1967–68 NHL season

The 1967–68 NHL season was the 51st season of the National Hockey League. The league expanded to 12 teams, putting the new six in the newly created West Division, while the "Original Six" were all placed in the newly created East Division. The regular season schedule was expanded to 74 games per team and featured the first time all twelve teams played games on the same day on October 18, 1967. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup against the new St. Louis Blues, in four games.

1967–68 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 11, 1967 – May 11, 1968
Number of games	74
Number of teams	12
TV partner(s)	CBC, CTV, SRC (Canada) CBS (United States)
Draft
Top draft pick	Rick Pagnutti
Picked by	Los Angeles Kings
Regular season
Season champions	Montreal Canadiens
Season MVP	Stan Mikita (Black Hawks)
Top scorer	Stan Mikita (Black Hawks)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP	Glenn Hall (Blues)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Montreal Canadiens
Runners-up	St. Louis Blues

League business

This season saw the NHL expand from the "original six" teams by adding six new franchises, including the St. Louis Blues, California Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Los Angeles Kings. On December 8, 1967, the California Seals were renamed the Oakland Seals before being renamed again to the California Golden Seals in 1970.^[1] As a result of the expansion, the League reorganized its teams into two divisions, placing the Original Six teams into the East Division and the expansion franchises into the West Division. The NHL, furthermore, increased its regular season schedule from 70 to 74 games per team ^[2] with each team playing 50 games against opponents within its own division (10 against each divisional opponent) and 24 games with teams in the opposite division (4 games per opponent). The newly created Clarence S. Campbell Bowl was awarded to the team that finished first in the West Division during the regular season, the Prince of Wales Trophy was likewise awarded the East Division first-place team. A new format for the playoffs would also be introduced which would see the top four teams in each division qualify for the post-season with the first and third and the second and fourth place teams in each respective division pairing off in a divisional semi-final series. The winners of the latter would then compete in their respective divisional final series and a berth in the Stanley Cup finals. All series would be best-of-seven contests.^[2]

The 1967 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 6, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec to fill the rosters of the six expansion teams. The 1967 NHL Amateur Draft was then held one day later at the same hotel. Under the agreement signed with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA), all players who graduated from junior hockey became eligible for the amateur draft this year, and the minimum age of players subject to amateur draft was changed to 20.^[1][3] The Kings had the first overall picks in both drafts, selecting Terry Sawchuk first overall in the expansion draft, and drafting Rick Pagnutti first overall in the amateur draft.

This season, the NHL also added a new player award called the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, named in honour of Bill Masterton who died on January 15, 1968, after sustaining an injury during a game (the first time an NHL player had ever died directly as a result of an on-ice injury).

There were a large number of holdouts this year. Three New York Ranger players, including Rod Gilbert, Arnie Brown and Orland Kurtenbach were fined $500 by their team. However, Ed Van Impe of the Flyers refused to sign his contract, followed by Earl Ingarfield and Al MacNeil also refused to sign, then Tim Horton of Toronto, Norm Ullman of Detroit and Kenny Wharram and Stan Mikita of Chicago. Led by Alan Eagleson, the new National Hockey League Players' Association was up and running.

Arena changes

• The expansion Blues moved into St. Louis Arena.
• The expansion Flyers moved into the Spectrum.
• The expansion Kings played their first two home games at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California, then their next 14 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles before the team's permanent arena, The Forum in Inglewood, California, opened on December 30, 1967.
• The expansion North Stars moved into the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• The Rangers moved from the third Madison Square Garden to the fourth by February 18, 1968.
• The expansion Penguins moved into Pittsburgh Civic Arena.
• The expansion Seals moved into the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena.

Regular season

Highlights

All twelve of the League's member teams played games on the same day for the first time on October 18, 1967, competing in six scheduled games — the most the League had ever scheduled on one day.^[4]

On October 11, 1967, Jean Beliveau scored his 400th career goal on goaltender Hank Bassen of the Pittsburgh Penguins. This also happened to be the first game in Penguins franchise history.

The Canadiens stumbled out of the gate. In their first west coast road trip, the Seals beat them 2–1 and the Kings beat them 4–2. The Habs lost quite a few more and were in last place by December. But by January, Jean Beliveau began to score and others were inspired also. The Habs got very hot, winning 12 consecutive games and then put together 10 more wins to take the East Division lead. Paced by Gump Worsley, who had 6 shutouts and a 1.98 goals against average and backstopped the team to the fewest goals allowed in the league, they managed to keep first place thereafter. Worsley, for the first time, made the first all-star team.

On February 24, 1968, Rogie Vachon of Montreal was the victim of four goals by Rod Gilbert, who set an NHL record with 16 shots on goal.

Eddie Giacomin again led the league with 8 shutouts, and led the Rangers to second place, bolstered by Jean Ratelle's emergence into stardom.

Boston obtained Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield in a blockbuster trade with Chicago. This trade, as shown over time, heavily favored the Bruins. This, coinciding with the rise of Bobby Orr, led to an improvement in Boston's play, and the Bruins led the league in scoring behind Esposito's 84 points and made the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. Though he missed action with a knee injury, Orr still won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenceman.

By contrast, the Chicago Black Hawks fell into a tailspin, and despite the scoring heroics of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, were hard pressed to make the playoffs. Mediocre team defence and goaltending was the culprit. However, they were able to beat the Rangers in the quarter-final round, but lost in the semi-final round to eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens.

Roger Crozier felt the strain of goaltending and walked out on Detroit. He came back, but the Red Wings finished last anyway, despite a potent offense led by Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio and Norm Ullman. Even a late season trade of Ullman and Paul Henderson for Toronto star Frank Mahovlich and future Blues star Garry Unger was too little, too late. However, on March 24, 1968, Mahovlich became only the 11th player to score 300 goals as he scored both his 300th and 301st goals in a 5–3 win over the Boston Bruins.

Meanwhile, the defending Cup champion Toronto Maple Leafs, still steady on defence in front of elder statesman Johnny Bower and backup Bruce Gamble, had numerous problems. Mahovlich spent time in hospital with a nervous breakdown, and the season was marred by contract disputes and tension with the high-strung coach, Punch Imlach. A late season charge failed to win a playoff berth.

In the West Division, the Philadelphia Flyers became the first regular season champion of the expansion clubs. While their offense was poor (career minor-league Leon Rochefort led the team with just 21 goals), ex-Bruins' goaltenders Bernie Parent and Doug Favell showed surprising form. Behind such hardnosed players as Gary Dornhoefer, Ed Van Impe, Larry Zeidel and Forbes Kennedy, the team showed the first glimmers of the "Broad Street Bullies" of future years.

The Los Angeles Kings were a team that writers predicted to finish last in the new West Division.^[5] Owner Jack Kent Cooke had purchased the American Hockey League's Springfield Indians for $1 million to bolster the Kings roster. Surprisingly, the Kings finished second, just one point out of first. Bill Flett scored 26 goals, while Eddie Joyal scored 23 goals, adding 34 assists for 57 points and was the second leading scorer in the West Division. Among the expansion teams, the Kings had the best record against the established teams, going 10–12–2 vs. the Eastern Division.

Oakland, predicted to finish first, fell far short of the mark, amidst poor attendance. Defenceman Kent Douglas, a former Calder Memorial Trophy winner, played far below expected form and was traded to Detroit for Ted Hampson and defenceman Bert Marshall. The Seals finished last in the West Division.

Glenn Hall may have been deemed too old by the Black Hawks, which left him unprotected in the expansion draft, but not for the St. Louis Blues, who rode his five shutouts to a third-place finish. A surprising benefit was their leading scorer, previously unheralded Red Berenson (with only 45 points in 185 previous NHL games) who exploded into stardom, more than doubling his career total in only 55 games.

By contrast, the Pittsburgh Penguins finished fifth, led by former Ranger star Andy Bathgate. Behind an elderly roster—nine of their top ten scorers and both of their goaltenders were over thirty—they could neither muster much offense nor defence.

The Minnesota North Stars had their bright moments despite finishing fourth in the West Division. On December 30, 1967, Bill Masterton and Wayne Connelly each scored goals in a 5–4 upset win over the Boston Bruins. On January 10, Connelly—who would finish the season with 35 goals to lead his team and the West Division—had a hat trick in a 6–4 win over the West Division power, the Philadelphia Flyers and Masterton was the architect on all three goals.

Tragedy struck the league on January 13, 1968. In a game at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, the Oakland Seals were in town to play the North Stars and Bill Masterton led a rush into the Oakland zone. Two defencemen, Larry Cahan and Ron Harris braced for the old fashioned sandwich check and as Masterton fired the puck into the Seals zone, the two hit Masterton hard but cleanly. Masterton flipped backwards and hit his head on the ice. He was removed to a Minneapolis hospital where doctors were prevented from doing surgery by the seriousness of the head injury. Early on the morning of January 15, 1968, Bill Masterton died. He was the first—and as of 2023, the only—player to die as the direct result of injuries suffered in an NHL game, the only such incident in a senior game since 1907.

Final standings

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold

East Division^[6]

• v
• t
• e

		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	DIFF	Pts
1	Montreal Canadiens	74	42	22	10	236	167	+69	94
2	New York Rangers	74	39	23	12	226	183	+43	90
3	Boston Bruins	74	37	27	10	259	216	+43	84
4	Chicago Black Hawks	74	32	26	16	212	222	−10	80
5	Toronto Maple Leafs	74	33	31	10	209	176	+33	76
6	Detroit Red Wings	74	27	35	12	245	257	−12	66

West Division^[6]

• v
• t
• e

		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	DIFF	Pts
1	Philadelphia Flyers	74	31	32	11	173	179	−6	73
2	Los Angeles Kings	74	31	33	10	200	224	−24	72
3	St. Louis Blues	74	27	31	16	177	191	−14	70
4	Minnesota North Stars	74	27	32	15	191	226	−35	69
5	Pittsburgh Penguins	74	27	34	13	195	216	−21	67
6	Oakland Seals	74	15	42	17	153	219	−66	47

Playoffs

Main article: 1968 Stanley Cup playoffs

The first-place vs. third-place and second-place vs. fourth-place playoff format that had been in place for the previous 25 seasons was retained within the East and West Divisions, with the winners of the division finals facing off in the Stanley Cup Finals. As the Original Six formed the East Division and the expansion teams formed the West Division, this resulted in a competitive imbalance in the Finals, but also guaranteed that an expansion team would at least reach the Finals.

All series but Bruins-Canadiens had a game postponed after the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4.^[7]

Playoff bracket

	Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Stanley Cup Finals
	1	Montreal	4
	3	Boston	0
						1	Montreal	4
	East Division
						4	Chicago	1
	2	New York	2
	4	Chicago	4
											E1	Montreal	4
											W3	St. Louis	0
	1	Philadelphia	3
	3	St. Louis	4
						3	St. Louis	4
	West Division
						4	Minnesota	3
	2	Los Angeles	3
	4	Minnesota	4

Quarterfinals

The Canadiens drew the third-place Boston Bruins in the first round. The Bruins, making their first appearance in the playoffs since 1959, were swept in four games. In the other East series, the second-place Rangers faced off against the fourth-place Chicago Black Hawks. The Black Hawks, led by Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita defeated the Rangers in six to set up a Montreal-Chicago East Division showdown. The Black Hawks could not provide another upset, and lost to the Canadiens in five games, giving Montreal their only defeat of the playoffs.

In the West, all four teams played their first playoff series. The first-place Philadelphia Flyers lost their first-ever playoff series to the Blues, led by goaltender Glenn Hall and coached by future Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman in seven games, while the second-place Los Angeles Kings lost to the fourth-place Minnesota North Stars in seven games. The Blues would defeat the North Stars in seven games to advance to their first final.

(E1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E3) Boston Bruins

April 4	Boston Bruins		1–2		Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Ken Hodge (1) – 04:00		First period			14:08 – pp – Henri Richard (1)
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			14:40 – Claude Provost (1)
Gerry Cheevers 33 saves / 35 shots		Goalie stats			Gump Worsley 21 saves / 22 shots

April 6	Boston Bruins		3–5		Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Ken Hodge (2) – 13:58		First period			09:33 – Jacques Lemaire (1)
Ted Green (1) – pp – 13:06		Second period			04:15 – Jacques Laperriere (1) 09:24 – Jacques Lemaire (2)
John McKenzie (1) – 10:47		Third period			10:24 – Dick Duff (1) 17:34 – Jean Beliveau (1)
Gerry Cheevers 36 saves / 41 shots		Goalie stats			Gump Worsley 17 saves / 20 shots

April 9	Montreal Canadiens		5–2		Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Jean Beliveau (2) – pp – 15:35		First period			05:15 – Ed Westfall (1)
Claude Provost (2) – pp – 07:39 Ralph Backstrom (1) – 08:41 John Ferguson (1) – 18:23		Second period			19:55 – Tommy Williams (1)
Dick Duff (2) – 08:23		Third period			No scoring
Gump Worsley 25 saves / 27 shots		Goalie stats			Gerry Cheevers 28 saves / 33 shots

April 11	Montreal Canadiens		3–2		Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
Claude Larose (1) – 12:58		Second period			00:49 – Ed Westfall (2)
Claude Larose (2) – 07:20 Ralph Backstrom (2) – 16:33		Third period			18:34 – Ken Hodge (3)
Gump Worsley 35 saves / 37 shots		Goalie stats			Gerry Cheevers 31 saves / 34 shots

Montreal won series 4–0

(E2) New York Rangers vs. (E4) Chicago Black Hawks

April 4	Chicago Black Hawks		1–3		New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period			11:22 – Orland Kurtenbach (1)
No scoring		Second period			07:34 – pp – Harry Howell (1)
Pierre Pilote (1) – pp – 12:27		Third period			01:36 – Rod Gilbert (1)
Denis DeJordy 41 saves / 44 shots		Goalie stats			Ed Giacomin 31 saves / 32 shots

April 9	Chicago Black Hawks		1–2		New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period			15:57 – Rod Gilbert (2)
Bobby Hull (1) – 10:12		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			12:40 – Donnie Marshall (1)
Denis DeJordy 28 saves / 30 shots		Goalie stats			Ed Giacomin 36 saves / 37 shots

April 11	New York Rangers		4–7		Chicago Black Hawks	Chicago Stadium	Recap
Vic Hadfield (1) – pp – 16:47		First period			11:35 – Pit Martin (1)
Rod Gilbert (3) – 09:32 Rod Gilbert (4) – 09:38		Second period			08:48 – Stan Mikita (1)
Rod Seiling (1) – 13:22		Third period			02:36 – Pit Martin (2) 05:25 – pp – Stan Mikita (2) 08:59 – Dennis Hull (1) 18:19 – Doug Mohns (1) 19:42 – Gilles Marotte (1)
Ed Giacomin 24 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats			Denis DeJordy 29 saves / 33 shots

April 13	New York Rangers		1–3		Chicago Black Hawks	Chicago Stadium	Recap
Ron Stewart (1) – 17:20		First period			15:33 – Kenny Wharram (1)
No scoring		Second period			03:33 – Gilles Marotte (2)
No scoring		Third period			08:24 – Chico Maki (1)
Ed Giacomin 41 saves / 44 shots		Goalie stats			Denis DeJordy 37 saves / 38 shots

April 14	Chicago Black Hawks		2–1		New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden	Recap
Donnie Marshall (2) – 05:20		First period			16:14 – pp – Bobby Hull (2)
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
Bobby Schmautz (1) – 16:46		Third period			No scoring
Denis DeJordy 32 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats			Ed Giacomin 27 saves / 29 shots

April 16	New York Rangers		1–4		Chicago Black Hawks	Chicago Stadium	Recap
No scoring		First period			05:50 – Doug Jarrett (1)
Rod Gilbert (5) – 03:15		Second period			19:25 – Chico Maki (2)
No scoring		Third period			02:39 – Pit Martin (3) 16:35 – Stan Mikita (3)
Ed Giacomin 25 saves / 29 shots		Goalie stats			Denis DeJordy 26 saves / 27 shots

Chicago won series 4–2

(W1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (W3) St. Louis Blues

April 4	St. Louis Blues		1–0		Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
Jimmy Roberts (1) – 14:13		Third period			No scoring
Glenn Hall 14 saves / 14 shots		Goalie stats			Bernie Parent 32 saves / 33 shots

April 6	St. Louis Blues		3–4		Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
Dickie Moore (1) – 07:11		First period			01:32 – Pat Hannigan (1) 18:37 – pp – Don Blackburn (1) 19:10 – Claude Laforge (1)
Don McKenney (1) – 04:22 Larry Keenan (1) – 05:46		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			06:51 – Leon Rochefort (1)
Glenn Hall 37 saves / 41 shots		Goalie stats			Doug Favell 26 saves / 29 shots

April 10	Philadelphia Flyers		2–3	2OT	St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
Jean Gauthier (1) – pp – 17:35		Second period			02:54 – Terry Crisp (1)
Joe Watson (1) – 13:54		Third period			07:38 – Frank St. Marseille (1)
No scoring		Second overtime period			04:10 – Larry Keenan (2)
Bernie Parent 54 saves / 57 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 33 saves / 35 shots

April 11	Philadelphia Flyers		2–5		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
Andre Lacroix (1) – pp – 02:26		First period			06:52 – sh – Bill McCreary Sr. (1) 13:29 – pp – Red Berenson (1)
No scoring		Second period			16:55 – Dickie Moore (2)
Don Blackburn (2) – 14:04		Third period			00:49 – Red Berenson (2) 16:05 – sh – Barclay Plager (1)
Doug Favell 28 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 22 saves / 24 shots

April 13	St. Louis Blues		1–6		Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
No scoring		First period			09:01 – Leon Rochefort (2) 13:18 – Rosaire Paiement (1) 15:52 – sh – Forbes Kennedy (1)
No scoring		Second period			17:00 – Brit Selby (1)
Gerry Melnyk (1) – sh – 11:05		Third period			10:27 – pp – Rosaire Paiement (2) 13:26 – pp – Rosaire Paiement (3)
Glenn Hall 9 saves / 12 shots Seth Martin 17 saves / 20 shots		Goalie stats			Bernie Parent 30 saves / 31 shots

April 16	Philadelphia Flyers		2–1	2OT	St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			18:06 – pp – Gerry Melnyk (2)
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
Andre Lacroix (2) – 19:45		Third period			No scoring
Don Blackburn (3) – 11:18		Second overtime period			No scoring
Bernie Parent 63 saves / 64 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 41 saves / 43 shots

April 18	St. Louis Blues		3–1		Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
Frank St. Marseille (2) – pp – 07:38		First period			18:25 – pp – Bill Sutherland (1)
Larry Keenan (3) – pp – 10:45		Second period			No scoring
Red Berenson (3) – 19:10		Third period			No scoring
Glenn Hall 26 saves / 27 shots		Goalie stats			Bernie Parent 28 saves / 30 shots

St. Louis won series 4–3

(W2) Los Angeles Kings vs. (W4) Minnesota North Stars

April 4	Minnesota North Stars		1–2		Los Angeles Kings	The Forum	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			19:55 – pp – Eddie Joyal (1)
Dave Balon (1) – 03:54		Third period			03:13 – Bill White (1)
Cesare Maniago 38 saves / 40 shots		Goalie stats			Terry Sawchuck 30 saves / 31 shots

April 6	Minnesota North Stars		0–2		Los Angeles Kings	The Forum	Recap
No scoring		First period			08:45 – pp – Lowell MacDonald (1)
No scoring		Second period			18:12 – Eddie Joyal (2)
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Cesare Maniago 37 saves / 39 shots		Goalie stats			Terry Sawchuck 18 saves / 18 shots

April 9	Los Angeles Kings		5–7		Minnesota North Stars	Met Center	Recap
Lowell MacDonald (2) – 12:44 Lowell MacDonald (3) – 13:56 Howie Hughes (1) – pp – 15:19		First period			05:51 – Bill Collins (1) 15:48 – Ray Cullen (1) 17:34 – pp – Mike McMahon Jr. (1)
No scoring		Second period			01:25 – Parker MacDonald (1) 16:56 – ps – Wayne Connelly (1)
Ted Irvine (1) – 03:23 Doug Robinson (1) – 04:15		Third period			00:09 – Bill Collins (2) 17:50 – Andre Boudrias (1)
Terry Sawchuck 18 saves / 23 shots Wayne Rutledge 9 saves / 11 shots		Goalie stats			Cesare Maniago 24 saves / 29 shots

April 11	Los Angeles Kings		2–3		Minnesota North Stars	Met Center	Recap
Bill Flett (1) – 03:37 Bill White (2) – 04:45		First period			11:30 – pp – Ray Cullen (2)
No scoring		Second period			06:31 – Mike McMahon Jr. (2) 09:27 – Dave Balon (2)
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Terry Sawchuck 31 saves / 34 shots		Goalie stats			Cesare Maniago 30 saves / 32 shots

April 13	Minnesota North Stars		2–3		Los Angeles Kings	The Forum	Recap
No scoring		First period			02:14 – Gord Labossiere (1) 02:29 – Gord Labossiere (2)
No scoring		Second period			12:23 – pp – Eddie Joyal (3)
Wayne Connelly (2) – 07:15 Wayne Connelly (3) – 14:55		Third period			No scoring
Cesare Maniago 21 saves / 24 shots		Goalie stats			Wayne Rutledge 27 saves / 29 shots

April 16	Los Angeles Kings		3–4	OT	Minnesota North Stars	Met Center	Recap
Doug Robinson (2) – 11:12		First period			08:05 – sh – Mike McMahon Jr. (3)
Real Lemieux (1) – 01:37 Howie Hughes (2) – 04:20		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			07:23 – Bill Goldsworthy (1) 16:39 – Bob McCord (1)
No scoring		First overtime period			09:11 – Milan Marcetta (1)
Wayne Rutledge 29 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats			Cesare Maniago 33 saves / 36 shots

April 18	Minnesota North Stars		9–4		Los Angeles Kings	The Forum	Recap
Parker MacDonald (2) – 02:24 Wayne Connelly (4) – pp – 08:05 Bill Goldsworthy (2) – 16:25		First period			02:51 – Doug Robinson (3)
Milan Marcetta (2) – 08:45 Parker MacDonald (3) – 11:58 Milan Marcetta (3) – 12:49 Dave Balon (3) – 15:58 Andre Boudrias (2) – 16:12		Second period			05:12 – pp – Eddie Joyal (4) 16:45 – Poul Popiel (1)
Bill Goldsworthy (3) – pp – 09:07		Third period			19:36 – Doug Robinson (4)
Cesare Maniago 22 saves / 26 shots		Goalie stats			Terry Sawchuck 24 saves / 33 shots

Minnesota won series 4–3

Semifinals

(E1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E4) Chicago Black Hawks

April 18	Chicago Black Hawks		2–9		Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
No scoring		First period			06:37 – Ralph Backstrom (3) 07:31 – Yvan Cournoyer (1) 09:24 – John Ferguson (2)
No scoring		Second period			15:26 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (2)
Doug Jarrett (2) – 10:20 Gilles Marotte (3) – 11:26		Third period			00:10 – John Ferguson (3) 01:28 – Gilles Tremblay (1) 07:08 – Jacques Lemaire (3) 16:03 – Jean Beliveau (3) 17:50 – Claude Larose (3)
Denis DeJordy 24 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats			Gump Worsley 32 saves / 34 shots

April 20	Chicago Black Hawks		1–4		Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Stan Mikita (4) – pp – 05:03		First period			10:58 – Jean Beliveau (4)
No scoring		Second period			10:04 – pp – Jean Beliveau (5) 15:41 – pp – Jacques Lemaire (4) 17:57 – pp – Jean Beliveau (6)
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Denis DeJordy 35 saves / 39 shots		Goalie stats			Gump Worsley 23 saves / 24 shots

April 23	Montreal Canadiens		4–2		Chicago Black Hawks	Chicago Stadium	Recap
Jean Beliveau (7) – 00:39		First period			15:25 – Doug Jarrett (3)
Yvan Cournoyer (3) – pp – 02:39 Yvan Cournoyer (4) – 06:11 J. C. Tremblay (1) – 12:05		Second period			10:35 – Doug Jarrett (4)
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Gump Worsley 39 saves / 41 shots		Goalie stats			Denis DeJordy 29 saves / 33 shots

April 25	Montreal Canadiens		1–2		Chicago Black Hawks	Chicago Stadium	Recap
No scoring		First period			08:57 – Bobby Hull (3)
Henri Richard (2) – 03:37		Second period			06:50 – sh – Bobby Hull (4)
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Gump Worsley 3 saves / 4 shots Rogie Vachon 29 saves / 30 shots		Goalie stats			Denis DeJordy 28 saves / 29 shots

April 28	Chicago Black Hawks		3–4	OT	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
No scoring		First period			08:10 – Bobby Rousseau (1)
Bobby Schmautz (2) – 09:59		Second period			11:15 – sh – J. C. Tremblay (2)
Stan Mikita (5) – pp – 01:23 Wayne Maki (1) – 08:14		Third period			06:38 – pp – Jacques Lemaire (5)
No scoring		First overtime period			02:14 – Jacques Lemaire (6)
Denis DeJordy 40 saves / 44 shots		Goalie stats			Rogie Vachon 24 saves / 27 shots

Montreal won series 4–1

(W3) St. Louis Blues vs. (W4) Minnesota North Stars

April 21	Minnesota North Stars		3–5		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
Milan Marcetta (4) – pp – 07:49		First period			14:27 – Tim Ecclestone (1)
Wayne Connelly (5) – 00:49 Wayne Connelly (6) – pp – 15:41		Second period			09:31 – pp – Frank St. Marseille (3) 10:05 – pp – Dickie Moore (3) 12:36 – sh – Bill McCreary Sr. (2)
No scoring		Third period			14:08 – Larry Keenan (4)
Cesare Maniago 28 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 25 saves / 28 shots

April 22	St. Louis Blues		2–3	OT	Minnesota North Stars	Met Center	Recap
Jimmy Roberts (2) – 12:28		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
Frank St. Marseille (4) – pp – 04:58		Third period			02:12 – Milan Marcetta (5) 07:00 – Bill Goldsworthy (4)
No scoring		First overtime period			03:41 – Parker MacDonald (4)
Glenn Hall 24 saves / 27 shots		Goalie stats			Cesare Maniago 23 saves / 25 shots

April 25	Minnesota North Stars		5–1		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
Milan Marcetta (6) – 09:38 Bill Goldsworthy (5) – 13:00 J. P. Parise (1) – 19:01		First period			No scoring
Bill Goldsworthy (6) – 16:33		Second period			04:53 – Dickie Moore (4)
Dave Balon (4) – pp – 00:09		Third period			No scoring
Cesare Maniago 30 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 16 saves / 21 shots

April 27	Minnesota North Stars		3–4	OT	St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
Walt McKechnie (1) – 04:42 J. P. Parise (2) – pp – 14:40		First period			No scoring
Wayne Connelly (7) – 19:37		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			11:57 – Jimmy Roberts (3) 12:57 – Dickie Moore (5) 19:49 – Jimmy Roberts (4)
No scoring		First overtime period			01:32 – Gary Sabourin (1)
Cesare Maniago 39 saves / 43 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 21 saves / 24 shots

April 29	Minnesota North Stars		2–3	OT	St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
Walt McKechnie (2) – 05:39		First period			01:53 – Bob Plager (1) 10:44 – Gary Sabourin (2)
Bob McCord (2) – 06:31		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
No scoring		First overtime period			17:27 – Bill McCreary Sr. (3)
Cesare Maniago 52 saves / 55 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 26 saves / 28 shots

May 1	St. Louis Blues		1–5		Minnesota North Stars	Met Center	Recap
No scoring		First period			05:28 – pp – Wayne Connelly (8) 10:54 – Andre Boudrias (3)
Gary Sabourin (3) – 13:53		Second period			06:34 – Bill Goldsworthy (7) 17:16 – Bill Goldsworthy (8)
No scoring		Third period			09:52 – Milan Marcetta (7)
Glenn Hall 12 saves / 15 shots Seth Martin 21 saves / 23 shots		Goalie stats			Cesare Maniago 22 saves / 23 shots

May 3	Minnesota North Stars		1–2	2OT	St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
Walt McKechnie (3) – 16:49		Third period			17:20 – Dickie Moore (6)
No scoring		Second overtime period			02:50 – Ron Schock (1)
Cesare Maniago 36 saves / 38 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 44 saves / 45 shots

St. Louis won series 4–3

Stanley Cup Finals

Main article: 1968 Stanley Cup Finals

The Blues faced the Canadiens for the Stanley Cup. Blues coach Bowman, a long-time member of the Canadiens organization was unable to spur the Blues to an upset, but they made it a hard-fought series, with each game being decided by one goal and two going to overtime. However, the Canadiens, led by Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard, were not to be denied and swept the series in four games. Despite this, the exceptional performance of the heavy underdog Blues impressed and surprised most hockey fans who were expecting an utter blowout by the Canadiens, to the point that their goaltender Glenn Hall, who helped lead the team to the Cup Finals, was named the MVP of the playoffs.

May 5	Montreal Canadiens		3–2	OT	St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
Henri Richard (3) – 09:42		First period			09:19 – Barclay Plager (2)
Yvan Cournoyer (5) – 18:14		Second period			08:16 – pp – Dickie Moore (7)
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Jacques Lemaire (7) – 01:41		First overtime period			No scoring
Gump Worsley 34 saves / 36 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 35 saves / 38 shots

May 7	Montreal Canadiens		1–0		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
Serge Savard (1) – sh – 02:17		Third period			No scoring
Gump Worsley 19 saves / 19 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 35 saves / 36 shots

May 9	St. Louis Blues		3–4	OT	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Frank St. Marseille (5) – pp – 10:22		First period			14:24 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (6)
Red Berenson (4) – 03:37		Second period			01:23 – sh – Serge Savard (2)
Red Berenson (5) – sh – 17:25		Third period			11:43 – Ralph Backstrom (4)
No scoring		First overtime period			01:13 – Bobby Rousseau (2)
Glenn Hall 42 saves / 46 shots		Goalie stats			Gump Worsley 12 saves / 15 shots

May 11	St. Louis Blues		2–3		Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
No scoring		First period			16:47 – Dick Duff (3)
Craig Cameron (1) – 06:53 Gary Sabourin (4) – pp – 07:50		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			07:24 – Henri Richard (4) 11:40 – J. C. Tremblay (3)
Glenn Hall 28 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats			Gump Worsley 19 saves / 21 shots

Montreal won series 4–0

Awards

1967–68 NHL awards
Prince of Wales Trophy: (East Division champion, regular season)	Montreal Canadiens
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (West Division champion, regular season)	Philadelphia Flyers
Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer, regular season)	Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: (Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)	Claude Provost, Montreal Canadiens
Calder Memorial Trophy: (Top first-year player)	Derek Sanderson, Boston Bruins
Conn Smythe Trophy: (Most valuable player, playoffs)	Glenn Hall, St. Louis Blues
Hart Memorial Trophy: (Most valuable player, regular season)	Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks
James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman)	Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship)	Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks
Vezina Trophy: (Best goaltending record, regular season)	Rogatien Vachon and Gump Worsley, Montreal Canadiens

All-Star teams

First Team	Position	Second Team
Gump Worsley, Montreal Canadiens	G	Ed Giacomin, New York Rangers
Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins	D	J. C. Tremblay, Montreal Canadiens
Tim Horton, Toronto Maple Leafs	D	Jim Neilson, New York Rangers
Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks	C	Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings	RW	Rod Gilbert, New York Rangers
Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks	LW	Johnny Bucyk, Boston Bruins

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player	Team	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
Stan Mikita	Chicago Black Hawks	72	40	47	87	14
Phil Esposito	Boston Bruins	74	35	49	84	21
Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings	74	39	43	82	53
Jean Ratelle	New York Rangers	74	32	46	78	18
Rod Gilbert	New York Rangers	73	29	48	77	12
Bobby Hull	Chicago Black Hawks	71	44	31	75	39
Norm Ullman	Toronto Maple Leafs	71	35	37	72	28
Alex Delvecchio	Detroit Red Wings	74	22	48	70	14
Johnny Bucyk	Boston Bruins	72	30	39	69	8
Kenny Wharram	Chicago Black Hawks	74	27	42	69	18

Source: NHL.^[8]

Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts

Player	Team	GP	MIN	GA	GAA	W	L	T	SO
Gump Worsley	Montreal Canadiens	40	2213	73	1.98	19	9	8	6
Johnny Bower	Toronto Maple Leafs	43	2239	84	2.25	14	18	7	4
Doug Favell	Philadelphia Flyers	37	2192	83	2.27	15	15	6	4
Bruce Gamble	Toronto Maple Leafs	41	2204	85	2.32	19	13	3	5
Eddie Giacomin	New York Rangers	66	3940	160	2.44	36	20	10	8
Glenn Hall	St. Louis Blues	49	2858	118	2.48	19	21	9	5
Rogie Vachon	Montreal Canadiens	39	2227	92	2.48	23	13	2	4
Bernie Parent	Philadelphia Flyers	38	2248	93	2.48	16	17	5	4
Seth Martin	St. Louis Blues	30	1552	67	2.59	8	10	7	1
Denis DeJordy	Chicago Black Hawks	50	2838	128	2.71	23	15	11	4

Other statistics

The NHL began tracking the plus-minus statistic this season. It measures the difference between the number of goals scored by a player's team while a player is on the ice against the number of goals scored by the opposing team. Power play goals do not count toward the statistic; it does include short-handed goals scored by the opposing team during power plays.

• Plus-Minus leader: Dallas Smith, Boston Bruins

Coaches

East

• Boston Bruins: Harry Sinden
• Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay
• Detroit Red Wings: Sid Abel
• Montreal Canadiens: Toe Blake
• New York Rangers: Emile Francis
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Punch Imlach

West

• Los Angeles Kings: Red Kelly
• Minnesota North Stars: Wren Blair
• Oakland Seals: Bert Olmstead and Gord Fashoway
• Philadelphia Flyers: Keith Allen
• Pittsburgh Penguins: George "Red" Sullivan
• St. Louis Blues: Lynn Patrick and Scotty Bowman

Debuts

The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game in 1967–68 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Bobby Schmautz, Chicago Black Hawks
• Bill White, Los Angeles Kings
• Walt McKechnie, Minnesota North Stars
• Mickey Redmond, Montreal Canadiens
• Jacques Lemaire, Montreal Canadiens
• Garry Monahan, Montreal Canadiens
• Walt Tkaczuk, New York Rangers
• Dennis Hextall*, New York Rangers
• Simon Nolet, Philadelphia Flyers
• Barclay Plager, St. Louis Blues
• Garry Unger, Toronto Maple Leafs

Last games

The following is a list of notable players who played their last game in the NHL in 1967–68 (listed with their last team):

• Bill Masterton, Minnesota North Stars
• Bronco Horvath, Minnesota North Stars
• Bernie Geoffrion, New York Rangers
• Dickie Moore, St. Louis Blues
• Don McKenney, St. Louis Blues

Broadcasting

Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. HNIC also produced Wednesday night regular season game telecasts for CTV. Games were typically not broadcast in their entirety until the 1968–69 season, and were typically joined in progress.

This was the second season under the U.S. rights agreement with CBS. This season, CBS aired Saturday afternoon games between December 30 and January 20, then Sunday afternoon games from January 28 through March. The network then aired Sunday afternoon playoff games.

See also

• 1967–68 NHL transactions
• 1967 NHL Expansion
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1967 NHL Amateur Draft
• 1967 NHL Expansion Draft
• 21st National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• Ice hockey at the 1968 Winter Olympics
• 1967 in sports
• 1968 in sports

References

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, New York: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
• Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
• Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
• McFarlane, Brian (1973). The Story of the National Hockey League. New York: Pagurian Press. ISBN 0-684-13424-1.

Notes

1. NHL Guide & Record Book 2005. p. 9.
2. "HickokSports.com – History – NHL 1967–68 Season". Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
3. "Sweeping Changes In Pro-Am Hockey Pact". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba. August 19, 1966. p. 22.
4. Stubbs, David (April 7, 2023). "All 32 NHL teams on ice for 1st time recalls similar scene in 1967". NHL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
5. Brian McFarlane, 50 Years of Hockey, p. 140–143, Greywood Publishing Ltd, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
6. "1967–1968 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
7. Stanley Cup Notebook
8. Dinger 2011, p. 150.

External links

• Hockey Database
• NHL.com