Claim: On the 1969–70 Montreal Canadiens season under professional ice hockey coach Claude Ruel, The Montreal Canadiens were in a desperate race to qualify for the NHL playoffs and hosted the Chicago Blackhawks which had three more points a few minutes left in the third quarter.
Evidence: Claude Ruel Claude Ruel (September 12, 1938 – February 9, 2015) was a professional ice hockey coach for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Canadiens placed fifth in the East division and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1947–48 season, ending their 21-season playoff streak. The Canadiens hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. With 9 minutes and 30 seconds left in the third period, Montreal was down by a score of 5–2.