1968–69 NHL season

National Hockey League season August 2023 1968–69 NHL season National Hockey League Ice hockey October 11, 1968 – May 4, 1969 Draft 1968 NHL Draft List of first overall NHL draft picks Michel Plasse Montreal Canadiens Regular season 12 76 CBC, SRC (Canada)CBS (United States) Montreal Canadiens Phil Esposito (Bruins) Hart Memorial Trophy Phil Esposito (Bruins) Art Ross Trophy Playoffs 1969 Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup 1969 Stanley Cup Finals Montreal Canadiens St. Louis Blues Serge Savard (Canadiens) Conn Smythe Trophy 1969–70 1967–68 NHL 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 Final. Montreal won their second consecutive Stanley Cup as they swept the Blues in four, an identical result to the previous season. Amateur draft The 1968 NHL amateur draft was held on June 13 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Michel Plasse was selected first overall by the Montreal Canadiens. Regular season Prior to this season no player in NHL history had ever achieved 100 points in a season, but 1968–69 saw three achieve the feat. The Boston Bruins' Phil Esposito led the way with 49 goals and 77 assists for a 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. Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings came in third with 103 points. Red Berenson came up one goal short of tying an NHL record, scoring six goalsJoe Malone holds the record, with 7 goals in one game for the St. Louis Blues (all against goaltender Doug Favell) in an 8–0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on November 7. He became the first player to score a double hat trick in a road game.Hockey's Book of Firsts, p. 27, James Duplacey, JG Press, 978-1-57215-037-9 Despite finishing last in the West Division, Minnesota was led by rookie left wing Danny Grant, who along with Oakland rookie Norm Ferguson tied Nels Stewart's forty-year-old record for most goals by a rookie with 34. On December 21, with Montreal goalies Gump Worsley (nervous breakdown) and Rogie Vachon (injured) both unavailable, rookie Tony Esposito and Boston's Gerry Cheevers both achieved shutouts in a rare scoreless tie. Esposito made 41 saves, and Cheevers made 34 saves. Los Angeles introduced rookie goaltender Gerry Desjardins, who took over the starter's job from Wayne Rutledge, who was bothered by 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 2, Phil Esposito became the first NHL player to score 100 points in a season in a 4–0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. In Boston-Chicago game on March 20, 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 21st goal. This would be the last time until the 1997–98 season that the Chicago Black Hawks missed the playoffs. The league held a beauty pageant for the first time this season, with a contestant from every franchise. Miss Minnesota North Stars Lynn Marie Stewart was named Miss NHL 1968, and was named the NHL "ambassador" for the 1968–69 season, making various appearances and helping to present the Stanley Cup. The league held just two more pageants in 1970 and 1972 before abandoning the concept. Final standings start break end Playoffs Playoff bracket The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. In the quarterfinals, the third seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and fourth place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's first round series then met in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. The two winners of the Semifinals then advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). East Division West Division Quarterfinals Semifinals Stanley Cup Finals 1 Montreal 4 3 New York 0 2 Boston 4 4 Toronto 0 1 St. Louis 4 3 Philadelphia 0 2 Oakland 3 4 Los Angeles 4 1 Montreal 4 2 Boston 2 1 St. Louis 4 4 Los Angeles 0 E1 Montreal 4 W1 St. Louis 0 Quarterfinals (E1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E3) New York Rangers The Montreal Canadiens finished as the best regular season team with 103 points. The New York Rangers earned 91 points to finish third in the East Division. This was the ninth playoff series between these two teams, and they split their eight previous series. Their most recent series had come in the 1967 semifinals, which Montreal won in a four-game sweep. New York earned nine of sixteen points in this year's regular season series. The Canadiens defeated the Rangers in a four-game sweep to advance to the semifinals. New York Rangers Montreal Canadiens Madison Square Garden Montreal Forum April 2 1–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-mtl/1969/04/02/1968030111#game=1968030111,game_state=final No scoring 15:35 – Jacques Lemaire (1) Jean Ratelle (1) – pp – 19:13 No scoring No scoring 13:18 – pp – John Ferguson (1)19:20 – en – Henri Richard (1) Eddie Giacomin 24 saves / 26 shots Gump Worsley 26 saves / 27 shots April 3 2–5 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-mtl/1969/04/03/1968030112#game=1968030112,game_state=final Rod Seiling (1) – 01:51Vic Hadfield (1) – 14:43 11:55 – pp – Christian Bordeleau (1) No scoring 04:28 – Bobby Rousseau (1)06:45 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (1)12:59 – Jean Beliveau (1) No scoring 19:32 – pp – en – Ralph Backstrom (1) Eddie Giacomin 20 saves / 24 shots Gump Worsley 26 saves / 28 shots April 5 4–1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-nyr/1969/04/05/1968030113#game=1968030113,game_state=final No scoring Mickey Redmond (1) – 00:30Bobby Rousseau (2) – 03:37Dick Duff (1) – 12:41 No scoring No scoring 09:12 – Vic Hadfield (2) Jean Beliveau (2) – pp – 08:33 Eddie Giacomin 14 saves / 18 shots Gump Worsley 31 saves / 32 shots April 6 4–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-nyr/1969/04/06/1968030114#game=1968030114,game_state=final No scoring Dick Duff (2) – 01:32Jacques Lemaire (2) – 10:03Henri Richard (2) – 10:42 12:10 – Dave Balon (1)15:08 – Rod Gilbert (1) Yvan Cournoyer (2) – 00:38 07:23 – Don Marshall (1) No scoring Gilles Villemure 30 saves / 34 shots Gump Worsley 2 saves / 2 shotsRogie Vachon 22 saves / 25 shots Montreal won series 4–0 (E2) Boston Bruins v. (E4) Toronto Maple Leafs The Boston Bruins finished second in the East Division with 100 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs earned 85 points to finish fourth in the East Division. This was the eleventh playoff series between these two teams, with Toronto winning eight of their ten previous series. Their most recent series had come in the 1959 semifinals, where Toronto won in seven games. Boston earned ten of sixteen points in this year's regular season series. Boston defeated Toronto in a four-game sweep to advance to the semifinals. Toronto Maple Leafs Boston Bruins Maple Leaf Gardens Boston Garden April 2 0–10 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-bos/1969/04/02/1968030121#game=1968030121,game_state=final No scoring 01:19 – pp – Phil Esposito (1)03:20 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (1)14:01 – Phil Esposito (2) No scoring 07:22 – Johnny Bucyk (2)10:40 – Derek Sanderson (1)14:10 – pp – Phil Esposito (3)19:51 – pp – Phil Esposito (4) No scoring 01:23 – pp – Fred Stanfield (1)04:34 – Derek Sanderson (2)12:47 – pp – Ken Hodge (1) Bruce Gamble 26 saves / 33 shotsJohnny Bower 15 saves / 18 shots Gerry Cheevers 40 saves / 40 shots April 3 0–7 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-bos/1969/04/03/1968030122#game=1968030122,game_state=final No scoring 15:12 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (3)17:33 – Johnny Bucyk (4)18:55 – Ted Green (1) No scoring 05:56 – John McKenzie (1)18:44 – Ken Hodge (2) No scoring 08:39 – Ron Murphy (1)10:07 – Phil Esposito (5) Bruce Gamble 16 saves / 20 shtosJohnny Bower 17 saves / 20 shtos Gerry Cheevers 22 saves / 22 shots April 5 4–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-tor/1969/04/05/1968030123#game=1968030123,game_state=final 08:23 – Ron Ellis (1) Ed Westfall (1) – sh – 04:18Ted Green (2) – 14:38 15:32 – Murray Oliver (1)19:47 – Norm Ullman (1) Fred Stanfield (2) – 04:04 No scoring Derek Sanderson (3) – 02:52 Bruce Gamble 11 saves / 13 shotsJohnny Bower 28 saves / 30 shots Gerry Cheevers 38 saves / 41 shots April 6 3–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-tor/1969/04/06/1968030124#game=1968030124,game_state=final 07:52 – pp – Ron Ellis (2) Derek Sanderson (4) – sh – 01:21Phil Esposito (6) – pp – 03:14 17:52 – sh – Dave Keon (1) Derek Sanderson (5) – 16:07 No scoring No scoring Johnny Bower 27 saves / 30 shots Gerry Cheevers 26 saves / 28 shots Boston won series 4–0 (W1) St. Louis Blues vs. (W3) Philadelphia Flyers The St. Louis Blues finished as West Division champions with 88 points. The Philadelphia Flyers earned 61 points to finish third in the West Division. This was the second playoff series between these two teams, in the second year of existence for both franchises. In the previous year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, St. Louis defeated Philadelphia in seven games. St. Louis earned thirteen of sixteen points in this year's regular season series. St. Louis defeated Philadelphia to advance to the semifinals with the franchise's first four-game sweep. Philadelphia Flyers St. Louis Blues Spectrum St. Louis Arena April 2 2–5 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/phi-vs-stl/1969/04/02/1968030131#game=1968030131,game_state=final Bill Sutherland (1) – pp – 12:13 00:50 – Ab McDonald (1)05:43 – Tim Ecclestone (1)15:10 – Larry Keenan (1) No scoring No scoring Dick Cherry (1) – 18:26 03:22 – Camille Henry (1)17:39 – Terry Gray (1) Bernie Parent 25 saves / 30 shots Glenn Hall 8 saves / 8 shotsJacques Plante 27 saves / 29 shots April 3 0–5 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/phi-vs-stl/1969/04/03/1968030132#game=1968030132,game_state=final No scoring 00:41 – pp – Bill McCreary Sr. (1)15:58 – Gary Sabourin (1) No scoring 00:45 – Larry Keenan (2)12:03 – pp – Red Berenson (1)16:49 – pp – Terry Gray (2) No scoring No scoring Doug Favell 31 saves / 36 shots Jacques Plante 21 saves / 21 shots April 5 3–0 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-phi/1969/04/05/1968030133#game=1968030133,game_state=final No scoring Gary Sabourin (2) – 07:13 No scoring Ron Schock (1) – 13:24 No scoring Red Berenson (2) – 12:12 Bernie Parent 23 saves / 26 shots Jacques Plante 27 saves / 27 shots April 6 4–1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-phi/1969/04/06/1968030134#game=1968030134,game_state=final No scoring Frank St. Marseille (1) – 00:52Terry Crisp (1) – 04:08Jimmy Roberts (1) – 04:22 04:54 – sh – Garry Peters (1) Tim Ecclestone (2) – 01:17 No scoring No scoring Bernie Parent 34 saves / 38 shots Jacques Plante 30 saves / 31 shots St. Louis won series 4–0 (W2) Oakland Seals vs. (W4) Los Angeles Kings The Oakland Seals finished second in the West Division with 69 points to advance to the playoffs for the first time. The Los Angeles Kings earned 58 points to finish fourth in the West Division. This was the first playoff series of the Battle of California and the first playoff meeting between two California-based NHL teams. Los Angeles earned ten of sixteen points in this year's regular season series. The Kings defeated the Seals in the only game seven of the year. Oakland never won another playoff game in franchise history. Los Angeles Kings Oakland Seals LA Forum Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena April 2 5–4 1 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/lak-vs-oak/1969/04/02/1968030141#game=1968030141,game_state=final Gary Croteau (1) – pp – 12:53 11:59 – sh – Earl Ingarfield (1)16:21 – Joe Szura (1) Gary Croteau (2) – 03:07 19:16 – Francois Lacombe (1) Eddie Joyal (1) – 12:15Eddie Joyal (2) – 15:56 17:22 – Gene Ubriaco (1) Ted Irvine (1) – 00:19 No scoring Gerry Desjardins 6 saves / 8 shotsWayne Rutledge 20 saves / 22 shots Gary Smith 26 saves / 31 shots April 3 2–4 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/lak-vs-oak/1969/04/03/1968030142#game=1968030142,game_state=final No scoring 01:26 – pp – Ted Hampson (1) Ted Irvine (1) – 00:20Howie Menard (1) – pp – 07:07 18:23 – Ted Hampson (2) No scoring 02:44 – Gary Jarrett (1)19:47 – en – Bob Dillabough (1) Wayne Rutledge 30 saves / 33 shots Gary Smith 26 saves / 28 shots April 5 5–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/oak-vs-lak/1969/04/05/1968030143#game=1968030143,game_state=final No scoring No scoring 10:21 – pp – Real Lemieux (1) Joe Szura (2) – pp – 11:30Gary Jarrett (2) – 14:48 14:46 – Billy Inglis (1) Earl Ingarfield (2) – 00:13Mike Laughton (1) – pp – 09:0916:05 – Gerry Ehman (1) Wayne Rutledge 22 saves / 26 shotsGerry Desjardins 5 saves / 6 shots Gary Smith 31 saves / 33 shots April 6 2–4 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/oak-vs-lak/1969/04/06/1968030144#game=1968030144,game_state=final 10:33 – Bill White (1)17:31 – Howie Menard (2) Earl Ingarfield (3) – 01:27 00:24 – Larry Cahan (1)14:06 – Brent Hughes (1) No scoring No scoring Ted Hampson (3) – pp – 06:59 Gerry Desjardins 27 saves / 29 shots Gary Smith 29 saves / 33 shots April 9 1–4 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/lak-vs-oak/1969/04/09/1968030145#game=1968030145,game_state=final Gary Croteau (3) – 15:51 01:06 – Mike Laughton (2) No scoring 05:42 – Bob Dillabough (2) No scoring 03:44 – Bob Dillabough (3)16:43 – Norm Ferguson (1) Gerry Desjardins 33 saves / 37 shots Gary Smith 36 saves / 37 shots April 10 3–4 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/oak-vs-lak/1969/04/10/1968030146#game=1968030146,game_state=final 03:53 – Ted Irvine (3)06:19 – Bryan Campbell (1)16:05 – sh – Lowell MacDonald (1) Mike Laughton (3) – 04:53Brian Perry (1) – 16:42Gene Ubriaco (2) – 17:51 15:12 – Bill Flett (1) No scoring No scoring No scoring Gerry Desjardins 22 saves / 25 shots Gary Smith 32 saves / 36 shots April 13 5–3 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/lak-vs-oak/1969/04/13/1968030147#game=1968030147,game_state=final Ted Irvine (4) – pp – 02:13Ted Irvine (5) – 12:14 04:09 – pp – Carol Vadnais (1) Bill Flett (2) – 14:54 09:51 – Earl Ingarfield (4) Lowell MacDonald (2) – 07:53Howie Menard (3) – 18:26 10:36 – Gerry Ehman (2) Gerry Desjardins 24 saves / 27 shots Gary Smith 25 saves / 30 shots Los Angeles won series 4–3 Semifinals (E1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E2) Boston Bruins This was the fourteenth playoff series between these two rivals, with Montreal winning eleven of their thirteen previous series. Their most recent series had come in the previous year's quarterfinals, where Montreal won in a four-game sweep. Boston earned ten of sixteen points in this year's regular season series. The Canadiens defeated the Bruins in six games to advance to their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup Final. Boston Bruins Montreal Canadiens Boston Garden Montreal Forum April 10 2–3 1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-mtl/1969/04/10/1968030211#game=1968030211,game_state=final Derek Sanderson (6) – 13:28 No scoring Derek Sanderson (7) – sh – 15:53 No scoring No scoring 13:28 – pp – John Ferguson (2)19:04 – Jean Beliveau (3) No scoring 00:42 – Ralph Backstrom (2) Gerry Cheevers 32 saves / 35 shots Gump Worsley 21 saves / 23 shots April 13 3–4 1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-mtl/1969/04/13/1968030212#game=1968030212,game_state=final No scoring No scoring John McKenzie (2) – pp – 08:39Ron Murphy (2) – 18:01 00:55 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (3)17:09 – Jean Beliveau (4) Johnny Bucyk (5) – 14:12 18:51 – Serge Savard (1) No scoring 04:55 – pp – Mickey Redmond (2) Eddie Johnston 30 saves / 34 shots Gump Worsley 27 saves / 30 shots April 17 0–5 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-bos/1969/04/17/1968030213#game=1968030213,game_state=final 03:37 – Phil Esposito (7) No scoring 16:35 – Ed Westfall (2) No scoring 03:37 – pp – Phil Esposito (8)10:07 – Ron Murphy (3)10:23 – Ken Hodge (3) No scoring Gerry Cheevers 34 saves / 34 shots Gump Worsley 26 saves / 31 shots April 20 2–3 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-bos/1969/04/20/1968030214#game=1968030214,game_state=final 02:55 – sh – Ed Westfall (3)15:49 – sh – Derek Sanderson (8) Jacques Lemaire (3) – pp – 08:51 No scoring No scoring 18:13 – Bobby Orr (1) Serge Savard (2) – 19:06 Gerry Cheevers 28 saves / 30 shots Rogie Vachon 29 saves / 32 shots April 22 2–4 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-mtl/1969/04/22/1968030215#game=1968030215,game_state=final No scoring 18:25 – pp – Jacques Laperriere (1) Ken Hodge (4) – 10:15Ken Hodge (5) – pp – 13:21 01:08 – Claude Provost (1)02:01 – J.C. Tremblay (1) No scoring 07:06 – Claude Provost (2) Gerry Cheevers 21 saves / 25 shots Rogie Vachon 40 saves / 42 shots April 24 2–1 2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-bos/1969/04/24/1968030216#game=1968030216,game_state=final 02:29 – Ron Murphy (4) No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring Serge Savard (3) – pp – 01:10 No scoring Jean Beliveau (5) – 11:28 Gerry Cheevers 45 saves / 47 shots Rogie Vachon 50 saves / 51 shots Montreal won series 4–2 (W1) St. Louis Blues vs. (W4) Los Angeles Kings This was the first playoff series between these two teams. St. Louis earned thirteen of sixteen points in this year's regular season series. The Blues defeated the Kings in a four-game sweep to continue their undefeated streak in the playoffs, and their streak of never missing a Stanley Cup Final. Los Angeles Kings St. Louis Blues LA Forum St. Louis Arena April 15 0–4 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/lak-vs-stl/1969/04/15/1968030221#game=1968030221,game_state=final No scoring 11:00 – Larry Keenan (3) No scoring 01:56 – Red Berenson (3)04:49 – pp – Red Berenson (4)10:24 – Red Berenson (5) No scoring No scoring Gerry Desjardins 12 saves / 16 shotsWayne Rutledge 6 saves / 6 shots Jacques Plante 30 saves / 30 shots April 17 2–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/lak-vs-stl/1969/04/17/1968030222#game=1968030222,game_state=final No scoring 03:48 – Red Berenson (6) No scoring 11:22 – Gary Sabourin (3) Dave Amadio (1) – 02:12Bryan Campbell (2) – sh – 08:28 14:31 – Gary Sabourin (4) Wayne Rutledge 23 saves / 26 shots Jacques Plante 26 saves / 28 shots April 19 5–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-lak/1969/04/19/1968030223#game=1968030223,game_state=final 02:18 – pp – Bill Flett (3) Frank St. Marseille (2) – 10:13 No scoring Ab McDonald (2) – 04:07 02:34 – Skip Krake (1) Terry Crisp (2) – 04:18Gary Sabourin (5) – 06:40Noel Picard (1) – 13:03 Gerry Desjardins 26 saves / 31 shots Jacques Plante 26 saves / 28 shots April 20 4–1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-lak/1969/04/20/1968030224#game=1968030224,game_state=final 01:48 – pp – Eddie Joyal (3) Terry Crisp (3) – 11:38 No scoring Red Berenson (7) – 11:52Gary Sabourin (6) – pp – 12:44 No scoring Camille Henry (2) – pp – 10:56 Gerry Desjardins 19 saves / 23 shots Jacques Plante 21 saves / 22 shots St. Louis won series 4–0 Stanley Cup Finals 1969 Stanley Cup Finals The Montreal Canadiens advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the fifth consecutive season, having won three Stanley Cups in the previous four seasons. Overall, it was their twenty-fifth Stanley Cup Finals, having won fifteen championships. This was the St. Louis Blues' second appearance in the Final in their second season. The Canadiens had never lost to the Blues going into this series; they went 3-0-1 against St. Louis in the 1967–68 NHL season, 4–0 in the previous year's Stanley Cup Final, and 5-0-1 in this year's regular season series. The Montreal Canadiens swept the St. Louis Blues, an outcome identical to the 1968 final. St. Louis Blues Montreal Canadiens St. Louis Arena Montreal Forum April 27 1–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-mtl/1969/04/27/1968030311#game=1968030311,game_state=final Frank St. Marseille (3) – 18:24 03:39 – pp – Dick Duff (3)04:17 – sh – Bobby Rousseau (3) No scoring No scoring No scoring 19:46 – en – John Ferguson (3) Jacques Plante 26 saves / 28 shots Rogie Vachon 19 saves / 20 shots April 29 1–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-mtl/1969/04/29/1968030312#game=1968030312,game_state=final No scoring 17:26 – Ralph Backstrom (3) No scoring 09:07 – pp – Dick Duff (4)14:11 – Yvan Cournoyer (4) Larry Keenan (4) – pp – 09:20 No scoring Glenn Hall 30 saves / 33 shots Rogie Vachon 24 saves / 25 shots May 1 4–0 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-stl/1969/05/01/1968030313#game=1968030313,game_state=final No scoring Serge Savard (4) – 12:34 No scoring Jacques Lemaire (4) – 09:16Dick Duff (5) – 13:38 No scoring Dick Duff (6) – pp – 18:35 Jacques Plante 31 saves / 35 shots Rogie Vachon 29 saves / 29 shots May 4 2–1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-stl/1969/05/04/1968030314#game=1968030314,game_state=final No scoring No scoring 10:50 – Terry Gray (3) No scoring No scoring Ted Harris (1) – 00:42John Ferguson (4) – 03:02 Glenn Hall 29 saves / 31 shots Rogie Vachon 32 saves / 33 shots Montreal won series 4–0 Awards 1968–69 NHL awardsPrince of Wales Trophy:(East Division champion, regular season) Montreal CanadiensClarence S. Campbell Bowl:(West Division champion, regular season) St. Louis BluesArt Ross Trophy:(Top scorer, regular season) Phil Esposito, Boston BruinsBill Masterton Memorial Trophy:(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication) Ted Hampson, Oakland SealsCalder Memorial Trophy:(Top first-year player) Danny Grant, Minnesota North StarsConn Smythe Trophy:(Most valuable player, playoffs) Serge Savard, Montreal CanadiensHart Memorial Trophy:(Most valuable player, regular season) Phil Esposito, Boston BruinsJames Norris Memorial Trophy:(Best defenceman) Bobby Orr, Boston BruinsLady Byng Memorial Trophy:(Excellence and sportsmanship) Alex Delvecchio, Detroit Red WingsVezina Trophy:(Goaltender(s) of team with best goaltending record) Glenn Hall & Jacques Plante, St. Louis Blues All-Star teams First Team   Position   Second TeamGlenn Hall, St. Louis Blues GEd Giacomin, New York RangersBobby Orr, Boston Bruins DTed Green, Boston BruinsTim Horton, Toronto Maple Leafs DTed Harris, Montreal CanadiensPhil Esposito, Boston Bruins CJean Beliveau, Montreal CanadiensGordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings RWYvan Cournoyer, Montreal CanadiensBobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks LWFrank Mahovlich, Detroit Red Wings 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 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 Jean Beliveau Montreal Canadiens 69 33 49 82 55 Frank Mahovlich Detroit Red Wings 76 49 29 78 38 Jean Ratelle New York Rangers 75 32 46 78 26 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 SOJacques Plante St. Louis Blues 37 2139 70 1.96 18 12 6 5Glenn Hall St. Louis Blues 41 2354 85 2.17 19 12 8 8Gump Worsley Montreal Canadiens 30 1703 64 2.26 19 5 4 5Roy Edwards Detroit Red Wings 40 2099 89 2.54 18 11 6 4Eddie Giacomin New York Rangers 70 4114 175 2.55 37 23 7 7Bernie Parent Philadelphia Flyers 58 3365 151 2.69 17 23 16 1Bruce Gamble Toronto Maple Leafs 61 3446 161 2.80 28 20 11 3Gerry Cheevers Boston Bruins 52 3112 145 2.80 28 12 12 3Johnny Bower Toronto Maple Leafs 20 779 37 2.85 5 4 3 2Rogie Vachon Montreal Canadiens 36 2051 98 2.87 22 9 3 2 Other statistics Plus-Minus leader: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins Coaches East Boston Bruins: Harry Sinden Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay Detroit Red Wings: Bill Gadsby Montreal Canadiens: Claude Ruel New York Rangers: Bernie Geoffrion and Emile Francis Toronto Maple Leafs: Punch Imlach West Los Angeles Kings: Red Kelly Minnesota North Stars: John Muckler and Wren Blair Oakland Seals: Fred Glover Philadelphia Flyers: Keith Allen Pittsburgh Penguins: George "Red" Sullivan St. Louis Blues: Scotty Bowman 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 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 Broadcasting Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. HNIC also produced Wednesday night regular season game telecasts for CTV. This was the first season that games were shown in their entirety instead of typically being joined in progress. This was the third season under the U.S. rights agreement with CBS, airing weekend afternoon regular season games and Sunday afternoon playoff games. See also 1968–69 NHL transactions List of Stanley Cup champions 1968 NHL amateur draft 22nd National Hockey League All-Star Game National Hockey League All-Star Game Lester Patrick Trophy 1968 in sports 1969 in sports References Total Hockey Diamond, Dan Total Sports 2000 Kingston, New York 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 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 Notes External links Hockey Database NHL.com 1968 Category:1968–69 in American ice hockey by league Category:1968–69 in Canadian ice hockey by league