1971

Well I have had a great summer except when I think of the miserable state of the habs franchise. At least my memories have not faded of better times like the spring of 1971. As the 1970 -1971 hockey playoffs got under way, people were grudgingly accepting the Beatles had really broken up (but for how long), Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin were already dead, and Jim Morrison had a few months to live. In Quebec, the October 1970 crisis was over, James Cross survived but Pierre Laporte had been assassinated. Pierre Trudeau, Robert Bourassa and Jean Drapeau were our political leaders. Richard Nixon was waging secret bombing campaigns in Southeast Asia to bring about his peace with honor. Filming of the Godfather had begun and George C Scott had refused the Oscar for best actor for Patton the best movie that year.  Roberto Clemente was leading the Pirates to the World Series and he would be dead a year later. Kareem Abdul Jabbar was centering the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA championship. Muhammad Ali had just been beaten by Smokin Joe Frazier but everyone expected a rematch.

The 1971 hockey playoffs will go down as one of my fondest memories of this historic franchise.  It was the end of a great career for Beliveau and the beginning of greatness for Dryden. It linked the habs most famous dynasties of the 50’s , 60’s and 70’s. Still playing from the 50’s 5 cups in a row were Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard, from the 60’s dynasty there were the two previously mentioned along with Laperierre, Harper, Tremblay,  Cournoyer, and Ferguson. The future habs dynasty of the 70’s included the same Cournoyer,  Lapointe, Bouchard, Lemaire, Houle, and Dryden.  Sadly, Serge Savard had broken his leg and would miss the entire playoffs.

The Canadiens were a team in transition in 1971 after their failure to make the playoffs in 1970. Beliveau had announced his retirement and had performed admirably during the year finishing in the NHL top ten in scoring. He also had a memorable hat-trick when he scored his 500th goal showing off his legendary stick handling against the North Stars Gilles Gilbert. Fans and teammates were on edge because the regal Beliveau would probably not win the Cup in his final year.. The habs were an average team that would finish third in its division. On a positive note, thanks to the shrewd Sam Pollock, the habs had secured the first pick overall which would turn out to be future superstar Guy Lafleur.  Sam Pollock had also tried to ameliorate the team by getting Frank Mahovlich from the Red Wings. The Big M had his own legendary pedigree having won 4 Cups with the Leafs and he would be joining his little brother Peter for the first time.


The faint hope the habs had seemed dampened by the fact the third place team had to face the first place team. In this scenario, the habs had to meet in the opening round the defending Stanley Cup champions, the big bad Bruins. The Bruins that year had set all types of offensive records. Phil Esposito had shattered all scoring records getting 76 goals surpassing Bobby Hull’s previous record by 18 goals and adding 76 assists for 152 points both totals unimaginable just a few years before. Bobby Orr, easily considered the best player in the league, had recorded over 100 assists and electrified NHL fans throughout the league. The bruins team was already being categorized as one of the greatest ever and ten players had  reached 20 goals that year. The bruins were big, rough, charismatic, and talented.

Montreal Boston Series

There were a couple of things that may have suggested that the Bruins were beatable. One was their goals against that was only 9 goals better than the habs. Goaltending as well would become an issue as the bruins decided initially to rotate Cheevers and Johnson. The Habs were going to surprise the hockey world by benching future hall of famer Rogie Vachon and risking everything with Ken Dryden who had been average with the AHL Voyageurs, but had gone unbeaten in 6 regular season games. The habs had shrewdly avoided playing Dryden against the Bruins in the last few weeks of the season. Another plus  was the habs had met the Esposito, Orr- led bruins in 1968 and 1969 and in both years the habs had eliminated the bruins.

The first game in Boston was surprisingly a defensive battle. The bruins dominated but Dryden held the habs in the game. The Bruins won a hard fought 3-1 game. Jean Beliveau frustrated by being so close received his first ever misconduct at the end of the game. According to reports, Beliveau had asked the referee if it had been a good game and when the ref nodded Beliveau dryly said too bad you missed it.

The second game would go down as probably the greatest comeback ever in a habs playoff game. After the habs took a shock lead on a goal by the Roadrunner, the Bruins and Bobby Orr took over the game. Orr dazzled and his skills overwhelmed the habs and started chipping away at Dryden’s heroics. Wave after wave of Bobby Orr rushes led to goal after goal. Near the end of the second period the bruins had scored five unanswered goals. The bruins started to swagger and the fans started to sneer. A late goal at the end of the second period by the Pocket Rocket brought laughter from the bruins faithful after Richard slipped as he was being congratulated. The fans were thinking sweep and the end of an era with Beliveau retiring and Richard on his last legs.  The arrogance of the bruins and their fans was a probable reason the habs roared out for the third period. Jean Beliveau led the charge and it seemed he played like his pride and legacy were at stake. He scored two quick goals before the bruins knew what hit them. Now it was 5-4. The bruins started to tighten up and Orr started to show he was human. One giveaway after another by Orr and the habs took breakaway target practice on Montreal native Eddie Johnson.  The habs flew by their rivals to a stunning 7-5 win. Bobby Orr was on the ice for the last 6 habs goals. Flustered he was given a misconduct at the end of the game. Two legendary number fours with two misconducts in two games.

Going back to Montreal for game three the comeback game had no doubt a psychological effect on both teams. The renewed confidence of the habs and the fragile bruins reversed roles as the habs won game three 3-1 and took the series lead. Ken Dryden had become a factor as well and was on his way to psyching out the bruins. During a lull in the game Dryden famously posed with his arms on his stick showing that the goaltender was unruffled and in a pure meditative concentration. The buck or rather the puck stops here the pose seemed to say.

You can hold off Bobby Orr only so long. In game 4, Orr decided on his own to even the series by scoring a hat-trick. This was turning into a battle of wills between the unknown Dryden and Bobby Orr the best player in the league.

Back in Boston the tide seemed to turn again as the Bruins easily dismantled the habs 7-3. Once again, it seemed that the habs had put up an honourable fight to save face but Beliveau would lace up his skates one final time in Montreal for game six and call it a career. The series would be over in six. However, the determined habs were not about to give up without a fight. The bruins chink in the armour was exposed again as they fumbled defensively and got slaughtered 8-3 in game six. Incredibly there would be a game 7.

Game 7 was intense but the psych-out was about to be completed. The bruins were squeezing their sticks and seemed to be overwhelmed by the mythic Habs, Jean Beliveau, the big M and the unknown lanky Dryden. The habs played a solid defensive game and took advantage of the bruin defensive  gaffes to win 4-2. The defending stanley cup champion and record breaking Bruins had been eliminated. Bruins fans were in shock as their golden boy was tarnished once again by the habs. In hindsight, looking back on the series, the legendary Dick Irvin once observed that when all was said and done the habs had more hall of famers on that team that year than the supposedly better Bruins.

Montreal Minnesota Series

It would not be unusual to believe the habs were confident going against one of the recent expansion teams. The Minnesota North Stars had other ideas. They had finally defeated their expansion nemesis St Louis Blues.

What was striking about the team was the numerous ex-habs. Jude Drouin, ex junior hab who had sparsely played for the senior habs was their leading scorer during the regular season. Other ex habs included Danny Grant, Bobby Rousseau, and Ted Harris. Both goaltenders Cesar Maniago and Gump Worsley were ex habs with the Gumper being a big part of the 60’s dynasty. Cesar Maniago had had some great battles with the blues Glenn Hall in the previous years and he was one of the few goalies who was as tall as Ken Dryden. The team also included future Team Canada members Bill Goldsworthy and JP Parise. The inimitable Lou Nanne a US Olympian and future Team USA member and one of the few Americans in the league was also part of the team.

Maybe some of the bruins arrogance had rubbed off on the habs because after easily beating the North Stars in Game one 7-2, the North Stars humiliated the habs in the venerable forum in game two 6-3. It was a total ass whipping. The habs came right back the following game and won by the same score in Minnesota 6-3. Ok so game 2 was obviously a distraction and the habs would now dismiss the  North Stars. Unfortunately the pesky North Stars forgot to read the script and once again it was a one-sided win 5-2 in game four. The series was tied 2-2. Game 5  turned into another wipe-out as the habs won 6-1. Had the momentum finally shifted for good? Well game 6 turned into a nail biter as the North Stars threw everything they had at the habs. Ken Dryden turned into a wall again and the North Stars were finally eliminated 3-2 in a game they dominated.



Montreal Chicago Series

Before the Boston Bruins, the Chicago BlackHawks had been the offensive powerhouse during the sixties. However, after their cup win in 1961, the Hawks never made it to the promised land in that decade again. The Hawks had swept the Flyers who were in the middle of building their future cup team, and had a hard fought seven game series versus the Rangers who had two more points than the hawks in the regular season. The hawks were led by two superstars Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita. Both had held the season points scoring record and Hull the goal scoring record before the bruins tandem of Esposito and Orr had annihilated it. It was clear time was running out on this dynamic duo. The Hawks also had stellar defencemen and future team Canada members Pat Stapleton and Bill White. Finally, the Hawks had another ex hab goalie in Tony Esposito who was considered the best goalie in the NHL at the time. Tony O was Phil’s brother and he would duel future Team Canada teammate Ken Dryden for the first time.

This series was also a battle of the Mahovlich brothers versus the Hull brothers. Bobby Hull and Frank Mahovlich had always been competitors for the title of best left winger since their rookie year. Mahovlich had won the calder that first year, but Bobby Hull had outscored the big M during their careers.  On the other hand, Mahovlich had ended his career with 6 Stanley Cups on his resume compared to Hull’s one. The legendary centers Jean Beliveau and Stan Mikita would also have one final duel.

Unlike the previous two series, the habs did not win a game on the road for the first two games in Chicago. They almost won the first game but lost in overtime 2-1 in a goaltender battle. The second game the hawks displayed their offensive skills and easily won 5-3. Bobby Hull scored in both games, and the Mahovlich brothers scored in game 2. Back home for game three, the Mahovlich brothers scored three goals and the habs won 4-2. In game four, the Roadrunner had 2 goals as the habs easily won 5-2.   Back in Chicago for game five, Tony O had the final word as the hawks shut out the habs 2-0 with Dennis Hull  getting his second of the series. Back home for game six the habs won a nail-biter 4-3 as the Mahovlich brothers and the Roadrunner scored all 4 goals. It was going the limit with game seven in the loudest arena in the league Chicago stadium.



I remember thinking there was no way the habs were going to lose after coming this far. The game got off to a similar start to game 5 with the hawks taking an early 2-0 lead. Was Tony O going to get another O to win the cup? He had shutout the opposition 6 times during the regular season and twice during the playoffs. The habs looked frustrated and Lemaire reverted to his rookie year form by deciding to take a slap shot from near center ice. Tony O fanned and the fans were in stunned silence as the habs were only one behind. The Pocket Rocket then performed another final game heroics like he had done in 1966. The Pocket had been in the midst of a controversy with his coach Al McNeil. McNeil had replaced Claude Ruel during the season when the habs were faltering. During the playoffs, McNeil had decided to bench the aging Pocket Rocket during a game. Richard was furious and after the game called McNeil incompetent. The tabloids used the language card to complain that McNeil did not speak French months after the October crisis. As other players looked exhausted from the grueling playoffs, Richard seemed to have some reserve energy and scored two pretty goals. The Habs and Dryden never relinquished the lead. Yes the fairy tale playoffs would have a happy ending.



Beliveau was crowned one last time as he hung up his skates. He was awarded the Cup by Clarence Campbell and what some believe for the very first time the captain skated around the rink with the Cup. The Hawks fans knew they were witnessing greatness one last time and stood and applauded him.



Ken Dryden won the Conn Smythe before he won the Calder the following year beating out the likes of Lafleur, Dionne, and Martin. Another player that hung it up and retired was John Ferguson. As the reigning champ pugilist but still a young man, Fergy knew that it would be harder to play in a league with bigger stronger players. He had been bloodied in a fight for the first time during the year. Reggie Houle, a scoring phenom in junior was tasked with shadowing the Golden Jet and showed that he would soon be considered a defensive specialist similar to what Guy Carbonneau became. JC Tremblay who had been labeled throughout his career as a defensive liability bloomed all season and  showed  his stick wizardry in the playoffs. He would move on to the Nordiques in the WHA and lead that team for many seasons. Frank Mahovlich made Sam Pollock look like a genius as he scored the most goals and points in the playoffs. Jean Beliveau ended the playoffs with the most assists and a plus 13. It was a great summer in Montreal as the habs waited for the next one Guy Lafleur.