| 1973–74 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 10, 1973 – May 19, 1974 |
| Number of games | 78 |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC,CTV,SRC (Canada) NBC (United States) |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Denis Potvin |
| Picked by | New York Islanders |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Boston Bruins |
| SeasonMVP | Phil Esposito (Bruins) |
| Top scorer | Phil Esposito (Bruins) |
| Playoffs | |
| PlayoffsMVP | Bernie Parent (Flyers) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Runners-up | Boston Bruins |
| NHL seasons | |
← 1972–73 1974–75 → | |
The1973–74 NHL season was the57thseason of theNational Hockey League. ThePhiladelphia Flyers won theStanley Cup championship, the team's first. The team was the first of the post-1967 teams to win the Cup.
With ownerCharles O. Finley unable to find a buyer, the league took over operation of the troubledCalifornia Golden Seals in February 1974.Fred Glover then resigned as general manager-coach.Garry Young, who had served as general manager from October 1971 to November 1972, agreed to return.Marshall Johnston, a defenseman for the Seals, retired and took over as coach.
The1973 NHL Amateur Draft was held on May 15 at theMount Royal Hotel inMontreal,Quebec.Denis Potvin was selected first overall by theNew York Islanders.
ThePhiladelphia Flyers, who developed the nickname "Broad Street Bullies" because of their physical style of play, dethroned theChicago Black Hawks as the West Division champions behind the dominant play ofBobby Clarke andBernie Parent.
The New York Rangers were floundering under new coachLarry Popeinand were in danger of missing the playoffs, andEmile 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 defensemanTim Horton was killed in an automobile accident. He had been returning to Buffalo from Toronto at the time.
In the East Division, theBoston 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, andWayne Cashman) for the second and most recent time in league history.
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Bruins | 78 | 52 | 17 | 9 | 349 | 221 | +128 | 113 |
| 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 78 | 45 | 24 | 9 | 293 | 240 | +53 | 99 |
| 3 | New York Rangers | 78 | 40 | 24 | 14 | 300 | 251 | +49 | 94 |
| 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 78 | 35 | 27 | 16 | 274 | 230 | +44 | 86 |
| 5 | Buffalo Sabres | 78 | 32 | 34 | 12 | 242 | 250 | −8 | 76 |
| 6 | Detroit Red Wings | 78 | 29 | 39 | 10 | 255 | 319 | −64 | 68 |
| 7 | Vancouver Canucks | 78 | 24 | 43 | 11 | 224 | 296 | −72 | 59 |
| 8 | New York Islanders | 78 | 19 | 41 | 18 | 182 | 247 | −65 | 56 |
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 78 | 50 | 16 | 12 | 273 | 164 | +109 | 112 |
| 2 | Chicago Black Hawks | 78 | 41 | 14 | 23 | 272 | 164 | +108 | 105 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 33 | 33 | 12 | 233 | 231 | +2 | 78 |
| 4 | Atlanta Flames | 78 | 30 | 34 | 14 | 214 | 238 | −24 | 74 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 78 | 28 | 41 | 9 | 242 | 273 | −31 | 65 |
| 6 | St. Louis Blues | 78 | 26 | 40 | 12 | 206 | 248 | −42 | 64 |
| 7 | Minnesota North Stars | 78 | 23 | 38 | 17 | 235 | 275 | −40 | 63 |
| 8 | California Golden Seals | 78 | 13 | 55 | 10 | 195 | 342 | −147 | 36 |
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 anOriginal 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.[3]
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Toronto | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Chicago | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Chicago | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Los Angeles | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Philadelphia | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Philadelphia | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Atlanta | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Philadelphia | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | NY Rangers | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Montreal | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | NY Rangers | 4 | ||||||||||||
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 the1972 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. Boston won four of the six games in this year's regular season series.
| April 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0–1 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 04:22 –Gregg Sheppard (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Doug Favell 32 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Gilbert 35 saves / 35 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3–6 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Ron Ellis (1) – 14:24 Dave Keon (1) – 19:06 | First period | 08:56 –Ken Hodge (1) 15:46 –Bobby Schmautz (1) | ||||||
| Darryl Sittler (1) –pp – 15:01 | Second period | 03:31 –Johnny Bucyk (1) 13:13 –Wayne Cashman (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 07:34 –pp –Phil Esposito (1) 19:14 –sh –en –Gregg Sheppard (2) | ||||||
| Doug Favell 31 saves / 36 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Gilbert 36 saves / 39 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | Boston Bruins | 6–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 08:54 –Bob Neely (1) | ||||||
| Andre Savard (1) – 01:59 Gregg Sheppard (3) – 05:44 Gregg Sheppard (4) – 16:46 Johnny Bucyk (2) – 17:00 | Second period | 19:30 –Darryl Sittler (2) | ||||||
| Wayne Cashman (2) – 01:22 Bobby Schmautz (2) – 11:42 | Third period | 02:20 –Eddie Shack (1) | ||||||
| Gilles Gilbert 45 saves / 48 shots | Goalie stats | Eddie Johnston 24 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| April 14 | Boston Bruins | 4–3 | OT | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | ||
| Terry O'Reilly (1) – 08:53 | First period | 14:56 –Ron Ellis (2) | ||||||
| Ken Hodge (2) – 06:51 | Second period | 08:58 –Norm Ullman (1) | ||||||
| Bobby Orr (1) –pp – 17:34 | Third period | 18:43 –Inge Hammarstrom (1) | ||||||
| Ken Hodge (3) – 01:27 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gilles Gilbert 30 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Doug Favell 41 saves / 45 shots | ||||||
| Boston won series 4–0 | |
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 the1972 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which New York won in six games. Montreal won four of the six games in this year's regular season series.
| April 10 | New York Rangers | 4–1 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Steve Vickers (1) -pp – 10:48 Bruce MacGregor (1) – 11:07 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Dale Rolfe (1) – 02:43 | Second period | 08:59 –Steve Shutt (1) | ||||||
| Brad Park (1) – 18:11 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Eddie Giacomin 23 saves / 24 shots | Goalie stats | Michel Larocque 27 saves / 31 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | New York Rangers | 1–4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Bruce MacGregor (2) – 12:51 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 05:03 –Steve Shutt (2) 18:11 –Yvan Cournoyer (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 11:53 – Yvan Cournoyer (2) 14:51 – Yvan Cournoyer (3) | ||||||
| Eddie Giacomin 27 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Michel Larocque 18 saves / 19 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–2 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Peter Mahovlich (1) – 03:38 Steve Shutt (3) –pp – 15:03 Yvan Cournoyer (4) – 18:47 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Yvan Cournoyer (5) – 00:49 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 08:06 –pp –Pete Stemkowski (1) 11:48 –Jean Ratelle (1) | ||||||
| Michel Larocque 32 saves / 34 shots | Goalie stats | Eddie Giacomin 28 saves / 32 shots | ||||||
| April 14 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–6 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Steve Shutt (4) – 00:46 Peter Mahovlich (2) –pp – 18:37 | First period | 09:35 –Ron Harris (1) | ||||||
| Frank Mahovlich (1) – 02:56 | Second period | 04:46 –pp –Rod Gilbert (1) 14:00 –Ted Irvine (1) | ||||||
| Serge Savard (1) – 13:57 | Third period | 01:18 – Ted Irvine (2) 15:06 –Bruce MacGregor (3) 19:18 –en –Pete Stemkowski (2) | ||||||
| Michel Larocque 32 saves / 37 shots | Goalie stats | Eddie Giacomin 24 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| April 16 | New York Rangers | 3–2 | OT | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | ||
| Bruce MacGregor (4) – 12:43 | First period | 00:49 –Henri Richard (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bruce MacGregor (5) – 19:44 | Third period | 05:24 –Murray Wilson (1) | ||||||
| Ron Harris (2) – 04:07 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Eddie Giacomin 25 saves / 27 shots | Goalie stats | Michel Larocque 39 saves / 42 shots | ||||||
| April 18 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–5 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Henri Richard (2) – 09:15 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Steve Shutt (5) – 02:07 | Second period | 08:41 –Bruce MacGregor (6) 09:27 –Bill Fairbairn (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 11:04 –Jean Ratelle (2) 19:06 –en –Pete Stemkowski (3) 19:24 –en – Pete Stemkowski (4) | ||||||
| Michel Larocque 22 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | Eddie Giacomin 22 saves / 24 shots | ||||||
| New York won series 4–2 | |
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 theprevious year. This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. The teams split this year's six-game regular season series.
| April 9 | Atlanta Flames | 1–4 | Philadelphia Flyers | The Spectrum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 19:56 –sh –Gary Dornhoefer (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 13:36 –pp –Tom Bladon (1) | ||||||
| Bob Murray (1) – 09:29 | Third period | 08:59 –Orest Kindrachuk (1) 12:09 – Orest Kindrachuk (2) | ||||||
| Phil Myre 37 saves / 41 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 31 saves / 32 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | Atlanta Flames | 1–5 | Philadelphia Flyers | The Spectrum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 06:01 –Terry Crisp (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 03:26 –Rick MacLeish (1) 06:20 – Rick MacLeish (2) 18:26 – Rich MacLeish (3) | ||||||
| Rey Comeau (1) – 01:31 | Third period | 11:52 –pp –Jimmy Watson (1) | ||||||
| Phil Myre 28 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 20 saves / 21 shots | ||||||
| April 12 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4–1 | Atlanta Flames | The Omni | Recap | |||
| Don Saleski (1) – 02:51 Bobby Clarke (1) –pp – 05:02 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Rick MacLeish (4) – 13:47 | Second period | 08:47 –Larry Romanchych (1) | ||||||
| Bill Barber (1) – 02:20 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bernie Parent 27 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Dan Bouchard 22 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| April 14 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4–3 | OT | Atlanta Flames | The Omni | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | 03:28 –Larry Romanchych (2) | ||||||
| Andre Dupont (1) – 16:48 | Second period | 05:33 –pp –Jean Lemieux (1) 16:19 –Rey Comeau (2) | ||||||
| Gary Dornhoefer (2) –pp – 01:16 Tom Bladon (2) –pp – 06:34 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Dave Schultz (1) – 05:40 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bernie Parent 23 saves / 26 shots | Goalie stats | Phil Myre 35 saves / 39 shots | ||||||
| Philadelphia won series 4–0 | |
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.
| April 10 | Los Angeles Kings | 1–3 | Chicago Blackhawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| Gene Carr (1) –pp – 09:08 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 11:13 –Darcy Rota (1) 16:51 –Dennis Hull (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 19:12 –en –Stan Mikita (1) | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 29 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 27 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | Los Angeles Kings | 1–4 | Chicago Blackhawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 12:21 –pp –Dick Redmond (1) | ||||||
| Bob Nevin (1) – 04:03 | Second period | 18:13 –Stan Mikita (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 03:07 –Dennis Hull (2) 19:27 –en –Jim Pappin (1) | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 24 saves / 27 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 34 saves / 35 shots | ||||||
| April 13 | Chicago Blackhawks | 1–0 | Los Angeles Kings | The Forum | Recap | |||
| Germain Gagnon (1) – 00:40 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 32 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Rogie Vachon 9 saves / 10 shots | ||||||
| April 14 | Chicago Blackhawks | 1–5 | Los Angeles Kings | The Forum | Recap | |||
| Dennis Hull (3) – 03:07 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 04:04 –Gene Carr (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 03:24 –Juha Widing (1) 06:29 –Tom Williams (1) 10:27 – Tom Williams (2) 12:47 –pp – Tom Williams (3) | ||||||
| Mike Veisor 28 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Gary Edwards 22 saves / 23 shots | ||||||
| April 16 | Los Angeles Kings | 0–1 | Chicago Blackhawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 15:23 –Jim Pappin (2) | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 27 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 18 saves / 18 shots | ||||||
| Chicago won series 4–1 | |
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 the1970 Stanley Cup Semifinals. Chicago won this year's five-game regular season series earning seven of ten points.
| April 18 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4–2 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 06:40 –pp –Phil Esposito (2) | ||||||
| Stan Mikita (3) – 03:48 Darcy Rota (2) – 08:12 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| John Marks (1) – 16:56 Dennis Hull (4) –en – 19:39 | Third period | 09:08 –Darryl Edestrand (1) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 46 saves / 48 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Gilbert 20 saves / 23 shots | ||||||
| April 21 | Chicago Blackhawks | 6–8 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Darcy Rota (3) – 09:04 Dale Tallon (1) –pp – 19:15 | First period | 06:44 –pp –Johnny Bucyk (3) 11:56 –pp – Johnny Bucyk (4) | ||||||
| Dennis Hull (5) – 04:40 Germain Gagnon (2) –pp – 12:38 | Second period | 01:28 –Terry O'Reilly (2) 17:34 –pp – Johnny Bucyk (5) | ||||||
| Dennis Hull (6) –pp – 05:12 John Marks (2) – 13:52 | Third period | 02:59 –Phil Esposito (3) 07:56 –Bobby Schmautz (3) 08:40 –Don Marcotte (1) 11:53 –Gregg Sheppard (5) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 27 saves / 35 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Gilbert 23 saves / 29 shots | ||||||
| April 23 | Boston Bruins | 3–4 | OT | Chicago Blackhawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | ||
| Carol Vadnais (1) –pp – 13:18 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gregg Sheppard (6) – 16:39 | Second period | 03:09 –pp –Bill White (1) | ||||||
| Ken Hodge (4) –pp – 04:53 | Third period | 11:38 –pp –Stan Mikita (4) 19:18 – Stan Mikita (5) | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 03:48 –Jim Pappin (3) | ||||||
| Gilles Gilbert 36 saves / 40 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 33 saves / 36 shots | ||||||
| April 25 | Boston Bruins | 5–2 | Chicago Blackhawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| Gregg Sheppard (7) – 12:07 Ken Hodge (5) – 19:51 | First period | 10:50 –Pit Martin (1) | ||||||
| Phil Esposito (4) –pp – 10:29 Andre Savard (2) – 14:31 | Second period | 15:23 –Keith Magnuson (1) | ||||||
| Wayne Cashman (3) –en – 19:31 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gilles Gilbert 22 saves / 24 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 26 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| April 28 | Chicago Blackhawks | 2–6 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 15:13 –Johnny Bucyk (6) | ||||||
| Cliff Koroll (1) –pp – 06:02 | Second period | 00:47 – Johnny Bucyk (7) 02:09 –Phil Esposito (5) 03:35 –Dallas Smith (1) 06:50 – Phil Esposito (6) 17:25 –Gregg Sheppard (8) | ||||||
| Pit Martin (2) –pp – 02:25 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 17 saves / 23 shots Mike Veisor 12 saves / 12 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Gilbert 19 saves / 21 shots | ||||||
| April 30 | Boston Bruins | 4–2 | Chicago Blackhawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 07:16 –Cliff Koroll (2) | ||||||
| Don Marcotte (2) – 05:59 Don Marcotte (3) – 10:05 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gregg Sheppard (9) – 18:11 Phil Esposito (7) – 18:44 | Third period | 04:18 –pp –Len Frig (1) | ||||||
| Gilles Gilbert 25 saves / 27 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 27 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| Boston won series 4–2 | |
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.
| April 20 | New York Rangers | 0–4 | Philadelphia Flyers | The Spectrum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 19:03 –pp –Rick MacLeish (5) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 04:33 –Ross Lonsberry (1) 05:25 –Bill Barber (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 18:07 – Rick MacLeish (6) | ||||||
| Eddie Giacomin 19 saves / 23 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 19 saves / 19 shots | ||||||
| April 23 | New York Rangers | 2–5 | Philadelphia Flyers | The Spectrum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 08:13 –pp –Bobby Clarke (2) | ||||||
| Jack Egers (1) – 18:36 | Second period | 10:37 –Ed Van Impe (1) | ||||||
| Brad Park (2) –pp – 08:10 | Third period | 07:54 –sh –Ross Lonsberry (2) 16:20 –Rick MacLeish (7) 19:26 –pp –en – Ross Lonsberry (3) | ||||||
| Eddie Giacomin 25 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 28 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| April 25 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3–5 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Rick MacLeish (8) –pp – 06:57 Andre Dupont (2) – 12:20 | First period | 14:28 –Bill Fairbairn (2) | ||||||
| Gary Dornhoefer (3) –pp – 11:33 | Second period | 13:57 –pp –Steve Vickers (2) 18:44 –Vic Hadfield (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 08:53 –pp –Brad Park (3) 13:14 –Rod Gilbert (2) | ||||||
| Bernie Parent 34 saves / 39 shots | Goalie stats | Eddie Giacomin 12 saves / 15 shots | ||||||
| April 28 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1–2 | OT | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | ||
| Joe Watson (1) – 15:32 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 18:13 –pp –Bobby Rousseau (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 04:20 –Rod Gilbert (3) | ||||||
| Bernie Parent 35 saves / 37 shots | Goalie stats | Ed Giacomin 19 saves / 20 shots | ||||||
| April 30 | New York Rangers | 1–4 | Philadelphia Flyers | The Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Pete Stemkowski (5) – 06:16 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 06:49 –Tom Bladon (3) 17:39 –Rick MacLeish (9) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 08:05 –Simon Nolet (1) 19:27 – Rick MacLeish (10) | ||||||
| Eddie Giacomin 24 saves / 27 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 27 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| May 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1–4 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Don Saleski (2) – 05:41 | First period | 16:59 –Brad Park (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 04:10 –Ron Harris (3) 05:48 –Ted Irvine (3) 19:39 –en –Steve Vickers (3) | ||||||
| Bernie Parent 34 saves / 37 shots | Goalie stats | Eddie Giacomin 24 saves / 25 shots | ||||||
| May 5 | New York Rangers | 3–4 | Philadelphia Flyers | The Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Bill Fairbairn (3) – 13:43 | First period | 14:40 –pp –Rick MacLeish (11) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 02:27 –Orest Kindrachuk (3) 11:26 –Gary Dornhoefer (4) | ||||||
| Steve Vickers (4) – 08:49 Pete Stemkowski (6) – 14:43 | Third period | 09:01 – Gary Dornhoefer (5) | ||||||
| Eddie Giacomin 42 saves / 46 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 31 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| Philadelphia won series 4–3 | |
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. The Bruins made their thirteenth Finals appearance; winning in their last appearance in1972 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 the1967–68 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 since1935 and the first expansion team to do so since the league began expanding in 1967.
| May 7 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2–3 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 12:05 –pp –Wayne Cashman (4) 13:01 –Gregg Sheppard (10) | ||||||
| Orest Kindrachuk (4) – 07:47 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bobby Clarke (3) – 05:32 | Third period | 19:38 –Bobby Orr (2) | ||||||
| Bernie Parent 28 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Gilbert 26 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| May 9 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3–2 | OT | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | 14:24 –Wayne Cashman (5) 17:22 –Phil Esposito (8) | ||||||
| Bobby Clarke (4) – 01:08 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Andre Dupont (3) – 19:08 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bobby Clarke (5) – 12:01 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bernie Parent 37 saves / 39 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Gilbert 27 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| May 12 | Boston Bruins | 1–4 | Philadelphia Flyers | The Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Johnny Bucyk (8) – 01:03 | First period | 10:27 –pp –Tom Bladon (4) 15:43 –Terry Crisp (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 07:53 –Orest Kindrachuk (5) 14:19 –Ross Lonsberry (4) | ||||||
| Gilles Gilbert 23 saves / 27 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 24 saves / 25 shots | ||||||
| May 14 | Boston Bruins | 2–4 | Philadelphia Flyers | The Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Phil Esposito (9) –pp – 07:12 Andre Savard (3) – 11:24 | First period | 04:40 –pp –Rick MacLeish (12) 05:30 –Dave Schultz (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 14:25 –Bill Barber (3) 16:40 –Andre Dupont (4) | ||||||
| Gilles Gilbert 27 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 28 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| May 16 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1–5 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 08:14 –sh –Gregg Sheppard (11) | ||||||
| Bill Clement (1) – 06:04 | Second period | 12:06 –Bobby Orr (3) 16:55 – Bobby Orr (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 00:39 –pp –Ken Hodge (6) 18:59 –Don Marcotte (4) | ||||||
| Bernie Parent 33 saves / 38 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Gilbert 26 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| May 19 | Boston Bruins | 0–1 | Philadelphia Flyers | The Spectrum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 14:48 –pp –Rick MacLeish (13) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gilles Gilbert 25 saves / 26 shots | Goalie stats | Bernie Parent 30 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| Philadelphia won series 4–2 | |
A new award, theJack Adams for the best coach, was introduced for this season. The first winner wasFred Shero of thePhiladelphia Flyers.
| 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 andBernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers |
| 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 |
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.[4]
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 |
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):
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):
NOTE: Frank Mahovlich would finish his major professional career in theWorld Hockey Association.
Hockey Night in Canada onCBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games.HNIC also produced Wednesday night regular season game telecasts forCTV.
This was the second season under the U.S. rights agreement withNBC, airing weekend afternoon regular season games and playoff games.