1970 – 71 Chicago Black Hawks season The 1970 – 71 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks ' forty - fifth season in the NHL , and the club was coming off a first place finish in the East Division in 1968 - 69 , as they had a team record 45 victories and 99 points . The Black Hawks defeated the Detroit Red Wings in the East Division semi - finals before they were swept by the Boston Bruins in the East Division final . Offseason . During the off - season , the NHL would expand by two teams , as the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks joined the league , and both clubs were placed in the East Division . The league also increased the schedule by two games , going from 76 to 78 . The Black Hawks were moved to the West Division as part of the divisional realignment , and the club decided to strip Pat Stapleton from his team captaincy , electing to not have a captain of the team . Regular season . Chicago started the season very well , as the team had a record of 18 - 4 - 5 in their first 27 games . The Hawks stayed hot throughout the season , and easily won the West Division with a club record 49 victories and 107 points , finishing 20 points ahead of the second place St . Louis Blues . Offensively , the Hawks were led by Bobby Hull , who scored a team high 44 goals and 52 assists for 96 points , which placed him fifth in NHL scoring . His brother Dennis Hull also cracked the 40 goal barrier , as he scored 40 goals and added 26 assists for 66 points . Stan Mikita had another solid season , scoring 28 goals and 72 points . Pit Martin and Bryan Campbell each had very good seasons , finishing with 55 and 54 points respectively . On the blueline , Pat Stapleton led the team with 7 goals and 51 points , while Bill White chipped in with 4 goals and 25 points . White also led the club with a + 51 rating . Keith Magnuson led the Hawks in toughness , setting a team record with 291 penalty minutes . In goal , Tony Esposito led the club with 35 victories and a 2 . 27 GAA , along with six shutouts while appearing in 57 games . Backup goaltender Gerry Desjardins was very solid , winning 12 games while having a 2 . 47 GAA . Playoffs . The Hawks opened the playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers , who had a record of 28 - 33 - 17 , earning 73 points , while placing third in the West Division . The series opened with two games at Chicago Stadium , and the Black Hawks , who won a club record 30 games at home , continued their dominance , easily defeating the Flyers 5 - 2 and 6 - 2 to take a 2 - 0 series lead . The series moved to the Philadelphia Spectrum for the next two games , however , the Hawks were too much to handle for the Flyers , as Chicago won a close third game by a 3 - 2 score , before sweeping Philadelphia out of the playoffs with a 6 - 2 win in the fourth game . Chicago ' s next opponent was the New York Rangers , who had finished the season with a 49 - 18 - 11 record , earning 109 points , and a second place finish in the East Division . The Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in their first playoff series . Since the Black Hawks won their division , they were given home ice advantage in the series . The series opened up with two games at Chicago Stadium , however , the Rangers took a 1 - 0 series lead , defeating the Hawks in overtime by a 2 - 1 score . Chicago evened the series in the next game , shutting out New York 3 - 0 . The series shifted to Madison Square Garden for the next two games , and the Rangers won the third game of the series by a 4 - 1 score , however , Chicago fought back in the fourth game , demolishing New York 7 - 1 to once again even the series . The fifth game was back in Chicago , and the Hawks took the series lead for the first time with a 3 - 2 overtime victory . Back in New York for the sixth game , the Rangers would push the series to the limit , with their second overtime victory of the series , setting up a seventh and deciding game in Chicago . The Black Hawks used their home ice advantage , and held on for a 4 - 2 victory , to win the series , and earn their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1965 . The Black Hawks opponent was the Montreal Canadiens , who finished the season with a 42 - 23 - 13 record , earning 97 points , which was good for third place in the East . Montreal then upset the heavily favored Boston Bruins in the first round , followed by defeating the Minnesota North Stars in the second round . The series opened with two games at Chicago Stadium , and the Hawks took a commanding 2 - 0 series lead , defeating the Canadiens 2 - 1 and 5 - 3 . The series shifted to the Montreal Forum for the next two games , and the Canadiens evened the series with two home wins of their own , by scores of 4 - 2 and 5 - 2 . The fifth game returned to Chicago , and the Black Hawks stayed hot at home , shutting out Montreal 2 - 0 to take a 3 - 2 series lead . The Hawks , looking to wrap up the series in the sixth game in Montreal , however , the Canadiens forced a seventh and deciding game , winning by a score of 4 - 3 . In the seventh game at Chicago Stadium , where the Hawks were 7 - 1 during the playoffs , the Black Hawks would have a 2 - 0 lead halfway through the game , but the Canadiens cut into the lead when Jacques Lemaire scored on a shot from center ice that got past Hawks goaltender Tony Esposito . The Canadiens tied the game at two before the end of the second when Henri Richard scored , setting up an intense third period . Richard once again scored 2 : 34 into the period , giving Montreal a 3 - 2 lead , and Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden kept the Black Hawks off the scoreboard for the rest of the game , as Montreal would win the Stanley Cup in dramatic fashion for their third championship in four years . The Canadiens were the second team in NHL history , the other the 1945 Toronto Maple Leafs to win a game seven in the Stanley Cup final . Draft picks . Chicago ' s draft picks at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal , Quebec .