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THE PLAYOFFS

Montreal’s first playoff opponents were the fourth-place Chicago Blackhawks, who had not reached the postseason since 1945-46 when Montreal last captured the Cup. Despite their lacklustre regular season record, the Hawks come ready to play in the semifinals.

After winning the first two games at home, the Habs drop the next two in Chicago as well as Game 5 at The Forum. With Jacques Plante in net for the sixth game, Montreal shuts out the Blackhawks 3-0 and, back in Chicago three nights later, wins 4-1 to move on to the Finals.

Also vying for the Stanley Cup in the spring of 1953 are the Boston Bruins, who had knocked off the powerful Red Wings, upsetting the reigning champs in six games while Montreal was battling Chicago.

With Plante still in net, the Canadiens split the first two games, played in Montreal. Coach Dick Irvin puts his veteran, McNeil, back into the lineup for the third game and comes away from the Boston Garden with a lead in the series. Two days later, a 7-3 thrashing increases the lead and sets the stage for what would be the final game of the series.

The Forum crowd watches anxiously as game six remains scoreless through 60 minutes, with both McNeil and Jim Henry stopping everything that is thrown at them. The overtime period is less than two minutes old when a failed clearing attempt finds its way onto Elmer Lach’s stick. In the blink of an eye, the veteran forward puts an end to the suspense and brings his team the seventh Stanley Cup in franchise history.