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season card
nhl
| TEAM |
GP
Games played - Number of games the team has played
|
W
Wins - Games the team has won, either in regulation or in overtime
|
L
Losses - Games the team has lost in regulation
|
T
Ties - Games that have ended in a tie
|
PTS
Points - Team points, calculated from W, L, T, OTL and SOL; used to determine standings
|
GF
Goals for - Number of goals the team has scored
|
GA
Goals against - Number of goals scored against the team
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 42 | 17 | 11 | 95 | 204 | 134 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 41 | 18 | 11 | 93 | 228 | 157 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 70 | 147 | 135 |
| Boston Bruins | 70 | 23 | 26 | 21 | 67 | 169 | 188 |
| New York Rangers | 70 | 17 | 35 | 18 | 52 | 150 | 210 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 70 | 13 | 40 | 17 | 43 | 161 | 235 |
Season's leaders
see the complete stats
| # | SKATERS |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
G
Goals - Number of goals the player has scored
|
A
Assists - Number of goals the player has assisted in
|
PTS
Points - Scoring points, calculated as the sum of G and A
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Bernard Geoffrion | 70 | 38 | 37 | 75 |
| 9 | Maurice Richard | 67 | 38 | 36 | 74 |
| 4 | Jean Béliveau | 70 | 37 | 36 | 73 |
| 15 | Bert Olmstead | 70 | 10 | 48 | 58 |
| 18 | Ken Mosdell | 70 | 22 | 32 | 54 |
| # | #1 GOALIE |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
RECORD
Record - Goalie record (W-L-T)
|
SO
Shutouts - Number of games where the goaltender has not allowed a goal
|
GAA
Goals against average - Mean goals-per-game scored on the goaltender
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacques Plante | 52 | 33-12-7 | 5 | 2.14 |
Season results
| DATE | AWAY | HOME |
|---|
THE REGULAR SEASON
Red lights burn out all around the NHL in 1954-55 as the Canadiens offense, firing on all cylinders places Habs at the top of all of the league’s scoring categories. Three of the team’s 30-goal scorers lead the parade. Richard and Geoffrion pot 38 each and Jean Beliveau, coming into his own, scores 37 times.Geoffrion, Richard and Beliveau also finish in the top slots in the points race while Bert Olmstead leads all NHLers with 48 assists. Defenseman Doug Harvey sets a new mark for blue-liners with 43, runner-up to Olmstead for the league title.
Jacques Plante takes over as the team’s number one netminder, playing in 52 games and posting a 2.14 goals-against average, third-best in the league.
22-year-old Donnie Marshall begins his nine-year tenure as a Habs defensive specialist, replacing John McCormack, who had been claimed by Chicago in the intra-league draft.
League President, Clarence Campbell, with whom the Rocket had a stormy relationship, suspends Richard for the remainder of the schedule and the entire postseason after an altercation with the Bruins Hal Laycoe.
Upon taking his seat at the Forum for the next game, Campbell is assaulted with invective and at least one punch. Tear gas is also thrown, leading to the building’s evacuation and a Detroit win by default. Montrealers rage boils over into the streets, and the ensuing chaos throughout the city will forever be referred to as the Richard Riot.
The suspension costs the Habs the NHL’s regular season title, losing by two unearned points to the Red Wings. It also costs Richard the best chance in his 18-year career to capture the NHL scoring crown.
THE PLAYOFFS
The fourth-place Boston Bruins finish the regular season with a losing record and prove to be no great obstacle to the Canadiens, heading to the Finals for a fifth consecutive postseason. Even with Richard sidelined for the duration, the Bruins manage but a single win, taking the third game 4-2 in front of hometown fans.The defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, however, refuse to be pushovers. The series goes the distance and the Rocket’s absence is a major factor in the final outcome.
Taking a lead into the final frame in the first game of the series, the Habs fall victim to three late Detroit goals at The Olympia, dropping a 4-2 decision. Ted Lindsay is the whole story in the next game as the fiery left winger scores four times, powering Detroit to a 7-1 victory.
Regrouping back in Montreal, the Habs take the next two in front of friendly Forum crowds, winning 4-2 and 5-3 before heading back to Detroit for Game 5. Home team domination continues with the Wings winning the match up and Montreal coming out on top 6-3 in the sixth game, played at The Forum.
Two Alex Delvecchio markers are the difference in the final game, as Detroit repeats as Stanley Cup Champions with a 3-1 victory.
The Montreal Canadiens, second-best in four of the past five seasons and hampered by the loss of the NHL’s all-time scoring leader for the playoffs this time around, would not experience springtime defeat for the next five years.
The playoffs roadmap
| Semi-finals - Boston Bruins | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| March 22nd, 1955 | BOS 0 | MTL 2 | ||
| March 24th, 1955 | BOS 2 | MTL 3 | ||
| March 27th, 1955 | MTL 2 | BOS 4 | ||
| March 29th, 1955 | MTL 4 | BOS 3 | ||
| March 31st, 1955 | BOS 1 | MTL 5 | ||
| Canadiens won best-of-seven series 4-1 | ||||
| Stanley Cup Finals - Detroit Red Wings | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| April 3rd, 1955 | MTL 2 | DET 4 | ||
| April 5th, 1955 | MTL 1 | DET 7 | ||
| April 7th, 1955 | DET 2 | MTL 4 | ||
| April 9th, 1955 | DET 3 | MTL 5 | ||
| April 10th, 1955 | MTL 1 | DET 5 | ||
| April 12th, 1955 | DET 3 | MTL 6 | ||
| April 14th, 1955 | MTL 1 | DET 3 | ||
| Detroit won best-of-seven series 4-3 | ||||
See also...
THE RICHARD RIOT
On March 17, 1955, a game between the Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings explodes off the [...]
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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
The Chicago Blackhawks joined the NHL to start the 1926-27 season. Since then, the team from [...]
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BOSTON BRUINS
The intensity permeating a match-up between Boston and Montreal is derived from a lifetime of [...]
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