1971–72 NHL season

The 1971–72 NHL season was the 55th season of the National Hockey League. Fourteen teams each played 78 games. The Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers four games to two for their second Stanley Cup in three seasons in the finals.

1971–72 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 8, 1971 – May 11, 1972
Number of games78
Number of teams14
TV partner(s)CBC, CTV, SRC (Canada)
CBS (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickGuy Lafleur
Picked byMontreal Canadiens
Regular season
Season championsBoston Bruins
Season MVPBobby Orr (Bruins)
Top scorerPhil Esposito (Bruins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPBobby Orr (Bruins)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsBoston Bruins
  Runners-upNew York Rangers

Regular season

Among notable first year players this season were Montreal's Guy Lafleur, who despite scoring 29 goals was felt lacking in comparison to newly retired superstar Jean Beliveau by the Canadiens' faithful; Buffalo's Rick Martin, who set a new record for goals by a rookie with 44; Gilles Meloche, goaltender for the California Golden Seals who acquired him from Chicago; and Ken Dryden, the sensational new goalie for the Canadiens, who despite winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP the previous season was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year, on the grounds that he had only played six prior regular season games.

43-year-old Gump Worsley, left unprotected (and unclaimed) in the waiver draft by the Minnesota North Stars, led the league with a 2.12 goals against average. Less fortunately, Philadelphia goaltender Bruce Gamble suffered a heart attack during a 3–1 win in Vancouver in February and was forced to retire from hockey.

In what was widely seen as a preemptive move to help forestall the incipient World Hockey Association, the NHL announced that Atlanta and Long Island had been granted expansion franchises to begin play in the 1972–73 season. The bids had been hastily put together in comparison with the 1967 and 1970 expansions.

Milestones this season included Gerry Cheevers setting an NHL record for the Boston Bruins (which has yet to be surpassed) with 33 straight undefeated games. On February 12, it was Gordie Howe Day in Detroit as his famous #9 was retired. On March 25, Bobby Hull scored his 600th NHL goal in a 5–5 tie with Boston at the Boston Garden.

An exciting scoring race in which Ranger Jean Ratelle had been leading Bruin Phil Esposito was shortcircuited when Ratelle broke his ankle in a game against California, putting him out for over a month of play. Ratelle still ended up third in scoring behind Esposito and Bruin Bobby Orr, while his teammates Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert – all three linemates on the renowned GAG line—finished fourth and fifth. A resurgent Frank Mahovlich, rejuvenated by a trade to Montreal, finished sixth, while Bobby Hull, in his final year in Chicago, finished seventh in points and second to Esposito in goals.

Although they had fallen somewhat from their overwhelming offensive dominance from the previous season, once again the Boston Bruins had the best record in the league, while the Chicago Black Hawks topped the West Division.

Final standings
East Division[1]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1Boston Bruins78541311330204+126119
2New York Rangers78481713317192+125109
3Montreal Canadiens78461616307205+102108
4Toronto Maple Leafs78333114209208+180
5Detroit Red Wings78333510261262−176
6Buffalo Sabres78164319203289−8651
7Vancouver Canucks7820508203297−9448
West Division[1]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1Chicago Black Hawks78461715256166+90107
2Minnesota North Stars78372912212191+2186
3St. Louis Blues78283911208247−3967
4Pittsburgh Penguins78263814220258−3866
5Philadelphia Flyers78263814200236−3666
6California Golden Seals78213918216288−7260
7Los Angeles Kings7820499206305−9949

East

West

Playoffs

Format change

In response to the prior year when the Minnesota North Stars appeared to intentionally lose games to finish fourth in the West instead of third and avoid a tougher match-up with first-place Chicago, and also the Boston Bruins were "rewarded" for finishing first in the East with a tough series against eventual Stanley Cup Champion Montreal, the first round match-ups were changed so that the first-place team played the fourth-place team and second played third. Previously, the first-place team played the third-place team and the second-place team played the fourth-place team.

This change necessitated a change to the way the semi-final match-ups were determined. Instead of having the winner of the series between the first and third-place East Division teams play the winner of the second and fourth-place West Division teams and the winner of the first versus third-place West Division teams against the winner of the second and fourth-place East Division teams, the semi-final pitted the highest remaining seed in the East Division play the lowest remaining seed from the West and vice versa.

Despite injuries to several key players, notably leading scorer Jean Ratelle, the New York Rangers beat the defending champions Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, with strong play from unheralded players such as Walt Tkaczuk. The Rangers went on the sweep the Chicago Black Hawks in four straight games during the semi-final. Chicago had beaten the Pittsburgh Penguins in four straight games.

Boston easily handled the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games, facing a St. Louis Blues team that had eked out a hard-fought seven-game victory against the North Stars in the quarter-final. The powerful Bruins set a record for the most goals in a four-game series by pounding the Blues 28–8 over a four-game sweep.

Playoff bracket
Quarterfinals Semifinals Stanley Cup Finals
         
E1 Boston 4
E4 Toronto 1
E1 Boston 4
W3 St. Louis 0
W2 Minnesota 3
W3 St. Louis 4
E1 Boston 4
E2 New York 2
W1 Chicago 4
W4 Pittsburgh 0
W1 Chicago 0
E2 New York 4
E2 New York 4
E3 Montreal 2

(E1) Boston Bruins vs. (E4) Toronto Maple Leafs

The Boston Bruins finished first in the league with 119 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished fourth in the East Division with 80 points. This was the twelfth playoff series between these two teams with Toronto winning eight of the eleven previous series. They last met in the 1969 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which Boston won in four games. Boston won this year's six-game regular season series earning nine of twelve points.

April 5 Toronto Maple Leafs 0–5 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 17:24 – Phil Esposito (1)
19:41 – Phil Esposito (2)
No scoring Third period 03:47 – Don Marcotte (1)
15:27 – John McKenzie (1)
15:38 – Fred Stanfield (1)
Jacques Plante 24 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Gerry Cheevers 27 saves / 27 shots
April 6 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–3 OT Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 07:23 – Fred Stanfield (2)
14:01 – Phil Esposito (3)
Dave Keon (1) – 01:23
Jim McKenny (1) – pp – 03:47		 Second period 04:27 – Johnny Bucyk (1)
Guy Trottier (1) – 08:42 Third period No scoring
Jim Harrison (1) – 02:58 First overtime period No scoring
Bernie Parent 37 saves / 40 shots Goalie stats Gerry Cheevers 18 saves / 22 shots
April 8 Boston Bruins 2–0 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Mike Walton (1) – pp – 18:38 Second period No scoring
Bobby Orr (1) – pp – 01:24 Third period No scoring
Eddie Johnston 30 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Bernie Parent 33 saves / 35 shots
April 9 Boston Bruins 5–4 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Johnny Bucyk (2) – 16:36 First period 17:45 – Dave Keon (2)
No scoring Second period 11:11 – pp – Ron Ellis (1)
17:57 – sh – Jim McKenny (2)
Ken Hodge (1) – 01:15
Ed Westfall (1) – sh – 08:03
Phil Esposito (4) – 09:49
Ken Hodge (2) – 16:11		 Third period 04:50 – Paul Henderson (1)
Eddie Johnston 38 saves / 42 shots Goalie stats Bernie Parent 31 saves / 36 shots
April 11 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–3 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Jim McKenny (3) – pp – 11:12 First period 15:42 – Fred Stanfield (3)
No scoring Second period 05:18 – John McKenzie (2)
Norm Ullman (1) – 06:09 Third period 07:38 – Ken Hodge (3)
Bernie Parent 34 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Gerry Cheevers 26 saves / 28 shots
Boston won series 4–1

(E2) New York Rangers vs. (E3) Montreal Canadiens

The New York Rangers finished second in the East Division with 109 points. The Montreal Canadiens finished third with 108 points. This was the tenth playoff series between these two teams with Montreal winning five of the nine previous series. They last met in the 1969 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which Montreal won in four games. New York won this year's six-game regular season series earning eight of twelve points.

April 5 Montreal Canadiens 2–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Claude Larose (1) – 18:55 First period 16:30 – pp – Bill Fairbairn (1)
19:32 – Vic Hadfield (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Frank Mahovlich (1) – 07:48 Third period 12:43 – Vic Hadfield (2)
Ken Dryden 34 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Ed Giacomin 17 saves / 19 shots
April 6 Montreal Canadiens 2–5 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Guy Lafleur (1) – 06:05 First period 07:45 – Dale Rolfe (1)
10:26 – Ron Stewart (1)
Claude Larose (2) – 02:29 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 00:20 – Bill Fairbairn (2)
15:34 – Walt Tkaczuk (1)
18:57 – Ted Irvine (1)
Ken Dryden 31 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Ed Giacomin 26 saves / 28 shots
April 8 New York Rangers 1–2 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 07:18 – pp – Frank Mahovlich (2)
18:13 – Marc Tardif (1)
Ron Stewart (2) – 07:21 Third period No scoring
Ed Giacomin 24 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Ken Dryden 22 saves / 23 shots
April 9 New York Rangers 6–4 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
Bill Fairbairn (3) – pp – 04:47
Bobby Rousseau (1) – 07:24
Bobby Rousseau (2) – 13:48
Vic Hadfield (3) – 19:41		 First period 11:22 – Jacques Lemaire (1)
18:15 – Marc Tardif (2)
No scoring Second period 13:21 – Yvan Cournoyer (1)
Pete Stemkowski (1) – 14:55
Ted Irvine (2) – 19:26		 Third period 05:48 – Terry Harper (1)
Ed Giacomin 29 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Ken Dryden 23 saves / 28 shots
April 11 Montreal Canadiens 2–1 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Frank Mahovlich (3) – 06:53 Second period 04:24 – pp – Vic Hadfield (4)
Jimmy Roberts (1) – 03:12 Third period No scoring
Ken Dryden 33 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Ed Giacomin 30 saves / 32 shots
April 13 New York Rangers 3–2 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
Bill Fairbairn (4) – 09:31 First period 11:32 – Yvan Cournoyer (2)
Bill Fairbairn (5) – 09:33 Second period 14:48 – Jacques Lemaire (2)
Walt Tkaczuk (2) – 00:29 Third period No scoring
Ed Giacomin 23 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Ken Dryden 32 saves / 35 shots
New York won series 4–2

(W1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (W4) Pittsburgh Penguins

The Chicago Black Hawks finished first in the West Division with 107 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins finished fourth in the West Division with 66 points (winning the tiebreaker with Philadelphia in head-to-head season series 3–2–1). This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Chicago won this year's six-game regular season series earning eleven of twelve points.

April 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
Bobby Leiter (1) – 01:25 First period 15:09 – Pit Martin (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 03:25 – sh – Jim Pappin (1)
16:37 – Pit Martin (2)
Jim Rutherford 35 saves / 38 shots Goalie stats Tony Esposito 28 saves / 29 shots
April 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 00:35 – Pit Martin (3)
05:52 – J.P. Bordeleau (1)
Jean Pronovost (1) – sh – 10:51 Second period No scoring
Bobby Leiter (2) – pp – 12:45 Third period 11:17 – Chico Maki (1)
Jim Rutherford 32 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Tony Esposito 26 saves / 28 shots
April 8 Chicago Black Hawks 2–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
J.P. Bordeleau (2) – 05:33 Second period No scoring
Stan Mikita (1) – 12:41 Third period No scoring
Gary Smith 31 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Jim Rutherford 38 saves / 40 shots
April 9 Chicago Black Hawks 6–5 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena Recap  
Jim Pappin (2) – 03:08 First period No scoring
Bobby Hull (1) – 16:40 Second period 09:13 – Ken Schinkel (1)
14:10 – Syl Apps Jr. (1)
17:19 – Ken Schinkel (2)
19:30 – Ron Schock (1)
Bobby Hull (2) – 01:22
Bobby Hull (3) – 11:28
Dennis Hull (1) – 15:38		 Third period 17:52 – Bobby Leiter (3)
Pit Martin (4) – 00:12 First overtime period No scoring
Gerry Desjardins 29 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Jim Rutherford 26 saves / 32 shots
Chicago won series 4–0

(W2) Minnesota North Stars vs. (W3) St. Louis Blues

The Minnesota North Stars finished second in the West Division with 86 points. The St. Louis Blues finished third with 67 points. This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams with St. Louis winning two of the three previous series. They last met in the previous year's Quarterfinals which the North Stars won in six games. Minnesota won four of the six games in this year's regular season series.

Kevin O'Shea's series-winning goal in overtime of Game 7 was the first time in Stanley Cup Playoff history that the road team won Game 7 in overtime.

April 5 St. Louis Blues 0–3 Minnesota North Stars Met Center Recap  
No scoring First period 14:25 – Dean Prentice (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 04:19 – Dean Prentice (2)
12:01 – Bob Nevin (1)
Jacques Caron 41 saves / 44 shots Goalie stats Gump Worsley 27 saves / 27 shots
April 6 St. Louis Blues 5–6 OT Minnesota North Stars Met Center Recap  
Frank St. Marseille (1) – pp – 12:14 First period 02:51 – pp – Doug Mohns (1)
Frank St. Marseille (2) – 02:00
Frank St. Marseille (3) – 05:38		 Second period 04:27 – pp – J. P. Parise (1)
07:38 – Danny Grant (1)
Garry Unger (1) – 08:05
Phil Roberto (1) – 10:59		 Third period 01:45 – Jude Drouin (1)
11:32 – Dean Prentice (3)
No scoring First overtime period 01:36 – Bill Goldsworthy (1)
Ernie Wakely 23 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Cesare Maniago 33 saves / 38 shots
April 8 Minnesota North Stars 1–2 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 09:28 – Phil Roberto (2)
No scoring Second period 10:07 – pp – Phil Roberto (3)
Jude Drouin (2) – pp – 00:40 Third period No scoring
Gump Worsley 33 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Jacques Caron 29 saves / 30 shots
April 9 Minnesota North Stars 2–3 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
Jude Drouin (3) – 10:56 First period No scoring
Danny Grant (2) – 00:21 Second period 12:12 – Phil Roberto (4)
13:45 – Kevin O'Shea (1)
No scoring Third period 11:50 – pp – Barclay Plager (1)
Cesare Maniago 35 saves / 38 shots Goalie stats Jacques Caron 28 saves / 30 shots
April 11 St. Louis Blues 3–4 Minnesota North Stars Met Center Recap  
Gary Sabourin (1) – 16:34
Phil Roberto (5) – pp – 19:59		 First period 01:42 – Barry Gibbs (1)
17:55 – Tom Reid (1)
Garry Unger (2) – pp – 19:34 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 02:55 – pp – J. P. Parise (2)
05:45 – Jude Drouin (4)
Jacques Caron 23 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Gump Worsley 30 saves / 33 shots
April 13 Minnesota North Stars 2–4 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
Bill Goldsworthy (2) – 04:03 First period 03:04 – pp – Phil Roberto (6)
06:21 – Bob Plager (1)
No scoring Second period 11:07 – Garry Unger (3)
J. P. Parise (3) – 15:01 Third period 16:13 – Jack Egers (1)
Gump Worsley 11 saves / 13 shots
Cesare Maniago 23 saves / 25 shots		 Goalie stats Jacques Caron 28 saves / 30 shots
April 16 St. Louis Blues 2–1 OT Minnesota North Stars Met Center Recap  
Gary Sabourin (2) – 12:04 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 00:15 – Charlie Burns (1)
Kevin O'Shea (2) – 10:07 First overtime period No scoring
Jacques Caron 28 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Cesare Maniago 25 saves / 27 shots
St. Louis won series 4–3

(E1) Boston Bruins vs. (W3) St. Louis Blues

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams. Their only previous series came in the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals which Boston won in four games. Boston won this year's six-game regular season series earning nine of twelve points.

April 18 St. Louis Blues 1–6 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Garry Unger (4) – pp – 03:18 First period 04:22 – Fred Stanfield (4)
11:03 – Mike Walton (2)
17:27 – Johnny Bucyk (3)
No scoring Second period 10:48 – pp – Fred Stanfield (5)
19:32 – Fred Stanfield (6)
No scoring Third period 14:55 – pp – Phil Esposito (5)
Jacques Caron 21 saves / 26 shots
Ernie Wakely 17 saves / 18 shots		 Goalie stats Eddie Johnston 25 saves / 26 shots
April 20 St. Louis Blues 2–10 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 07:17 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (4)
08:39 – Phil Esposito (6)
09:54 – Ed Westfall (2)
No scoring Second period 06:33 – Garnet Bailey (1)
09:27 – pp – John McKenzie (3)
Mike Murphy (1) – 04:37
Phil Roberto (7) – 05:26		 Third period 03:47 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (5)
10:34 – Mike Walton (3)
14:29 – Don Marcotte (2)
16:07 – Johnny Bucyk (6)
16:47 – Ed Westfall (3)
Jacques Caron 9 saves / 13 shots
Ernie Wakely 12 saves / 18 shots		 Goalie stats Gerry Cheevers 31 saves / 33 shots
April 23 Boston Bruins 7–2 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
Ed Westfall (4) – sh – 08:40
John McKenzie (4) – pp – 10:36
Phil Esposito (7) – 19:42		 First period 02:05 – pp – Mike Murphy (2)
Mike Walton (4) – 02:58
Ken Hodge (4) – 06:28
John McKenzie (5) – pp – 11:12		 Second period No scoring
Mike Walton (5) – 11:09 Third period 18:15 – Gary Sabourin (3)
Eddie Johnston 27 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Peter McDuffe 31 saves / 38 shots
April 25 Boston Bruins 5–3 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
Phil Esposito (8) – 01:29
Johnny Bucyk (7) – pp – 09:27		 First period 18:16 – Terry Crisp (1)
Johnny Bucyk (8) – pp – 04:44
Phil Esposito (9) – pp – 17:53		 Second period No scoring
Wayne Cashman (1) – 19:22 Third period 08:50 – Andre Dupont (1)
15:25 – Chris Evans (1)
Gerry Cheevers 33 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Jacques Caron 22 saves / 26 shots
Boston won series 4–0

(W1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (E2) New York Rangers

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams with Chicago winning all three previous series. They last met in the previous year's Semifinals which the Black Hawks won in seven games. New York won this year's six-game regular season series earning seven of twelve points.

April 16 New York Rangers 3–2 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
Ted Irvine (3) – 12:51 First period No scoring
Brad Park (1) – 16:07
Walt Tkaczuk (3) – 16:42		 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 12:30 – Stan Mikita (2)
14:40 – J. P. Bordeleau (3)
Ed Giacomin 25 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Tony Esposito 25 saves / 28 shots
April 18 New York Rangers 5–3 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
Vic Hadfield (5) – 14:38 First period 09:46 – Dennis Hull (2)
No scoring Second period 14:15 – Stan Mikita (3)
Rod Gilbert (1) – pp – 00:54
Brad Park (2) – 08:15
Rod Gilbert (2) – 12:36
Pete Stemkowski (2) – 19:51		 Third period 06:17 – pp – Pat Stapleton (1)
Gilles Villemure 32 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Tony Esposito 27 saves / 31 shots
April 20 Chicago Black Hawks 2–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Dennis Hull (3) – 05:12 First period 17:31 – Pete Stemkowski (3)
Dennis Hull (4) – pp – 09:49 Second period 06:20 – sh – Bruce MacGregor (1)
10:56 – Dale Rolfe (2)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Gary Smith 36 saves / 39 shots Goalie stats Gilles Villemure 21 saves / 23 shots
April 23 Chicago Black Hawks 2–6 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Bobby Hull (4) – sh – 05:37 First period 05:49 – pp – Phil Goyette (1)
15:32 – Bobby Rousseau (3)
Pat Stapleton (2) – pp – 12:10 Second period 04:37 – pp – Rod Gilbert (3)
16:25 – Vic Hadfield (6)
18:22 – Gene Carr (1)
No scoring Third period 03:40 – Bobby Rousseau (4)
Tony Esposito 31 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Gilles Villemure 23 saves / 25 shots
New York won series 4–0

Stanley Cup Finals
Main article: 1972 Stanley Cup Finals

This was the eighth series between these two teams with Boston winning five of the seven previous series. They last met in the 1970 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which the Bruins won in six games. The Bruins made their twelfth appearance in the Finals; they most recently made the Finals in 1970 where they defeated the St. Louis Blues in four games. This was the New York Rangers eighth Finals appearance and first since 1950 where they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in seven games. Boston won five of the six games in this year's regular season series.

April 30 New York Rangers 5–6 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Dale Rolfe (3) – 03:52 First period 05:07 – Fred Stanfield (7)
15:48 – Ken Hodge (5)
17:29 – sh – Derek Sanderson (1)
18:14 – sh – Ken Hodge (6)
Rod Gilbert (4) – pp – 11:54 Second period 10:46 – Ken Hodge (7)
Vic Hadfield (7) – pp – 01:56
Walt Tkaczuk (4) – 07:48
Bruce MacGregor (2) – 09:17		 Third period 17:44 – Garnet Bailey (2)
Ed Giacomin 22 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Gerry Cheevers 24 saves / 29 shots
May 2 New York Rangers 1–2 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 16:15 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (9)
Rod Gilbert (5) – 07:23 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 11:53 – pp – Ken Hodge (8)
Gilles Villemure 23 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Eddie Johnston 27 saves / 28 shots
May 4 Boston Bruins 2–5 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Mike Walton (6) – 14:04 First period 01:22 – pp – Brad Park (3)
11:19 – pp – Rod Gilbert (6)
13:00 – pp – Brad Park (4)
Bobby Orr (2) – 01:10 Second period 03:46 – Rod Gilbert (7)
19:23 – Pete Stemkowski (4)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Gerry Cheevers 34 saves / 39 shots Goalie stats Ed Giacomin 32 saves / 34 shots
May 7 Boston Bruins 3–2 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Bobby Orr (3) – 05:26
Bobby Orr (4) – pp – 08:17		 First period No scoring
Don Marcotte (3) – sh – 16:33 Second period 18:38 – Ted Irvine (4)
No scoring Third period 18:35 – pp – Rod Seiling (1)
Eddie Johnston 21 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Ed Giacomin 21 saves / 24 shots
May 9 New York Rangers 3–2 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Dale Rolfe (4) – 13:45 First period 03:55 – Wayne Cashman (2)
16:07 – pp – Ken Hodge (9)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Bobby Rousseau (5) – 02:56
Bobby Rousseau (6) – 12:45		 Third period No scoring
Gilles Villemure 36 saves / 38 shots Goalie stats Eddie Johnston 23 saves / 26 shots
May 11 Boston Bruins 3–0 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Bobby Orr (5) – pp – 11:18 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Wayne Cashman (3) – pp – 05:10
Wayne Cashman (4) – 18:11		 Third period No scoring
Gerry Cheevers 33 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Gilles Villemure 24 saves / 27 shots
Boston won series 4–2

Awards
1972 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)		Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers
Calder Memorial Trophy:
(Top first-year player)		Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens
Conn Smythe Trophy:
(Most valuable player, playoffs)		Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
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)		Jean Ratelle, New York Rangers
Lester B. Pearson Award:
(Outstanding player, regular season)		Jean Ratelle, New York Rangers
Vezina Trophy:
(Goaltender(s) of team with best goaltending record)		Tony Esposito & Gary Smith, Chicago Black Hawks
Lester Patrick Trophy:
(Service to hockey in the U.S.)		Clarence S. Campbell, John A. "Snooks" Kelley, Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, James D. Norris

All-Star teams
First Team  Position  Second Team
Tony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks G Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens
Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins D Bill White, Chicago Black Hawks
Brad Park, New York Rangers D Pat Stapleton, Chicago Black Hawks
Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins C Jean Ratelle, New York Rangers
Rod Gilbert, New York Rangers RW Yvan Cournoyer, Montreal Canadiens
Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks LW Vic Hadfield, New York Rangers

Player statistics

Scoring leaders
Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Phil EspositoBoston Bruins76666713376
Bobby OrrBoston Bruins763780117106
Jean RatelleNew York Rangers6346631094
Vic HadfieldNew York Rangers785056106142
Rod GilbertNew York Rangers7343549764
Frank MahovlichMontreal Canadiens7643539636
Bobby HullChicago Black Hawks7850439324
Yvan CournoyerMontreal Canadiens7347368315
Johnny BucykBoston Bruins783251834
Bobby ClarkePhiladelphia Flyers7835468187
Jacques LemaireMontreal Canadiens7732498126

Source: NHL.[4]

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
Tony EspositoChicago Black Hawks482780821.77311069
Gilles VillemureNew York Rangers372129742.0924743
Lorne WorsleyMinnesota North Stars341923682.12161072
Ken DrydenMontreal Canadiens6438001422.24398158
Gary SmithChicago Black Hawks281540622.4214565
Gerry CheeversBoston Bruins4124201012.5027582
Jacques CaronSt. Louis Blues281619682.5214851
Bernie ParentToronto Maple Leafs4727151162.56171893
Jacques PlanteToronto Maple Leafs341965862.63161352
Cesare ManiagoMinnesota North Stars4325391122.65201743

Other statistics

Coaches

East

West

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1971–72 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1971–72 listed with their last team):

NOTE: McKenzie, Green, Tremblay, Fonteyne, Selby, Nesterenko, McDonald, Hicke and Paiement would continue their careers in the World Hockey Association.

Broadcasting

Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games. HNIC also produced Wednesday night regular season game telecasts for CTV. Due to a National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians strike that affected the CBC, this season's Stanley Cup playoff games aired instead on CTV.

This was the sixth and final season under the U.S. rights agreement with CBS, airing Sunday afternoon regular season and playoff games. CBS also televised Game 6 of the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals on a Thursday night. NBC then signed a new contract to broadcast 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.
Notes
  1. "1971–1972 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  2. "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  4. Dinger 2011, p. 150.
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