1968–69 NHL season

1968–69 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 11, 1968 – May 4, 1969
Number of games76
Number of teams12
TV partner(s)CBC, SRC (Canada)
CBS (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickMichel Plasse
Picked byMontreal Canadiens
Regular season
Season championsMontreal Canadiens
Season MVPPhil Esposito (Bruins)
Top scorerPhil Esposito (Bruins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPSerge Savard (Canadiens)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsMontreal Canadiens
  Runners-upSt. Louis Blues
NHL seasons

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 Finals. 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 goals[1] 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.[2]

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

East Division[3]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Montreal Canadiens 76 46 19 11 271 202 +69 103
2 Boston Bruins 76 42 18 16 303 221 +82 100
3 New York Rangers 76 41 26 9 231 196 +35 91
4 Toronto Maple Leafs 76 35 26 15 234 217 +17 85
5 Detroit Red Wings 76 33 31 12 239 221 +18 78
6 Chicago Black Hawks 76 34 33 9 280 246 +34 77
West Division[3]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 St. Louis Blues 76 37 25 14 204 157 +47 88
2 Oakland Seals 76 29 36 11 219 251 −32 69
3 Philadelphia Flyers 76 20 35 21 174 225 −51 61
4 Los Angeles Kings 76 24 42 10 185 260 −75 58
5 Pittsburgh Penguins 76 20 45 11 189 252 −63 51
6 Minnesota North Stars 76 18 43 15 189 270 −81 51

Playoffs

Playoff bracket

Quarterfinals Semifinals Stanley Cup Finals
         
1 Montreal 4
3 New York 0
1 Montreal 4
East Division
2 Boston 2
2 Boston 4
4 Toronto 0
E1 Montreal 4
W1 St. Louis 0
1 St. Louis 4
3 Philadelphia 0
1 St. Louis 4
West Division
4 Los Angeles 0
2 Oakland 3
4 Los Angeles 4

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.

April 2 New York Rangers 1–3 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
No scoring First period 15:35 – Jacques Lemaire (1)
Jean Ratelle (1) – pp – 19:13 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 13:18 – pp – John Ferguson (1)
19:20 – Henri Richard (1)
Ed Giacomin 24 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Gump Worsley 26 saves / 27 shots
April 3 New York Rangers 2–5 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
Rod Seiling (1) – 01:51
Vic Hadfield (1) – 14:43 		First period 11:55 – pp – Christian Bordeleau (1)
No scoring Second period 04:28 – Bobby Rousseau (1)
06:45 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (1)
12:59 – Jean Beliveau (1)
No scoring Third period 19:32 – pp – Ralph Backstrom (1)
Ed Giacomin 20 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Gump Worsley 26 saves / 28 shots
April 5 Montreal Canadiens 4–1 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Mickey Redmond (1) – 00:30
Bobby Rousseau (2) – 03:37
Dick Duff (1) – 12:41 		First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Jean Beliveau (2) – pp – 08:33 Third period 09:12 – Vic Hadfield (2)
Gump Worsley 31 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Ed Giacomin 14 saves / 18 shots
April 6 Montreal Canadiens 4–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Dick Duff (2) – 01:32
Jacques Lemaire (2) – 10:03
Henri Richard (2) – 10:42 		First period No scoring
Yvan Cournoyer (2) – 00:38 Second period 12:10 – Dave Balon (1)
15:08 – Rod Gilbert (1)
No scoring Third period 07:23 – Don Marshall (1)
Gump Worsley 2 saves / 2 shots
Rogie Vachon 22 saves / 25 shots 		Goalie stats Gilles Villemure 30 saves / 34 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.

April 2 Toronto Maple Leafs 0–10 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 01:19 – pp – Phil Esposito (1)
03:20 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (1)
14:01 – Phil Esposito (2)
No scoring Second period 07:22 – Johnny Bucyk (2)
10:40 – Derek Sanderson (1)
14:10 – pp – Phil Esposito (3)
19:51 – pp – Phil Esposito (4)
No scoring Third period 01:23 – pp – Fred Stanfield (1)
04:34 – Derek Sanderson (2)
12:47 – pp – Ken Hodge (1)
Bruce Gamble 26 saves / 33 shots
Johnny Bower 15 saves / 18 shots 		Goalie stats Gerry Cheevers 40 saves / 40 shots
April 3 Toronto Maple Leafs 0–7 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 15:12 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (3)
17:33 – Johnny Bucyk (4)
18:55 – Ted Green (1)
No scoring Second period 05:56 – John McKenzie (1)
18:44 – Ken Hodge (2)
No scoring Third period 08:39 – Ron Murphy (1)
10:07 – Phil Esposito (5)
Bruce Gamble 16 saves / 20 shtos
Johnny Bower 17 saves / 20 shtos 		Goalie stats Gerry Cheevers 22 saves / 22 shots
April 5 Boston Bruins 4–3 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Ed Westfall (1) – sh – 04:18
Ted Green (2) – 14:38 		First period 08:23 – Ron Ellis (1)
Fred Stanfield (2) – 04:04 Second period 15:32 – Murray Oliver (1)
19:47 – Norm Ullman (1)
Derek Sanderson (3) – 02:52 Third period No scoring
Gerry Cheevers 38 saves / 41 shots Goalie stats Bruce Gamble 11 saves / 13 shots
Johnny Bower 28 saves / 30 shots
April 6 Boston Bruins 3–2 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Derek Sanderson (4) – sh – 01:21
Phil Esposito (6) – pp – 03:14 		First period 07:52 – pp – Ron Ellis (2)
Derek Sanderson (5) – 16:07 Second period 17:52 – sh – Dave Keon (1)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Gerry Cheevers 26 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Johnny Bower 27 saves / 30 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.

April 2 Philadelphia Flyers 2–5 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
Bill Sutherland (1) – pp – 12:13 First period 00:50 – Ab McDonald (1)
05:43 – Tim Ecclestone (1)
15:10 – Larry Keenan (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Dick Cherry (1) – 18:26 Third period 03:22 – Camille Henry (1)
17:39 – Terry Gray (1)
Bernie Parent 25 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Glenn Hall 8 saves / 8 shots
Jacques Plante 27 saves / 29 shots
April 3 Philadelphia Flyers 0–5 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 00:41 – pp – Bill McCreary Sr. (1)
15:58 – Gary Sabourin (1)
No scoring Second period 00:45 – Larry Keenan (2)
12:03 – pp – Red Berenson (1)
16:49 – pp – Terry Gray (2)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Doug Favell 31 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Jacques Plante 21 saves / 21 shots
April 5 St. Louis Blues 3–0 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
Gary Sabourin (2) – 07:13 First period No scoring
Ron Schock (1) – 13:24 Second period No scoring
Red Berenson (2) – 12:12 Third period No scoring
Jacques Plante 27 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Bernie Parent 23 saves / 26 shots
April 6 St. Louis Blues 4–1 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
Frank St. Marseille (1) – 00:52
Terry Crisp (1) – 04:08
Jimmy Roberts (1) – 04:22 		First period No scoring
Tim Ecclestone (2) – 01:17 Second period 04:54 – sh – Garry Peters (1)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Jacques Plante 30 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Bernie Parent 34 saves / 38 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.

April 2 Los Angeles Kings 5–4 OT Oakland Seals Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena Recap  
Gary Croteau (1) – pp – 12:53 First period 11:59 – sh – Earl Ingarfield (1)
16:21 – Joe Szura (1)
Gary Croteau (2) – 03:07 Second period 19:16 – Francois Lacombe (1)
Eddie Joyal (1) – 12:15
Eddie Joyal (2) – 15:56 		Third period 17:22 – Gene Ubriaco (1)
Ted Irvine (1) – 00:19 First overtime period No scoring
Gerry Desjardins 6 saves / 8 shots
Wayne Rutledge 20 saves / 22 shots 		Goalie stats Gary Smith 26 saves / 31 shots
April 3 Los Angeles Kings 2–4 Oakland Seals Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 01:26 – pp – Ted Hampson (1)
Ted Irvine (1) – 00:20
Howie Menard (1) – pp – 07:07 		Second period 18:23 – Ted Hampson (2)
No scoring Third period 02:44 – Gary Jarrett (1)
19:47 – Bob Dillabough (1)
Wayne Rutledge 30 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Gary Smith 26 saves / 28 shots
April 5 Oakland Seals 5–2 Los Angeles Kings LA Forum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Joe Szura (2) – pp – 11:30
Gary Jarrett (2) – 14:48 		Second period 10:21 – pp – Real Lemieux (1)
Earl Ingarfield (2) – 00:13
Mike Laughton (1) – pp – 09:09
16:05 – Gerry Ehman (1) 		Third period 14:46 – Billy Inglis (1)
Gary Smith 31 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Wayne Rutledge 22 saves / 26 shots
Gerry Desjardins 5 saves / 6 shots
April 6 Oakland Seals 2–4 Los Angeles Kings LA Forum Recap  
Earl Ingarfield (3) – 01:27 First period 10:33 – Bill White (1)
17:31 – Howie Menard (2)
No scoring Second period 00:24 – Larry Cahan (1)
14:06 – Brent Hughes (1)
Ted Hampson (3) – pp – 06:59 Third period No scoring
Gary Smith 29 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Gerry Desjardins 27 saves / 29 shots
April 9 Los Angeles Kings 1–4 Oakland Seals Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena Recap  
Gary Croteau (3) – 15:51 First period 01:06 – Mike Laughton (2)
No scoring Second period 05:42 – Bob Dillabough (2)
No scoring Third period 03:44 – Bob Dillabough (3)
16:43 – Norm Ferguson (1)
Gerry Desjardins 33 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Gary Smith 36 saves / 37 shots
April 10 Oakland Seals 3–4 Los Angeles Kings LA Forum Recap  
Mike Laughton (3) – 04:53
Brian Perry (1) – 16:42
Gene Ubriaco (2) – 17:51 		First period 03:53 – Ted Irvine (3)
06:19 – Bryan Campbell (1)
16:05 – sh – Lowell MacDonald (1)
No scoring Second period 15:12 – Bill Flett (1)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Gary Smith 32 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Gerry Desjardins 22 saves / 25 shots
April 13 Los Angeles Kings 5–3 Oakland Seals Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena Recap  
Ted Irvine (4) – pp – 02:13
Ted Irvine (5) – 12:14 		First period 04:09 – pp – Carol Vadnais (1)
Bill Flett (2) – 14:54 Second period 09:51 – Earl Ingarfield (4)
Lowell MacDonald (2) – 07:53
Howie Menard (3) – 18:26 		Third period 10:36 – Gerry Ehman (2)
Gerry Desjardins 24 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats 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 Finals.

April 10 Boston Bruins 2–3 OT Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
Derek Sanderson (6) – 13:28 First period No scoring
Derek Sanderson (7) – sh – 15:53 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 13:28 – pp – John Ferguson (2)
19:04 – Jean Beliveau (3)
No scoring First overtime period 00:42 – Ralph Backstrom (2)
Gerry Cheevers 32 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Gump Worsley 21 saves / 23 shots
April 13 Boston Bruins 3–4 OT Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
John McKenzie (2) – pp – 08:39
Ron Murphy (2) – 18:01 		Second period 00:55 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (3)
17:09 – Jean Beliveau (4)
Johnny Bucyk (5) – 14:12 Third period 18:51 – Serge Savard (1)
No scoring First overtime period 04:55 – pp – Mickey Redmond (2)
Eddie Johnston 30 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Gump Worsley 27 saves / 30 shots
April 17 Montreal Canadiens 0–5 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 03:37 – Phil Esposito (7)
No scoring Second period 16:35 – Ed Westfall (2)
No scoring Third period 03:37 – pp – Phil Esposito (8)
10:07 – Ron Murphy (3)
10:23 – Ken Hodge (3)
Gump Worsley 26 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Gerry Cheevers 34 saves / 34 shots
April 20 Montreal Canadiens 2–3 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Jacques Lemaire (3) – pp – 08:51 First period 02:55 – sh – Ed Westfall (3)
15:49 – sh – Derek Sanderson (8)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Serge Savard (2) – 19:06 Third period 18:13 – Bobby Orr (1)
Rogie Vachon 29 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Gerry Cheevers 28 saves / 30 shots
April 22 Boston Bruins 2–4 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
No scoring First period 18:25 – pp – Jacques Laperriere (1)
Ken Hodge (4) – 10:15
Ken Hodge (5) – pp – 13:21 		Second period 01:08 – Claude Provost (1)
02:01 – J.C. Tremblay (1)
No scoring Third period 07:06 – Claude Provost (2)
Gerry Cheevers 21 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Rogie Vachon 40 saves / 42 shots
April 24 Montreal Canadiens 2–1 2OT Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 02:29 – Ron Murphy (4)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Serge Savard (3) – pp – 01:10 Third period No scoring
Jean Beliveau (5) – 11:28 Second overtime period No scoring
Rogie Vachon 50 saves / 51 shots Goalie stats Gerry Cheevers 45 saves / 47 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 Finals.

April 15 Los Angeles Kings 0–4 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 11:00 – Larry Keenan (3)
No scoring Second period 01:56 – Red Berenson (3)
04:49 – pp – Red Berenson (4)
10:24 – Red Berenson (5)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Gerry Desjardins12 saves / 16 shots
Wayne Rutledge 6 saves / 6 shots 		Goalie stats Jacques Plante 30 saves / 30 shots
April 17 Los Angeles Kings 2–3 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 03:48 – Red Berenson (6)
No scoring Second period 11:22 – Gary Sabourin (3)
Dave Amadio (1) – 02:12
Bryan Campbell (2) – sh – 08:28 		Third period 14:31 – Gary Sabourin (4)
Wayne Rutledge 23 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Jacques Plante 26 saves / 28 shots
April 19 St. Louis Blues 5–2 Los Angeles Kings LA Forum Recap  
Frank St. Marseille (2) – 10:13 First period 02:18 – pp – Bill Flett (3)
Ab McDonald (2) – 04:07 Second period No scoring
Terry Crisp (2) – 04:18
Gary Sabourin (5) – 06:40
Noel Picard (1) – 13:03 		Third period 02:34 – Skip Krake (1)
Jacques Plante 26 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Gerry Desjardins 26 saves / 31 shots
April 20 St. Louis Blues 4–1 Los Angeles Kings LA Forum Recap  
Terry Crisp (3) – 11:38 First period 01:48 – pp – Eddie Joyal (3)
Red Berenson (7) – 11:52
Gary Sabourin (6) – pp – 12:44 		Second period No scoring
Camille Henry (2) – pp – 10:56 Third period No scoring
Jacques Plante 21 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Gerry Desjardins 19 saves / 23 shots
St. Louis won series 4–0


Stanley Cup Finals

Main article: 1969 Stanley Cup Finals

The Montreal Canadiens advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals 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 Finals, 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.

April 27 St. Louis Blues 1–3 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
Frank St. Marseille (3) – 18:24 First period 03:39 – pp – Dick Duff (3)
04:17 – sh – Bobby Rousseau (3)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 19:46 – John Ferguson (3)
Jacques Plante 26 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Rogie Vachon 19 saves / 20 shots
April 29 St. Louis Blues 1–3 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
No scoring First period 17:26 – Ralph Backstrom (3)
No scoring Second period 09:07 – pp – Dick Duff (4)
14:11 – Yvan Cournoyer (4)
Larry Keenan (4) – pp – 09:20 Third period No scoring
Glenn Hall 30 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Rogie Vachon 24 saves / 25 shots
May 1 Montreal Canadiens 4–0 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
Serge Savard (4) – 12:34 First period No scoring
Jacques Lemaire (4) – 09:16
Dick Duff (5) – 13:38 		Second period No scoring
Dick Duff (6) – pp – 18:35 Third period No scoring
Rogie Vachon 31 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Jacques Plante 29 saves / 29 shots
May 4 Montreal Canadiens 2–1 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 10:50 – Terry Gray (3)
Ted Harris (1) – 00:42
John Ferguson (4) – 03:02 		Third period No scoring
Rogie Vachon 32 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Glenn Hall 29 saves / 31 shots
Montreal won series 4–0


Awards

1968–69 NHL awards
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(East Division champion, regular season)		 Montreal Canadiens
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:
(West Division champion, regular season)		 St. Louis Blues
Art Ross Trophy:
(Top scorer, regular season)		 Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:
(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)		 Ted Hampson, Oakland Seals
Calder Memorial Trophy:
(Top first-year player)		 Danny Grant, Minnesota North Stars
Conn Smythe Trophy:
(Most valuable player, playoffs)		 Serge Savard, Montreal Canadiens
Hart Memorial Trophy:
(Most valuable player, regular season)		 Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
James Norris Memorial Trophy:
(Best defenceman)		 Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:
(Excellence and sportsmanship)		 Alex Delvecchio, Detroit Red Wings
Vezina Trophy:
(Goaltender(s) of team with best goaltending record)		 Glenn Hall & Jacques Plante, St. Louis Blues

All-Star teams

First Team   Position   Second Team
Glenn Hall, St. Louis Blues G Ed Giacomin, New York Rangers
Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins D Ted Green, Boston Bruins
Tim Horton, Toronto Maple Leafs D Ted Harris, Montreal Canadiens
Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins C Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens
Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings RW Yvan Cournoyer, Montreal Canadiens
Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks LW Frank 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.[4]

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 SO
Jacques Plante St. Louis Blues 37 2139 70 1.96 18 12 6 5
Glenn Hall St. Louis Blues 41 2354 85 2.17 19 12 8 8
Gump Worsley Montreal Canadiens 30 1703 64 2.26 19 5 4 5
Roy Edwards Detroit Red Wings 40 2099 89 2.54 18 11 6 4
Eddie Giacomin New York Rangers 70 4114 175 2.55 37 23 7 7
Bernie Parent Philadelphia Flyers 58 3365 151 2.69 17 23 16 1
Bruce Gamble Toronto Maple Leafs 61 3446 161 2.80 28 20 11 3
Gerry Cheevers Boston Bruins 52 3112 145 2.80 28 12 12 3
Johnny Bower Toronto Maple Leafs 20 779 37 2.85 5 4 3 2
Rogie Vachon Montreal Canadiens 36 2051 98 2.87 22 9 3 2

Other statistics

1968 Miss NHL Pageant

The 1968 Miss NHL Pageant was the first of three in NHL history and was held in Toronto on June 27, 1968. There were twelve contestants in the pageant, one from each of the twelve NHL teams. The winner would be named Miss NHL 1968 and would be the NHL ambassador for the 1968–69 season.

Team nominees
Miss Boston Bruins Valerie Miller
Miss Chicago Black Hawks Patricia Anne Cooper
Miss Detroit Red Wings Barbara Thomas
Miss Los Angeles Kings Julia Martin
Miss Minnesota North Stars Lynn Marie Stewart
Miss Montreal Canadiens Mary Ann Lambert
Miss New York Rangers Donna Hardy
Miss Oakland Seals Debra Lynne Smith
Miss Philadelphia Flyers Rhonda Moore
Miss Pittsburgh Penguins Karen Antkiewicz
Miss St. Louis Blues Terri Sherwood
Miss Toronto Maple Leafs Angela Miller
  • Miss Minnesota North Stars Lynn Marie Stewart was named Miss NHL 1968, with Miss New York Rangers Donna Hardy the first runner-up, and Miss Los Angeles Kings Julia Martin the second runner-up. A second-year education student at the University of Minnesota, she received a new 1969 convertible, a trip for two to Mexico, a mink stole, a movie camera and a diamond watch set. Also, she would be the NHL ambassador for the 1968–69 season, making appearances at the NHL All-Star Game, the NHL awards, and the Stanley Cup Finals where she helped NHL President Clarence Campbell present the Stanley Cup. Each contestant received $1,500 in prizes including season tickets to the team that they represented in the pageant. Stewart's prizes were worth $15,000, with those for the first-runner up worth $2,700 and the second runner-up worth $2,200.
  • Miss Pittsburgh Penguins Karen Antkiewicz was chosen Miss Personality Plus by the other contestants.
  • Selection of Miss NHL was done on the basis of personality and poise (30 points), carriage and figure (15 points), make-up and grooming (10 points), speech and projection (10 points), talent (10 points) and overall impression (10 points).

Coaches

East

West

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):

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):

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

References

  • Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, New York: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
  • Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
  • Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 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. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
  • McFarlane, Brian (1973). The Story of the National Hockey League. New York: Pagurian Press. ISBN 0-684-13424-1.
Notes
  1. ^ Joe Malone holds the record, with 7 goals in one game
  2. ^ Hockey's Book of Firsts, p. 27, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9
  3. ^ a b "1968–1969 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  4. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 150.