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season card
east
| 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
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 76 | 46 | 19 | 11 | 103 | 271 | 202 |
| Boston Bruins | 76 | 42 | 18 | 16 | 100 | 303 | 221 |
| New York Rangers | 76 | 41 | 26 | 9 | 91 | 231 | 196 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 76 | 35 | 26 | 15 | 85 | 234 | 217 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 76 | 33 | 31 | 12 | 78 | 239 | 221 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 76 | 34 | 33 | 9 | 77 | 280 | 246 |
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
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Yvan Cournoyer | 76 | 43 | 44 | 87 |
| 4 | Jean Béliveau | 69 | 33 | 49 | 82 |
| 15 | Bobby Rousseau | 76 | 30 | 40 | 70 |
| 25 | Jacques Lemaire | 75 | 29 | 34 | 63 |
| 22 | John Ferguson | 71 | 29 | 23 | 52 |
| # | #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 | Rogatien Vachon | 36 | 22-9-3 | 2 | 2.87 |
Season results
| DATE | AWAY | HOME |
|---|
THE REGULAR SEASON
For the first time in 14 seasons, the Canadiens enter a season without Toe Blake behind the bench. The legendary coach retired following the team’s 15th Stanley Cup Championship the previous spring, yielding his place to Claude Ruel, who is just 29 years old.Ruel, though, has intimate knowledge of the team, having worked for the club for the past 12 years. After losing the use of his left eye when struck by a stick in November 1957, an injury that ended his playing career, Ruel became coach of the junior Canadiens at the age of 19, and replaced Scotty Bowman as the team’s head scout in 1964.
As the Forum underwent renovations, the Habs are forced to open the season with an eight-game road trip. They make the most of it with six wins, including five in a row, one loss and one tie. On November 2, the Canadiens celebrate the reopening of the Forum with a 2-1 win over Detroit with goals from Jean Beliveau and Yvan Cournoyer.
The Habs enjoy their best stretch of the season from January 29 to March 1 with 13 wins and one tie in a span of 16 games.
Ruel’s team maintains its pace and finishes first overall with a 46-19-11 dossier. The Canadiens break two of their most significant records, both set in 1955-56, with 46 wins and 103 points. The previous marks were 45 wins and 100 points.
Cournoyer posts his best season yet with 43 goals and 87 points to lead the team in scoring, followed closely by Beliveau who notches 82 points of his own.
THE PLAYOFFS
Fresh from their regular season title, the Habs get off to a good start in the playoffs against the New York Rangers.The Canadiens give the Rangers little hope in the series and sweep the quarterfinal in four games, with each game decided by a margin of at least two goals.
In their semifinal, the Canadiens face the Boston Bruins and the series is decidedly tighter. The Habs win the first two games on the road in overtime on goals from Ralph Backstrom and Mickey Redmond.
Back in front of their fans at the Forum, the Canadiens see the Bruins even the series with 5-0 and 3-2 wins by the visitors.
After a 4-2 win in Boston, Beliveau clinches the series after a marathon that lasts more than four hours, when he beats Gerry Cheevers with a 20-foot shot in the second overtime period.
The Canadiens face St. Louis for the second year in a row in the Stanley Cup Final. The Blues offer less of a fight than they did the previous season and the Habs dispose of them in four straight games to win their second consecutive Cup, the 16th in team history. John Ferguson delivers the winning goal in the fourth game, a 2-1 victory.
Beliveau leads the team in scoring with 15 points in 14 games. Cournoyer and Dick Duff follow closely behind with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Young Serge Savard records 10 points and becomes the first defenseman to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
The playoffs roadmap
| Quarter-finals - New York Rangers | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| April 2nd, 1969 | NYR 1 | MTL 3 | ||
| April 3rd, 1969 | NYR 2 | MTL 5 | ||
| April 5th, 1969 | MTL 4 | NYR 1 | ||
| April 6th, 1969 | MTL 4 | NYR 3 | ||
| Canadiens won best-of-seven series 4-0 | ||||
| Semi-finals - Boston Bruins | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| April 10th, 1969 | BOS 2 | MTL 3 | ||
| April 13th, 1969 | BOS 3 | MTL 4 | ||
| April 17th, 1969 | MTL 0 | BOS 5 | ||
| April 20th, 1969 | MTL 2 | BOS 3 | ||
| April 22nd, 1969 | BOS 2 | MTL 4 | ||
| April 24th, 1969 | MTL 2 | BOS 1 | ||
| Canadiens won best-of-seven series 4-3 | ||||
| Stanley Cup Finals - St. Louis Blues | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| April 27th, 1969 | STL 1 | MTL 3 | ||
| April 29th, 1969 | STL 1 | MTL 3 | ||
| May 1st, 1969 | MTL 4 | STL 0 | ||
| May 4th, 1969 | MTL 2 | STL 1 | ||
| Canadiens won best-of-seven series 4-0 | ||||
See also...
STANLEY CUP NO. 16
On May 4, 1969, the Canadiens were poised to sweep Scotty Bowman’s St. Louis Blues in the [...]
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NEW RECORD FOR WINS
Playing host to the Boston Bruins in the regular season finale on March 29, 1969, the Montreal [...]
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A DECADE WITHOUT MERCY
On one side, Henri Richard, Jean Beliveau and Yvan Cournoyer; on the other, Dave Keon, Frank [...]
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