1971–72 NHL season

National Hockey League season August 2023 1971–72 NHL season National Hockey League Ice hockey October 8, 1971 – May 11, 1972 Draft 1971 NHL Draft List of first overall NHL draft picks Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadiens Regular season 14 78 CBC, CTV, SRC (Canada)CBS (United States) Boston Bruins Bobby Orr (Bruins) Hart Memorial Trophy Phil Esposito (Bruins) Art Ross Trophy Playoffs 1972 Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup 1972 Stanley Cup Finals Boston Bruins New York Rangers Bobby Orr (Bruins) Conn Smythe Trophy 1972–73 1970–71 NHL The 1971–72 NHL season was the 55th season of the National Hockey League. Fourteen teams each played 78 games. The Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers four games to two for their second Stanley Cup in three seasons in the finals. Amateur draft The 1971 NHL amateur draft was held on June 10 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Guy Lafleur was selected first overall by the Montreal Canadiens. Regular season Among notable first-year players this season were Montreal's Guy Lafleur, who, despite scoring 29 goals, was seen as lacking in comparison to newly retired superstar Jean Beliveau by the Canadiens' faithful; Buffalo's Rick Martin, who set a new record for goals by a rookie with 44; Gilles Meloche, goaltender for the California Golden Seals, who acquired him from Chicago; and Ken Dryden, the new goalie for the Canadiens, who, despite winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP the previous season, was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year on the grounds that he had only played six prior regular season games. 43-year-old Gump Worsley, left unprotected (and unclaimed) in the waiver draft by the Minnesota North Stars, led the league with a 2.12 goals against average. Less fortunately, Philadelphia goaltender Bruce Gamble suffered a heart attack during a 3–1 win in Vancouver in February and was forced to retire from hockey. In what was widely seen as a preemptive move to help forestall the incipient World Hockey Association, the NHL announced that Atlanta and Long Island had been granted expansion franchises to begin play in the 1972–73 season. The bids had been hastily put together in comparison with the 1967 and 1970 expansions. Milestones this season included Gerry Cheevers setting an NHL record for the Boston Bruins (which has yet to be surpassed) with 33 straight undefeated games. On February 12, it was Gordie Howe Day in Detroit as his famous #9 was retired. On March 25, Bobby Hull scored his 600th NHL goal in a 5–5 tie with Boston at the Boston Garden. A scoring race in which Ranger Jean Ratelle had been leading Bruin Phil Esposito was shortcircuited when Ratelle broke his ankle in a game against California, putting him out for over a month of play. Ratelle still ended up third in scoring behind Esposito and Bruin Bobby Orr, while his teammates Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert – all three linemates on the GAG line—finished fourth and fifth. Frank Mahovlich, rejuvenated by a trade to Montreal, finished sixth, while Bobby Hull, in his final year in Chicago, finished seventh in points and second to Esposito in goals. Although they had fallen somewhat from their overwhelming offensive dominance from the previous season, once again the Boston Bruins had the best record in the league, while the Chicago Black Hawks topped the West Division. Final standings start break end Playoffs thumb|right|350px|Dale Rolfe with the New York Rangers in 1971 Despite injuries to several key players, notably leading scorer Jean Ratelle, the New York Rangers beat the defending champions Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, with strong play from unheralded players such as Walt Tkaczuk. The Rangers went on the sweep the Chicago Black Hawks in four straight games during the semi-final. Chicago had beaten the Pittsburgh Penguins in four straight games. Boston easily handled the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games, facing a St. Louis Blues team that had eked out a hard-fought seven-game victory against the North Stars in the quarter-final. The powerful Bruins set a record for the most goals in a four-game series by pounding the Blues 28–8 over a four-game sweep. Playoff bracket For decades, the NHL had used first-round playoff formats where first-place teams played third-place teams, and second-place teams played fourth-place teams. In response to the prior year when the Minnesota North Stars appeared to intentionally lose games to finish fourth in the West instead of third and avoid a tougher match-up with first-place Chicago, and also the Boston Bruins were "rewarded" for finishing first in the East with a tough series against eventual Stanley Cup Champion Montreal, the first round match-ups were changed so that the first-place team in each division played the fourth-place team, and the other two teams from the division play each other, with the second-placed team having home-ice advantage.McIndoe Sean 2018-12-19 Down Goes Brown: A look back at over 100 years of the NHL’s playoff format never making one damn bit of sense https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/721857/2018/12/19/down-goes-brown-a-look-back-at-over-100-years-of-the-nhls-playoff-format-never-making-one-damn-bit-of-sense/ 2026-07-23 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 The inter-divisional semifinals were thus modified accordingly, with winner of each #1 vs. #4 series now playing the winner of the #2 vs. #3 series in the other division. The winners of the semifinals then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. Teams remained competing in a best-of-seven series in each round (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). Quarterfinals Semifinals Stanley Cup Finals E1 Boston 4 E4 Toronto 1 W2 Minnesota 3 W3 St. Louis 4 W1 Chicago 4 W4 Pittsburgh 0 E2 New York 4 E3 Montreal 2 E1 Boston 4 W3 St. Louis 0 W1 Chicago 0 E2 New York 4 E1 Boston 4 E2 New York 2 Quarterfinals (E1) Boston Bruins vs. (E4) Toronto Maple Leafs The Boston Bruins finished first in the league with 119 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished fourth in the East Division with 80 points. This was the twelfth playoff series between these two teams with Toronto winning eight of the eleven previous series. They last met in the 1969 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which Boston won in four games. Boston won this year's six-game regular season series earning nine of twelve points. Toronto Maple Leafs Boston Bruins Maple Leaf Gardens Boston Garden April 5 0–5 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-bos/1972/04/05/1971030111#game=1971030111,game_state=final No scoring No scoring No scoring 17:24 – Phil Esposito (1)19:41 – Phil Esposito (2) No scoring 03:47 – Don Marcotte (1)15:27 – John McKenzie (1)15:38 – Fred Stanfield (1) Jacques Plante 24 saves / 29 shots Gerry Cheevers 27 saves / 27 shots April 6 4–3 1 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-bos/1972/04/06/1971030112#game=1971030112,game_state=final No scoring 07:23 – Fred Stanfield (2)14:01 – Phil Esposito (3) Dave Keon (1) – 01:23Jim McKenny (1) – pp – 03:47 04:27 – Johnny Bucyk (1) Guy Trottier (1) – 08:42 No scoring Jim Harrison (1) – 02:58 No scoring Bernie Parent 37 saves / 40 shots Gerry Cheevers 18 saves / 22 shots April 8 2–0 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-tor/1972/04/08/1971030113#game=1971030113,game_state=final No scoring No scoring No scoring Mike Walton (1) – pp – 18:38 No scoring Bobby Orr (1) – pp – 01:24 Bernie Parent 33 saves / 35 shots Eddie Johnston 30 saves / 30 shots April 9 5–4 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-tor/1972/04/09/1971030114#game=1971030114,game_state=final 17:45 – Dave Keon (2) Johnny Bucyk (2) – 16:36 11:11 – pp – Ron Ellis (1)17:57 – sh – Jim McKenny (2) No scoring 04:50 – Paul Henderson (1) Ken Hodge (1) – 01:15Ed Westfall (1) – sh – 08:03Phil Esposito (4) – 09:49Ken Hodge (2) – 16:11 Bernie Parent 31 saves / 36 shots Eddie Johnston 38 saves / 42 shots April 11 2–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/tor-vs-bos/1972/04/11/1971030115#game=1971030115,game_state=final Jim McKenny (3) – pp – 11:12 15:42 – Fred Stanfield (3) No scoring 05:18 – John McKenzie (2) Norm Ullman (1) – 06:09 07:38 – Ken Hodge (3) Bernie Parent 34 saves / 37 shots Gerry Cheevers 26 saves / 28 shots Boston won series 4–1 (E2) New York Rangers vs. (E3) Montreal Canadiens The New York Rangers finished second in the East Division with 109 points. The Montreal Canadiens finished third with 108 points. This was the tenth playoff series between these two teams with Montreal winning five of the nine previous series. They last met in the 1969 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which Montreal won in four games. New York won this year's six-game regular season series earning eight of twelve points. Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers Montreal Forum Madison Square Garden April 5 2–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-nyr/1972/04/05/1971030121#game=1971030121,game_state=final Claude Larose (1) – 18:55 16:30 – pp – Bill Fairbairn (1)19:32 – Vic Hadfield (1) No scoring No scoring Frank Mahovlich (1) – 07:48 12:43 – Vic Hadfield (2) Ken Dryden 34 saves / 37 shots Eddie Giacomin 17 saves / 19 shots April 6 2–5 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-nyr/1972/04/06/1971030122#game=1971030122,game_state=final Guy Lafleur (1) – 06:05 07:45 – Dale Rolfe (1)10:26 – Ron Stewart (1) Claude Larose (2) – 02:29 No scoring No scoring 00:20 – Bill Fairbairn (2)15:34 – Walt Tkaczuk (1)18:57 – Ted Irvine (1) Ken Dryden 31 saves / 35 shots Eddie Giacomin 26 saves / 28 shots April 8 1–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-mtl/1972/04/08/1971030123#game=1971030123,game_state=final No scoring No scoring 07:18 – pp – Frank Mahovlich (2)18:13 – Marc Tardif (1) No scoring No scoring Ron Stewart (2) – 07:21 Ken Dryden 22 saves / 23 shots Eddie Giacomin 24 saves / 26 shots April 9 6–4 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-mtl/1972/04/09/1971030124#game=1971030124,game_state=final 11:22 – Jacques Lemaire (1)18:15 – Marc Tardif (2) Bill Fairbairn (3) – pp – 04:47Bobby Rousseau (1) – 07:24Bobby Rousseau (2) – 13:48Vic Hadfield (3) – 19:41 13:21 – Yvan Cournoyer (1) No scoring 05:48 – Terry Harper (1) Pete Stemkowski (1) – 14:55Ted Irvine (2) – 19:26 Ken Dryden 23 saves / 28 shots Eddie Giacomin 29 saves / 33 shots April 11 2–1 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-nyr/1972/04/11/1971030125#game=1971030125,game_state=final No scoring No scoring Frank Mahovlich (3) – 06:53 04:24 – pp – Vic Hadfield (4) Jim Roberts (1) – 03:12 No scoring Ken Dryden 33 saves / 34 shots Eddie Giacomin 30 saves / 32 shots April 13 3–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-mtl/1972/04/13/1971030126#game=1971030126,game_state=final 11:32 – Yvan Cournoyer (2) Bill Fairbairn (4) – 09:31 14:48 – Jacques Lemaire (2) Bill Fairbairn (5) – 09:33 No scoring Walt Tkaczuk (2) – 00:29 Ken Dryden 32 saves / 35 shots Eddie Giacomin 23 saves / 25 shots New York won series 4–2 (W1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (W4) Pittsburgh Penguins The Chicago Black Hawks finished first in the West Division with 107 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins finished fourth in the West Division with 66 points (winning the tiebreaker with Philadelphia in head-to-head season series 3–2–1). This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Chicago won this year's six-game regular season series earning eleven of twelve points. Pittsburgh Penguins Chicago Black Hawks Civic Arena Chicago Stadium April 5 1–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/pit-vs-chi/1972/04/05/1971030131#game=1971030131,game_state=final Bobby Leiter (1) – 01:25 15:09 – Pit Martin (1) No scoring No scoring No scoring 03:25 – sh – Jim Pappin (1)16:37 – Pit Martin (2) Jim Rutherford 35 saves / 38 shots Tony Esposito 28 saves / 29 shots April 6 2–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/pit-vs-chi/1972/04/06/1971030132#game=1971030132,game_state=final No scoring 00:35 – Pit Martin (3)05:52 – J.P. Bordeleau (1) Jean Pronovost (1) – sh – 10:51 No scoring Bobby Leiter (2) – pp – 12:45 11:17 – Chico Maki (1) Jim Rutherford 32 saves / 35 shots Tony Esposito 26 saves / 28 shots April 8 2–0 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-pit/1972/04/08/1971030133#game=1971030133,game_state=final No scoring No scoring No scoring J.P. Bordeleau (2) – 05:33 No scoring Stan Mikita (1) – 12:41 Jim Rutherford 38 saves / 40 shots Gary Smith 31 saves / 31 shots April 9 6–5 1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-pit/1972/04/09/1971030134#game=1971030134,game_state=final No scoring Jim Pappin (2) – 03:08 09:13 – Ken Schinkel (1)14:10 – Syl Apps Jr. (1)17:19 – Ken Schinkel (2)19:30 – Ron Schock (1) Bobby Hull (1) – 16:40 17:52 – Bobby Leiter (3) Bobby Hull (2) – 01:22Bobby Hull (3) – 11:28Dennis Hull (1) – 15:38 No scoring Pit Martin (4) – 00:12 Jim Rutherford 26 saves / 32 shots Gerry Desjardins 29 saves / 34 shots Chicago won series 4–0 (W2) Minnesota North Stars vs. (W3) St. Louis Blues The Minnesota North Stars finished second in the West Division with 86 points. The St. Louis Blues finished third with 67 points. This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams with St. Louis winning two of the three previous series. They last met in the previous year's Quarterfinals which the North Stars won in six games. Minnesota won four of the six games in this year's regular season series. Kevin O'Shea's series-winning goal in overtime of Game 7 was the first time in Stanley Cup Playoff history that the road team won Game 7 in overtime. St. Louis Blues Minnesota North Stars St. Louis Arena Met Center April 5 0–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-mns/1972/04/05/1971030141#game=1971030141,game_state=final No scoring 14:25 – Dean Prentice (1) No scoring No scoring No scoring 04:19 – Dean Prentice (2)12:01 – Bob Nevin (1) Jacques Caron 41 saves / 44 shots Gump Worsley 27 saves / 27 shots April 6 5–6 1 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-mns/1972/04/06/1971030142#game=1971030142,game_state=final Frank St. Marseille (1) – pp – 12:14 02:51 – pp – Doug Mohns (1) Frank St. Marseille (2) – 02:00Frank St. Marseille (3) – 05:38 04:27 – pp – J. P. Parise (1)07:38 – Danny Grant (1) Garry Unger (1) – 08:05Phil Roberto (1) – 10:59 01:45 – Jude Drouin (1)11:32 – Dean Prentice (3) No scoring 01:36 – Bill Goldsworthy (1) Ernie Wakely 23 saves / 29 shots Cesare Maniago 33 saves / 38 shots April 8 1–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mns-vs-stl/1972/04/08/1971030143#game=1971030143,game_state=final 09:28 – Phil Roberto (2) No scoring 10:07 – pp – Phil Roberto (3) No scoring No scoring Jude Drouin (2) – pp – 00:40 Jacques Caron 29 saves / 30 shots Gump Worsley 33 saves / 35 shots April 9 2–3 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mns-vs-stl/1972/04/09/1971030144#game=1971030144,game_state=final No scoring Jude Drouin (3) – 10:56 12:12 – Phil Roberto (4)13:45 – Kevin O'Shea (1) Danny Grant (2) – 00:21 11:50 – pp – Barclay Plager (1) No scoring Jacques Caron 28 saves / 30 shots Cesare Maniago 35 saves / 38 shots April 11 3–4 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-mns/1972/04/11/1971030145#game=1971030145,game_state=final Gary Sabourin (1) – 16:34Phil Roberto (5) – pp – 19:59 01:42 – Barry Gibbs (1)17:55 – Tom Reid (1) Garry Unger (2) – pp – 19:34 No scoring No scoring 02:55 – pp – J. P. Parise (2)05:45 – Jude Drouin (4) Jacques Caron 23 saves / 27 shots Gump Worsley 30 saves / 33 shots April 13 2–4 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mns-vs-stl/1972/04/13/1971030146#game=1971030146,game_state=final 03:04 – pp – Phil Roberto (6)06:21 – Bob Plager (1) Bill Goldsworthy (2) – 04:03 11:07 – Garry Unger (3) No scoring 16:13 – Jack Egers (1) J. P. Parise (3) – 15:01 Jacques Caron 28 saves / 30 shots Gump Worsley 11 saves / 13 shotsCesare Maniago 23 saves / 25 shots April 16 2–1 1 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-mns/1972/04/16/1971030147#game=1971030147,game_state=final Gary Sabourin (2) – 12:04 No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring 00:15 – Charlie Burns (1) Kevin O'Shea (2) – 10:07 No scoring Jacques Caron 28 saves / 29 shots Cesare Maniago 25 saves / 27 shots St. Louis won series 4–3 Semifinals (E1) Boston Bruins vs. (W3) St. Louis Blues This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams. Their only previous series came in the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals which Boston won in four games. Boston won this year's six-game regular season series earning nine of twelve points. St. Louis Blues Boston Bruins St. Louis Arena Boston Garden April 18 1–6 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-bos/1972/04/18/1971030211#game=1971030211,game_state=final Garry Unger (4) – pp – 03:18 04:22 – Fred Stanfield (4)11:03 – Mike Walton (2)17:27 – Johnny Bucyk (3) No scoring 10:48 – pp – Fred Stanfield (5)19:32 – Fred Stanfield (6) No scoring 14:55 – pp – Phil Esposito (5) Jacques Caron 21 saves / 26 shotsErnie Wakely 17 saves / 18 shots Eddie Johnston 25 saves / 26 shots April 20 2–10 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/stl-vs-bos/1972/04/20/1971030212#game=1971030212,game_state=final No scoring 07:17 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (4)08:39 – Phil Esposito (6)09:54 – Ed Westfall (2) No scoring 06:33 – Garnet Bailey (1)09:27 – pp – John McKenzie (3) Mike Murphy (1) – 04:37Phil Roberto (7) – 05:26 03:47 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (5)10:34 – Mike Walton (3)14:29 – Don Marcotte (2)16:07 – Johnny Bucyk (6)16:47 – Ed Westfall (3) Jacques Caron 9 saves / 13 shotsErnie Wakely 12 saves / 18 shots Gerry Cheevers 31 saves / 33 shots April 23 7–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-stl/1972/04/23/1971030213#game=1971030213,game_state=final 02:05 – pp – Mike Murphy (2) Ed Westfall (4) – sh – 08:40John McKenzie (4) – pp – 10:36Phil Esposito (7) – 19:42 No scoring Mike Walton (4) – 02:58Ken Hodge (4) – 06:28John McKenzie (5) – pp – 11:12 18:15 – Gary Sabourin (3) Mike Walton (5) – 11:09 Peter McDuffe 31 saves / 38 shots Eddie Johnston 27 saves / 29 shots April 25 5–3 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-stl/1972/04/25/1971030214#game=1971030214,game_state=final 18:16 – Terry Crisp (1) Phil Esposito (8) – 01:29Johnny Bucyk (7) – pp – 09:27 No scoring Johnny Bucyk (8) – pp – 04:44Phil Esposito (9) – pp – 17:53 08:50 – Andre Dupont (1)15:25 – Chris Evans (1) Wayne Cashman (1) – 19:22 Jacques Caron 22 saves / 26 shots Gerry Cheevers 33 saves / 36 shots Boston won series 4–0 (W1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (E2) New York Rangers This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams with Chicago winning all three previous series. They last met in the previous year's Semifinals which the Black Hawks won in seven games. New York won this year's six-game regular season series earning seven of twelve points. New York Rangers Chicago Black Hawks Madison Square Garden Chicago Stadium April 16 3–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-chi/1972/04/16/1971030221#game=1971030221,game_state=final Ted Irvine (3) – 12:51 No scoring Brad Park (1) – 16:07Walt Tkaczuk (3) – 16:42 No scoring No scoring 12:30 – Stan Mikita (2)14:40 – J. P. Bordeleau (3) Ed Giacomin 25 saves / 27 shots Tony Esposito 25 saves / 28 shots April 18 5–3 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-chi/1972/04/18/1971030222#game=1971030222,game_state=final Vic Hadfield (5) – 14:38 09:46 – Dennis Hull (2) No scoring 14:15 – Stan Mikita (3) Rod Gilbert (1) – pp – 00:54Brad Park (2) – 08:15Rod Gilbert (2) – 12:36Pete Stemkowski (2) – 19:51 06:17 – pp – Pat Stapleton (1) Gilles Villemure 32 saves / 35 shots Tony Esposito 27 saves / 31 shots April 20 2–3 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-nyr/1972/04/20/1971030223#game=1971030223,game_state=final 17:31 – Pete Stemkowski (3) Dennis Hull (3) – 05:12 06:20 – sh – Bruce MacGregor (1)10:56 – Dale Rolfe (2) Dennis Hull (4) – pp – 09:49 No scoring No scoring Gilles Villemure 21 saves / 23 shots Gary Smith 36 saves / 39 shots April 23 2–6 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-nyr/1972/04/23/1971030224#game=1971030224,game_state=final 05:49 – pp – Phil Goyette (1)15:32 – Bobby Rousseau (3) Bobby Hull (4) – sh – 05:37 04:37 – pp – Rod Gilbert (3)16:25 – Vic Hadfield (6)18:22 – Gene Carr (1) Pat Stapleton (2) – pp – 12:10 03:40 – Bobby Rousseau (4) No scoring Gilles Villemure 23 saves / 25 shots Tony Esposito 31 saves / 37 shots New York won series 4–0 Stanley Cup Finals 1972 Stanley Cup Finals This was the eighth series between these two teams with Boston winning five of the seven previous series. They last met in the 1970 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which the Bruins won in six games. The Bruins made their twelfth appearance in the Finals; they most recently made the Finals in 1970 where they defeated the St. Louis Blues in four games. This was the New York Rangers eighth Finals appearance and first since 1950 where they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in seven games. Boston won five of the six games in this year's regular season series. New York Rangers Boston Bruins Madison Square Garden Boston Garden April 30 5–6 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-bos/1972/04/30/1971030311#game=1971030311,game_state=final Dale Rolfe (3) – 03:52 05:07 – Fred Stanfield (7)15:48 – Ken Hodge (5)17:29 – sh – Derek Sanderson (1)18:14 – sh – Ken Hodge (6) Rod Gilbert (4) – pp – 11:54 10:46 – Ken Hodge (7) Vic Hadfield (7) – pp – 01:56Walt Tkaczuk (4) – 07:48Bruce MacGregor (2) – 09:17 17:44 – Garnet Bailey (2) Eddie Giacomin 22 saves / 28 shots Gerry Cheevers 24 saves / 29 shots May 2 1–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-bos/1972/05/02/1971030312#game=1971030312,game_state=final No scoring 16:15 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (9) Rod Gilbert (5) – 07:23 No scoring No scoring 11:53 – pp – Ken Hodge (8) Gilles Villemure 23 saves / 25 shots Eddie Johnston 27 saves / 28 shots May 4 2–5 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-nyr/1972/05/04/1971030313#game=1971030313,game_state=final 01:22 – pp – Brad Park (3)11:19 – pp – Rod Gilbert (6)13:00 – pp – Brad Park (4) Mike Walton (6) – 14:04 03:46 – Rod Gilbert (7)19:23 – Pete Stemkowski (4) Bobby Orr (2) – 01:10 No scoring No scoring Eddie Giacomin 32 saves / 34 shots Gerry Cheevers 34 saves / 39 shots May 7 3–2 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-nyr/1972/05/07/1971030314#game=1971030314,game_state=final No scoring Bobby Orr (3) – 05:26Bobby Orr (4) – pp – 08:17 18:38 – Ted Irvine (4) Don Marcotte (3) – sh – 16:33 18:35 – pp – Rod Seiling (1) No scoring Eddie Giacomin 21 saves / 24 shots Eddie Johnston 21 saves / 23 shots May 9 3–2 1 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyr-vs-bos/1972/05/09/1971030315#game=1971030315,game_state=final Dale Rolfe (4) – 13:45 03:55 – Wayne Cashman (2)16:07 – pp – Ken Hodge (9) No scoring No scoring Bobby Rousseau (5) – 02:56Bobby Rousseau (6) – 12:45 No scoring Gilles Villemure 36 saves / 38 shots Eddie Johnston 23 saves / 26 shots May 11 3–0 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-nyr/1972/05/11/1971030316#game=1971030316,game_state=final No scoring Bobby Orr (5) – pp – 11:18 No scoring No scoring No scoring Wayne Cashman (3) – pp – 05:10Wayne Cashman (4) – 18:11 Gilles Villemure 24 saves / 27 shots Gerry Cheevers 33 saves / 33 shots Boston won series 4–2 Awards 1972 NHL awardsPrince of Wales Trophy:(East Division champion, regular season) Boston BruinsClarence S. Campbell Bowl:(West Division champion, regular season) Chicago Black HawksArt Ross Trophy:(Top scorer, regular season) Phil Esposito, Boston BruinsBill Masterton Memorial Trophy:(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication) Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia FlyersCalder Memorial Trophy:(Top first-year player) Ken Dryden, Montreal CanadiensConn Smythe Trophy:(Most valuable player, playoffs) Bobby Orr, Boston BruinsHart Memorial Trophy:(Most valuable player, regular season) Bobby Orr, Boston BruinsJames Norris Memorial Trophy:(Best defenceman) Bobby Orr, Boston BruinsLady Byng Memorial Trophy:(Excellence and sportsmanship) Jean Ratelle, New York RangersLester B. Pearson Award:(Outstanding player, regular season) Jean Ratelle, New York RangersVezina Trophy:(Goaltender(s) of team with best goaltending record) Tony Esposito & Gary Smith, Chicago Black Hawks All-Star teams First Team   Position   Second TeamTony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks GKen Dryden, Montreal CanadiensBobby Orr, Boston Bruins DBill White, Chicago Black HawksBrad Park, New York Rangers DPat Stapleton, Chicago Black HawksPhil Esposito, Boston Bruins CJean Ratelle, New York RangersRod Gilbert, New York Rangers RWYvan Cournoyer, Montreal CanadiensBobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks LWVic Hadfield, New York Rangers Player statistics Scoring leaders Player Team GP G A Pts PIM Phil Esposito Boston Bruins 76 66 67 133 76 Bobby Orr Boston Bruins 76 37 80 117 106 Jean Ratelle New York Rangers 63 46 63 109 4 Vic Hadfield New York Rangers 78 50 56 106 142 Rod Gilbert New York Rangers 73 43 54 97 64 Frank Mahovlich Montreal Canadiens 76 43 53 96 36 Bobby Hull Chicago Black Hawks 78 50 43 93 24 Yvan Cournoyer Montreal Canadiens 73 47 36 83 15 Johnny Bucyk Boston Bruins 78 32 51 83 4 Bobby Clarke Philadelphia Flyers 78 35 46 81 87 Jacques Lemaire Montreal Canadiens 77 32 49 81 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 SOTony Esposito Chicago Black Hawks 48 2780 82 1.77 31 10 6 9Gilles Villemure New York Rangers 37 2129 74 2.09 24 7 4 3Gump Worsley Minnesota North Stars 34 1923 68 2.12 16 10 7 2Ken Dryden Montreal Canadiens 64 3800 142 2.24 39 8 15 8Gary Smith Chicago Black Hawks 28 1540 62 2.42 14 5 6 5Gerry Cheevers Boston Bruins 41 2420 101 2.50 27 5 8 2Jacques Caron St. Louis Blues 28 1619 68 2.52 14 8 5 1Bernie Parent Toronto Maple Leafs 47 2715 116 2.56 17 18 9 3Jacques Plante Toronto Maple Leafs 34 1965 86 2.63 16 13 5 2Cesare Maniago Minnesota North Stars 43 2539 112 2.65 20 17 4 3 Other statistics Plus/Minus leader: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins Coaches East Boston Bruins: Tom Johnson Buffalo Sabres: George "Punch" Imlach and Joe Crozier Detroit Red Wings: Johnny Wilson Montreal Canadiens: Scotty Bowman New York Rangers: Emile Francis Toronto Maple Leafs: John McLellan Vancouver Canucks: Hal Laycoe West California Golden Seals: Vic Stasiuk Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay Los Angeles Kings: Fred Glover Minnesota North Stars: Jack Gordon Philadelphia Flyers: Fred Shero Pittsburgh Penguins: Red Kelly St. Louis Blues: Sid Abel, Bill McCreary Sr. and Al Arbour Debuts The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1971–72 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): Terry O'Reilly, Boston Bruins Rick Martin, Buffalo Sabres Craig Ramsay, Buffalo Sabres Marcel Dionne, Detroit Red Wings Billy Smith, Los Angeles Kings Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens Bill Clement, Philadelphia Flyers Dave Schultz, Philadelphia Flyers Mike Murphy, St. Louis Blues Wayne Stephenson, St. Louis Blues Rick Kehoe, Toronto Maple Leafs Jocelyn Guevremont, Vancouver Canucks Dennis Kearns, Vancouver Canucks Last games The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1971–72 listed with their last team: John McKenzie, Boston Bruins Ted Green, Boston Bruins Dick Duff, Buffalo Sabres Eric Nesterenko, Chicago Black Hawks Ab McDonald, Detroit Red Wings Bob Pulford, Los Angeles Kings J.C. Tremblay, Montreal Canadiens Phil Goyette, New York Rangers Val Fonteyne, Pittsburgh Penguins Bill Hicke, Pittsburgh Penguins Brit Selby, St. Louis Blues Don Marshall, Toronto Maple Leafs Rosaire Paiement, Vancouver Canucks NOTE: McKenzie, Green, Tremblay, Fonteyne, Selby, Nesterenko, McDonald, Hicke and Paiement would continue their careers in the World Hockey Association. Broadcasting Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games. HNIC also produced Wednesday night regular season game telecasts for CTV. Due to a National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians strike that affected the CBC, this season's Stanley Cup playoff games aired instead on CTV. This was the sixth and final season under the U.S. rights agreement with CBS, airing Sunday afternoon regular season and playoff games. CBS also televised Game 6 of the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals on a Thursday night. NBC then signed a new contract to broadcast games. See also List of Stanley Cup champions 1971 NHL amateur draft 1971–72 NHL transactions 25th National Hockey League All-Star Game National Hockey League All-Star Game Lester Patrick Trophy Ice hockey at the 1972 Winter Olympics 1971 in sports 1972 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 Notes External links Hockey Database NHL.com Hickoksports.com 1971 Category:1971–72 in Canadian ice hockey by league Category:1971–72 in American ice hockey by league