1965–66 NHL season

League business

A new trophy was introduced for this season. Jack Adams won the first Lester Patrick Trophy for his contribution to hockey in the United States.

February saw the momentous announcement that six conditional franchises had been awarded to Los Angeles, San Francisco, St. Louis, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, all to begin play in 1967. The St. Louis franchise was surprising, as no formal application from the city had been tendered. It was awarded to fulfill the wishes of James D. Norris and Arthur Wirtz, owners of the Chicago Black Hawks, who also owned the St. Louis Arena, which they wanted to sell.

On the debit side, a strong bid from Vancouver was rejected, much to the anger of many Canadians and the protest of their Prime Minister Lester Pearson. A rumour was widely spread — fuelled by a corroborating statement from Leafs' general manager Punch Imlach that the Toronto and Montreal owners had vetoed the bid out of a dislike for sharing the proceeds from television broadcasts of the games. Vancouver would eventually get an NHL franchise in 1970.

The third NHL amateur draft was held on April 27, 1965, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Andre Veilleux was selected first overall by the New York Rangers.

For the second consecutive year, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) called for the end the NHL's system of sponsoring junior ice hockey teams and instead allow players who graduated from junior hockey to be chosen in the NHL amateur draft. CAHA president Lionel Fleury asked the NHL to terminate the existing professional-agreement rather than letting it expire in 1968. NHL president Clarence Campbell declined to terminate the agreement since 95 per cent of NHL players were produced by sponsored junior teams. The NHL felt that a draft of players might be viable but wanted to draft players at a younger age than 20, and wanted to continue making payments directly to amateur teams instead of the CAHA dispersing funds as it saw fit. Discussions remained unresolved until a new agreement with the requested changes was reached in August 1966.

Rule changes

The only significant rule change for this season was a requirement that the teams suit up two goaltenders for each game.

Regular season

Among notable players to debut during this season were Ed Giacomin for the Rangers, Bill Goldsworthy for the Bruins, Ken Hodge for Chicago and Mike Walton for Toronto. In the meantime, however, the career of future Hockey Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay was over, as his request for reinstatement as an active player was vetoed by the Toronto ownership.

Ed Giacomin put together a six-game unbeaten streak early in the season to the delight of the fans. But the Rangers' inexperience behind the blueline caught up with them as the team began to lose and the Rangers were out of contention quickly, which cost coach Red Sullivan his job. Emile Francis took over the coaching reins, but the Rangers were headed nowhere this season.Worse, Rod Gilbert had to undergo a second spinal fusion surgery if he wanted to play hockey again. The Rangers missed his offense.

Gordie Howe scored his 600th NHL goal in Montreal on November 27 in a 3–2 loss to the Canadiens to the cheers of the local fans. Among lesser milestones in the season were Frank Mahovlich's 250th goal and Johnny Bucyk's and Claude Provost's 200th.

In an unusual incident, the Red Wings' jerseys were stolen from the visitors' dressing room in Montreal the night before a January game, and Detroit was compelled to play in the uniforms of their junior farm team in Hamilton, which were express shipped to Montreal in time for the match.

James D. Norris, owner of the Chicago Black Hawks, died of a heart attack in late February.

Final standings

Playoffs

Playoff bracket

The top four teams in the league qualified for the playoffs. In the semifinals, the first-place team played the third-place team, while the second-place team faced the fourth-place team, with the winners advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. In both rounds, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series).

| RD1-seed1=1 | RD1-team1=Montreal | RD1-score1=4 | RD1-seed2=3 | RD1-team2=Toronto | RD1-score2=0 | RD1-seed3=2 | RD1-team3=Chicago | RD1-score3=2 | RD1-seed4=4 | RD1-team4=Detroit | RD1-score4=4 | RD2-seed1=1 | RD2-team1=Montreal | RD2-score1=4 | RD2-seed2=4 | RD2-team2=Detroit | RD2-score2=2

Semifinals

The second game of the semifinal series between Detroit and Chicago on April 10, was nationally televised in the United States.

For the fourth straight year, it was Montreal vs. Toronto and Detroit vs. Chicago in the first round. The Canadiens were victorious over the Leafs in four straight games, while the Wings beat the Hawks in six.

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (3) Toronto Maple Leafs

The Montreal Canadiens were the best regular season team, earning 90 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs earned the third seed with 79 points. This was the twelfth playoff series between these two rivals, with Toronto winning six of their eleven previous series. This was a rematch from the 1965 semifinals, where Montreal won in six games. Toronto won sixteen of twenty-eight points in this year's regular season series.

The Canadiens defeated the Maple Leafs in a four-game sweep.

|1-1-1 =Eddie Shack (1) – 02:12 Frank Mahovlich (1) – pp – 18:08 |1-1-2 =12:08 – pp – J.C. Tremblay (1) |1-2-1 =No scoring |1-2-2 =03:05 – John Ferguson (1) 08:13 – pp – Bobby Rousseau (1) |1-3-1 =Bob Pulford (1) – 10:35 |1-3-2 =17:48 – Jean Beliveau (1) |goalie1-1 =Terry Sawchuck |goalie1-2 =Gump Worsley

|2-1-1 =No scoring |2-1-2 =No scoring |2-2-1 =No scoring |2-2-2 =No scoring |2-3-1 =No scoring |2-3-2 =09:30 – pp – Claude Provost (1) 16:07 – Bobby Rousseau (2) |goalie2-1 =Terry Sawchuck |goalie2-2 =Gump Worsley

|3-1-1 =01:26 – pp – Eddie Shack (2) 17:32 – Tim Horton (1) |3-1-2 =No scoring |3-2-1 =No scoring |3-2-2 =Ralph Backstrom (1) – 08:16 Bobby Rousseau (3) – pp – 11:00 Terry Harper (1) – 11:26 |3-3-1 =No scoring |3-3-2 =John Ferguson (2) – 00:16 Jean Beliveau (2) – en – 19:50 |goalie3-1 =Johnny Bower |goalie3-2 =Gump Worsley

|4-1-1 =05:40 – Larry Hillman (1) |4-1-2 =No scoring |4-2-1 =No scoring |4-2-2 =Gilles Tremblay (1) – pp – 09:32 Gilles Tremblay (2) – pp – 13:28 |4-3-1 =No scoring |4-3-2 =Jimmy Roberts (1) – sh – 04:04 Dick Duff (1) – pp – 07:16 |goalie4-1 =Johnny Bower |goalie4-2 =Gump Worsley

(2) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (4) Detroit Red Wings

The Chicago Black Hawks earned the second seed with 82 points. The Detroit Red Wings earned the fourth seed with 74 points. This was the eighth playoff series between these two rivals, with Detroit winning four of their seven previous series. This was a rematch of the 1965 semifinals, where Chicago won in seven games. Chicago earned twenty-four of twenty-eight points in this year's regular season series.

The Red Wings upset the Black Hawks in six games.

|1-1-1 =Dean Prentice (1) – pp – 18:28 |1-1-2 =06:08 – Kenny Wharram (1) 11:54 – pp – Bobby Hull (1) |1-2-1 =No scoring |1-2-2 =No scoring |1-3-1 =No scoring |1-3-2 =No scoring |goalie1-1 =Roger Crozier |goalie1-2 =Glenn Hall

|2-1-1 =Floyd Smith (1) – pp – 04:10 Gordie Howe (1) – 12:11 Floyd Smith (2) – pp – 19:50 |2-1-2 =No scoring |2-2-1 =Andy Bathgate (1) – pp – 13:27 |2-2-2 =No scoring |2-3-1 =Dean Prentice (2) – 03:39 Andy Bathgate (2) – pp – 05:38 Bert Marshall (1) – 06:00 |2-3-2 =No scoring |goalie2-1 =Roger Crozier |goalie2-2 =Glenn Hall, Dave Dryden

|3-1-1 =15:01 – Bryan Watson (1) |3-1-2 =No scoring |3-2-1 =No scoring |3-2-2 =Chico Maki (1) – pp – 06:19 Eric Nesterenko (1) – 18:43 |3-3-1 =No scoring |3-3-2 =No scoring |goalie3-1 =Roger Crozier |goalie3-2 =Glenn Hall

|4-1-1 =03:15 – pp – Paul Henderson (1) |4-1-2 =Stan Mikita (1) – pp – 08:04 |4-2-1 =02:59 – Paul Henderson (2) |4-2-2 =No scoring |4-3-1 =01:06 – pp – Andy Bathgate (3) 01:55 – Bryan Watson (2) 08:08 – pp – Gordie Howe (2) |4-3-2 =No scoring |goalie4-1 =Roger Crozier |goalie4-2 =Glenn Hall

|5-1-1 =Norm Ullman (1) – 08:14 Val Fonteyne (1) – sh – 15:08 |5-1-2 =No scoring |5-2-1 =Andy Bathgate (4) – pp – 01:19 |5-2-2 =03:05 – Doug Mohns (1) 14:51 – pp – Pat Stapleton (1) |5-3-1 =Gordie Howe (3) – 11:41 Norm Ullman (2) – 15:43 |5-3-2 =16:28 – Bobby Hull (2) |goalie5-1 =Roger Crozier |goalie5-2 =Glenn Hall

|6-1-1 =02:51 – pp – Andy Bathgate (5) |6-1-2 =No scoring |6-2-1 =No scoring |6-2-2 =Phil Esposito (1) – pp – 14:24 Pat Stapleton (2) – 17:54 |6-3-1 =16:25 – Dean Prentice (3) 17:28 – Dean Prentice (4) |6-3-2 =No scoring |goalie6-1 =Roger Crozier |goalie6-2 =Glenn Hall

Stanley Cup Finals

Main article: 1966 Stanley Cup Finals

The Montreal Canadiens were the defending champions in their twenty-second Stanley Cup Finals, after winning their thirteenth championship the previous year with a seven-game victory over the Chicago Black Hawks. This was the Detroit Red Wings' eighteenth Stanley Cup Finals, having won seven championships previously. Their most recent Finals came in 1964, when they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games. This was the eleventh playoff series between these two teams, with Detroit winning seven of their ten previous series. Their most recent series had come in the 1958 semifinals, where Montreal won in a four-game sweep. Montreal won eighteen of twenty-eight points in this year's regular season series. Detroit would not return to the Stanley Cup Finals again until 1995.

Behind the skilled goaltending of Roger Crozier, who had missed parts of the regular season with illness, the Red Wings won the first two games of the Finals. However, Crozier was injured in the fourth game and the Canadiens won the Cup four games to two. Roger Crozier won the Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the losing team.

|1-1-1 =Floyd Smith (3) – 13:25 |1-1-2 =No scoring |1-2-1 =Bill Gadsby (1) – 05:14 |1-2-2 =04:23 – Ralph Backstrom (2) |1-3-1 =Paul Henderson (3) – 02:14 |1-3-2 =02:36 – Terry Harper (2) |goalie1-1 =Roger Crozier |goalie1-2 =Gump Worsley

|2-1-1 =Andy Bathgate (6) – pp – 18:39 |2-1-2 =06:55 – pp – J.C. Tremblay (2) |2-2-1 =No scoring |2-2-2 =No scoring |2-3-1 =Bruce MacGregor (1) – 01:51 Ab McDonald (1) – 02:45 Floyd Smith (4) – 12:28 Dean Prentice (5) – 16:25 |2-3-2 =12:00 – Yvan Cournoyer (1) |goalie2-1 =Roger Crozier |goalie2-2 =Gump Worsley

|3-1-1 =04:20 – Norm Ullman (3) |3-1-2 =Dave Balon (1) – 15:40 Jean Beliveau (3) – 19:12 |3-2-1 =No scoring |3-2-2 =No scoring |3-3-1 =19:59 – Gordie Howe (4) |3-3-2 =Gilles Tremblay (3) – 01:45 Gilles Tremblay (4) – pp – 03:21 |goalie3-1 =Roger Crozier |goalie3-2 =Gump Worsley

|4-1-1 =No scoring |4-1-2 =No scoring |4-2-1 =11:24 – Norm Ullman (4) |4-2-2 =Jean Beliveau (4) – pp – 19:51 |4-3-1 =No scoring |4-3-2 =Ralph Backstrom (3) – 13:37 |goalie4-1 =Roger Crozier, Hank Bassen |goalie4-2 =Gump Worsley

|5-1-1 =No scoring |5-1-2 =01:06 – Claude Provost (2) 19:21 – pp – Yvan Cournoyer (2) |5-2-1 =Norm Ullman (5) – 14:22 |5-2-2 =01:05 – Dave Balon (2) 11:22 – Bobby Rousseau (4) |5-3-1 =No scoring |5-3-2 =05:31 – Dick Duff (2) |goalie5-1 =Roger Crozier |goalie5-2 =Gump Worsley

|6-1-1 =No scoring |6-1-2 =Jean Beliveau (5) – 09:08 |6-2-1 =11:55 – pp – Norm Ullman (6) |6-2-2 =Leon Rochefort (1) – 10:11 |6-3-1 =10:30 – Floyd Smith (5) |6-3-2 =No scoring |6-4-1 =No scoring |6-4-2 =Henri Richard (1) – 02:20 |goalie6-1 =Roger Crozier |goalie6-2 =Gump Worsley

Awards

Bobby Hull set a new record for goals in a season with 54 and a new record for points in a season with 97, earning him the Art Ross Trophy and his second straight Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. No left-winger would pace the NHL in points again until Alexander Ovechkin in 2007–08. Jacques Laperriere of Montreal won the Norris Trophy as best defenceman.

All-Star teams

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes

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

Coaches

• Boston Bruins: Milt Schmidt
• Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay
• Detroit Red Wings: Sid Abel
• Montreal Canadiens: Toe Blake
• New York Rangers: Emile Francis
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Punch Imlach

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1965–66 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• J. P. Parise, Boston Bruins
• Derek Sanderson, Boston Bruins
• Bernie Parent, Boston Bruins
• Barry Ashbee, Boston Bruins
• Pete Mahovlich, Detroit Red Wings
• Danny Grant, Montreal Canadiens
• Ed Giacomin, New York Rangers

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1965–66 (listed with their last team):

• Bill Gadsby, Detroit Red Wings

Broadcasting

Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. HNIC also began producing Wednesday night regular season game telecasts for CTV. Games were typically not broadcast in their entirety until the 1968–69 season, and were typically joined in progress.

NBC agreed to air 1966 Sunday afternoon playoff games, marking the first time since the 1959–60 season that the NHL aired nationally in the U.S., and the first time ever that postseason games aired on American network television. The clinching Game 6 of the 1966 Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday, May 5 aired across RKO General-owned stations.

Notes

References

• {{cite book |last1=Fischler |first1=Stan |last2=Fischler |first2=Shirley

References

1. (February 21, 1967). "Howe—player's player". Ottawa Citizen.
2. (February 9, 2024). "Why St. Louis can thank the Chicago Blackhawks that the Blues even exist". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
3. (1998). "Total Hockey: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Hockey League". Total Sports.
4. (May 28, 1965). "Develop Draft System Fleury Tells Delegates". Winnipeg Free Press.
5. (May 28, 1965). "Campbell Balks At Break Attempt". Winnipeg Free Press.
6. (August 19, 1966). "Sweeping Changes In Pro-Am Hockey Pact". Winnipeg Free Press.
7. "Something Borrowed But Nothing Blue For Red Wings", ''The Montreal Star'', 24 January 1966. p.19
8. "Red Wings Jar Black Hawks, 7–0." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1966 Apr 11.