May Day: Canadiens shut out Hawks to win Cup

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James
May 1, 2022 (1:47)

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The 1965 Stanley Cup Finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens was all about the home cooking. Through six games, the home team was victorious in every one setting up a decisive Game 7 at the Montreal Forum on May 1, 1965.

Montreal like they'd done in five of the previous six games, found the net first, this time only 14 seconds in as captain Jean Beliveau scored his series-leading fifth goal and the Canadiens never looked back in a 4-0 shutout. As in 1955, all games were won by the home team. This was the last final until 2003 where this happened (New Jersey over Anaheim).

The momentum from the Beliveau line carried through the entire period. The trio of Beliveau, Bobby Rousseau and Dick Duff, combined for two goals and six assists in the first stanza, as the Habs headed to the dressing room with a 4-0 lead.

Goaltender Gump Worsley made 20 saves to become just the second goaltender to record a shutout in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. It was Worsley's first Cup appearance in 12 years and he recorded two shutouts against Chicago.

Thanks to his 10-point performance in the Finals, Beliveau was voted the inaugural winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the NHL's playoff MVP.

Bobby Hull led the Hawks in scoring with 10 goals, seven assists and 58 shots over the 14 games of the postseason. He also scored 39 goals during the season to lead the team. Stan Mikita was the leading point man in the league with 87. Goaltenders Glenn Hall and Dennis DeJordy both had save percentages over .915 during the season.

The NHL only consisted of the Original Six teams at the time: Montreal, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Boston and the New York Rangers. It would remain that way until 1967 when six expansion teams joined (Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues).

The Hawks and Canadiens would meet two more times in the Cup Final in 1971 and 1973 with the Habs taking both in seven and six games respectively.