A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
1972–73 NHL season | |
---|---|
League | National Hockey League |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Duration | October 7, 1972 – May 10, 1973 |
Number of games | 78 |
Number of teams | 16 |
TV partner(s) | CBC, CTV, SRC (Canada) NBC (United States) |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Billy Harris |
Picked by | New York Islanders |
Regular season | |
Season champions | Montreal Canadiens |
Season MVP | Bobby Clarke (Flyers) |
Top scorer | Phil Esposito (Bruins) |
Playoffs | |
Playoffs MVP | Yvan Cournoyer (Canadiens) |
Stanley Cup | |
Champions | Montreal Canadiens |
Runners-up | Chicago Black Hawks |
The 1972–73 NHL season was the 56th season of the National Hockey League. Sixteen teams each played 78 games. Two new teams, the New York Islanders and the Atlanta Flames, made their debuts. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup by beating the Chicago Black Hawks four games to two in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Pre-season
Prior to the start of the season, the 1972 Summit Series took place. It was the first ever meeting between Soviet Union and NHL calibre Canadian ice hockey players. Canada expected to easily beat the Soviets, but were shocked to find themselves with a losing record of one win, two losses, and a tie after four games in Canada. In game four, which Canada lost 5–3, Vancouver fans echoed the rest of Canada's thoughts of Team Canada's poor performance by booing them off the ice. The final four games were played in the Soviet Union. Canada lost game five, but won the last three for a final record of four wins, three losses, and a tie.
For the first time since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926, the National Hockey League had serious competition. A new professional hockey league, the World Hockey Association, made its season debut with 12 new teams, half of which were based in cities with existing NHL teams. Unlike the Western Hockey League, though, the new World Hockey Association would not challenge for the Stanley Cup. In response to the new league, the NHL hastily added two new teams in an unplanned expansion, the New York Islanders and Atlanta Flames, in an attempt to exclude the WHA from newly constructed arenas in those markets.
In February 1972, the Miami Screaming Eagles of the WHA signed Bernie Parent to a contract,[1] and when Bobby Hull was signed on June 27, 1972, to play with the Winnipeg Jets, the Chicago Black Hawks sued, claiming a violation of the reserve clause in NHL contracts. Others soon followed Hull to the WHA, including, J. C. Tremblay, Ted Green, Gerry Cheevers and Johnny McKenzie. In the expansion draft, the New York Islanders and Atlanta Flames made their picks and eleven Islander players skipped off to the WHA. The California Golden Seals, chafing under the unorthodox ownership of the unpopular Charlie Finley, were also a victim of the WHA, losing eight key players.
Teams
Regular season
The Montreal Canadiens took over first place in the East Division and the league from the Boston Bruins while for the third consecutive season the Chicago Black Hawks dominated the West Division.
Final standings
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Montreal Canadiens | 78 | 52 | 10 | 16 | 329 | 184 | +145 | 120 |
2 | Boston Bruins | 78 | 51 | 22 | 5 | 330 | 235 | +95 | 107 |
3 | New York Rangers | 78 | 47 | 23 | 8 | 297 | 208 | +89 | 102 |
4 | Buffalo Sabres | 78 | 37 | 27 | 14 | 257 | 219 | +38 | 88 |
5 | Detroit Red Wings | 78 | 37 | 29 | 12 | 265 | 243 | +22 | 86 |
6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 78 | 27 | 41 | 10 | 247 | 279 | −32 | 64 |
7 | Vancouver Canucks | 78 | 22 | 47 | 9 | 233 | 339 | −106 | 53 |
8 | New York Islanders | 78 | 12 | 60 | 6 | 170 | 347 | −177 | 30 |
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 78 | 42 | 27 | 9 | 284 | 225 | +59 | 93 |
2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 78 | 37 | 30 | 11 | 296 | 256 | +40 | 85 |
3 | Minnesota North Stars | 78 | 37 | 30 | 11 | 254 | 230 | +24 | 85 |
4 | St. Louis Blues | 78 | 32 | 34 | 12 | 233 | 251 | −18 | 76 |
5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 78 | 32 | 37 | 9 | 257 | 265 | −8 | 73 |
6 | Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 31 | 36 | 11 | 232 | 245 | −13 | 73 |
7 | Atlanta Flames | 78 | 25 | 38 | 15 | 191 | 239 | −48 | 65 |
8 | California Golden Seals | 78 | 16 | 46 | 16 | 213 | 323 | −110 | 48 |
Playoffs
No teams in the playoffs swept their opponents, the last time this would happen until 1991, and no series went to a seventh game, the last time this has happened to date. In addition, the Chicago Black Hawks reached the Stanley Cup Finals without a captain, the last time this would happen until 2014.
Playoff bracket
Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||
E1 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||
E4 | Buffalo | 2 | ||||||||||||
E1 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||
W2 | Philadelphia | 1 | ||||||||||||
W2 | Philadelphia | 4 | ||||||||||||
W3 | Minnesota | 2 | ||||||||||||
E1 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||
W1 | Chicago | 2 | ||||||||||||
W1 | Chicago | 4 | ||||||||||||
W4 | St. Louis | 1 | ||||||||||||
W1 | Chicago | 4 | ||||||||||||
E3 | NY Rangers | 1 | ||||||||||||
E2 | Boston | 1 | ||||||||||||
E3 | NY Rangers | 4 |
Quarterfinals
(E1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E4) Buffalo Sabres
The Montreal Canadiens finished first in the league with 120 points. The Buffalo Sabres finished fourth with 88 points. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. This was the Buffalo Sabres' first playoff appearance in their third season since entering the league in the 1970–71 NHL season. Montreal won the five-game regular season series earning six of ten points.
April 4 | Buffalo Sabres | 1–2 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
Craig Ramsay (1) – 03:13 | Second period | 17:01 – Jacques Lemaire (1) | ||||||
No scoring | Third period | 04:27 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (1) | ||||||
Dave Dryden | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden |