1966–67 NHL season
| 1966–67 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 19, 1966 – May 2, 1967 |
| Number of games | 70 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champion | Chicago Black Hawks |
| Season MVP | Stan Mikita (Chicago Black Hawks) |
| Top scorer | Stan Mikita (Chicago Black Hawks) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs Playoffs MVP | Dave Keon (Toronto Maple Leafs) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Runners-up | Montreal Canadiens |
The 1966–67 NHL season was the 50th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 70 games. Since the 1942–43 season, there had only been six teams in the NHL, but this was to be the last season of the Original Six as six more teams were added for the 1967–68 season. This season saw the debut of one of the greatest players in hockey history, defenceman Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup over the Montreal Canadiens; this would be the Leafs' most recent Stanley Cup, as of 2016.
League business
President David Molson of the Canadian Arena Company announced that the Montreal Forum would undergo major alterations done in a $5 million work program commencing in April 1968.
NHL sponsorship of junior teams ceased, making all players of qualifying age not already on NHL-sponsored lists eligible for the amateur draft.
Regular season
Bobby Orr made his NHL debut on October 19, with an assist in a 6–2 win over Detroit.
Terry Sawchuk got his 99th shutout when Toronto blanked Detroit 4–0 on February 25. He got his 100th career shutout on March 4, when Toronto defeated Chicago 4–0.
Bobby Hull scored his 50th goal of the season when Chicago lost to Toronto 9–5 on March 18 at Maple Leaf Gardens. Another superlative for the Black Hawks was Stan Mikita, who tied the league scoring record with 97 points in claiming the Art Ross Trophy for the third time. Mikita was also awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as most valuable player.
The Chicago Black Hawks, who had won three Stanley Cups, finished first overall in the standings for the first time in their history, a full seventeen points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens and nineteen ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Boston Bruins missed the playoffs, their last time before their record 29-season playoff streak.
Final standings
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 41 | 17 | 12 | 264 | 170 | +94 | 94 |
| 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 32 | 25 | 13 | 202 | 188 | +14 | 77 |
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 32 | 27 | 11 | 204 | 211 | −7 | 75 |
| 4 | New York Rangers | 70 | 30 | 28 | 12 | 188 | 189 | −1 | 72 |
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 27 | 39 | 4 | 212 | 241 | −29 | 58 |
| 6 | Boston Bruins | 70 | 17 | 43 | 10 | 182 | 253 | −71 | 44 |
Playoffs
Despite Chicago's impressive regular season marks, it was the third seed Toronto Maple Leafs who beat the Black Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. Toronto won games 2, 3, 5, and 6. Montreal swept the Rangers to advance to the final.
Playoff bracket
| Semi-finals | Stanley Cup Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4 | |||||||
| 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4 | |||||||
| 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | |||||||
| 4 | New York Rangers | 0 | |||||||
Finals
The Maple Leafs faced off against second-place Montreal for the Cup. The teams split the first four games, the third game in Toronto won in overtime by Toronto (on a goal by Bob Pulford against Rogie Vachon, whom Pulford would later coach in Los Angeles). The Leafs then won the next two to win the Cup on home ice.
Awards
| 1966–1967 NHL awards | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (Regular season champion) | Chicago Black Hawks |
| Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer) | Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: (Best first-year player) | Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: (Most valuable player, playoffs) | Dave Keon, Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Hart Trophy: (Most valuable player, season) | Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman) | Harry Howell, New York Rangers |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) | Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Vezina Trophy: (Goaltender(s) of team with the best goals-against average) | Glenn Hall & Denis DeJordy, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: (Outstanding service to U.S. hockey) | Gordon Howe, Charles F. Adams, James E. Norris |
All-Star teams
| Ed Giacomin, New York Rangers | G | Glenn Hall, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Pierre Pilote, Chicago Black Hawks | D | Tim Horton, Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Harry Howell, New York Rangers | D | Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins |
| Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks | C | Norm Ullman, Detroit Red Wings |
| Kenny Wharram, Chicago Black Hawks | RW | Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings |
| Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks | LW | Don Marshall, New York Rangers |
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stan Mikita | Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 35 | 62 | 97 | 12 |
| Bobby Hull | Chicago Black Hawks | 66 | 52 | 28 | 80 | 52 |
| Norm Ullman | Detroit Red Wings | 68 | 26 | 44 | 70 | 26 |
| Ken Wharram | Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 31 | 34 | 65 | 21 |
| Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings | 69 | 25 | 40 | 65 | 53 |
| Bobby Rousseau | Montreal Canadiens | 68 | 19 | 44 | 63 | 58 |
| Phil Esposito | Chicago Black Hawks | 69 | 21 | 40 | 61 | 40 |
| Phil Goyette | New York Rangers | 70 | 12 | 49 | 61 | 6 |
| Doug Mohns | Chicago Black Hawks | 61 | 25 | 35 | 60 | 58 |
| Henri Richard | Montreal Canadiens | 65 | 21 | 34 | 55 | 28 |
Source: NHL.[2]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn Hall | Chicago Black Hawks | 32 | 1664 | 66 | 2.38 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Denis DeJordy | Chicago Black Hawks | 44 | 2536 | 104 | 2.46 | 22 | 12 | 7 | 4 |
| Charlie Hodge | Montreal Canadiens | 37 | 2055 | 88 | 2.60 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 3 |
| Ed Giacomin | New York Rangers | 68 | 3981 | 173 | 2.61 | 30 | 27 | 11 | 9 |
| Johnny Bower | Toronto Maple Leafs | 27 | 1431 | 63 | 2.64 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| Terry Sawchuk | Toronto Maple Leafs | 28 | 1409 | 66 | 2.81 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Roger Crozier | Detroit Red Wings | 58 | 3256 | 182 | 3.35 | 22 | 29 | 4 | 4 |
| Eddie Johnston | Boston Bruins | 34 | 1880 | 116 | 3.70 | 8 | 21 | 2 | 0 |
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1966–67 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
- Glen Sather, Boston Bruins
- Ed Van Impe, Chicago Black Hawks
- Carol Vadnais, Montreal Canadiens
- Serge Savard, Montreal Canadiens
- Rogie Vachon, Montreal Canadiens
Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1966–67 (listed with their last team):
See also
- 1967 NHL Expansion
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- 1966 NHL Amateur Draft
- 20th National Hockey League All-Star Game
- National Hockey League All-Star Game
- 1966 in sports
- 1967 in sports
References
- Diamond, Dan, ed. (1994). Years of glory, 1942–1967: the National Hockey League's official book of the six-team era. Toronto, ON: McClelland and Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-2817-2.
- 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
- ↑ "1966–1967 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
- ↑ Dinger 2011, p. 150.
External links
- Hockey Database
- NHL.com
- NHL (2004). NHL Guide & Record Book 2005. NHL.