66 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 2 |
| Cesare Maniago | Minnesota North Stars | 40 | 2380 | 107 | 2.70 | 19 | 15 | 6 | 5 |
Other statistics
- Plus/Minus leader: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
Coaches
East
- Boston Bruins: Tom Johnson
- Buffalo Sabres: George "Punch" Imlach
- Detroit Red Wings: Doug Barkley and Ned Harkness
- Montreal Canadiens: Al MacNeil
- New York Rangers: Emile Francis
- Toronto Maple Leafs: John McLellan
- Vancouver Canucks: Hal Laycoe
West
- California Golden Seals: Fred Glover
- Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay
- Los Angeles Kings: Larry Regan
- Minnesota North Stars: Jack Gordon
- Philadelphia Flyers: Vic Stasiuk
- Pittsburgh Penguins: Red Kelly
- St. Louis Blues: Al Arbour
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1970–71 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Reggie Leach, Boston Bruins
- Ivan Boldirev, Boston Bruins
- Gilbert Perreault, Buffalo Sabres
- Jerry Korab, Chicago Black Hawks
- Gilles Meloche, Chicago Black Hawks
- Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens
- Rick MacLeish, Philadelphia Flyers
- Curt Bennett, St. Louis Blues
- Rene Robert, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Darryl Sittler, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Dale Tallon, Vancouver Canucks
Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1970–71 (listed with their last team):
- Jean-Guy Talbot, Buffalo Sabres
- Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens
- John Ferguson, Montreal Canadiens
- Andy Bathgate, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Glenn Hall, St. Louis Blues
- George Armstrong, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Charlie Hodge, Vancouver Canucks
NOTE: Bathgate would finish his major professional career in the World Hockey Association.
See also
References
- Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, NY: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
- Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
- Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
- Notes
- "1970–1971 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
- "Henri Richard". Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2006-11-15.
In the 1971 Stanley Cup finals he was reported to have called his coach, Al MacNeil, the worst coach he had ever played under in the NHL.
- Dinger 2011, p. 150.