1973–74 NHL season

The 1973–74 NHL season was the 57th season of the National Hockey League. The Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup championship, the team's first. The team was the first of the post-1967 teams to win the Cup.
==League business==
With owner Charles O. Finley unable to find a buyer, the league took over operation of the troubled California Golden Seals in February 1974. Fred Glover then resigned as general manager-coach. Garry Young,
who had served a previous hitch as general manager, agreed to return.
Marshall Johnston, a defenseman for the Seals, retired and took over
as coach.
==Teams==
1973-74 National Hockey League	1973-74 National Hockey League	1973-74 National Hockey League	1973-74 National Hockey League 	1973-74 National Hockey League
Division 	Team 	City 	Arena 	Capacity
East 	Boston Bruins 	Boston, Massachusetts 	Boston Garden 	15,003
East 	Buffalo Sabres 	Buffalo, New York 	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 	15,858
East 	Detroit Red Wings 	Detroit, Michigan 	Detroit Olympia 	15,000
East 	Montreal Canadiens 	Montreal, Quebec 	Montreal Forum 	19,000
East 	New York Islanders 	Uniondale, New York 	Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 	14,865
East 	New York Rangers 	New York, New York 	Madison Square Garden 	17,500
East 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	Toronto, Ontario 	Maple Leaf Gardens 	16,316
East 	Vancouver Canucks 	Vancouver, British Columbia 	Pacific Coliseum 	15,570
West 	Atlanta Flames 	Atlanta, Georgia 	Omni Coliseum 	15,141
West 	California Golden Seals 	Oakland, California 	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena	15,000
West 	Chicago Black Hawks 	Chicago, Illinois 	Chicago Stadium 	16,666
West 	Los Angeles Kings 	Inglewood, California 	The Forum 	16,005
West 	Minnesota North Stars 	Bloomington, Minnesota 	Metropolitan Sports Center 	15,000
West 	Philadelphia Flyers 	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 	Spectrum 	17,007
West 	Pittsburgh Penguins 	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 	Civic Arena 	13,431
West 	St. Louis Blues 	St. Louis, Missouri 	St. Louis Arena 	18,005
==Regular season==
The Philadelphia Flyers, who developed the nickname "Broad Street Bullies" because of their physical style of play, dethroned the Chicago Black Hawks as the West Division champions behind the dominant play of Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent.
The New York Rangers were floundering under new coach Larry Popein
and were in danger of missing the playoffs, and Emile Francis took over the coaching reins. The Rangers then improved enough to get into the playoffs.
Tragedy hit the NHL in the early morning hours of February 21 when 44 year-old Buffalo Sabres defenseman Tim Horton was killed in an automobile accident. He had been returning to Buffalo from Toronto at the time.
In the East Division, the Boston Bruins regained the top spot in the East and the league, behind an ongoing offensive juggernaut that saw Bruins' players finish 1–2–3–4 in NHL scoring (Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, Ken Hodge, and Wayne Cashman) for the second and most recent time in league history.
===Final standings===
==Playoffs==
The playoffs began on April 9 with the first round, which was played between divisional opponents. The top teams all won their first rounds, with one mild upset, as the third-place New York Rangers defeated the second-place Montreal Canadiens, marking the third straight year that they had defeated the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first round. In the second round, the teams played an inter-divisional round to determine the finalists. The Eastern champion Boston Bruins took on the Western's second-place Chicago Black Hawks, while the Western champion Philadelphia Flyers took on the New York Rangers. Boston won its series in six games to take one Finals spot, while Philadelphia won its series against the New York Rangers in seven games to make the team's first Finals appearance. In doing so, the Flyers became the first-ever post 1967 NHL expansion team to win a playoff series against an Original Six opponent. In the Finals, the Flyers won the series in six games against the Bruins to win not only the franchise's first championship but also to become the first post 1967 NHL expansion team and thus the first non 'Original Six' NHL team to win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Maroons in 1935.
===Playoff bracket===
===Quarterfinals===
====(E1) Boston Bruins vs. (E4) Toronto Maple Leafs====
The Boston Bruins finished first in the league with 113 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished fourth in the East Division with 86 points. This was the 13th playoff meeting between these two teams. Toronto lead 8–4 in previous meetings. Boston won their most recent meeting in five games in the 1972 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. Boston won four of the six games in this year's regular season series.
 
====(E2) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E3) New York Rangers====
The Montreal Canadiens finished second in the East Division with 99 points. The New York Rangers finished third with 94 points. This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams with the teams splitting the ten previous series. They last met in the 1972 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which New York won in six games. Montreal won four of the six games in this year's regular season series.
 
====(W1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (W4) Atlanta Flames====
The Philadelphia Flyers finished first in the West Division and second in the league with 112 points. The Atlanta Flames finished fourth with 74 points, the lowest points earned by any playoff team in 1974. The Atlanta Flames made their first playoff appearance in their second season after entering the league in the previous year. This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. The teams split this year's six-game regular season series.
====(W2) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (W3) Los Angeles Kings====
The Chicago Black Hawks finished second in the West Division with 105 points. The Los Angeles Kings finished third in the West Division with 78 points. This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. Chicago won this year's six-game regular season series earning eight of twelve points.
===Semifinals===
====(E1) Boston Bruins vs. (W2) Chicago Black Hawks====
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams with Boston winning all three previous series. Boston won their most recent meeting in a four-game sweep in the 1970 Stanley Cup Semifinals. Chicago won this year's five-game regular season series earning seven of ten points.
====(W1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (E3) New York Rangers====
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. New York won this year's five-game regular season series earning six of ten points.
===Stanley Cup Finals===
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. The Bruins made their thirteenth Finals appearance; winning in their last appearance in 1972 where they defeated the New York Rangers in six games. The Flyers made their first Finals appearance in their seventh season since entering the league in the 1967–68 NHL season. Boston won this year's five-game regular season series earning seven of ten points. Boston was the prohibitive favorite entering the series.
However, the Philadelphia Flyers stunned the Bruins in six games to become the first non-Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup since 1935 and the first expansion team to do so since the league began expanding in 1967.
==Awards==
A new award, the Jack Adams for the best coach, was introduced for this season. The first winner was Fred Shero of the Philadelphia Flyers.
1974 NHL awards 	1974 NHL awards
Prince of Wales Trophy:(East Division champion, regular season) 	Boston Bruins
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:(West Division champion, regular season) 	Philadelphia Flyers
Art Ross Trophy:(Top scorer, regular season) 	Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)	Henri Richard, Montreal Canadiens
Calder Memorial Trophy:(Top first-year player) 	Denis Potvin, New York Islanders
Conn Smythe Trophy:(Most valuable player, playoffs) 	Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers
Hart Memorial Trophy:(Most valuable player, regular season) 	Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
Jack Adams Award:(Best coach) 	Fred Shero, Philadelphia Flyers
James Norris Memorial Trophy:(Best defenceman) 	Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:(Excellence and sportsmanship) 	Johnny Bucyk, Boston Bruins
Lester B. Pearson Award:(Outstanding player, regular season) 	Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
Vezina Trophy:(Goaltender(s) of team(s) with best goaltending record) 	Tony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks and Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers
Lester Patrick Trophy:(Service to hockey in the U.S.) 	Alex Delvecchio, Murray Murdoch, Weston W. Adams Sr., Charles L. Crovat
===All-Star teams===
First team 	  Position  	Second team
Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers	G 	Tony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks
Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins 	D 	Bill White, Chicago Black Hawks
Brad Park, New York Rangers 	D 	Barry Ashbee, Philadelphia Flyers
Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins 	C 	Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers
Ken Hodge, Boston Bruins 	RW 	Mickey Redmond, Detroit Red Wings
Rick Martin, Buffalo Sabres 	LW 	Wayne Cashman, Boston Bruins
==Player statistics==
===Scoring leaders===
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Player 	Team 	GP	G 	A 	Pts	PIM
Phil Esposito 	Boston Bruins 	78	68	77	145	58
Bobby Orr 	Boston Bruins 	74	32	90	122	82
Ken Hodge 	Boston Bruins 	76	50	55	105	43
Wayne Cashman 	Boston Bruins 	78	30	59	89 	111
Bobby Clarke 	Philadelphia Flyers 	77	35	52	87 	113
Rick Martin 	Buffalo Sabres 	78	52	34	86 	38
Syl Apps, Jr 	Pittsburgh Penguins 	75	24	61	85 	37
Darryl Sittler 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	78	38	46	84 	55
Lowell MacDonald	Pittsburgh Penguins 	78	43	39	82 	14
Brad Park 	New York Rangers 	78	25	57	82 	148
Dennis Hextall 	Minnesota North Stars	78	20	62	82 	138
Source: NHL.
===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
Bernie Parent 	Philadelphia Flyers	73	4314	136	1.89	47	13	12	12
Tony Esposito 	Chicago Black Hawks	70	4143	141	2.04	34	14	21	10
Ross Brooks 	Boston Bruins 	21	1170	46 	2.36	16	3 	0 	3
Doug Favell 	Toronto Maple Leafs	32	1752	79 	2.71	14	7 	9 	0
Wayne Thomas 	Montreal Canadiens 	42	2410	111	2.76	23	12	5 	1
Dan Bouchard 	Atlanta Flames 	46	2660	123	2.77	19	18	8 	5
Rogie Vachon 	L.A. Kings 	65	3751	175	2.80	28	26	10	5
Michel Larocque	Montreal Canadiens 	27	1431	69 	2.89	15	8 	2 	0
Dunc Wilson 	Toronto Maple Leafs	24	1412	68 	2.89	9 	11	3 	1
Gilles Gilbert 	Boston Bruins 	54	3210	158	2.95	34	12	8 	6
===Other statistics===
* Plus-minus leader: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
==Coaches==
===East===
*Boston Bruins: Bep Guidolin
*Buffalo Sabres: Joe Crozier
*Detroit Red Wings: Ted Garvin and Alex Delvecchio
*Montreal Canadiens: Scotty Bowman
*New York Islanders: Al Arbour
*New York Rangers: Larry Popein and Emile Francis
*Toronto Maple Leafs: Red Kelly
*Vancouver Canucks: Phil Maloney
===West===
*Atlanta Flames: Bernie Geoffrion
*California Golden Seals: Fred Glover and Marshall Johnston
*Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay
*Los Angeles Kings: Bob Pulford
*Minnesota North Stars: Jack Gordon and Parker MacDonald
*Philadelphia Flyers: Fred Shero
*Pittsburgh Penguins: Ken Schinkel and Marc Boileau
*St. Louis Blues: Jean-Guy Talbot and Lou Angotti
==Debuts==
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1973–74 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
*Eric Vail, Atlanta Flames
*Tom Lysiak, Atlanta Flames
*Peter McNab, Buffalo Sabres
*Darcy Rota, Chicago Black Hawks
*Blake Dunlop, Minnesota North Stars
*Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadiens
*Michel Larocque, Montreal Canadiens
*Denis Potvin, New York Islanders
*Chico Resch, New York Islanders
*Dave Lewis, New York Islanders
*Al MacAdam, Philadelphia Flyers
*Blaine Stoughton, Pittsburgh Penguins
*John Davidson, St. Louis Blues
*Inge Hammarstrom, Toronto Maple Leafs
*Börje Salming, Toronto Maple Leafs
*Lanny McDonald, Toronto Maple Leafs
*Bob Dailey, Vancouver Canucks
*Dennis Ververgaert, Vancouver Canucks
==Last games==
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1973–74 (listed with their last team):
*Tim Horton, Buffalo Sabres
*Alex Delvecchio, Detroit Red Wings
*Dean Prentice, Minnesota North Stars
*Gump Worsley, Minnesota North Stars
*Frank Mahovlich, Montreal Canadiens
*Jacques Laperriere, Montreal Canadiens
*Barry Ashbee, Philadelphia Flyers
*Orland Kurtenbach, Vancouver Canucks
NOTE: Frank Mahovlich would finish his major professional career in the World Hockey Association.
==Broadcasting==
Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. HNIC also produced Wednesday night regular season game telecasts for CTV.
This was the second season under the U.S. rights agreement with NBC, airing weekend afternoon regular season games and playoff games.
== See also ==
* List of Stanley Cup champions
* 1973 NHL Amateur Draft
* 1973–74 NHL transactions
* 27th National Hockey League All-Star Game
* National Hockey League All-Star Game
* List of WHA seasons
* 1973 in sports
* 1974 in sports
==References==
* 
* 
* 
* 
;Notes
==External links==
*Hockey Database
*NHL.com
 
Category:1973–74 in Canadian ice hockey by league
Category:1973–74 in American ice hockey by league