1971–72 Montreal Canadiens season

The 1971–72 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 63rd season of play. The Canadiens finished 3rd in the East Division and lost in the Quarter-finals to the New York Rangers 4 games to 2.
==Regular Season==
===Final Standings===
===Game Log===
Regular Season Schedule	Regular Season Schedule	Regular Season Schedule	Regular Season Schedule	Regular Season Schedule 	Regular Season Schedule
No. 	R 	Date 	Score 	Opponent 	Record
1 	T 	October 9, 1971 	4–4 	New York Rangers (1971–72) 	0–0–1
2 	T 	October 14, 1971 	1–1 	@ Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) 	0–0–2
3 	W 	October 16, 1971 	9–3 	Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) 	1–0–2
4 	L 	October 17, 1971 	4–8 	@ New York Rangers (1971–72) 	1–1–2
5 	W 	October 20, 1971 	4–2 	@ California Golden Seals (1971–72)	2–1–2
6 	W 	October 22, 1971 	6–0 	@ Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) 	3–1–2
7 	W 	October 23, 1971 	3–1 	@ Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) 	4–1–2
8 	W 	October 27, 1971 	5–2 	Boston Bruins (1971–72) 	5–1–2
9 	W 	October 30, 1971 	3–0 	Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) 	6–1–2
10 	L 	October 31, 1971 	3–5 	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) 	6–2–2
11 	W 	November 3, 1971 	5–1 	St. Louis Blues (1971–72) 	7–2–2
12 	W 	November 6, 1971 	2–1 	Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) 	8–2–2
13 	W 	November 7, 1971 	3–2 	@ Boston Bruins (1971–72) 	9–2–2
14 	W 	November 10, 1971 	5–2 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) 	10–2–2
15 	W 	November 13, 1971 	5–1 	@ Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) 	11–2–2
16 	T 	November 14, 1971 	2–2 	@ Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) 	11–2–3
17 	W 	November 16, 1971 	7–2 	California Golden Seals (1971–72) 	12–2–3
18 	T 	November 18, 1971 	2–2 	St. Louis Blues (1971–72) 	12–2–4
19 	T 	November 20, 1971 	2–2 	Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) 	12–2–5
20 	T 	November 24, 1971 	3–3 	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) 	12–2–6
21 	W 	November 27, 1971 	3–1 	Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) 	13–2–6
22 	L 	November 28, 1971 	2–4 	@ Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) 	13–3–6
23 	W 	December 1, 1971 	5–3 	Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) 	14–3–6
24 	W 	December 4, 1971 	7–0 	Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) 	15–3–6
25 	W 	December 8, 1971 	4–2 	Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) 	16–3–6
26 	W 	December 11, 1971 	4–3 	Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) 	17–3–6
27 	L 	December 12, 1971 	1–4 	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) 	17–4–6
28 	W 	December 15, 1971 	3–1 	@ Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) 	18–4–6
29 	W 	December 17, 1971 	6–2 	@ Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) 	19–4–6
30 	T 	December 19, 1971 	3–3 	@ California Golden Seals (1971–72)	19–4–7
31 	W 	December 22, 1971 	4–2 	Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) 	20–4–7
32 	L 	December 25, 1971 	2–4 	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) 	20–5–7
33 	L 	December 26, 1971 	1–5 	@ New York Rangers (1971–72) 	20–6–7
34 	W 	December 29, 1971 	3–2 	California Golden Seals (1971–72) 	21–6–7
35 	L 	January 1, 1972 	2–5 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) 	21–7–7
36 	L 	January 2, 1972 	4–6 	@ Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) 	21–8–7
37 	W 	January 5, 1972 	6–4 	Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) 	22–8–7
38 	W 	January 8, 1972 	10–2 	Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) 	23–8–7
39 	L 	January 9, 1972 	2–5 	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) 	23–9–7
40 	L 	January 11, 1972 	3–7 	@ St. Louis Blues (1971–72) 	23–10–7
41 	W 	January 13, 1972 	7–1 	Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) 	24–10–7
42 	W 	January 15, 1972 	6–2 	Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) 	25–10–7
43 	L 	January 16, 1972 	2–4 	@ Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) 	25–11–7
44 	W 	January 19, 1972 	1–0 	Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) 	26–11–7
45 	L 	January 22, 1972 	5–8 	Boston Bruins (1971–72) 	26–12–7
46 	T 	January 23, 1972 	3–3 	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) 	26–12–8
47 	L 	January 27, 1972 	5–6 	Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) 	26–13–8
48 	W 	January 29, 1972 	4–0 	St. Louis Blues (1971–72) 	27–13–8
49 	W 	February 1, 1972 	3–1 	@ St. Louis Blues (1971–72) 	28–13–8
50 	T 	February 3, 1972 	1–1 	@ Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) 	28–13–9
51 	T 	February 4, 1972 	2–2 	@ California Golden Seals (1971–72)	28–13–10
52 	W 	February 6, 1972 	4–2 	@ Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) 	29–13–10
53 	W 	February 10, 1972 	7–1 	Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) 	30–13–10
54 	W 	February 12, 1972 	6–5 	Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) 	31–13–10
55 	T 	February 13, 1972 	2–2 	@ Boston Bruins (1971–72) 	31–13–11
56 	T 	February 16, 1972 	1–1 	California Golden Seals (1971–72) 	31–13–12
57 	W 	February 19, 1972 	3–1 	Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) 	32–13–12
58 	W 	February 20, 1972 	4–0 	@ Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) 	33–13–12
59 	L 	February 22, 1972 	3–7 	New York Rangers (1971–72) 	33–14–12
60 	W 	February 24, 1972 	4–2 	@ Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) 	34–14–12
61 	W 	February 26, 1972 	8–1 	Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) 	35–14–12
62 	W 	February 27, 1972 	5–3 	Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) 	36–14–12
63 	W 	March 1, 1972 	4–1 	Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) 	37–14–12
64 	W 	March 4, 1972 	5–0 	Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) 	38–14–12
65 	W 	March 5, 1972 	4–0 	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) 	39–14–12
66 	W 	March 8, 1972 	5–4 	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) 	40–14–12
67 	W 	March 9, 1972 	5–1 	@ St. Louis Blues (1971–72) 	41–14–12
68 	T 	March 11, 1972 	1–1 	Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) 	41–14–13
69 	W 	March 13, 1972 	2–1 	Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) 	42–14–13
70 	W 	March 15, 1972 	5–2 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) 	43–14–13
71 	W 	March 18, 1972 	4–3 	Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) 	44–14–13
72 	L 	March 19, 1972 	6–7 	@ Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) 	44–15–13
73 	T 	March 22, 1972 	3–3 	Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) 	44–15–14
74 	T 	March 25, 1972 	3–3 	New York Rangers (1971–72) 	44–15–15
75 	L 	March 26, 1972 	4–5 	@ Boston Bruins (1971–72) 	44–16–15
76 	T 	March 29, 1972 	5–5 	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) 	44–16–16
77 	W 	April 1, 1972 	6–2 	Boston Bruins (1971–72) 	45–16–16
78 	W 	April 2, 1972 	6–5 	@ New York Rangers (1971–72) 	46–16–16
==Playoffs==
===New York Rangers 4, Montreal Canadiens 2===
After winning the Stanley Cup the previous season, the Canadiens could not repeat. The Canadiens lost to the New York Rangers in the first round, losing four games to two.
==Player Stats==
===Regular Season===
;Scoring
Player	GP	G 	A 	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
 	76	43	53	96 	36 	42 	14 	4 	4
 	73	47	36	83 	15 	23 	18 	0 	5
 	77	32	49	81 	26 	37 	8 	0 	7
 	75	35	32	67 	103	16 	7 	4 	6
 	73	29	35	64 	48 	27 	5 	0 	5
 	76	6 	51	57 	24 	52 	3 	0 	2
 	75	31	22	53 	81 	15 	9 	0 	4
 	69	11	38	49 	58 	15 	4 	0 	4
 	75	12	32	44 	48 	10 	0 	0 	1
 	77	20	18	38 	64 	9 	1 	3 	4
 	77	11	17	28 	21 	9 	1 	0 	1
 	73	3 	25	28 	50 	36 	2 	0 	0
 	51	7 	15	22 	53 	3 	0 	3 	1
 	55	7 	10	17 	19 	4 	0 	0 	2
 	52	2 	12	14 	35 	9 	0 	0 	0
 	23	1 	8 	9 	16 	21 	0 	0 	0
 	60	3 	5 	8 	39 	10 	0 	0 	0
 	27	3 	2 	5 	22 	3 	0 	0 	0
 	17	3 	0 	3 	4 	-1 	0 	0 	0
 	64	0 	3 	3 	4 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	11	1 	1 	2 	8 	8 	0 	0 	0
 	16	0 	2 	2 	0 	-1 	0 	0 	0
 	7 	0 	1 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	4 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	4 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	21	0 	0 	0 	2 	5 	0 	0 	0
 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	9 	0 	0 	0 	4 	0 	0 	0 	0
;Goaltending
Player	MIN 	GP	W 	L 	T 	GA 	GAA 	SO
 	3800	64	39	8 	15	142	2.24 	8
 	528 	9 	4 	5 	0 	32 	3.64 	0
 	332 	7 	3 	2 	1 	25 	4.52 	0
 	20 	1 	0 	1 	0 	4 	12.00	0
Team: 	4680	78	46	16	16	203	2.60 	8
===Playoffs===
;Scoring
Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG
 	6 	3	2	5 	2 	1 	0 	0
 	6 	2	3	5 	9 	0 	0 	1
 	6 	1	4	5 	2 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	2	1	3 	2 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	2	1	3 	23 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	2	1	3 	2 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	0	3	3 	4 	0 	0 	0
 	5 	1	1	2 	6 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	0	2	2 	12 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	0	2	2 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	1	0	1 	0 	0 	0 	1
 	6 	0	1	1 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	1 	0	0	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	1 	0	0	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	4 	0	0	0 	2 	0 	0 	0
 	4 	0	0	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	0	0	0 	2 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	0	0	0 	10 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	0	0	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
;Goaltending
Player	MIN	GP	W	L	GA	GAA 	SO
 	360	6 	2	4	17	2.83	0
Team: 	360	6 	2	4	17	2.83	0
==Awards and Records==
*Calder Memorial Trophy: Ken Dryden
*Yvan Cournoyer, Right Wing, NHL Second Team All-Star
*Ken Dryden, Goalie, NHL Second Team All-Star
==Transactions==
May 22, 1971 	To California Golden SealsBobby Sheehan 	To Montreal Canadienscash
August 31, 1971	To California Golden SealsMarshall Johnston 	To Montreal Canadienscash
October, 1971 	To California Golden Sealscash 	To Montreal CanadiensJocelyn Hardy
October, 1971 	To California Golden Sealscash 	To Montreal CanadiensMike Laughton
October, 1971 	To California Golden SealsLyle CarterJohn French	To Montreal CanadiensRandy Rota
October 6, 1971	To California Golden SealsRay Martyniuk 	To Montreal CanadiensTony Featherstone
==Draft Picks==
==Trivia==
*Canadiens who recorded a Hat trick this season include:
**Frank Mahovlich during the 6-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on October 22, 1971.
**Marc Tardif during the 5-1 win over the Minnesota North Stars on November 13, 1971.
**Yvan Cournoyer during the 7-2 win over the California Golden Seals on November 16, 1971.
**Jacques Lemaire during the 7-0 win over Vancouver on December 4, 1971.
**Guy Lafleur during the 4-3 win over Minnesota on December 11, 1971.
**Guy Lafleur during the 6-2 win over Vancouver on December 17, 1971.
**Guy Lafleur during the 7-1 win over the Chicago Black Hawks on January 10, 1972.
**Frank Mahovlich during the 6-5 loss to Minnesota on January 27, 1972.
**Yvan Cournoyer during the 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on March 5, 1972.
==Gallery==
71-72MonCanOct.jpg|Canadiens in October.
D.Smith goal-7Nov1971.gif|Dallas Smith scores, November 7, 1971.
McKenzie_winner-26Mar1972.gif|John McKenzie's game winner, March 26, 1972.
26Mar1972-Bucyk_Dryden.jpg|Guy Lapointe, John Bucyk, J.C. Tremblay, Ken Dryden, March 26, 1972.
==Video==
Brief highlights of the 1972 Rangers-Canadiens Quarter-finals, Rangers-Black Hawks Semi-finals, Bruins-Leafs Quarter-finals and Bruins-Blues Semi-finals before highlights of all six games of the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals.
Stanley Cup 1972
==See Also==
*1971–72 NHL season
==References==
*Canadiens on Hockey Database
*Canadiens on NHL Reference
Category:Montreal Canadiens seasons
Category:1971 in hockey
Category:1972 in hockey