A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 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 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC, CTV, SRC (Canada) CBS, RKO General (United States) |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Barry Gibbs |
| Picked by | Boston Bruins |
| Regular season | |
| Season champion | Chicago Black Hawks |
| Season MVP | Stan Mikita (Black Hawks) |
| Top scorer | Stan Mikita (Black Hawks) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Dave Keon (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. This was the last season of only six teams in the NHL, 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 defeated the Montreal Canadiens four games to two in the 1967 Stanley Cup Finals to win their thirteenth Stanley Cup in franchise history; to date this is the Leafs' last Stanley Cup victory.
League business
President David Molson of the Canadian Arena Company announced that the Montreal Forum would undergo major alterations in a $5 million work program commencing in April 1968.
NHL president Clarence Campbell and Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) president Fred Page announced a new five-year professional-agreement effective on July 1, 1967. The direct sponsorship of junior ice hockey teams by the NHL was to be phased out in the upcoming year, and no new sponsored players could be registered or be required to sign a contract restricting movement between teams.[1] The agreement eliminated the A, B and C forms, which had angered the parents of amateur players and were the source of legal action threats when the professional team refused to release a player.[2] Page succeeded in getting junior-aged players to be eligible for the NHL Amateur Draft once they graduate from junior hockey, or to be signed as a free agent in the year the player reaches his 20th birthday. The NHL agreed to pay development fees to the CAHA for the drafted players, and it allowed the CAHA to distribute the fees. The new agreement came at a time that also leveled the playing field for new NHL clubs in the 1967 NHL expansion.[1]
Teams
| 1966-67 National Hockey League | ||||
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | |
| Boston Bruins | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 13,909 | |
| Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Stadium | 16,666 | |
| Detroit Red Wings | Detroit, Michigan | Detroit Olympia | 15,000 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | Montreal, Quebec | Montreal Forum | 15,551 | |
| New York Rangers | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 15,925 | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | Maple Leaf Gardens | 15,461 | |
Regular season
Bobby Orr made his NHL debut on October 19, with an assist in a 6–2 win over Detroit.
On November 9, Ed Giacomin was subjected to one of the cruelest displays of fan abuse when the Boston Bruins came back to tie the Rangers 3-3. The fans pelted him with garbage and booed him viciously. From there, however, the Rangers began to win and the fans began to cheer for him. At one point, the Rangers were in first place, but slumped later and finished fourth.
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
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | 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
Playoff bracket
| Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||
| 1 | Chicago | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Toronto | 4 | |||||||
| 3 | Toronto | 4 | |||||||
| 2 | Montreal | 2 | |||||||
| 2 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||
| 4 | New York | 0 | |||||||
Semifinals
(1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (3) Toronto Maple Leafs
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.
| April 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–5 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| Frank Mahovlich (1) – pp – 07:12 | First period | 05:21 – pp – Kenny Wharram (1) 11:49 – Pierre Pilote (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 01:57 – pp – Bobby Hull (1) 13:44 – Stan Mikita (1) | ||||||
| Jim Pappin (1) – pp – 19:52 | Third period | 09:41 – Lou Angotti (1) | ||||||
| Terry Sawchuck | Goalie stats | Denis DeJordy | ||||||
| April 9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| Pete Stemkowski (1) – 08:07 Dave Keon (1) – sh – 18:33 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| George Armstrong (1) – pp – 08:24 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 08:45 – Stan Mikita (2) | ||||||
| Terry Sawchuck | Goalie stats | Denis DeJordy | ||||||
| April 11 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 11:10 – Ron Ellis (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 10:22 – pp – Frank Mahovlich (2) 19:15 – Jim Pappin (2) | ||||||
| Bobby Hull (2) – pp – 16:30 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Glenn Hall | Goalie stats | Terry Sawchuck | ||||||
| April 13 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| Kenny Wharram (2) – 00:09 Pierre Pilote (2) – 08:32 |
First period | 03:42 – Dave Keon (2) 10:14 – pp – Tim Horton (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Mike Walton (1) – 17:37 | Third period | 02:31 – Eric Nesterenko (1) 08:42 – Bobby Hull (3) | ||||||
| Glenn Hall Denis DeJordy |
Goalie stats | Terry Sawchuck | ||||||
| April 15 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4–2 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| Mike Walton (2) – pp – 06:16 Frank Mahovlich (3) – pp – 14:14 |
First period | 09:31 – Lou Angotti (2) 11:01 – Bobby Hull (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Pete Stemkowski (2) – 02:11 Jim Pappin (3) – 17:14 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Terry Sawchuck Johnny Bower |
Goalie stats | Denis DeJordy | ||||||
| April 18 | Chicago Black Hawks | 1–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| Pat Stapleton (1) – sh – 14:38 | First period | 05:06 – Brian Conacher (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 04:47 – Brian Conacher (2) 13:06 – Pete Stemkowski (3) | ||||||
| Glenn Hall | Goalie stats | Terry Sawchuck | ||||||
| Toronto won series 4–2 | |
(2) Montreal Canadiens vs. (4) New York Rangers
Montreal swept the Rangers in four games.