1969–70 NHL season

The 1969–70 NHL season was the 53rd season of the National Hockey League. For the third straight season, the St. Louis Blues reached the Stanley Cup finals, and for the third straight year, the winners of the expansion West Division were swept four games to none. This time, however, it was at the hands of the Boston Bruins, as the defending champions Montreal Canadiens narrowly missed the playoffs, something that did not happen again for the next quarter century. With both the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs missing the 1970 Stanley Cup playoffs, it was the first time in league history that neither of the NHL's two Canadian teams (at the time) qualified for the playoffs (something that has happened only once since, in 2016, when all of the league's then seven Canadian teams missed the playoffs). It was also the final season that teams wore their colored jerseys at home until the 2003–04 season.

1969–70 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 11, 1969 – May 10, 1970
Number of games	76
Number of teams	12
Draft
Top draft pick	Rejean Houle
Picked by	Montreal Canadiens
Regular season
Season champions	Chicago Black Hawks
Season MVP	Bobby Orr (Bruins)
Top scorer	Bobby Orr (Bruins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP	Bobby Orr (Bruins)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Boston Bruins
Runners-up	St. Louis Blues

Regular season

Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins became the first (and as of 2020, the only) defenseman in NHL history to win the league scoring championship. He did it by setting a new record for assists with 87 and totalling 120 points, only six shy of the point record set the previous season by teammate Phil Esposito. Along the way, he also won the Norris Trophy for the third straight year as the top defenseman, the Hart Trophy for league MVP, and the Conn Smythe Trophy for the playoff MVP, being the only player in the NHL to win four individual awards in a single season.

Gordie Howe finished the season within the ten leading NHL point scorers for an all-time record of 21 consecutive seasons; it was the final season he did so.

For the third straight season, the St. Louis Blues easily won the West Division, being the only team in the division to have a winning record.

The East Division, however, saw a temporary changing of the guard, as Montreal dropped from first the previous season to fifth, missing the playoffs on the total goals scored tie-breaker with the New York Rangers. The Rangers were in first place for a time, but injuries on the blueline doomed any hope of a first-place finish, and they even obtained Tim Horton in desperation. It was the only season Montreal failed to make the playoffs between 1948 and 1995, and as the Toronto Maple Leafs also failed to make the postseason, this was the first playoffs in NHL history to feature no Canadian teams. These developments were instrumental in the decision to move Chicago to the West Division in conjunction with the 1970 expansion, and the adoption of "crossover" playoff series between East and West Division teams the following season. The division crossover kept the newer expansion teams out of the Stanley Cup final for the next three seasons.

The Bruins and the Black Hawks both tied for the lead in the East (and entire league) with 99 points, but Chicago was awarded first place because they had more wins. It was Chicago's second first-place finish in Black Hawk history (the first being 1966–67).

Canadiens/Rangers tiebreaker

The last two playoff berths in the East Division were contested by three teams entering the final weekend of the season. The Detroit Red Wings were in third place with 93 standings points, followed by the Montreal Canadiens with 92 and the New York Rangers with 90.[1] All three were scheduled to play home-and-home contests on April 4 and 5, with the Red Wings and Rangers facing each other and the Canadiens going up against the first-place Chicago Blackhawks. The Red Wings captured the third seed with a 6–2 win over the Rangers at the Olympia on Saturday night. The Canadiens needed just one victory to clinch the fourth and final berth, but failed to do so in a simultaneous 4–1 loss to the Blackhawks at the Montreal Forum.

That set up the scenario in which a New York win and a Montreal loss would give each team identical 38–22–16 records. At that time, the next tiebreaker was goals scored in which the Canadiens held a 242–237 advantage before action on April 5. The Rangers also had to outscore the Canadiens by at least five goals in order to qualify for the postseason.[2]

The Rangers and Red Wings were scheduled to play a nationally televised 2 pm ET Sunday match at Madison Square Garden. Roy Edwards was supposed to have been Detroit's starting goaltender, but his "headaches and chest pains" forced coach Sid Abel to press Roger Crozier back into service for the second time in 18 hours. The Rangers peppered Crozier with a franchise-record 65 shots on goal en route to a 9–5 triumph and a four-goal lead over Montreal. New York coach Emile Francis even replaced his goalie Eddie Giacomin with an extra attacker when the score reached 9–3, but it only resulted in a pair of empty-net goals for the Red Wings.[2]

Later that evening at the Chicago Stadium, the Canadiens either had to win or score at least five goals in defeat, but were up against a Blackhawks team needing a victory to clinch top seed in the divisional playoffs. With Montreal trailing 5–2 and desperate for three more goals with 9:16 remaining in the third period, coach Claude Ruel pulled his netminder Rogie Vachon for an extra attacker. The Canadiens surrendered five empty-net goals in a 10–2 defeat and missed the postseason for the only time within a 46-season span from 1949 to 1994.[3] Montreal's Yvan Cournoyer commented on the Red Wings' effort in the afternoon, bitterly stating, "Those guys have no pride."[2]

Prior to the following season, the NHL established head-to-head results as the second tiebreaker after wins and ahead of goals-for.[2] Goal differential eventually replaced goals-for as the third tiebreaker beginning with the 1984–85 campaign.[4] With the Toronto Maple Leafs finishing below the Canadiens in the East Division cellar, 1969–70 marked the first time no Canadian team advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs. By the time a recurrence of this happened 46 years later in 2016, the number of Canada-based franchises had grown to seven.[2]

Final standings

East Division[5]

		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	DIFF	Pts
1	Chicago Black Hawks	76	45	22	9	250	170	+80	99
2	Boston Bruins	76	40	17	19	277	216	+61	99
3	Detroit Red Wings	76	40	21	15	246	199	+47	95
4	New York Rangers	76	38	22	16	246	189	+57	92
5	Montreal Canadiens	76	38	22	16	244	201	+43	92
6	Toronto Maple Leafs	76	29	34	13	222	242	−20	71

West Division[5]

		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	DIFF	Pts
1	St. Louis Blues	76	37	27	12	224	179	+45	86
2	Pittsburgh Penguins	76	26	38	12	182	238	−56	64
3	Minnesota North Stars	76	19	35	22	224	257	−33	60
4	Oakland Seals	76	22	40	14	169	243	−74	58
5	Philadelphia Flyers	76	17	35	24	197	225	−28	58
6	Los Angeles Kings	76	14	52	10	168	290	−122	38

Playoffs

Playoff bracket

	Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Stanley Cup Finals
	1	Chicago	4
	3	Detroit	0
						1	Chicago	0
	East Division
						2	Boston	4
	2	Boston	4
	4	New York	2
											E2	Boston	4
											W1	St. Louis	0
	1	St. Louis	4
	3	Minnesota	2
						1	St. Louis	4
	West Division
						2	Pittsburgh	2
	2	Pittsburgh	4
	4	Oakland	0

Quarterfinals

(E1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (E3) Detroit Red Wings

The Chicago Black Hawks finished as the NHL's best regular season team with 99 points. Detroit finished third in the East Division with 95 points. This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, and they split their eight previous meetings. They last met in the 1966 semifinals which Detroit won in six games. These teams each won four games of their eight-game regular season series.

In the Chicago-Detroit series, the Black Hawks swept the series, winning all four games by 4–2 scores.

April 8	Detroit Red Wings		2–4		Chicago Black Hawks	Chicago Stadium	Recap
Wayne Connelly (1) – pp – 02:59		First period			17:14 – pp – Pit Martin (1)
No scoring		Second period			07:23 – pp – Stan Mikita (1) 18:35 – sh – Chico Maki (1)
Gordie Howe (1) – 08:43		Third period			19:31 – Eric Nesterenko (1)
Roy Edwards 40 saves / 43 shots		Goalie stats			Tony Esposito 34 saves / 36 shots

April 9	Detroit Red Wings		2–4		Chicago Black Hawks	Chicago Stadium	Recap
Pete Stemkowski (1) – sh – 13:01		First period			14:38 – Jim Pappin (1)
No scoring		Second period			01:33 – Bobby Hull (1)
Bruce MacGregor (1) – 09:42		Third period			15:20 – pp – Pit Martin (2) 18:42 – Dennis Hull (1)
Roy Edwards 30 saves / 34 shots		Goalie stats			Tony Esposito 31 saves / 33 shots

April 11	Chicago Black Hawks		4–2		Detroit Red Wings	Olympia Stadium	Recap
Bobby Hull (2) – 06:37		First period			No scoring
Bobby Hull (3) – 11:03 Stan Mikita (2) – pp – 14:38		Second period			02:03 – Nick Libett (1)
Doug Jarrett (1) – 19:57		Third period			11:07 – Doug Volmar (1)
Tony Esposito 41 saves / 43 shots		Goalie stats			Roy Edwards 25 saves / 28 shots

April 12	Chicago Black Hawks		4–2		Detroit Red Wings	Olympia Stadium	Recap
Jim Pappin (2) – 04:32 Stan Mikita (3) – 12:14		First period			09:31 – pp – Gordie Howe (2)
Dennis Hull (2) – 04:43		Second period			14:16 – pp – Nick Libett (2)
Chico Maki (2) – 11:26		Third period			No scoring
Tony Esposito 29 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats			Roy Edwards 11 saves / 14 shots Roger Crozier 15 saves / 16 shots

Chicago won series 4–0

(E2) Boston Bruins vs. (E4) New York Rangers

The Boston Bruins finished second in the East Division, earning 99 points. The New York Rangers earned 95 points to finish fourth in the East. This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with Boston winning four of their six previous meetings. They last met in the 1958 semifinals which Boston won in six games. These teams each won four games of their eight-game regular season series.

The Bruins clobbered the Rangers 8–2 in game one; Ranger coach Emile Francis replaced Ed Giacomin when the score reached 7–1, in favor of Terry Sawchuk. Sawchuk replaced Giacomin as the starter in game two, but Boston won 5–3.

Game three at Madison Square Garden featured a hostile crowd, with the New York fans booing, shouting obscenities and throwing objects at the Boston players. Giacomin – back in goal for the Rangers – reportedly told Bruin Derek Sanderson "We're being paid to get you tonight." A subsequent brawl erupted into both benches clearing, as well as fans littering the ice with debris; it took 19 minutes to play the first 91 seconds of the game. By the end of the Rangers' 4–3 win, the teams had set a new NHL playoff record for penalties (38) and penalty minutes (174).

Game four had Rod Gilbert score two goals in a 4–2 Ranger win. Giacomin was brilliant in goal for the Rangers and one of the highlights was stopping Derek Sanderson on a shorthanded breakaway. Game five was won by Boston 3–2 as Esposito scored two goals. Bobby Orr set up the winner when he stole a pass at center ice when the Rangers were caught on a line change. Game six was won easily by the Bruins and featured another display of fan abuse. Bobby Orr scored two goals, including the winner. Fans threw eggs and ball bearings on the ice, and when the outcome was no longer in doubt, set fires in the mezzanine of Madison Square Garden.

April 8	New York Rangers		2–8		Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Jack Egers (1) – 19:00		First period			03:51 – Phil Esposito (1) 09:32 – pp – Phil Esposito (2)
No scoring		Second period			04:56 – Bobby Orr (1) 07:35 – sh – Bobby Orr (2) 08:19 – sh – Derek Sanderson (1) 11:44 – pp – Phil Esposito (3) 15:07 – Wayne Cashman (1)
Bob Nevin (1) – pp – 15:31		Third period			02:20 – pp – Fred Stanfield (1)
Ed Giacomin 19 saves / 26 shots Terry Sawchuck 7 saves / 8 shots		Goalie stats			Gerry Cheevers 36 saves / 38 shots

April 9	New York Rangers		3–5		Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Jack Egers (2) – 13:15 Rod Gilbert (1) – pp – 17:15		First period			07:06 – Jim Lorentz (1)
No scoring		Second period			05:39 – John McKenzie (1) 19:14 – Johnny Bucyk (1)
Tim Horton (1) – 06:38		Third period			01:24 – Ken Hodge (1) 03:40 – Ed Westfall (1)
Terry Sawchuck 34 saves / 39 shots		Goalie stats			Gerry Cheevers 29 saves / 32 shots

April 11	Boston Bruins		3–4		New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden	Recap
Bill Speer (1) – 09:31		First period			13:07 – Jean Ratelle (1) 14:24 – pp – Walt Tkaczuk (1)
No scoring		Second period			13:48 – pp – Rod Gilbert (2)
Bobby Orr (3) – pp – 05:59 Fred Stanfield (2) – 12:07		Third period			02:43 – Ted Irvine (1)
Gerry Cheevers 39 saves / 43 shots		Goalie stats			Ed Giacomin 26 saves / 29 shots

April 12	Boston Bruins		2–4		New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period			03:49 – pp – Rod Gilbert (3) 05:00 – Rod Gilbert (4)
Phil Esposito (4) – 11:30		Second period			11:51 – Dave Balon (1)
Bobby Orr (4) – pp – 08:41		Third period			11:16 – Walt Tkaczuk (2)
Eddie Johnston 35 saves / 39 shots		Goalie stats			Ed Giacomin 23 saves / 25 shots

April 14	New York Rangers		2–3		Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Jack Egers (3) – pp – 05:18		First period			02:44 – Bobby Orr (5)
Orland Kurtenbach (1) – 09:49		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			02:20 – Phil Esposito (5) 07:59 – Phil Esposito (6)
Ed Giacomin 25 saves / 28 shots Terry Sawchuck 0 saves / 0 shots		Goalie stats			Gerry Cheevers 28 saves /30 shots

April 16	Boston Bruins		4–1		New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period			11:51 – pp – Brad Park (1)
Bobby Orr (6) – pp – 02:48 Wayne Cashman (2) – 04:56		Second period			No scoring
Bobby Orr (7) – 03:09 Derek Sanderson (2) – 07:22		Third period			No scoring
Gerry Cheevers 33 saves / 34 shots		Goalie stats			Ed Giacomin 22 saves / 26 shots

Boston won series 4–2

(W1) St. Louis Blues vs. (W3) Minnesota North Stars

The St. Louis Blues finished first in the West Division with 86 points. The Minnesota North Stars earned 60 points to finish third in the West. This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 1968 semi-finals which St. Louis won in seven games. St. Louis won this year's eight-game regular season series, earning ten of sixteen points.

The St. Louis Blues ousted the Minnesota North Stars in six games. The Blues won the first two games at the St. Louis Arena. Game three at the Metropolitan Sports Center featured Gump Worsley's sharp goaltending and Bill Goldsworthy scoring two goals in a 4–2 win for the North Stars. Cesare Maniago played in goal for Minnesota in game four and picked up a 4–0 shutout, tying the series. Game five at St. Louis Arena was tied 3–3 when St Louis scored three goals in the third period by Red Berenson, Terry Gray and Jim Roberts and the Blues won 6–3. In game six, Ab McDonald scored two goals as the Blues eliminated the North Stars by a score of 4–2.

April 8	Minnesota North Stars		2–6		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			02:29 – pp – Ab McDonald (1) 05:41 – pp – Red Berenson (1) 16:50 – Gary Sabourin (1)
Bill Goldsworthy (1) – pp – 00:19		Second period			02:00 – Terry Crisp (1)
Jean-Paul Parise (1) – pp – 10:55		Third period			00:33 – Ab McDonald (2) 05:20 – Terry Crisp (2)
Gump Worsley 40 saves / 46 shots		Goalie stats			Jacques Plante 19 saves / 21 shots

April 9	Minnesota North Stars		1–2		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			03:49 – Gary Sabourin (2) 17:28 – pp – Phil Goyette (1)
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
Bob Barlow (1) – 14:20		Third period			No scoring
Cesare Maniago 38 saves / 40 shots		Goalie stats			Jacques Plante 17 saves / 18 shots

April 11	St. Louis Blues		2–4		Minnesota North Stars	Met Center	Recap
No scoring		First period			04:58 – Tom Polanic (1) 15:23 – Danny O'Shea (1)
Ab McDonald (3) – 01:34		Second period			No scoring
Red Berenson (2) – pp – 03:15		Third period			08:16 – Bill Goldsworthy (2) 16:00 – pp – Bill Goldsworthy (3)
Ernie Wakely 27 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats			Gump Worsley 32 saves / 34 shots

April 12	St. Louis Blues		0–4		Minnesota North Stars	Met Center	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			07:38 – pp – Bill Goldsworthy (4) 16:54 – Claude Larose (1)
No scoring		Third period			00:58 – Tommy Williams (1) 02:12 – pp – Bob Barlow (2)
Glenn Hall 34 saves / 34 shots		Goalie stats			Cesare Maniago 31 saves / 35 shots

April 14	Minnesota North Stars		3–6		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
Jean-Paul Parise (2) – 01:38 Jean-Paul Parise (3) – pp – 08:46		First period			04:38 – pp – Tim Ecclestone (1)
No scoring		Second period			06:32 – pp – Larry Keenan (1) 17:35 – Gary Sabourin (3)
Charlie Burns (1) – 09:06		Third period			02:37 – Terry Gray (1) 05:31 – Jimmy Roberts (1) 07:08 – sh – Red Berenson (3)
Gump Worsley 31 saves / 37 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 18 saves / 21 shots

April 16	St. Louis Blues		4–2		Minnesota North Stars	Met Center	Recap
Ab McDonald (4) – pp – 07:42		First period			04:35 – pp – Barry Gibbs (1)
Ab McDonald (5) – pp – 10:17 Red Berenson (4) – pp – 11:04		Second period			14:54 – Ray Cullen (1)
Larry Keenan (2) – 02:53		Third period			No scoring
Glenn Hall 32 saves / 34 shots		Goalie stats			Cesare Maniago 23 saves / 27 shots

St. Louis won series 4–2

(W2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (W4) Oakland Seals

Pittsburgh finished second in the West Division, earning 64 points. Oakland earned 58 points to finish fourth in the West. This was the first and only series between these two teams. Oakland won this year's eight-game regular season series, earning nine of sixteen points.

In game one, Nick Harbaruk's goal midway through the third period was the winner as Pittsburgh won 2–1. In game two, Gary Jarrett gave Oakland a 1–0 lead, but Pittsburgh came back to win 3–1. Game three at Oakland featured a hat trick by Ken Schinkel of the Penguins as Pittsburgh won 5–2. Game four saw Oakland holding 1–0 and 2–1 leads, but the Seals just couldn't hold on and the game was tied 2–2 at the end of regulation time, with Michel Briere scoring the series winning goal at 8:28 of overtime for Pittsburgh. It was the final time the Seals made the playoffs. The Stanley Cup Playoffs did not return to the Bay Area until 1994 when the San Jose Sharks made the playoffs for the first time. This also marks only the second of three times ever a team in any of the four North American major sports have swept a team in their first playoff series.[6]

April 8	Oakland Seals		1–2		Pittsburgh Penguins	Civic Arena	Recap
Gerry Ehman (1) – pp – 09:26		First period			01:05 – pp – Jean Pronovost (1)
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			12:47 – Nick Harbaruk (1)
Gary Smith 34 saves / 35 shots		Goalie stats			Les Binkley 28 saves / 29 shots

April 9	Oakland Seals		1–3		Pittsburgh Penguins	Civic Arena	Recap
Gary Jarrett (1) – pp – 07:13		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			11:00 – Nick Harbaruk (2) 11:34 – Wally Boyer (1)
No scoring		Third period			11:41 – Dunc McCallum (1)
Gary Smith 39 saves / 42 shots		Goalie stats			Les Binkley 25 saves / 26 shots

April 11	Pittsburgh Penguins		5–2		Oakland Seals	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			03:29 – sh – Earl Ingarfield (1)
Nick Harbaruk (3) – 05:20 Ken Schinkel (1) – 07:58 Jean Pronovost (2) – 11:38		Second period			No scoring
Ken Schinkel (2) – pp – 09:33 Ken Schinkel (3) – 14:09		Third period			02:22 – Ted Hampson (1)
Les Binkley 27 saves / 29 shots		Goalie stats			Gary Smith 20 saves / 25 shots

April 12	Pittsburgh Penguins		3–2	OT	Oakland Seals	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena	Recap
Dean Prentice (1) – 07:37		First period			02:34 – pp – Carol Vadnais (1)
Bob Woytowich (1) – 06:22		Second period			04:34 – pp – Carol Vadnais (2)
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Michel Briere (1) – 08:28		First overtime period			No scoring
Les Binkley 27 saves / 29 shots		Goalie stats			Gary Smith 28 saves / 31 shots

Pittsburgh won series 4–0

Semifinals

(E1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (E2) Boston Bruins

This was the third meeting between these two teams with Boston winning both of their meetings. They last met in the 1942 quarter-finals where Boston won the best-of-three series in three games. These two teams split their eight-game regular season series, each earning eight points.

Boston beat Chicago in four straight games to win the East Division final for the first time.

April 19	Boston Bruins		6–3		Chicago Black Hawks	Chicago Stadium	Recap
Phil Esposito (7) – 12:28 Phil Esposito (8) – pp – 16:01		First period			No scoring
Johnny Bucyk (2) – 05:11 Phil Esposito (9) – pp – 14:59		Second period			08:26 – Dennis Hull (3) 17:00 – pp – Jim Pappin (3)
John McKenzie (2) – 01:00 Ken Hodge (2) – 08:45		Third period			10:39 – pp – Stan Mikita (4)
Gerry Cheevers 32 saves / 35 shots		Goalie stats			Tony Esposito 24 saves / 30 shots

April 21	Boston Bruins		4–1		Chicago Black Hawks	Chicago Stadium	Recap
Bobby Orr (8) – 05:08		First period			No scoring
John McKenzie (3) – 10:32 Don Marcotte (1) – 13:09		Second period			No scoring
Bill White (1) – 02:18		Third period			05:02 – Phil Esposito (10)
Gerry Cheevers 22 saves / 23 shots		Goalie stats			Tony Esposito 28 saves / 32 shots

April 23	Chicago Black Hawks		2–5		Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Cliff Koroll (1) – 06:33 Pit Martin (3) – 19:45		First period			08:50 – Wayne Carleton (1)
No scoring		Second period			03:28 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (3) 06:17 – Wayne Cashman (3) 13:07 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (4)
No scoring		Third period			19:39 – Phil Esposito (11)
Tony Esposito 28 saves / 32 shots		Goalie stats			Gerry Cheevers 25 saves / 27 shots

April 26	Chicago Black Hawks		4–5		Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period			13:14 – sh – Don Marcotte (2) 17:00 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (5)
Fred Stanfield (3) – 15:40		Second period			05:07 – Keith Magnuson (1) 09:20 – Dennis Hull (4) 13:10 – Dennis Hull (5)
Ken Hodge (3) – 15:19 John McKenzie (4) – 18:19		Third period			04:10 – pp – Bryan Campbell (1)
Tony Esposito 49 saves / 54 shots		Goalie stats			Gerry Cheevers 20 saves / 24 shots

Boston won series 4–0

(W1) St. Louis Blues vs. (W2) Pittsburgh Penguins

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. St. Louis won this year's eight-game regular season series, earning twelve of sixteen points.

The St. Louis Blues beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games to have won every West Division Final, as there were no Division Finals the following season. The Pens did not get to the semifinals again until their championship season in 1991.

April 19	Pittsburgh Penguins		1–3		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			07:12 – pp – Gary Sabourin (4) 08:10 – Phil Goyette (2) 12:58 – Red Berenson (5)
Ken Schinkel (4) – 02:10		Third period			No scoring
Les Binkley 30 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats			Glenn Hall 24 saves / 25 shots

April 21	Pittsburgh Penguins		1–4		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			00:31 – Jean-Guy Talbot (1) 09:07 – pp – Larry Keenan (3) 15:35 – Phil Goyette (3)
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
Michel Briere (2) – 05:58		Third period			09:36 – Frank St. Marseille (1)
Les Binkley 32 saves / 36 shots		Goalie stats			Jacques Plante 23 saves / 24 shots

April 23	St. Louis Blues		2–3		Pittsburgh Penguins	Civic Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			05:22 – pp – Dean Prentice (2)
No scoring		Second period			07:07 – Jean Pronovost (3) 10:30 – pp – Michel Briere (3)
Larry Keenan (4) – pp – 01:41 Larry Keenan (5) – 05:56		Third period			No scoring
Jacques Plante 24 saves / 27 shots		Goalie stats			Les Binkley 14 saves / 16 shots

April 26	St. Louis Blues		1–2		Pittsburgh Penguins	Civic Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			07:06 – Duane Rupp (1)
Andre Boudrias (1) – 05:05		Second period			06:34 – Michel Briere (4)
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Ernie Wakely 23 saves / 24 shots		Goalie stats			Al Smith 49 saves / 51 shots

April 28	Pittsburgh Penguins		0–5		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			11:56 – Frank St. Marseille (2) 15:59 – pp – Andre Boudrias (2)
No scoring		Second period			05:26 – pp – Frank St. Marseille (3) 17:18 – sh – Tim Ecclestone (2)
No scoring		Third period			05:17 – Frank St. Marseille (4)
Al Smith 30 saves / 35 shots		Goalie stats			Jacques Plante 21 saves / 21 shots

April 30	St. Louis Blues		4–3		Pittsburgh Penguins	Civic Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period			13:41 – Duane Rupp (2)
Red Berenson (6) – 07:37		Second period			04:24 – Ron Schock (1)
Bill McCreary Sr. (1) – 05:26 Tim Ecclestone (3) – 06:57 Larry Keenan (6) – 14:25		Third period			06:17 – Michel Briere (5)
Glenn Hall 30 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats			Al Smith 26 saves / 30 shots

St. Louis won series 4–2

Stanley Cup Finals

Main article: 1970 Stanley Cup Finals

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. This was St. Louis' third Stanley Cup Final, having advanced to the round every season since entering the league. In both of their previous appearances, they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in four games. This was Boston's eleventh Stanley Cup Finals appearance. They last advanced to the Finals in 1958 where they lost to Montreal in six games. Boston won this year's six-game regular season series, earning eight of twelve points.

Phil Esposito of the Bruins led all playoff scorers with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points, at the time a new NHL playoff record, followed by Orr with 20 points and Johnny Bucyk of the Bruins with 19 points. Gerry Cheevers of the Bruins led all goaltenders with twelve wins, while Jacques Plante of the Blues led all goaltenders in goals against average in the playoffs with 1.48.

May 3	Boston Bruins		6–1		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
Johnny Bucyk (6) – 19:45		First period			No scoring
Johnny Bucyk (7) – 05:16		Second period			01:52 – Jimmy Roberts (2)
Wayne Carleton (2) – 04:59 Johnny Bucyk (8) – 05:31 Derek Sanderson (3) – sh – 17:20 Phil Esposito (12) – 18:58		Third period			No scoring
Gerry Cheevers 28 saves / 29 shots		Goalie stats			Ernie Wakely 16 saves / 21 shots Jacques Plante 13 saves / 14 shots

May 5	Boston Bruins		6–2		St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
Fred Stanfield (4) – pp – 08:10 Ed Westfall (2) – 13:38 Ed Westfall (3) – sh – 19:15		First period			No scoring
Derek Sanderson (4) – pp – 09:37		Second period			17:26 – pp – Terry Gray (2)
Derek Sanderson (5) – 00:58 Johnny Bucyk (9) – 15:00		Third period			04:15 – pp – Frank St. Marseille (5)
Gerry Cheevers 17 saves / 19 shots		Goalie stats			Ernie Wakely 29 saves / 35 shots

May 7	St. Louis Blues		1–4		Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Frank St. Marseille (6) – pp – 05:32		First period			13:23 – pp – Johnny Bucyk (10) 18:23 – John McKenzie (5)
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			03:26 – Wayne Cashman (4) 14:26 – Wayne Cashman (5)
Glenn Hall 20 saves / 21 shots		Goalie stats			Gerry Cheevers 42 saves / 46 shots

May 10	St. Louis Blues		3–4	OT	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Red Berenson (7) – 19:17		First period			05:28 – Rick Smith (1)
Gary Sabourin (5) – 03:22		Second period			14:22 – Phil Esposito (13)
Larry Keenan (7) – pp – 00:19		Third period			13:28 – Johnny Bucyk (11)
No scoring		First overtime period			00:40 – Bobby Orr (9)
Glenn Hall 28 saves / 32 shots		Goalie stats			Gerry Cheevers 28 saves / 31 shots

Boston won series 4–0

Awards

1969–70 NHL awards
Prince of Wales Trophy: (East Division champion, regular season)	Chicago Black Hawks
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (West Division champion, regular season)	St. Louis Blues
Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer, regular season)	Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: (Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)	Pit Martin, Chicago Black Hawks
Calder Memorial Trophy: (Top first-year player)	Tony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks
Conn Smythe Trophy: (Most valuable player, playoffs)	Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
Hart Memorial Trophy: (Most valuable player, regular season)	Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman)	Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship)	Phil Goyette, St. Louis Blues
Vezina Trophy: (Goaltender(s) of team with best goaltending record)	Tony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks
Lester Patrick Trophy: (Service to hockey in the U.S.)	Edward W. Shore, James C. V. Hendy

All-Star teams

First team	Position	Second team
Tony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks	G	Ed Giacomin, New York Rangers
Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins	D	Carl Brewer, Detroit Red Wings
Brad Park, New York Rangers	D	Jacques Laperriere, Montreal Canadiens
Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins	C	Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks
Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings	RW	John McKenzie, Boston Bruins
Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks	LW	Frank Mahovlich, Detroit Red Wings

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Bobby Orr	Boston Bruins	76	33	87	120	125
Phil Esposito	Boston Bruins	76	43	56	99	50
Stan Mikita	Chicago Black Hawks	76	39	47	86	50
Phil Goyette	St. Louis Blues	72	29	49	78	16
Walt Tkaczuk	New York Rangers	76	27	50	77	38
Jean Ratelle	New York Rangers	75	32	42	74	28
Red Berenson	St. Louis Blues	67	33	39	72	38
J. P. Parise	Minnesota North Stars	74	24	48	72	72
Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings	76	31	40	71	58
Frank Mahovlich	Detroit Red Wings	74	38	32	70	59
Dave Balon	New York Rangers	76	33	37	70	100
John McKenzie	Boston Bruins	72	29	41	70	114

Source: NHL.[7]

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
Ernie Wakely	St. Louis Blues	30	1651	58	2.11	12	9	4	4
Tony Esposito	Chicago Black Hawks	63	3763	136	2.17	38	17	8	15
Jacques Plante	St. Louis Blues	32	1839	67	2.19	18	9	5	5
Ed Giacomin	New York Rangers	70	4148	163	2.36	35	21	14	6
Roy Edwards	Detroit Red Wings	47	2683	116	2.59	24	15	6	2
Rogatien Vachon	Montreal Canadiens	64	3697	162	2.63	31	18	12	4
Roger Crozier	Detroit Red Wings	34	1877	83	2.65	16	6	9	0
Gerry Cheevers	Boston Bruins	41	2384	108	2.72	24	8	8	4
Bernie Parent	Philadelphia Flyers	62	3680	171	2.79	13	29	20	3
Ed Johnston	Boston Bruins	37	2176	108	2.98	16	9	11	3

Other statistics

• Plus-Minus leader: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins

Coaches

East

• Boston Bruins: Harry Sinden
• Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay
• Detroit Red Wings: Bill Gadsby
• Montreal Canadiens: Claude Ruel
• New York Rangers: Emile Francis
• Toronto Maple Leafs: John McLellan

West

• Los Angeles Kings: Johnny Wilson
• Minnesota North Stars: Charlie Burns
• Oakland Seals: Fred Glover
• Philadelphia Flyers: Vic Stasiuk
• Pittsburgh Penguins: Red Kelly
• St. Louis Blues: Scotty Bowman

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1969–70 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Keith Magnuson, Chicago Black Hawks
• Butch Goring, Los Angeles Kings
• Gilles Gilbert, Minnesota North Stars
• Guy Charron, Montreal Canadiens
• Marc Tardif, Montreal Canadiens
• Rejean Houle, Montreal Canadiens
• Don Luce, New York Rangers
• Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1969–70 (listed with their last team):

• Ron Murphy, Boston Bruins
• Leo Boivin, Minnesota North Stars
• Moose Vasko, Minnesota North Stars
• Claude Provost, Montreal Canadiens
• Terry Sawchuk, New York Rangers
• Camille Henry, St. Louis Blues
• Johnny Bower, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Marcel Pronovost, Toronto Maple Leafs

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1969 NHL Amateur Draft
• 23rd National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• 1969 in sports
• 1970 in sports

References

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, NY: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• 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, IL: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
• McFarlane, Brian (1973). The Story of the National Hockey League. New York, NY: Pagurian Press. ISBN 0-684-13424-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Notes

1. NHL standings at the end of play on Friday, April 3, 1970 – dropyourgloves.com.
2. Caldwell, Dave. "Improbable Rangers Win in 1970 Left Canada Out in the Cold," The New York Times, Friday, April 1, 2016.
3. Klein, Jeff Z. & Reif, Karl-Eric. "Down to the Wire in 1970, Rangers Came Out Firing," The New York Times, Sunday, April 1, 2007.
4. Inside the NHL S-Z – Hockey Central.
5. "1969–1970 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
6. Blackburn, Pete. "Golden Knights sweep Kings in their first playoff series with shutout victory in Game 4". cbssports.com. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
7. Dinger 2011, p. 150.

External links

• Hockey Database
• NHL.com
• hickoksports.com