1968 Stanley Cup playoffs

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The 1968 Stanley Cup playoffs, to decide the 1968 championship of the National Hockey League (NHL) was the first after the expansion from six to twelve teams. The defending champion Toronto Maple Leafs did not qualify and a new champion would be crowned. The Montreal Canadiens would defeat the St. Louis Blues in four straight to win the Stanley Cup.

Format

All of the 'Original Six' teams were placed in the new Eastern Division, and all of the new teams placed in the new Western Division. Each division contributed four playoff teams. Division teams then played off to produce a divisional champion, and the two divisional champions played off in the Final to win the Stanley Cup.

The imbalance between the new teams and old was readily apparent in the standings. All four of the East Division teams had a better record than the top team in the West.

Series

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. The Blues would defeat the North Stars in seven games to advance to their first final.

All series but Bruins-Canadiens had a game postponed after the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4.^[1]

Final

Main article: 1968 Stanley Cup Finals

The Blues now 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. The Canadiens, led by Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard swept the series in four games.

Brackets

Quarter-finals			Semi-finals			Final


1	Montreal Canadiens	4

3	Boston Bruins	0
			1	Montreal Canadiens	4
East Division
			4	Chicago Black Hawks	1
2	New York Rangers	2

4	Chicago Black Hawks	4
						E1	Montreal Canadiens	4

						W3	St. Louis Blues	0
1	Philadelphia Flyers	3

3	St. Louis Blues	4
			3	St. Louis Blues	4
West Division
			4	Minnesota North Stars	3
2	Los Angeles Kings	3

4	Minnesota North Stars	4

Awards and records

Prince of Wales Trophy: (East Division champion)	Montreal Canadiens
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (West Division champion)	St. Louis Blues
Conn Smythe Trophy: (Playoff MVP)	Glenn Hall, St. Louis Blues

References

↑ Stanley Cup Notebook

Falla, Jack (2001). Quest for the Cup : a history of the Stanley Cup finals, 1893–2000. Key Porter Books. ISBN 1-55263-343-8.

Preceded by 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs	Stanley Cup playoffs 1968	Succeeded by 1969 Stanley Cup playoffs

Stanley Cup playoffs

1910s–1920s	1910 . 1911 . 1912 . 1913 . 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929

1930s–1940s	1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949

1950s–1960s	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

1970s–1980s	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

1990s–2000s	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 . 2005 . 2006 2007 2008 2009

2010s–2020s	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

See also	Stanley Cup Champions Finals Conference Finals Challenge games List of playoff series Conn Smythe Trophy Game seven

Category:Stanley Cup playoffs Ice hockey portal

1967–68 NHL season

East	Boston Chicago Detroit Montreal New York Toronto

West	Los Angeles Minnesota Oakland Philadelphia Pittsburgh St. Louis

See also	NHL expansion Draft Expansion Draft All-Star Game Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup Finals

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