1968–69 NHL season
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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 for their second Stanley Cup in a row as they swept the Blues in four, which was the exact same result of the previous season.
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[edit] Regular season
Prior to this season no player had ever achieved 100 points in a season. This season saw not just one player reach 100, but three. The Boston Bruins' Phil Esposito led the way with 49 goals, 77 assists for an astounding 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. Forty-one year old Gordie Howe came in third with 103 points.
Red Berenson of St. Louis tied an NHL record, scoring six goals for the Blues in an 8–0 conquest of the Philadelphia Flyers November 7th. Doug Favell was the victim of the goals.
Despite finishing last in the West Division, Minnesota came up with a fine rookie left wing in Danny Grant, who tied Nels Stewart's forty year old record for most goals by a rookie with 34. Norm Ferguson of Oakland also tied the mark with 34.
On December 21st, with Gump Worsley out because of a nervous breakdown and Rogie Vachon out with a broken hand, rookie goaltender Tony Esposito of the Canadiens and Gerry Cheevers of the Bruins hooked up in a classic scoreless tie. Esposito made 41 saves, many of the stellar variety, against Johnny McKenzie, Fred Stanfield, Ron Murphy and big brother Phil. Cheevers made 34 saves, including breakaways by Henri Richard and Bobby Rousseau.
Los Angeles introduced rookie goaltender Gerry Desjardins who did a fine job for the ailing Wayne Rutledge, who was bothered by a 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 2nd, Phil Esposito became the first NHL player to score 100 points in a season in a 4–0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In March 20th's Boston-Chicago game, 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 21rst goal.
[edit] Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 76 | 46 | 19 | 11 | 103 | 271 | 202 | 780 |
| Boston Bruins | 76 | 42 | 18 | 16 | 100 | 303 | 221 | 1297 |
| New York Rangers | 76 | 41 | 26 | 9 | 91 | 231 | 196 | 806 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 76 | 35 | 26 | 15 | 85 | 234 | 217 | 961 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 76 | 33 | 31 | 12 | 78 | 239 | 221 | 885 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 76 | 34 | 33 | 9 | 77 | 280 | 246 | 842 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Blues | 76 | 37 | 25 | 14 | 88 | 204 | 157 | 838 |
| Oakland Seals | 76 | 29 | 36 | 11 | 69 | 219 | 251 | 811 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 76 | 20 | 35 | 21 | 61 | 174 | 225 | 964 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 76 | 24 | 42 | 10 | 58 | 185 | 260 | 698 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 76 | 20 | 45 | 11 | 51 | 189 | 252 | 677 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 76 | 18 | 43 | 15 | 51 | 189 | 270 | 862 |
[edit] 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 |
| Frank Mahovlich | Detroit Red Wings | 76 | 49 | 29 | 78 | 38 |
| Jean Ratelle | New York Rangers | 76 | 32 | 46 | 78 | 26 |
[edit] Leading goaltenders
[edit] Stanley Cup playoffs
[edit] Playoff bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | |||||||||||
| 3 | New York Rangers | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | |||||||||||
| East Division | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Boston Bruins | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Boston Bruins | 4 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 | |||||||||||
| E1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | |||||||||||
| W1 | St. Louis Blues | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1 | St. Louis Blues | 4 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1 | St. Louis Blues | 4 | |||||||||||
| West Division | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Los Angeles Kings | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Oakland Seals | 3 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Los Angeles Kings | 4 | |||||||||||
[edit] NHL awards
| Prince of Wales Trophy: | Montreal Canadiens |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: | St. Louis Blues |
| Art Ross Memorial Trophy: | Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: | Ted Hampson, Oakland Seals |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: | Danny Grant, Minnesota North Stars |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: | Serge Savard, Montreal Canadiens |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: | Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: | Alex Delvecchio, Detroit Red Wings |
| NHL Plus/Minus Award: | Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins |
| Vezina Trophy: | Glenn Hall & Jacques Plante, St. Louis Blues |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: | Robert M. Hull |
[edit] All-Star teams
[edit] 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
[edit] 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
[edit] See also
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- 1968 NHL Amateur Draft
- 22nd National Hockey League All-Star Game
- National Hockey League All-Star Game
- 1968 in sports
- 1969 in sports
[edit] References
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