1965–66 NHL season

National Hockey League season August 2023 January 2021 1965–66 NHL season National Hockey League Ice hockey October 23, 1965 – May 5, 1966 Regular season Draft 1965 NHL Draft List of first overall NHL draft picks Andre Veilleux New York Rangers 70 6 CBC, CTV, SRC (Canada)NBC, RKO General (United States) Season champion Montreal Canadiens Bobby Hull (Black Hawks) Hart Memorial Trophy Bobby Hull (Black Hawks) Art Ross Trophy Playoffs Roger Crozier (Red Wings) Conn Smythe Trophy Stanley Cup 1966 Stanley Cup Finals Montreal Canadiens Detroit Red Wings 1966–67 NHL season 1964–65 NHL season 1966–67 1964–65 NHL The 1965–66 NHL season was the 49th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams played 70 games each. The Montreal Canadiens won their second consecutive Stanley Cup as they defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to two in the final series. League business A new trophy was introduced for this season. Jack Adams won the first Lester Patrick Trophy for his contribution to hockey in the United States.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ottawa-citizen/53519198/ Howe—player's player Ottawa Citizen February 21, 1967 June 17, 2024 February saw the momentous announcement that six conditional franchises had been awarded to Los Angeles, San Francisco, St. Louis, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, all to begin play in 1967. The St. Louis franchise was surprising, as no formal application from the city had been tendered. It was awarded to fulfill the wishes of James D. Norris and Arthur Wirtz, owners of the Chicago Black Hawks, who also owned the St. Louis Arena, which they wanted to sell.https://www.stltoday.com/news/archives/why-st-louis-can-thank-the-chicago-blackhawks-that-the-blues-even-exist/article_412035a4-89ac-11ec-a68a-274bf0660a9f.html Why St. Louis can thank the Chicago Blackhawks that the Blues even exist St. Louis Post-Dispatch February 9, 2024 June 17, 2024 On the debit side, a strong bid from Vancouver was rejected, much to the anger of many Canadians and the protest of their Prime Minister Lester Pearson. A rumour was widely spread — fuelled by a corroborating statement from Leafs' general manager Punch Imlach that the Toronto and Montreal owners had vetoed the bid out of a dislike for sharing the proceeds from television broadcasts of the games. Vancouver would eventually get an NHL franchise in 1970.Total Hockey: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Hockey League Dan Diamond James Duplacey Ralph Dinger Igor Kuperman Eric Zweig 1998 Total Sports 251 9781892129857 The third NHL amateur draft was held on April 27, 1965, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Andre Veilleux was selected first overall by the New York Rangers. For the second consecutive year, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) called for the end the NHL's system of sponsoring junior ice hockey teams and instead allow players who graduated from junior hockey to be chosen in the NHL amateur draft. CAHA president Lionel Fleury asked the NHL to terminate the existing professional-agreement rather than letting it expire in 1968.Develop Draft System Fleury Tells Delegates May 28, 1965 Winnipeg Free Press Winnipeg, Manitoba 43 https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-may-28-1965-2301076/ NHL president Clarence Campbell declined to terminate the agreement since 95 per cent of NHL players were produced by sponsored junior teams. The NHL felt that a draft of players might be viable but wanted to draft players at a younger age than 20, and wanted to continue making payments directly to amateur teams instead of the CAHA dispersing funds as it saw fit.Campbell Balks At Break Attempt May 28, 1965 Winnipeg Free Press Winnipeg, Manitoba 43 https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-may-28-1965-2301089/ Discussions remained unresolved until a new agreement with the requested changes was reached in August 1966.Sweeping Changes In Pro-Am Hockey Pact August 19, 1966 Winnipeg Free Press Winnipeg, Manitoba 22 https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-aug-19-1966-1087023/ Rule changes The only significant rule change for this season was a requirement that the teams suit up two goaltenders for each game.Duplacey 1996 33 Regular season Among notable players to debut during this season were Ed Giacomin for the Rangers, Bill Goldsworthy for the Bruins, Ken Hodge for Chicago and Mike Walton for Toronto. In the meantime, however, the career of future Hockey Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay was over, as his request for reinstatement as an active player was vetoed by the Toronto ownership. Ed Giacomin put together a six-game unbeaten streak early in the season to the delight of the fans, but the team's inexperience behind the blueline caught up with them as the team began to lose and the Rangers were out of contention quickly, causing Red Sullivan to be replaced by Emile Francis as the team's head coach. Rod Gilbert had to undergo a second spinal fusion surgery halfway through the season. Gordie Howe scored his 600th NHL goal in Montreal on November 27 in a 3–2 loss to the Canadiens to the cheers of the local fans. Among lesser milestones in the season were Frank Mahovlich's 250th goal and Johnny Bucyk's and Claude Provost's 200th goal. In an unusual incident, the Red Wings' jerseys were stolen from the visitors' dressing room in Montreal the night before a January game, and Detroit was compelled to play in the uniforms of their junior farm team in Hamilton, which were express shipped to Montreal in time for the match."Something Borrowed But Nothing Blue For Red Wings", The Montreal Star, 24 January 1966. p.19 James D. Norris, owner of the Chicago Black Hawks, died of a heart attack in late February. Due to the Rangers finishing in last place in the regular season standings, the 1965–66 season was the last season of the Original Six era where a franchise from the New York metropolitan area or even the state did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Beginning in the following season, teams from the area made the playoffs for a total of 58 consecutive seasons (not including the 2004–05 NHL lockout) until the streak ended during the 2025–26 season while the streak in the state ended in 2017–18 season. Final standings Playoffs Playoff bracket The top four teams in the league qualified for the playoffs. In the semifinals, the first-place team played the third-place team, while the second-place team faced the fourth-place team, with the winners advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. In both rounds, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). Stanley Cup Finals Semifinals 1 Montreal 4 3 Toronto 0 2 Chicago 2 4 Detroit 4 1 Montreal 4 4 Detroit 2 Semifinals The second game of the semifinal series between Detroit and Chicago on April 10, was nationally televised in the United States."Red Wings Jar Black Hawks, 7–0." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1966 Apr 11. For the fourth straight year, it was Montreal vs. Toronto and Detroit vs. Chicago in the first round. The Canadiens were victorious over the Leafs in four straight games, while the Wings beat the Hawks in six. (1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (3) Toronto Maple Leafs The Montreal Canadiens were the best regular season team, earning 90 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs earned the third seed with 79 points. This was the twelfth playoff series between these two rivals, with Toronto winning six of their eleven previous series. This was a rematch from the 1965 semifinals, where Montreal won in six games. Toronto won sixteen of twenty-eight points in this year's regular season series. The Canadiens defeated the Maple Leafs in a four-game sweep. Toronto Maple Leafs Montreal Canadiens Maple Leaf Gardens Montreal Forum April 7 3–4 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-mtl/1966/04/07/1965030111#game=1965030111,game_state=final Eddie Shack (1) – 02:12Frank Mahovlich (1) – pp – 18:08 12:08 – pp – J.C. Tremblay (1) No scoring 03:05 – John Ferguson (1)08:13 – pp – Bobby Rousseau (1) Bob Pulford (1) – 10:35 17:48 – Jean Beliveau (1) Terry Sawchuck 28 saves / 32 shots Gump Worsley 25 saves / 28 shots April 9 0–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-mtl/1966/04/09/1965030112#game=1965030112,game_state=final No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring 09:30 – pp – Claude Provost (1)16:07 – Bobby Rousseau (2) Terry Sawchuck 38 saves / 40 shots Gump Worsley 25 saves / 25 shots April 12 5–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-tor/1966/04/12/1965030113#game=1965030113,game_state=final 01:26 – pp – Eddie Shack (2)17:32 – Tim Horton (1) No scoring No scoring Ralph Backstrom (1) – 08:16Bobby Rousseau (3) – pp – 11:00Terry Harper (1) – 11:26 No scoring John Ferguson (2) – 00:16Jean Beliveau (2) – en – 19:50 Johnny Bower 33 saves / 37 shots Gump Worsley 28 saves / 30 shots April 14 4–1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-tor/1966/04/14/1965030114#game=1965030114,game_state=final 05:40 – Larry Hillman (1) No scoring No scoring Gilles Tremblay (1) – pp – 09:32Gilles Tremblay (2) – pp – 13:28 No scoring Jimmy Roberts (1) – sh – 04:04Dick Duff (1) – pp – 07:16 Johnny Bower 34 saves / 38 shots Gump Worsley 30 saves / 31 shots Montreal won series 4–0 (2) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (4) Detroit Red Wings The Chicago Black Hawks earned the second seed with 82 points. The Detroit Red Wings earned the fourth seed with 74 points. This was the eighth playoff series between these two rivals, with Detroit winning four of their seven previous series. This was a rematch of the 1965 semifinals, where Chicago won in seven games. Chicago earned twenty-four of twenty-eight points in this year's regular season series. The Red Wings upset the Black Hawks in six games. Detroit Red Wings Chicago Black Hawks Olympia Stadium Chicago Stadium April 7 1–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-chi/1966/04/07/1965030121#game=1965030121,game_state=final Dean Prentice (1) – pp – 18:28 06:08 – Kenny Wharram (1)11:54 – pp – Bobby Hull (1) No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring Roger Crozier 26 saves / 28 shots Glenn Hall 29 saves / 30 shots April 10 7–0 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-chi/1966/04/10/1965030122#game=1965030122,game_state=final Floyd Smith (1) – pp – 04:10Gordie Howe (1) – 12:11Floyd Smith (2) – pp – 19:50 No scoring Andy Bathgate (1) – pp – 13:27 No scoring Dean Prentice (2) – 03:39Andy Bathgate (2) – pp – 05:38Bert Marshall (1) – 06:00 No scoring Roger Crozier 21 saves / 21 shots Glenn Hall 24 saves / 31 shotsDave Dryden 1 save / 1 shot April 12 2–1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-det/1966/04/12/1965030123#game=1965030123,game_state=final 15:01 – Bryan Watson (1) No scoring No scoring Chico Maki (1) – pp – 06:19Eric Nesterenko (1) – 18:43 No scoring No scoring Roger Crozier 22 saves / 24 shots Glenn Hall 29 saves / 30 shots April 14 1–5 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-det/1966/04/14/1965030124#game=1965030124,game_state=final 03:15 – pp – Paul Henderson (1) Stan Mikita (1) – pp – 08:04 02:59 – Paul Henderson (2) No scoring 01:06 – pp – Andy Bathgate (3)01:55 – Bryan Watson (2)08:08 – pp – Gordie Howe (2) No scoring Roger Crozier 20 saves / 21 shots Glenn Hall 27 saves / 32 shots April 17 5–3 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-chi/1966/04/17/1965030125#game=1965030125,game_state=final Norm Ullman (1) – 08:14Val Fonteyne (1) – sh – 15:08 No scoring Andy Bathgate (4) – pp – 01:19 03:05 – Doug Mohns (1)14:51 – pp – Pat Stapleton (1) Gordie Howe (3) – 11:41Norm Ullman (2) – 15:43 16:28 – Bobby Hull (2) Roger Crozier 28 saves / 31 shots Glenn Hall 22 saves / 27 shots April 19 2–3 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-det/1966/04/19/1965030126#game=1965030126,game_state=final 02:51 – pp – Andy Bathgate (5) No scoring No scoring Phil Esposito (1) – pp – 14:24Pat Stapleton (2) – 17:54 16:25 – Dean Prentice (3)17:28 – Dean Prentice (4) No scoring Roger Crozier 26 saves / 28 shots Glenn Hall 27 saves / 30 shots Detroit won series 4–2 Stanley Cup Finals 1966 Stanley Cup Finals The Montreal Canadiens were the defending champions in their twenty-second Stanley Cup Finals, after winning their thirteenth championship the previous year with a seven-game victory over the Chicago Black Hawks. This was the Detroit Red Wings' eighteenth Stanley Cup Finals, having won seven championships previously. Their most recent Finals came in 1964, when they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games. This was the eleventh playoff series between these two teams, with Detroit winning seven of their ten previous series. Their most recent series had come in the 1958 semifinals, where Montreal won in a four-game sweep. Montreal won eighteen of twenty-eight points in this year's regular season series. Detroit would not return to the Stanley Cup Finals again until 1995. Behind the skilled goaltending of Roger Crozier, who had missed parts of the regular season with illness, the Red Wings won the first two games of the Finals. However, Crozier was injured in the fourth game and the Canadiens won the Cup four games to two. Roger Crozier won the Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the losing team. Detroit Red Wings Montreal Canadiens Olympia Stadium Montreal Forum April 24 3–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-mtl/1966/04/24/1965030211#game=1965030211,game_state=final Floyd Smith (3) – 13:25 No scoring Bill Gadsby (1) – 05:14 04:23 – Ralph Backstrom (2) Paul Henderson (3) – 02:14 02:36 – Terry Harper (2) Roger Crozier 33 saves / 35 shots Gump Worsley 32 saves / 35 shots April 26 5–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-mtl/1966/04/26/1965030212#game=1965030212,game_state=final Andy Bathgate (6) – pp – 18:39 06:55 – pp – J.C. Tremblay (2) No scoring No scoring Bruce MacGregor (1) – 01:51Ab McDonald (1) – 02:45Floyd Smith (4) – 12:28Dean Prentice (5) – 16:25 12:00 – Yvan Cournoyer (1) Roger Crozier 23 saves / 25 shots Gump Worsley 29 saves / 34 shots April 28 4–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-det/1966/04/28/1965030213#game=1965030213,game_state=final 04:20 – Norm Ullman (3) Dave Balon (1) – 15:40Jean Beliveau (3) – 19:12 No scoring No scoring 19:59 – Gordie Howe (4) Gilles Tremblay (3) – 01:45Gilles Tremblay (4) – pp – 03:21 Roger Crozier 27 saves / 31 shots Gump Worsley 29 saves / 31 shots May 1 2–1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-det/1966/05/01/1965030214#game=1965030214,game_state=final No scoring No scoring 11:24 – Norm Ullman (4) Jean Beliveau (4) – pp – 19:51 No scoring Ralph Backstrom (3) – 13:37 Roger Crozier 3 saves / 3 shotsHank Bassen 28 saves / 30 shots Gump Worsley 22 saves / 23 shots May 3 1–5 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/det-vs-mtl/1966/05/03/1965030215#game=1965030215,game_state=final No scoring 01:06 – Claude Provost (2)19:21 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (2) Norm Ullman (5) – 14:22 01:05 – Dave Balon (2)11:22 – Bobby Rousseau (4) No scoring 05:31 – Dick Duff (2) Roger Crozier 28 saves / 33 shots Gump Worsley 20 saves / 21 shots May 5 3–2 1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-det/1966/05/05/1965030216#game=1965030216,game_state=final No scoring Jean Beliveau (5) – 09:08 11:55 – pp – Norm Ullman (6) Leon Rochefort (1) – 10:11 10:30 – Floyd Smith (5) No scoring No scoring Henri Richard (1) – 02:20 Roger Crozier 19 saves / 22 shots Gump Worsley 28 saves / 30 shots Montreal won series 4–2 Awards Bobby Hull set a new record for goals in a season with 54 and a new record for points in a season with 97, earning him the Art Ross Trophy and his second straight Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. No left-winger would pace the NHL in points again until Alexander Ovechkin in 2007–08. Jacques Laperriere of Montreal won the Norris Trophy as best defenceman. 1965–66 NHL awardsPrince of Wales Trophy:(Regular season champion) Montreal CanadiensArt Ross Trophy:(Top scorer) Bobby Hull, Chicago Black HawksCalder Memorial Trophy:(Best first-year player) Brit Selby, Toronto Maple LeafsConn Smythe Trophy:(Most valuable player, playoffs) Roger Crozier, Detroit Red WingsHart Trophy:(Most valuable player, season) Bobby Hull, Chicago Black HawksJames Norris Memorial Trophy:(Best defenceman) Jacques Laperriere, Montreal CanadiensLady Byng Memorial Trophy:(Excellence and sportsmanship) Alex Delvecchio, Detroit Red WingsVezina Trophy:(Goaltender(s) of team with the best goals-against average) Gump Worsley and Charlie Hodge, Montreal Canadiens All-Star teams First team   Position   Second teamGlenn Hall, Chicago Black Hawks GGump Worsley, Montreal CanadiensJacques Laperriere, Montreal Canadiens DAllan Stanley, Toronto Maple LeafsPierre Pilote, Chicago Black Hawks DPat Stapleton, Chicago Black HawksStan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks CJean Beliveau, Montreal CanadiensGordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings RWBobby Rousseau, Montreal CanadiensBobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks LWFrank Mahovlich, Toronto Maple Leafs 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 Bobby Hull Chicago Black Hawks 65 54 43 97 70 Stan Mikita Chicago Black Hawks 68 30 48 78 56 Bobby Rousseau Montreal Canadiens 70 30 48 78 20 Jean Beliveau Montreal Canadiens 67 29 48 77 50 Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings 70 29 46 75 83 Norm Ullman Detroit Red Wings 70 31 41 72 35 Alex Delvecchio Detroit Red Wings 70 31 38 69 16 Bob Nevin New York Rangers 69 29 33 62 10 Henri Richard Montreal Canadiens 62 22 39 61 47 Murray Oliver Boston Bruins 70 18 42 60 30 Source: NHL.Dinger 2011 150 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 SOJohnny Bower Toronto Maple Leafs 35 1998 75 2.25 18 10 5 3Lorne Worsley Montreal Canadiens 51 2899 114 2.36 29 14 6 2Charlie Hodge Montreal Canadiens 26 1301 56 2.58 12 7 2 1Glenn Hall Chicago Black Hawks 64 3747 164 2.63 34 21 7 4Roger Crozier Detroit Red Wings 64 3734 173 2.78 27 24 12 7Dave Dryden Chicago Black Hawks 11 453 23 3.05 3 4 1 0Terry Sawchuk Toronto Maple Leafs 27 1521 80 3.16 10 11 3 1Cesare Maniago N.Y. Rangers 28 1613 94 3.50 9 16 3 2Ed Giacomin N.Y. Rangers 36 2096 128 3.66 8 19 7 0Bernie Parent Boston Bruins 39 2083 128 3.69 11 20 3 1Eddie Johnston Boston Bruins 33 1744 108 3.72 10 19 2 1 Coaches Boston Bruins: Milt Schmidt Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay Detroit Red Wings: Sid Abel Montreal Canadiens: Toe Blake New York Rangers: Emile Francis Toronto Maple Leafs: Punch Imlach Debuts The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1965–66 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): J. P. Parise, Boston Bruins Derek Sanderson, Boston Bruins Bernie Parent, Boston Bruins Barry Ashbee, Boston Bruins Pete Mahovlich, Detroit Red Wings Danny Grant, Montreal Canadiens Ed Giacomin, New York Rangers Last games The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1965–66 (listed with their last team): Bill Gadsby, Detroit Red Wings Broadcasting Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. HNIC also began producing Wednesday night regular season game telecasts for CTV. Games were typically not broadcast in their entirety until the 1968–69 season, and were typically joined in progress. NBC agreed to air 1966 Sunday afternoon playoff games, marking the first time since the 1959–60 season that the NHL aired nationally in the U.S., and the first time ever that postseason games aired on American network television. The clinching Game 6 of the 1966 Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday, May 5 aired across RKO General-owned stations. See also 1965–66 NHL transactions List of Stanley Cup champions 1965 NHL amateur draft National Hockey League All-Star Game 1965 in sports 1966 in sports Notes References Years of glory, 1942–1967: the National Hockey League's official book of the six-team era Diamond, Dan 1994 McClelland and Stewart Toronto, ON 0-7710-2817-2 Total Hockey Diamond, Dan Total Sports 2000 1-892129-85-X Dinger Ralph 2011 The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012 Dan Diamond & Associates 978-1-894801-22-5 Toronto, ON registration https://archive.org/details/nationalhockeyle0000unse_u6g5 Dryden Steve Century of hockey McClelland & Stewart Ltd. Toronto, ON 2000 0-7710-4179-9 Duplacey James 1996 The annotated rules of hockey Lyons & Burford, Publishers New York 1-55821-466-6 registration https://archive.org/details/annotatedrulesof00dupl Fischler Stan Fischler Shirley Hughes Morgan Romain Joseph Duplacey James 2003 The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League Publications International Inc. 0-7853-9624-1 Lincolnwood, Illinois Fischler 2003 McFarlane Brian The Story of the National Hockey League Pagurian Press New York 1973 0-684-13424-1 registration https://archive.org/details/storyofnationalh0000mcfa External links Hockey Database NHL.com 1965 Category:1965–66 in American ice hockey by league Category:1965–66 in Canadian ice hockey by league