1955 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1955 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1954–55 season, and the culmination of the 1955 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Montreal Canadiens, appearing in their fifth of ten straight Finals, and the defending champion Detroit Red Wings, in the third Detroit-Montreal Finals series of the 1950s and the second consecutively. The Red Wings won the series, four games to three, for their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship, fourth in six seasons, and seventh overall. Detroit did not win the Stanley Cup again until 1997.

1955 Stanley Cup Finals
1234567Total
Detroit Red Wings47235334
Montreal Canadiens21451613
Location(s)Detroit: Olympia Stadium (1, 2, 5, 7)
Montreal: Montreal Forum (3, 4, 6)
CoachesDetroit: Jimmy Skinner
Montreal: Dick Irvin
CaptainsDetroit: Ted Lindsay
Montreal: Emile Bouchard
DatesApril 3–14, 1955
Series-winning goalGordie Howe (19:49, second)
Hall of FamersRed Wings:
Alex Delvecchio (1977)
Gordie Howe (1972)
Red Kelly (1969)
Ted Lindsay (1966)
Marcel Pronovost (1978)
Terry Sawchuk (1971)
Canadiens:
Jean Beliveau (1972)
Emile Bouchard (1966)
Bernie Geoffrion (1972)
Doug Harvey (1973)
Tom Johnson (1970)
Dickie Moore (1974)
Bert Olmstead (1985)
Jacques Plante (1978)
Maurice Richard (1961; did not play)
Coaches:
Dick Irvin (1958, player)
← 1954Stanley Cup Finals1956 →

Paths to the Finals edit

Montreal defeated the Boston Bruins in five games to reach the Finals. Detroit defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in four games to reach the Finals.

Game summaries edit

Prior to the playoffs, Montreal's Maurice Richard was suspended and would be missed by the Canadiens.[1]

In the second game, Ted Lindsay scored four goals to set an NHL record for most goals in one game in a Finals series. The win was also the Wings' fifteenth consecutive, another NHL record.[citation needed]

Gordie Howe set two NHL records, amassing 12 points in this round, and surpassing former Canadiens player (and soon-to-be-coach) Toe Blake's point mark for the playoffs with 20 points in 11 games.[citation needed]

This was also the first Finals in which the home team won all seven games of the series, a feat that would be repeated only twice in the next 50 years, in 1965 (Montreal defeated the Chicago Black Hawks) and 2003 (the New Jersey Devils beat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim).[citation needed]


April 3Montreal Canadiens2–4Detroit Red WingsOlympia StadiumRecap 
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
Floyd Curry (4) - 5:09Second period14:00 - pp - Alex Delvecchio (2)
Floyd Curry (5) - 8:57Third period13:05 - Vic Stasiuk (3)
17:07 - sh - Marty Pavelich (1)
19:42 - Ted Lindsay (3)
Jacques PlanteGoalie statsTerry Sawchuck
April 5Montreal Canadiens1–7Detroit Red WingsOlympia StadiumRecap 
No scoringFirst period2:15 - sh - Marcel Pronovost (1)
9:57 - Ted Lindsay (4)
16:00 - Alex Delvecchio (3)
17:11 - Gordie Howe (5)
No scoringSecond period8:10 - Ted Lindsay (5)
15:48 - pp - Ted Lindsay (6)
19:37 - Ted Lindsay (7)
Ken Mosdell (2) - 12:32Third periodNo scoring
Jacques Plante, Charlie HodgeGoalie statsTerry Sawchuck
April 7Detroit Red Wings2–4Montreal CanadiensMontreal ForumRecap 
Red Kelly (1) - pp - 18:13First period8:30 - pp - Bernie Geoffrion (3)
8:42 - pp - Bernie Geoffrion (4)
Vic Stasiuk (4) - 16:16Second period14:23 - Bernie Geoffrion (5)
No scoringThird period7:50 - Jack LeClair (4)
Terry SawchuckGoalie statsJacques Plante
April 9Detroit Red Wings3–5Montreal CanadiensMontreal ForumRecap 
Dutch Reibel (4) - 12:38First period00:40 - Calum MacKay (2)
No scoringSecond period3:41 - Bernie Geoffrion (6)
8:25 - Jean Beliveau (4)
9:07 - Tom Johnson (2)
Dutch Reibel (5) - 3:40
Jim Hay (1) - 12:000
Third period2:33 - Floyd Curry (6)
Terry SawchuckGoalie statsJacques Plante
April 10Montreal Canadiens1–5Detroit Red WingsOlympia StadiumRecap 
Jean Beliveau (5) - pp - 8:01First period12:59 - Glen Skov (2)
18:59 - Gordie Howe (6)
No scoringSecond period12:29 - pp - Gordie Howe (7)
16:20 - pp - Gordie Howe (8)
No scoringThird period2:09 - Vic Stasiuk (5)
Jacques PlanteGoalie statsTerry Sawchuck
April 12Detroit Red Wings3–6Montreal CanadiensMontreal ForumRecap 
Alex Delvecchio (4) - 13:36First period7:30 - Jean Beliveau (6)
Alex Delvecchio (5) - pp - 15:54Second period3:45 - pp - Jack LeClair (5)
5:21 - pp - Bernie Geoffrion (7)
18:18 - Bernie Geoffrion (8)
Red Kelly (2) - 16:23Third period00:19 - Floyd Curry (7)
18:55 - Calum MacKay (3)
Terry SawchuckGoalie statsJacques Plante
April 14Montreal Canadiens1–3Detroit Red WingsOlympia StadiumRecap 
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond period7:12 - Alex Delvecchio (6)
19:49 - Gordie Howe (9)
Floyd Curry (8) - pp - 14:35Third period2:59 - Alex Delvecchio (7)
Jacques PlanteGoalie statsTerry Sawchuck
Detroit won series 4–3


Stanley Cup engraving edit

The 1955 Stanley Cup was presented to Red Wings captain Ted Lindsay by NHL President Clarence Campbell following the Red Wings' 3–1 win over the Canadiens in game seven.

The following Red Wings players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup:

1954–55 Detroit Red Wings

Players

Coaching and administrative staff

Stanley Cup engraving

  • Larry Hillman became the youngest player to be engraved on the Stanley Cup at 18 years, 2 months, 9 days. Gaye Stewart held the previous record in 1942 at 18 years, 9 months, and 21 days.
  • Wally Crossman (Asst. Trainer/Stick Boy) was left off the Stanley Cup, and team picture.
  • Marguerite Norris was first women to win back to back Stanley Cups in 1953–54, 1954–55.
  • Jimmy Skinner was the 8th NHL rookie coach to win the Stanley Cup.

Members of Detroit Red Wings Dynasty 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955 edit

Gordie Howe, Red Kelly, Ted Lindsay, Marty Pavelich, Marcel Pronovost, John Wilson (6 Players), Jack Adams, Carl Mattson, Fred Hubert Jr. (3 Non-players).

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Cole, Stephen (2004). The Best of Hockey Night in Canada. Toronto: McArthur & Company. pp. 38–40. ISBN 1-55278-408-8.

References edit

Preceded by Detroit Red Wings
Stanley Cup Champions

1955
Succeeded by