1973–74 NHL season

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1973–74 NHL season
League National Hockey League
Sport Ice hockey
Duration October 10, 1973 – May 19, 1974
Number of games 78
Number of teams 16
TV partner(s) CBC, SRC (Canada)
NBC (United States)
Draft
Top draft pick Denis Potvin
Picked by New York Islanders
Regular season
Season champions Boston Bruins
Season MVP Phil Esposito (Bruins)
Top scorer Phil Esposito (Bruins)
Playoffs
Playoffs Playoffs MVP Bernie Parent (Flyers)
Stanley Cup
Champions Philadelphia Flyers
  Runners-up Boston Bruins
NHL seasons

The 1973–74 NHL season was the 57th season of the National Hockey League. The Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup championship, the team's first. The team was the first of the post-1967 teams to win the Cup.

League business

With owner Charles O. Finley unable to find a buyer, the league took over operation of the troubled California Golden Seals in February 1974. Fred Glover then resigned as manager-coach. Garry Young, who had served a previous hitch as general manager, agreed to return. Marshall Johnston, a defenseman for the Seals, retired and took over as coach.

Regular season

The Philadelphia Flyers, who developed the nickname "Broad Street Bullies" because of their physical style of play, dethroned the Chicago Black Hawks as the West Division champions behind the dominant play of Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent.

The New York Rangers were floundering under new coach Larry Popein and were in danger of missing the playoffs, and Emile Francis took over the coaching reins. The Rangers then improved enough to get into the playoffs.

Tragedy hit the NHL in the early morning hours of February 21st when 44 year-old Buffalo Sabres defenseman Tim Horton was killed in an automobile accident. He had been returning to Buffalo from Toronto at the time.

In the East Division, the Boston Bruins regained the top spot in the East and the league, behind an ongoing offensive juggernaut that saw Bruins' players finish 1–2–3–4 in NHL scoring (Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, Ken Hodge, and Wayne Cashman) for the second and most recent time in league history.

Final standings

East Division[1]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Boston Bruins 78 52 17 9 349 221 +128 113
2 Montreal Canadiens 78 45 24 9 293 240 +53 99
3 New York Rangers 78 40 24 14 300 251 +49 94
4 Toronto Maple Leafs 78 35 27 16 274 230 +44 86
5 Buffalo Sabres 78 32 34 12 242 250 −8 76
6 Detroit Red Wings 78 29 39 10 255 319 −64 68
7 Vancouver Canucks 78 24 43 11 224 296 −72 59
8 New York Islanders 78 19 41 18 182 247 −65 56
West Division[1]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Philadelphia Flyers 78 50 16 12 273 164 +109 112
2 Chicago Black Hawks 78 41 14 23 272 164 +108 105
3 Los Angeles Kings 78 33 33 12 233 231 +2 78
4 Atlanta Flames 78 30 34 14 214 238 −24 74
5 Pittsburgh Penguins 78 28 41 9 242 273 −31 65
6 St. Louis Blues 78 26 40 12 206 248 −42 64
7 Minnesota North Stars 78 23 38 17 235 275 −40 63
8 California Golden Seals 78 13 55 10 195 342 −147 36


Playoffs

The playoffs began on April 9 with the first round, which was played between divisional opponents. The top teams all won their first rounds, with one mild upset, as the third-place New York Rangers defeated the second-place Montreal Canadiens, marking the third straight year that they had defeated the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first round. In the second round, the teams played an inter-divisional round to determine the finalists. The Eastern champion Boston Bruins took on the Western's second-place Chicago Black Hawks, while the Western champion Philadelphia Flyers took on the New York Rangers. Boston won its series in six games to take one Finals spot, while Philadelphia won its series against the New York Rangers in seven games to make the team's first Finals appearance. In doing so, the Flyers became the first-ever post 1967 NHL expansion team to win a playoff series against an Original Six opponent. In the Finals, the Flyers won the series in six games against the Bruins to win not only the franchise's first championship but also to become the first post 1967 NHL expansion team and thus the first non 'Original Six' NHL team to win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Maroons in 1935.[2]

Playoff bracket

Quarterfinals Semifinals Stanley Cup Finals
                 
E1 Boston 4
E4 Toronto 0
E1 Boston 4
W2 Chicago 2
W2 Chicago 4
W3 Los Angeles 1
E1 Boston 2
W1 Philadelphia 4
W1 Philadelphia 4
W4 Atlanta 0
W1 Philadelphia 4
E3 NY Rangers 3
E2 Montreal 2
E3 NY Rangers 4

Quarterfinals

(E1) Boston Bruins vs. (E4) Toronto Maple Leafs

The Boston Bruins finished first in the league with 113 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished fourth in the East Division with 86 points. This was the 13th playoff meeting between these two teams. Toronto lead 8–4 in previous meetings. Boston won their most recent meeting in five games in the 1972 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. Boston won four of the six games in this year's regular season series.


Boston won series 4–0


(E2) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E3) New York Rangers

The Montreal Canadiens finished second in the East Division with 99 points. The New York Rangers finished third with 94 points. This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams with the teams splitting the ten previous series. They last met in the 1972 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which New York won in six games. Montreal won four of the six games in this year's regular season series.


New York won series 4–2


(W1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (W4) Atlanta Flames

The Philadelphia Flyers finished first in the West Division and second in the league with 112 points. The Atlanta Flames finished fourth with 74 points, the lowest points earned by any playoff team in 1974. The Atlanta Flames made their first playoff appearance in their second season after entering the league in the previous year. This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. The teams split this year's six-game regular season series.


Philadelphia won series 4–0


(W2) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (W3) Los Angeles Kings

The Chicago Black Hawks finished second in the West Division with 105 points. The Los Angeles Kings finished third in the West Division with 78 points. This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. Chicago won this year's six-game regular season series earning eight of twelve points.


Chicago won series 4–1


Semifinals

(E1) Boston Bruins vs. (W2) Chicago Black Hawks

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams with Boston winning all three previous series. Boston won their most recent meeting in a four-game sweep in the 1970 Stanley Cup Semifinals. Chicago won this year's five-game regular season series earning seven of ten points.


Boston won series 4–2


(W1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (E3) New York Rangers

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. New York won this year's five-game regular season series earning six of ten points.


Philadelphia won series 4–3


Stanley Cup Finals

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Main article: 1974 Stanley Cup Finals

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. The Bruins made their thirteenth Finals appearance; winning in their last appearance in 1972 where they defeated the New York Rangers in six games. The Flyers made their first Finals appearance in their seventh season since entering the league in the 1967–68 NHL season. Boston won this year's five-game regular season series earning seven of ten points. Boston was the prohibitive favorite entering the series.

However, the Philadelphia Flyers stunned the Bruins in six games to become the first non-Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup since 1935 and the first expansion team to do so since the league began expanding in 1967.


Philadelphia won series 4–2


Awards

A new award, the Jack Adams for the best coach, was introduced for this season. The first winner was Fred Shero of the Philadelphia Flyers.

1974 NHL awards
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(East Division champion, regular season)		 Boston Bruins
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:
(West Division champion, regular season)		 Philadelphia Flyers
Art Ross Trophy:
(Top scorer, regular season)		 Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:
(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)		 Henri Richard, Montreal Canadiens
Calder Memorial Trophy:
(Top first-year player)		 Denis Potvin, New York Islanders
Conn Smythe Trophy:
(Most valuable player, playoffs)		 Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers
Hart Memorial Trophy:
(Most valuable player, regular season)		 Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
Jack Adams Award:
(Best coach)		 Fred Shero, Philadelphia Flyers
James Norris Memorial Trophy:
(Best defenceman)		 Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:
(Excellence and sportsmanship)		 Johnny Bucyk, Boston Bruins
Lester B. Pearson Award:
(Outstanding player, regular season)		 Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
Vezina Trophy:
(Goaltender(s) of team(s) with best goaltending record)		 Tony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks and Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers
Lester Patrick Trophy:
(Service to hockey in the U.S.)		 Alex Delvecchio, Murray Murdoch, Weston W. Adams, Sr., Charles L. Crovat

All-Star teams

First team   Position   Second team
Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers G Tony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks
Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins D Bill White, Chicago Black Hawks
Brad Park, New York Rangers D Barry Ashbee, Philadelphia Flyers
Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins C Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers
Ken Hodge, Boston Bruins RW Mickey Redmond, Detroit Red Wings
Rick Martin, Buffalo Sabres LW Wayne Cashman, Boston Bruins

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 78 68 77 145 58
Bobby Orr Boston Bruins 74 32 90 122 82
Ken Hodge Boston Bruins 76 50 55 105 43
Wayne Cashman Boston Bruins 78 30 59 89 111
Bobby Clarke Philadelphia Flyers 77 35 52 87 113
Rick Martin Buffalo Sabres 78 52 34 86 38
Syl Apps, Jr Pittsburgh Penguins 75 24 61 85 37
Darryl Sittler Toronto Maple Leafs 78 38 46 84 55
Lowell MacDonald Pittsburgh Penguins 78 43 39 82 14
Brad Park New York Rangers 78 25 57 82 148
Dennis Hextall Minnesota North Stars 78 20 62 82 138

Source: NHL.[3]

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
Bernie Parent Philadelphia Flyers 73 4314 136 1.89 47 13 12 12
Tony Esposito Chicago Black Hawks 70 4143 141 2.04 34 14 21 10
Ross Brooks Boston Bruins 21 1170 46 2.36 16 3 0 3
Doug Favell Toronto Maple Leafs 32 1752 79 2.71 14 7 9 0
Wayne Thomas Montreal Canadiens 42 2410 111 2.76 23 12 5 1
Dan Bouchard Atlanta Flames 46 2660 123 2.77 19 18 8 5
Rogie Vachon L.A. Kings 65 3751 175 2.80 28 26 10 5
Michel Larocque Montreal Canadiens 27 1431 69 2.89 15 8 2 0
Dunc Wilson Toronto Maple Leafs 24 1412 68 2.89 9 11 3 1
Gilles Gilbert Boston Bruins 54 3210 158 2.95 34 12 8 6

Other statistics

Coaches

East

West

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1973–74 (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 1973–74 (listed with their last team):

NOTE: Frank Mahovlich would finish his major professional career in the World Hockey Association.

See also

References

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Notes
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "standings-div" defined multiple times with different content
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Dinger 2011, p. 150.

External links

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