Grand moments
May 18th, 1971
STANLEY CUP NO. 17
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JEAN BÉLIVEAU
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On May 18, 1971, the Canadiens met the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium in the seventh and deciding game of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Two days earlier, the Habs had staved off elimination and avoided seeing the Cup slip from their grasp with a hard-fought 4-3 win.
The Blackhawks came out strong and took control of the game from the opening moments on a Dennis Hull goal. Danny O’Shea doubled the Chicago lead at the 7:54 mark of the second period.
The Canadiens managed to turn things around before the period ended with Jacques Lemaire cutting the deficit to a single goal at 14:18 and Henri Richard evening the score at 18:20.
Still proving he had plenty of gas left in the tank, Richard put a second puck past Tony Esposito 2:34 into the third period, scoring what would prove to be the second Stanley Cup-winning goal of his career.
Rookie goaltender Ken Dryden blocked 12 Chicago shots in the final frame, finishing his night with 31 saves. With only six regular season appearances under his belt before manning the net in the postseason, Dryden earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the league's most valuable player in the playoffs.
It was the last NHL game for Jean Béliveau, who lifted the Stanley Cup for a 10th and final time as a player, and a league-record fifth time as an NHL captain.
Two days earlier, the Habs had staved off elimination and avoided seeing the Cup slip from their grasp with a hard-fought 4-3 win.
The Blackhawks came out strong and took control of the game from the opening moments on a Dennis Hull goal. Danny O’Shea doubled the Chicago lead at the 7:54 mark of the second period.
The Canadiens managed to turn things around before the period ended with Jacques Lemaire cutting the deficit to a single goal at 14:18 and Henri Richard evening the score at 18:20.
Still proving he had plenty of gas left in the tank, Richard put a second puck past Tony Esposito 2:34 into the third period, scoring what would prove to be the second Stanley Cup-winning goal of his career.
Rookie goaltender Ken Dryden blocked 12 Chicago shots in the final frame, finishing his night with 31 saves. With only six regular season appearances under his belt before manning the net in the postseason, Dryden earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the league's most valuable player in the playoffs.
It was the last NHL game for Jean Béliveau, who lifted the Stanley Cup for a 10th and final time as a player, and a league-record fifth time as an NHL captain.