Grand moments
April 10th, 1956
STANLEY CUP NO. 8
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On April 10, 1956, the Canadiens hosted the Red Wings for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, leading Detroit 3-1 in the series.
Jacques Plante’s masterful performance between the pipes set the tone for the game as he turned aside challengers, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and Alex Delvecchio, one after another.
While Plante made 17 saves in the first two periods, Jean Béliveau and Maurice Richard each put a puck past Glenn Hall at the other end of the ice, giving rookie coach Toe Blake’s Habs a two-goal cushion. Béliveau’s goal, his seventh in the Finals, set an NHL record that has yet to be beaten. After finishing the regular season as the NHL’s leading scorer, “Le Gros Bill” repeated in the postseason, his 19 points leading all playoff performers.
Moments after the beginning of the third period, Bernard Geoffrion’s marker made it 3-0 and served as a coup de grace to the reigning two-time champions. Delvecchio got one back for Detroit but it was too little, too late, as the Canadiens protected their lead and emerged from the game with the eighth Stanley Cup title in team history.
Habs captain Emile “Butch” Bouchard made a single postseason appearance, taking a shift in the closing moments of the last game and hoisting the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in his career.
After spending the past three years elsewhere, the Stanley Cup was about to remain in Montreal for four more years.
Jacques Plante’s masterful performance between the pipes set the tone for the game as he turned aside challengers, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and Alex Delvecchio, one after another.
While Plante made 17 saves in the first two periods, Jean Béliveau and Maurice Richard each put a puck past Glenn Hall at the other end of the ice, giving rookie coach Toe Blake’s Habs a two-goal cushion. Béliveau’s goal, his seventh in the Finals, set an NHL record that has yet to be beaten. After finishing the regular season as the NHL’s leading scorer, “Le Gros Bill” repeated in the postseason, his 19 points leading all playoff performers.
Moments after the beginning of the third period, Bernard Geoffrion’s marker made it 3-0 and served as a coup de grace to the reigning two-time champions. Delvecchio got one back for Detroit but it was too little, too late, as the Canadiens protected their lead and emerged from the game with the eighth Stanley Cup title in team history.
Habs captain Emile “Butch” Bouchard made a single postseason appearance, taking a shift in the closing moments of the last game and hoisting the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in his career.
After spending the past three years elsewhere, the Stanley Cup was about to remain in Montreal for four more years.