1968–69 NHL season
The 1968–69 NHL season was the 52nd season of the National Hockey League. Twelve teams each played 76 games (two more than in 1967–68). For the second time in a row, the Montreal Canadiens faced the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Finals. Montreal won their second consecutive Stanley Cup as they swept the Blues in four, an identical result to the previous season.
| 1968–69 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 11, 1968 – May 4, 1969 |
| Number of games | 76 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC, SRC (Canada) CBS (United States) |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Michel Plasse |
| Picked by | Montreal Canadiens |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Season MVP | Phil Esposito (Bruins) |
| Top scorer | Phil Esposito (Bruins) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Serge Savard (Canadiens) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Runners-up | St. Louis Blues |
Regular season
Prior to this season no player in NHL history had ever achieved 100 points in a season, but 1968–69 saw three achieve the feat. The Boston Bruins' Phil Esposito led the way with 49 goals and 77 assists for a new record of 126 points, as well as setting a record with linemates Wayne Cashman and Ron Murphy for most points in a season by a forward line. Bobby Hull of Chicago set a new record for goals with 58 and came in second in overall scoring with 107. Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings came in third with 103 points.
Red Berenson came up one goal short of tying an NHL record, scoring six goals[1] for the St. Louis Blues (all against goaltender Doug Favell) in an 8–0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on November 7. He became the first player to score a double hat trick in a road game.[2]
Despite finishing last in the West Division, Minnesota was led by rookie left wing Danny Grant, who along with Oakland rookie Norm Ferguson tied Nels Stewart's forty-year-old record for most goals by a rookie with 34.
On December 21, with Montreal goalies Gump Worsley (nervous breakdown) and Rogie Vachon (injured) both unavailable, rookie Tony Esposito and Boston's Gerry Cheevers both achieved shutouts in a rare scoreless tie. Esposito made 41 saves, and Cheevers made 34 saves.
Los Angeles introduced rookie goaltender Gerry Desjardins, who took over the starter's job from Wayne Rutledge, who was bothered by groin injuries most of the season. Desjardins recorded 4 shutouts during the season in helping the Kings make the playoffs and win their first round series over Oakland.
On March 2, Phil Esposito became the first NHL player to score 100 points in a season in a 4–0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In Boston-Chicago game on March 20, two milestones were accomplished. Bobby Hull broke his own record for goals with his 55th goal, and Bobby Orr broke Flash Hollett's record for goals by a defenceman with his 21st goal.
This would be the last time until the 1997–98 season that the Chicago Black Hawks missed the playoffs.
The league held a beauty pageant for the first time this season, with a contestant from every franchise. Miss Minnesota North Stars Lynn Marie Stewart was named Miss NHL 1968, and was named the NHL "ambassador" for the 1968–69 season, making various appearances and helping to present the Stanley Cup. The league held just two more pageants in 1970 and 1972 before abandoning the concept.
Final standings
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 76 | 46 | 19 | 11 | 271 | 202 | +69 | 103 |
| 2 | Boston Bruins | 76 | 42 | 18 | 16 | 303 | 221 | +82 | 100 |
| 3 | New York Rangers | 76 | 41 | 26 | 9 | 231 | 196 | +35 | 91 |
| 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 76 | 35 | 26 | 15 | 234 | 217 | +17 | 85 |
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | 76 | 33 | 31 | 12 | 239 | 221 | +18 | 78 |
| 6 | Chicago Black Hawks | 76 | 34 | 33 | 9 | 280 | 246 | +34 | 77 |
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis Blues | 76 | 37 | 25 | 14 | 204 | 157 | +47 | 88 |
| 2 | Oakland Seals | 76 | 29 | 36 | 11 | 219 | 251 | −32 | 69 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 76 | 20 | 35 | 21 | 174 | 225 | −51 | 61 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Kings | 76 | 24 | 42 | 10 | 185 | 260 | −75 | 58 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 76 | 20 | 45 | 11 | 189 | 252 | −63 | 51 |
| 6 | Minnesota North Stars | 76 | 18 | 43 | 15 | 189 | 270 | −81 | 51 |
East
Vs. East Division
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Vs. West Division
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West
Vs. West Division
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Vs. East Division
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Playoffs
Playoff bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Boston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Boston | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Toronto | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | St. Louis | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | St. Louis | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Philadelphia | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | St. Louis | 4 | ||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Oakland | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Los Angeles | 4 | ||||||||||||
(E1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E3) New York Rangers
The Montreal Canadiens finished as the best regular season team with 103 points. The New York Rangers earned 91 points to finish third in the East Division. This was the ninth playoff series between these two teams, and they split their eight previous series. Their most recent series had come in the 1967 semifinals, which Montreal won in a four-game sweep. New York earned nine of sixteen points in this year's regular season series.
The Canadiens defeated the Rangers in a four-game sweep to advance to the semifinals.
| April 2 | New York Rangers | 1–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 15:35 – Jacques Lemaire (1) | ||||||
| Jean Ratelle (1) – pp – 19:13 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 13:18 – pp – John Ferguson (1) 19:20 – Henri Richard (1) | ||||||
| Ed Giacomin 24 saves / 26 shots | Goalie stats | Gump Worsley 26 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| April 3 | New York Rangers | 2–5 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Rod Seiling (1) – 01:51 Vic Hadfield (1) – 14:43 |
First period | 11:55 – pp – Christian Bordeleau (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 04:28 – Bobby Rousseau (1) 06:45 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (1) 12:59 – Jean Beliveau (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 19:32 – pp – Ralph Backstrom (1) | ||||||
| Ed Giacomin 20 saves / 24 shots | Goalie stats | Gump Worsley 26 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| April 5 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–1 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Mickey Redmond (1) – 00:30 Bobby Rousseau (2) – 03:37 Dick Duff (1) – 12:41 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jean Beliveau (2) – pp – 08:33 | Third period | 09:12 – Vic Hadfield (2) | ||||||
| Gump Worsley 31 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Ed Giacomin 14 saves / 18 shots | ||||||
| April 6 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–3 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Dick Duff (2) – 01:32 Jacques Lemaire (2) – 10:03 Henri Richard (2) – 10:42 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Yvan Cournoyer (2) – 00:38 | Second period | 12:10 – Dave Balon (1) 15:08 – Rod Gilbert (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 07:23 – Don Marshall (1) | ||||||
| Gump Worsley 2 saves / 2 shots Rogie Vachon 22 saves / 25 shots |
Goalie stats | Gilles Villemure 30 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–0 | |
(E2) Boston Bruins v. (E4) Toronto Maple Leafs
The Boston Bruins finished second in the East Division with 100 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs earned 85 points to finish fourth in the East Division. This was the eleventh playoff series between these two teams, with Toronto winning eight of their ten previous series. Their most recent series had come in the 1959 semifinals, where Toronto won in seven games. Boston earned ten of sixteen points in this year's regular season series.
Boston defeated Toronto in a four-game sweep to advance to the semifinals.
| April 2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0–10 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 01:19 – pp – Phil Esposito (1) 03:20 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (1) 14:01 – Phil Esposito (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 07:22 – Johnny Bucyk (2) 10:40 – Derek Sanderson (1) 14:10 – pp – Phil Esposito (3) 19:51 – pp – Phil Esposito (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 01:23 – pp – Fred Stanfield (1) 04:34 – Derek Sanderson (2) 12:47 – pp – Ken Hodge (1) | ||||||
| Bruce Gamble 26 saves / 33 shots Johnny Bower 15 saves / 18 shots |
Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 40 saves / 40 shots | ||||||
| April 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0–7 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 15:12 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (3) 17:33 – Johnny Bucyk (4) 18:55 – Ted Green (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 05:56 – John McKenzie (1) 18:44 – Ken Hodge (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 08:39 – Ron Murphy (1) 10:07 – Phil Esposito (5) | ||||||
| Bruce Gamble 16 saves / 20 shtos Johnny Bower 17 saves / 20 shtos |
Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 22 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| April 5 | Boston Bruins | 4–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| Ed Westfall (1) – sh – 04:18 Ted Green (2) – 14:38 |
First period | 08:23 – Ron Ellis (1) | ||||||
| Fred Stanfield (2) – 04:04 | Second period | 15:32 – Murray Oliver (1) 19:47 – Norm Ullman (1) | ||||||
| Derek Sanderson (3) – 02:52 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 38 saves / 41 shots | Goalie stats | Bruce Gamble 11 saves / 13 shots Johnny Bower 28 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| April 6 | Boston Bruins | 3–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| Derek Sanderson (4) – sh – 01:21 Phil Esposito (6) – pp – 03:14 |
First period | 07:52 – pp – Ron Ellis (2) | ||||||
| Derek Sanderson (5) – 16:07 | Second period | 17:52 – sh – Dave Keon (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 26 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Johnny Bower 27 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| Boston won series 4–0 | |
(W1) St. Louis Blues vs. (W3) Philadelphia Flyers
The St. Louis Blues finished as West Division champions with 88 points. The Philadelphia Flyers earned 61 points to finish third in the West Division. This was the second playoff series between these two teams, in the second year of existence for both franchises. In the previous year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, St. Louis defeated Philadelphia in seven games. St. Louis earned thirteen of sixteen points in this year's regular season series.
St. Louis defeated Philadelphia to advance to the semifinals with the franchise's first four-game sweep.
| April 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2–5 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena | Recap | |||
| Bill Sutherland (1) – pp – 12:13 | First period | 00:50 – Ab McDonald (1) 05:43 – Tim Ecclestone (1) 15:10 – Larry Keenan (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Dick Cherry (1) – 18:26 | Third period | 03:22 – Camille Henry (1) 17:39 – Terry Gray (1) | ||||||
| Bernie Parent 25 saves / 30 shots | Goalie stats | Glenn Hall 8 saves / 8 shots Jacques Plante 27 saves / 29 shots | ||||||
| April 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0–5 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 00:41 – pp – Bill McCreary Sr. (1) 15:58 – Gary Sabourin (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 00:45 – Larry Keenan (2) 12:03 – pp – Red Berenson (1) 16:49 – pp – Terry Gray (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Doug Favell 31 saves / 36 shots | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante 21 saves / 21 shots | ||||||
| April 5 | St. Louis Blues | 3–0 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Gary Sabourin (2) – 07:13 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ron Schock (1) – 13:24 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Red Berenson (2) – 12:12 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Plante 27 saves / 27 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 23 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| April 6 | St. Louis Blues | 4–1 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Frank St. Marseille (1) – 00:52 Terry Crisp (1) – 04:08 Jimmy Roberts (1) – 04:22 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Tim Ecclestone (2) – 01:17 | Second period | 04:54 – sh – Garry Peters (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Plante 30 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 34 saves / 38 shots | ||||||
| St. Louis won series 4–0 | |
(W2) Oakland Seals vs. (W4) Los Angeles Kings
The Oakland Seals finished second in the West Division with 69 points to advance to the playoffs for the first time. The Los Angeles Kings earned 58 points to finish fourth in the West Division. This was the first playoff series of the Battle of California and the first playoff meeting between two California-based NHL teams. Los Angeles earned ten of sixteen points in this year's regular season series.
The Kings defeated the Seals in the only game seven of the year. Oakland never won another playoff game in franchise history.
| April 2 | Los Angeles Kings | 5–4 | OT | Oakland Seals | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena | Recap | ||
| Gary Croteau (1) – pp – 12:53 | First period | 11:59 – sh – Earl Ingarfield (1) 16:21 – Joe Szura (1) | ||||||
| Gary Croteau (2) – 03:07 | Second period | 19:16 – Francois Lacombe (1) | ||||||
| Eddie Joyal (1) – 12:15 Eddie Joyal (2) – 15:56 |
Third period | 17:22 – Gene Ubriaco (1) | ||||||
| Ted Irvine (1) – 00:19 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gerry Desjardins 6 saves / 8 shots Wayne Rutledge 20 saves / 22 shots |
Goalie stats | Gary Smith 26 saves / 31 shots | ||||||
| April 3 | Los Angeles Kings | 2–4 | Oakland Seals | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 01:26 – pp – Ted Hampson (1) | ||||||
| Ted Irvine (1) – 00:20 Howie Menard (1) – pp – 07:07 |
Second period | 18:23 – Ted Hampson (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 02:44 – Gary Jarrett (1) 19:47 – Bob Dillabough (1) | ||||||
| Wayne Rutledge 30 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Gary Smith 26 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| April 5 | Oakland Seals | 5–2 | Los Angeles Kings | LA Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Joe Szura (2) – pp – 11:30 Gary Jarrett (2) – 14:48 |
Second period | 10:21 – pp – Real Lemieux (1) | ||||||
| Earl Ingarfield (2) – 00:13 Mike Laughton (1) – pp – 09:09 16:05 – Gerry Ehman (1) |
Third period | 14:46 – Billy Inglis (1) | ||||||
| Gary Smith 31 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Wayne Rutledge 22 saves / 26 shots Gerry Desjardins 5 saves / 6 shots | ||||||
| April 6 | Oakland Seals | 2–4 | Los Angeles Kings | LA Forum | Recap | |||
| Earl Ingarfield (3) – 01:27 | First period | 10:33 – Bill White (1) 17:31 – Howie Menard (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 00:24 – Larry Cahan (1) 14:06 – Brent Hughes (1) | ||||||
| Ted Hampson (3) – pp – 06:59 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gary Smith 29 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Desjardins 27 saves / 29 shots | ||||||
| April 9 | Los Angeles Kings | 1–4 | Oakland Seals | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena | Recap | |||
| Gary Croteau (3) – 15:51 | First period | 01:06 – Mike Laughton (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 05:42 – Bob Dillabough (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 03:44 – Bob Dillabough (3) 16:43 – Norm Ferguson (1) | ||||||
| Gerry Desjardins 33 saves / 37 shots | Goalie stats | Gary Smith 36 saves / 37 shots | ||||||
| April 10 | Oakland Seals | 3–4 | Los Angeles Kings | LA Forum | Recap | |||
| Mike Laughton (3) – 04:53 Brian Perry (1) – 16:42 Gene Ubriaco (2) – 17:51 |
First period | 03:53 – Ted Irvine (3) 06:19 – Bryan Campbell (1) 16:05 – sh – Lowell MacDonald (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 15:12 – Bill Flett (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gary Smith 32 saves / 36 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Desjardins 22 saves / 25 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | Los Angeles Kings | 5–3 | Oakland Seals | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena | Recap | |||
| Ted Irvine (4) – pp – 02:13 Ted Irvine (5) – 12:14 |
First period | 04:09 – pp – Carol Vadnais (1) | ||||||
| Bill Flett (2) – 14:54 | Second period | 09:51 – Earl Ingarfield (4) | ||||||
| Lowell MacDonald (2) – 07:53 Howie Menard (3) – 18:26 |
Third period | 10:36 – Gerry Ehman (2) | ||||||
| Gerry Desjardins 24 saves / 27 shots | Goalie stats | Gary Smith 25 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| Los Angeles won series 4–3 | |
(E1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E2) Boston Bruins
This was the fourteenth playoff series between these two rivals, with Montreal winning eleven of their thirteen previous series. Their most recent series had come in the previous year's quarterfinals, where Montreal won in a four-game sweep. Boston earned ten of sixteen points in this year's regular season series.
The Canadiens defeated the Bruins in six games to advance to their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup Finals.
| April 10 | Boston Bruins | 2–3 | OT | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | ||
| Derek Sanderson (6) – 13:28 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Derek Sanderson (7) – sh – 15:53 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 13:28 – pp – John Ferguson (2) 19:04 – Jean Beliveau (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 00:42 – Ralph Backstrom (2) | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 32 saves / 35 shots | Goalie stats | Gump Worsley 21 saves / 23 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | Boston Bruins | 3–4 | OT | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| John McKenzie (2) – pp – 08:39 Ron Murphy (2) – 18:01 |
Second period | 00:55 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (3) 17:09 – Jean Beliveau (4) | ||||||
| Johnny Bucyk (5) – 14:12 | Third period | 18:51 – Serge Savard (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 04:55 – pp – Mickey Redmond (2) | ||||||
| Eddie Johnston 30 saves / 34 shots | Goalie stats | Gump Worsley 27 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| April 17 | Montreal Canadiens | 0–5 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 03:37 – Phil Esposito (7) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 16:35 – Ed Westfall (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 03:37 – pp – Phil Esposito (8) 10:07 – Ron Murphy (3) 10:23 – Ken Hodge (3) | ||||||
| Gump Worsley 26 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 34 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| April 20 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–3 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Jacques Lemaire (3) – pp – 08:51 | First period | 02:55 – sh – Ed Westfall (3) 15:49 – sh – Derek Sanderson (8) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Serge Savard (2) – 19:06 | Third period | 18:13 – Bobby Orr (1) | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 29 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 28 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| April 22 | Boston Bruins | 2–4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 18:25 – pp – Jacques Laperriere (1) | ||||||
| Ken Hodge (4) – 10:15 Ken Hodge (5) – pp – 13:21 |
Second period | 01:08 – Claude Provost (1) 02:01 – J.C. Tremblay (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 07:06 – Claude Provost (2) | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 21 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | Rogie Vachon 40 saves / 42 shots | ||||||
| April 24 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–1 | 2OT | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | 02:29 – Ron Murphy (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Serge Savard (3) – pp – 01:10 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jean Beliveau (5) – 11:28 | Second overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 50 saves / 51 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 45 saves / 47 shots | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–2 | |
(W1) St. Louis Blues vs. (W4) Los Angeles Kings
This was the first playoff series between these two teams. St. Louis earned thirteen of sixteen points in this year's regular season series.
The Blues defeated the Kings in a four-game sweep to continue their undefeated streak in the playoffs, and their streak of never missing a Stanley Cup Finals.
| April 15 | Los Angeles Kings | 0–4 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 11:00 – Larry Keenan (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 01:56 – Red Berenson (3) 04:49 – pp – Red Berenson (4) 10:24 – Red Berenson (5) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gerry Desjardins12 saves / 16 shots Wayne Rutledge 6 saves / 6 shots |
Goalie stats | Jacques Plante 30 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| April 17 | Los Angeles Kings | 2–3 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 03:48 – Red Berenson (6) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 11:22 – Gary Sabourin (3) | ||||||
| Dave Amadio (1) – 02:12 Bryan Campbell (2) – sh – 08:28 |
Third period | 14:31 – Gary Sabourin (4) | ||||||
| Wayne Rutledge 23 saves / 26 shots | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante 26 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| April 19 | St. Louis Blues | 5–2 | Los Angeles Kings | LA Forum | Recap | |||
| Frank St. Marseille (2) – 10:13 | First period | 02:18 – pp – Bill Flett (3) | ||||||
| Ab McDonald (2) – 04:07 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Terry Crisp (2) – 04:18 Gary Sabourin (5) – 06:40 Noel Picard (1) – 13:03 |
Third period | 02:34 – Skip Krake (1) | ||||||
| Jacques Plante 26 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Desjardins 26 saves / 31 shots | ||||||
| April 20 | St. Louis Blues | 4–1 | Los Angeles Kings | LA Forum | Recap | |||
| Terry Crisp (3) – 11:38 | First period | 01:48 – pp – Eddie Joyal (3) | ||||||
| Red Berenson (7 – 11:52 Gary Sabourin (6) – pp – 12:44 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Camille Henry (2) – pp – 10:56 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Plante 21 saves / 22 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Desjardins 19 saves / 23 shots | ||||||
| St. Louis won series 4–0 | |
Stanley Cup Finals
The Montreal Canadiens advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the fifth consecutive season, having won three Stanley Cups in the previous four seasons. Overall, it was their twenty-fifth Stanley Cup Finals, having won fifteen championships. This was the St. Louis Blues' second appearance in the Final in their second season. The Canadiens had never lost to the Blues going into this series; they went 3-0-1 against St. Louis in the 1967-68 NHL season, 4-0 in the previous year's Stanley Cup Finals, and 5-0-1 in this year's regular season series.
The Montreal Canadiens swept the St. Louis Blues, an outcome identical to the 1968 final.
| April 27 | St. Louis Blues | 1–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Frank St. Marseille (3) – 18:24 | First period | 03:39 – pp – Dick Duff (3) 04:17 – sh – Bobby Rousseau (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 19:46 – John Ferguson (3) | ||||||
| Jacques Plante 26 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Rogie Vachon 19 saves / 20 shots | ||||||
| April 29 | St. Louis Blues | 1–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 17:26 – Ralph Backstrom (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 09:07 – pp – Dick Duff (4) 14:11 – Yvan Cournoyer (4) | ||||||
| Larry Keenan (4) – pp – 09:20 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Glenn Hall 30 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Rogie Vachon 24 saves / 25 shots | ||||||
| May 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–0 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena | Recap | |||
| Serge Savard (4) – 12:34 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jacques Lemaire (4) – 09:16 Dick Duff (5) – 13:38 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Dick Duff (6) – pp – 18:35 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 31 saves / 35 shots | Goalie stats | Jacques Plante 29 saves / 29 shots | ||||||
| May 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–1 | St. Louis Blues | St. Louis Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 10:50 – Terry Gray (3) | ||||||
| Ted Harris (1) – 00:42 John Ferguson (4) – 03:02 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 32 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Glenn Hall 29 saves / 31 shots | ||||||
| Montreal won series 4–0 | |
Awards
| 1968–69 NHL awards | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (East Division champion, regular season) | Montreal Canadiens |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (West Division champion, regular season) | St. Louis Blues |
| Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer, regular season) | Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: (Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication) | Ted Hampson, Oakland Seals |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: (Top first-year player) | Danny Grant, Minnesota North Stars |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: (Most valuable player, playoffs) | Serge Savard, Montreal Canadiens |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: (Most valuable player, regular season) | Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman) | Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) | Alex Delvecchio, Detroit Red Wings |
| Vezina Trophy: (Goaltender(s) of team with best goaltending record) | Glenn Hall & Jacques Plante, St. Louis Blues |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: (Service to hockey in the U.S.) | Robert M. Hull, Edward J. Jeremiah |
All-Star teams
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Glenn Hall, St. Louis Blues | G | Ed Giacomin, New York Rangers |
| Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins | D | Ted Green, Boston Bruins |
| Tim Horton, Toronto Maple Leafs | D | Ted Harris, Montreal Canadiens |
| Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins | C | Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens |
| Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings | RW | Yvan Cournoyer, Montreal Canadiens |
| Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks | LW | Frank Mahovlich, Detroit Red Wings |
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Esposito | Boston Bruins | 74 | 49 | 77 | 126 | 79 |
| Bobby Hull | Chicago Black Hawks | 74 | 58 | 49 | 107 | 48 |
| Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings | 76 | 44 | 59 | 103 | 58 |
| Stan Mikita | Chicago Black Hawks | 74 | 30 | 67 | 97 | 52 |
| Ken Hodge | Boston Bruins | 75 | 45 | 45 | 90 | 75 |
| Yvan Cournoyer | Montreal Canadiens | 76 | 43 | 44 | 87 | 31 |
| Alex Delvecchio | Detroit Red Wings | 72 | 25 | 58 | 83 | 8 |
| Red Berenson | St. Louis Blues | 76 | 35 | 47 | 82 | 43 |
| Jean Beliveau | Montreal Canadiens | 69 | 33 | 49 | 82 | 55 |
| Frank Mahovlich | Detroit Red Wings | 76 | 49 | 29 | 78 | 38 |
| Jean Ratelle | New York Rangers | 75 | 32 | 46 | 78 | 26 |
Source: NHL.[6]
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 | St. Louis Blues | 37 | 2139 | 70 | 1.96 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 5 |
| Glenn Hall | St. Louis Blues | 41 | 2354 | 85 | 2.17 | 19 | 12 | 8 | 8 |
| Gump Worsley | Montreal Canadiens | 30 | 1703 | 64 | 2.26 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Roy Edwards | Detroit Red Wings | 40 | 2099 | 89 | 2.54 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 4 |
| Eddie Giacomin | New York Rangers | 70 | 4114 | 175 | 2.55 | 37 | 23 | 7 | 7 |
| Bernie Parent | Philadelphia Flyers | 58 | 3365 | 151 | 2.69 | 17 | 23 | 16 | 1 |
| Bruce Gamble | Toronto Maple Leafs | 61 | 3446 | 161 | 2.80 | 28 | 20 | 11 | 3 |
| Gerry Cheevers | Boston Bruins | 52 | 3112 | 145 | 2.80 | 28 | 12 | 12 | 3 |
| Johnny Bower | Toronto Maple Leafs | 20 | 779 | 37 | 2.85 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Rogie Vachon | Montreal Canadiens | 36 | 2051 | 98 | 2.87 | 22 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
Other statistics
- Plus-Minus leader: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
1968 Miss NHL Pageant
The 1968 Miss NHL Pageant was the first of three in NHL history and was held in Toronto on June 27, 1968. There were twelve contestants in the pageant, one from each of the twelve NHL teams. The winner would be named Miss NHL 1968 and would be the NHL ambassador for the 1968–69 season.
| Miss Boston Bruins | Valerie Miller |
| Miss Chicago Black Hawks | Patricia Anne Cooper |
| Miss Detroit Red Wings | Barbara Thomas |
| Miss Los Angeles Kings | Julia Martin |
| Miss Minnesota North Stars | Lynn Marie Stewart |
| Miss Montreal Canadiens | Mary Ann Lambert |
| Miss New York Rangers | Donna Hardy |
| Miss Oakland Seals | Debra Lynne Smith |
| Miss Philadelphia Flyers | Rhonda Moore |
| Miss Pittsburgh Penguins | Karen Antkiewicz |
| Miss St. Louis Blues | Terri Sherwood |
| Miss Toronto Maple Leafs | Angela Miller |
- Miss Minnesota North Stars Lynn Marie Stewart was named Miss NHL 1968, with Miss New York Rangers Donna Hardy the first runner-up, and Miss Los Angeles Kings Julia Martin the second runner-up. A second-year education student at the University of Minnesota, she received a new 1969 convertible, a trip for two to Mexico, a mink stole, a movie camera and a diamond watch set. Also, she would be the NHL ambassador for the 1968–69 season, making appearances at the NHL All-Star Game, the NHL awards, and the Stanley Cup Finals where she helped NHL President Clarence Campbell present the Stanley Cup. Each contestant received $1,500 in prizes including season tickets to the team that they represented in the pageant. Stewart's prizes were worth $15,000, with those for the first-runner up worth $2,700 and the second runner-up worth $2,200.
- Miss Pittsburgh Penguins Karen Antkiewicz was chosen Miss Personality Plus by the other contestants.
- Selection of Miss NHL was done on the basis of personality and poise (30 points), carriage and figure (15 points), make-up and grooming (10 points), speech and projection (10 points), talent (10 points) and overall impression (10 points).
Coaches
East
- Boston Bruins: Harry Sinden
- Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay
- Detroit Red Wings: Bill Gadsby
- Montreal Canadiens: Claude Ruel
- New York Rangers: Bernie Geoffrion and Emile Francis
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Punch Imlach
West
- Los Angeles Kings: Red Kelly
- Minnesota North Stars: John Muckler and Wren Blair
- Oakland Seals: Fred Glover
- Philadelphia Flyers: Keith Allen
- Pittsburgh Penguins: George "Red" Sullivan
- St. Louis Blues: Scotty Bowman
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1968–69 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Bob Berry, Montreal Canadiens
- Guy Lapointe, Montreal Canadiens
- Jude Drouin, Montreal Canadiens
- Tony Esposito, Montreal Canadiens
- Brad Park, New York Rangers
- Pat Quinn, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Jean Pronovost, Pittsburgh Penguins
Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1968–69 (listed with their last team):
- Kenny Wharram, Chicago Black Hawks
- Kent Douglas, Detroit Red Wings
- Gilles Tremblay, Montreal Canadiens
- Allan Stanley, Philadelphia Flyers
- Billy Harris, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Doug Harvey, St. Louis Blues
- Pierre Pilote, Toronto Maple Leafs
Broadcasting
Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. HNIC also produced Wednesday night regular season game telecasts for CTV. This was the first season that games were shown in their entirety instead of typically being joined in progress.
This was the third season under the U.S. rights agreement with CBS, airing weekend afternoon regular season games and Sunday afternoon playoff games.
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.
- McFarlane, Brian (1973). The Story of the National Hockey League. New York, NY: Pagurian Press. ISBN 0-684-13424-1.
- Notes
- Joe Malone holds the record, with 7 goals in one game
- Hockey's Book of Firsts, p. 27, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9
- "1968–1969 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
- "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- Dinger 2011, p. 150.