1974–75 NHL season

1974–75 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 9, 1974 – May 27, 1975
Number of games80
Number of teams18
TV partner(s)CBC, SRC (Canada)
NBC (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickGreg Joly
Picked byWashington Capitals
Regular season
Season championsPhiladelphia Flyers
Season MVPBobby Clarke (Flyers)
Top scorerBobby Orr (Bruins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPBernie Parent (Flyers)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsPhiladelphia Flyers
  Runners-upBuffalo Sabres
NHL seasons

The 1974–75 NHL season was the 58th season of the National Hockey League. Two new teams, the Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts were added, increasing the number of teams to 18. To accommodate the new teams, the NHL re-organized its divisional structure and playoff format. The regular season was expanded to 80 games per team (which would be the case until 1992–93). The Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year.

League business

With the addition of two new teams, the Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts, the NHL bumped up the number of games from 78 to 80 and split the previously two-division league into two conferences with four divisions. Because the new conferences and divisions had little to do with North American geography, geographical references were also removed until 1993. The East Division became the Prince of Wales Conference and consisted of the Adams Division and Norris Division. The West Division became the Clarence Campbell Conference and consisted of the Patrick Division and Smythe Division. The Capitals had the worst season ever recorded in the history of major professional hockey, and the third worst in the postwar era the following season, while the Scouts the following season will have the fifth worst record of the postwar era.

The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl and Prince of Wales Trophy (previously awarded to the first-place finishers of the West Division and East Division respectively) are now awarded to the first-place finishers of the Campbell Conference and the Wales Conference respectively.

Cancelled relocation

In early 1975, newspapers reported that the California Golden Seals and Pittsburgh Penguins were to be relocated to Denver and Seattle respectively, in an arrangement that would have seen the two teams sold to groups in those cities that had already been awarded "conditional" franchises for the 1976–77 season. After staunchly rejecting previous franchise relocation attempts, league president Clarence Campbell saw this as a method by which the NHL might extricate itself from two problem markets, while honoring the expansion commitments it had made. The Penguins ended up staying in Pittsburgh (and ultimately, over time, made Pittsburgh one of the NHL's stronger markets), while the Golden Seals moved to Cleveland in 1976 to become the Cleveland Barons before merging with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978. The Scouts gave up on Kansas City after two seasons and moved to Denver to become the Colorado Rockies in 1976 before moving east to East Rutherford, New Jersey in 1982 and becoming the New Jersey Devils; Denver returned to the NHL in 1995 when the Quebec Nordiques moved there and became the Colorado Avalanche, where they remain to this day. Seattle was later awarded an expansion team, the Seattle Kraken, in 2018 that began play in 2021.

Regular season

For the first time ever in the National Hockey League, there was a three-way tie for first place overall. The respective divisional leaders of the Norris (Montreal Canadiens), Patrick (Philadelphia Flyers), and Adams (Buffalo Sabres) all had 113 points. By virtue of having the most wins, the Flyers were accorded the league's best record and held home-ice advantage in the playoffs, where they eventually met the Sabres in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Vancouver Canucks, which had been playing in the original East Division since they debuted in the league, were moved over to the Campbell Conference and led the way in the Smythe Division with a meager 86 points.

Bobby Orr won the scoring title for the second time, the only defenceman in the history of the NHL to accomplish this feat.

The surprise team of the year were the Los Angeles Kings. When the new divisional lineup was announced, many hockey experts felt the Canadiens were in the weakest division and joked they would clinch first place by Christmas.[citation needed] But the Kings, with their disciplined defensive style, and excellent goaltending tandem of Rogie Vachon and Gary Edwards, battled Montreal all year for first place. The Kings opened their season by beating the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia and tying the Canadiens in Montreal. The Kings lost only twice in their first 26 games, and on Christmas, Montreal had only a two-point lead in the standings. When L.A. won in Montreal in mid-January, they were back in first place. The teams continued to battle, with the Canadiens finally clinching first place with three games to play.

Final standings

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold

Prince of Wales Conference

Adams Division
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Buffalo Sabres 80 49 16 15 354 240 +114 113
2 Boston Bruins 80 40 26 14 345 245 +100 94
3 Toronto Maple Leafs 80 31 33 16 280 309 −29 78
4 California Golden Seals 80 19 48 13 212 316 −104 51
Norris Division
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Montreal Canadiens 80 47 14 19 374 225 +149 113
2 Los Angeles Kings 80 42 17 21 269 185 +84 105
3 Pittsburgh Penguins 80 37 28 15 326 289 +37 89
4 Detroit Red Wings 80 23 45 12 259 335 −76 58
5 Washington Capitals 80 8 67 5 181 446 −265 21


Clarence Campbell Conference

Patrick Division
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Philadelphia Flyers 80 51 18 11 293 181 +112 113
2 New York Rangers 80 37 29 14 319 276 +43 88
3 New York Islanders 80 33 25 22 264 221 +43 88
4 Atlanta Flames 80 34 31 15 243 233 +10 83
Smythe Division
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Vancouver Canucks 80 38 32 10 271 254 +17 86
2 St. Louis Blues 80 35 31 14 269 267 +2 84
3 Chicago Blackhawks 80 37 35 8 268 241 +27 82
4 Minnesota North Stars 80 23 50 7 221 341 −120 53
5 Kansas City Scouts 80 15 54 11 184 328 −144 41

Playoffs

With the new conference and division structure, the 1975 playoffs used a new format. The playoffs were expanded from eight to twelve teams with the top three teams in each division qualifying for the playoffs. The first place teams in each division earned a first round bye, while the second and third place teams were seeded 1–8 based on their regular season record and played a best-of-three series. The four preliminary series winners joined the four division winners in the quarterfinals, and they were again re-seeded 1–8 based on regular season record. The teams that advanced to the semifinals were reseeded 1–4. Proponents of this re-seeding state that it makes the regular season more important by rewarding teams with better records with potentially easier matchups. In addition, it avoids the potential issue of two lower seeded teams (who may have pulled early round upsets) playing each other in the next round while two higher seeded teams are playing each other (as is possible in a "bracketed" playoff format like in the NBA). The biggest beneficiary of this format was the Vancouver Canucks, who were ninth overall in the regular season but received a first-round bye for winning the relatively weak Smythe Division. Unfortunately for Vancouver, the fact that the Quarterfinals was re-seeded regardless to their first place divisional finish meant they had to face another division champion in the second round, the Norris-winning Montreal Canadiens, who defeated Vancouver 4–1. The team that suffered the most from the new format, the Los Angeles Kings, had the fourth best overall record but had to play in the risky mini series where they were upset by the twelfth-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs 2–1.

Playoff seeds

The twelve teams that qualified for the playoffs are ranked 1–12 based on regular season points.

Note: Only teams that qualified for the playoffs are listed here.

  1. Philadelphia Flyers, Patrick Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 113 points (51 wins)
  2. Buffalo Sabres, Adams Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions – 113 points (49 wins)
  3. Montreal Canadiens, Norris Division champions – 113 points (47 wins)
  4. Los Angeles Kings – 105 points
  5. Boston Bruins – 94 points
  6. Pittsburgh Penguins – 89 points
  7. New York Rangers – 88 points (37 wins)
  8. New York Islanders – 88 points (33 wins)
  9. Vancouver Canucks, Smythe Division champions – 86 points
  10. St. Louis Blues – 84 points
  11. Chicago Black Hawks – 82 points
  12. Toronto Maple Leafs – 78 points

Playoff bracket

Preliminary Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Stanley Cup Finals
            
1 Philadelphia 4
8 Toronto 0
1 Los Angeles 1
8 Toronto 2
1 Philadelphia 4
4 NY Islanders 3
3 Pittsburgh 2
6 St. Louis 0
4 Pittsburgh 3
5 NY Islanders 4
4 NY Rangers 1
5 NY Islanders 2
1 Philadelphia 4
2 Buffalo 2
2 Buffalo 4
7 Chicago 1
2 Boston 1
7 Chicago 2
2 Buffalo 4
3 Montreal 2
3 Montreal 4
6 Vancouver 1
  • Division winners earned a bye to the Quarterfinals
  • Teams were re-seeded based on regular season record after the Preliminary and Quarterfinal rounds

Preliminary round

(1) Los Angeles Kings vs. (8) Toronto Maple Leafs

The Los Angeles Kings entered the preliminary round as the top seed (and fourth seed overall) earning 105 points during the regular season. The Toronto Maple Leafs earned 78 points during the regular season and entered the preliminary round as the eighth seed (and twelfth seed overall). This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Los Angeles won this year's season series earning 9 of 10 points during the regular season.


April 8 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–3 OT Los Angeles Kings The Forum Recap  
Blaine Stoughton (1) – 15:40 First period 14:31 – Bob Berry (1)
No scoring Second period 16:25 – Gene Carr (1)
Ron Ellis (1) – 18:30 Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 08:53 – Mike Murphy (1)
Gord McRae Goalie stats Rogie Vachon
April 10 Los Angeles Kings 2–3 OT Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
No scoring First period 10:25 – Darryl Sittler (1)
Mike Murphy (2) – pp – 10:45 Second period No scoring
Mike Murphy (3) – pp – 04:05 Third period 08:45 – Dave Dunn (1)
No scoring First overtime period 10:19 – Blaine Stoughton (2)
Rogie Vachon Goalie stats Gord McRae
April 11 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–1 Los Angeles Kings The Forum Recap  
George Ferguson (1) – 04:55 First period No scoring
Inge Hammarstrom (1) – 14:34 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 13:09 – Don Kozak (1)
Gord McRae Goalie stats Rogie Vachon
Toronto won series 2–1


(2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Chicago Black Hawks

The Boston Bruins entered the preliminary round as the second seed (and fifth seed overall) earning 94 points during the regular season. The Chicago Black Hawks earned 82 points during the regular season and entered the preliminary round as the seventh seed (and eleventh seed overall). This was the fifth playoff series between these two teams, with Boston winning all four previous meetings. Thus was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Semifinals where Boston won in six games. The teams split this year's regular season series.


April 8 Chicago Blackhawks 2–8 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 08:38 – Johnny Bucyk (1)
15:03 – Carol Vadnais (1)
15:12 – Andre Savard (1)
No scoring Second period 10:39 – Phil Esposito (1)
16:01 – Gregg Sheppard (1)
16:50 – Gregg Sheppard (2)
Dick Redmond (1) – pp – 04:20
John Marks (1) – 19:59
Third period 01:29 – pp – Phil Esposito (2)
11:03 – Phil Esposito (3)
Tony Esposito, Michel Dumas Goalie stats Gilles Gilbert
April 10 Boston Bruins 3–4 OT Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 03:15 – Ivan Boldirev (1)
14:37 – ppStan Mikita (1)
Don Marcotte (1) – 04:35
Ken Hodge (1) – pp – 13:32
Second period 15:39 – Dale Tallon (1)
Bobby Orr (1) – sh – 01:31 Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 07:33 – Ivan Boldirev (2)
Gilles Gilbert Goalie stats Tony Esposito
April 11 Chicago Blackhawks 6–4 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Keith Magnuson (1) – 01:26
Cliff Koroll (1) – pp – 19:13
First period No scoring
J.P. Bordeleau (1) – 02:27
Cliff Koroll (2) – pp – 15:34
John Marks (2) – 18:24
Second period 07:16 – Bobby Schmautz (1)
09:32 – Hank Nowak (1)
18:58 – Gregg Sheppard (3)
J.P. Bordeleau (2) – 11:27 Third period 15:55 – Phil Esposito (4)
Tony Esposito Goalie stats Gilles Gilbert
Chicago won series 2–1


(3) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (6) St. Louis Blues

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the preliminary round as the third seed (and sixth seed overall) earning 89 points during the regular season. The St. Louis Blues earned 84 points during the regular season and entered the preliminary round as the sixth seed (and tenth seed overall). This was the second playoff series between these two teams, with St. Louis winning the only previous meeting in six games in the 1970 Stanley Cup Semifinals. The teams split this year's regular season series.


April 8 St. Louis Blues 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena Recap  
Claude Larose (1) – 12:21
Wayne Merrick (1) – pp – 17:19
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 19:45 – Bob Kelly (1)
Garry Unger (1) – 00:54 Third period 03:45 – Chuck Arnason (1)
09:57 – pp – Chuck Arnason (2)
17:29 – Pierre Larouche (1)
John Davidson Goalie stats Gary Inness
April 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena Recap  
Jean Pronovost (1) – 05:16
Ron Stackhouse (1) – pp – 17:56
First period 03:12 – ppRed Berenson (1)
09:57 – Bill Collins (1)
Syl Apps Jr. (1) – pp – 14:47 Second period 11:26 – Larry Sacharuk (1)
Colin Campbell (1) – sh – 04:33
Vic Hadfield (1) – 16:12
Third period No scoring
Gary Inness Goalie stats Ed Johnston
Pittsburgh won series 2–0


(4) New York Rangers vs. (5) New York Islanders

Both the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders entered the preliminary round with 88 points earned during the regular season. However, the Rangers entered as the fourth seed (and seventh seed overall) by winning the tie-breaker with the New York Islanders in wins (37 to 33) while the Islanders entered the preliminary round as the fifth seed (and eighth seed overall). This was the first playoff series between these two teams. The Rangers won this year's season series earning 7 of 12 points during the regular season.


April 8 New York Islanders 3–2 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 08:11 – Brad Park (1)
19:25 – Pete Stemkowski (1)
Billy Harris (1) – pp – 05:00
Jean Potvin (1) – 11:51
Clark Gillies (1) – 13:30
Third period No scoring
Chico Resch Goalie stats Ed Giacomin
April 10 New York Rangers 8–3 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
Jean Ratelle (1) – pp – 03:29
Bill Fairbairn (1) – pp – 06:10
Bill Fairbairn (2) – sh – 07:01
Ron Harris (1) – 10:56
First period 08:29 – ppJ.P. Parise (1)
Steve Vickers (1) – 02:20
Jerry Butler (1) – 09:58
Walt Tkaczuk (1) – 17:51
Second period 17:15 – Bert Marshall (1)
Rod Gilbert (1) – 02:37 Third period 05:34 – Jean Potvin (2)
Gilles Villemure Goalie stats Chico Resch, Billy Smith
April 11 New York Islanders 4–3 OT New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Clark Gillies (2) – 16:00 First period No scoring
Denis Potvin (1) – pp – 08:26
Denis Potvin (2) – sh – 12:51
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 04:44 – Bill Fairbairn (3)
13:27 – pp – Bill Fairbairn (4)
13:42 – Steve Vickers (2)
J.P. Parise (2) – 00:11 First overtime period No scoring
Billy Smith Goalie stats Gilles Villemure, Ed Giacomin
New York Islanders won series 2–1


Quarterfinals

(1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (8) Toronto Maple Leafs

The Philadelphia Flyers entered the playoffs as the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Patrick Division champions, the Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions, and the first seed overall earning 113 points during the regular season, winning the tie-breaker over both Buffalo and Montreal in total wins. The Toronto Maple Leafs were seeded eighth in the Quarterfinals as the lowest remaining seed in the playoffs and qualified for the Quarterfinals by defeating the Los Angeles Kings in the preliminary round. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Philadelphia won this year's season series earning 7 of 8 points during the regular season.


April 13 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–6 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
No scoring First period 05:50 – ppRick MacLeish (1)
10:21 – Rick MacLeish (2)
Tiger Williams (1) – pp – 11:40
Blaine Stoughton (3) – pp – 18:56
Darryl Sittler (2) – pp – 19:31
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 09:25 – Bill Barber (1)
11:46 – Reggie Leach (1)
12:02 – Jimmy Watson (1)
19:53 – Rick MacLeish (3)
Gord McRae Goalie stats Bernie Parent
April 15 Toronto Maple Leafs 0–3 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 03:35 – ppAndre Dupont (1)
04:36 – Terry Crisp (1)
No scoring Third period 05:12 – Terry Crisp (2)
Gord McRae Goalie stats Bernie Parent
April 17 Philadelphia Flyers 2–0 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Gary Dornhoefer (1) – 03:08 First period No scoring
Rick MacLeish (4) – 01:59 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Bernie Parent Goalie stats Gord McRae
April 19 Philadelphia Flyers 4–3 OT Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
Reggie Leach (2) – 03:38
Reggie Leach (3) – pp – 15:48
First period 02:47 – Blaine Stoughton (4)
11:17 – ppRon Ellis (2)
Bill Barber (2) – 08:22 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 13:23 – Ron Ellis (3)
Andre Dupont (2) – 01:45 First overtime period No scoring
Bernie Parent Goalie stats Gord McRae
Philadelphia won series 4–0


(2) Buffalo Sabres vs. (7) Chicago Black Hawks

The Buffalo Sabres entered the playoffs as the Adams Division champions, the Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions, and the second seed overall earning 113 points during the regular season, losing the most wins tie-breaker to Philadelphia while winning the same tie-breaker over Montreal. The Chicago Black Hawks were seeded seventh in the Quarterfinals as the second lowest remaining seed in the playoffs and qualified for the Quarterfinals by defeating the Boston Bruins in the preliminary round. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Buffalo won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.


April 13 Chicago Blackhawks 1–4 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
No scoring First period 02:11 – Danny Gare (1)
14:35 – Gilbert Perrault (1)
17:25 – Fred Stanfield (1)
Ivan Boldirev (3) – 14:22 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 18:30 – ppRichard Martin (1)
Tony Esposito Goalie stats Gerry Desjardins
April 15 Chicago Blackhawks 1–3 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
Stan Mikita (2) – 00:51 First period 01:35 – Danny Gare (2)
09:59 – Rick Dudley (1)
15:09 – pp – Rick Dudley (2)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Tony Esposito Goalie stats Gerry Desjardins
April 17 Buffalo Sabres 4–5 OT Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
Richard Martin (2) – pp – 05:00
Gilbert Perreault (2) – pp – 11:57
First period 01:26 – Grant Mulvey (1)
05:20 – ppIvan Boldirev (4)
14:43 – Dick Redmond (2)
Don Luce (1) – 08:37 Second period 15:38 – Cliff Koroll (3)
Jim Schoenfeld (1) – pp – 08:23 Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 02:31 – Stan Mikita (3)
Gerry Desjardins Goalie stats Tony Esposito
April 20 Buffalo Sabres 6–2 Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 14:17 – Grant Mulvey (2)
Peter McNab (1) – 00:30 Second period No scoring
Jim Lorentz (1) – 00:17
Richard Martin (3) – pp – 01:47
Rene Robert (1) – 05:42
Danny Gare (3) – 10:51
Gilbert Perreault (3) – pp – 14:59
Third period 08:35 – Phil Russell (1)
Gerry Desjardins Goalie stats Tony Esposito
April 22 Chicago Blackhawks 1–3 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
Pit Martin (1) – 18:51 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 18:48 – Craig Ramsay (1)
No scoring Third period 01:16 – Rene Robert (2)
15:54 – Jim Lorentz (2)
Tony Esposito Goalie stats Gerry Desjardins
Buffalo won series 4–1


(3) Montreal Canadiens vs. (6) Vancouver Canucks

The Montreal Canadiens entered the playoffs as the Norris Division champions, and the third seed overall earning 113 points during the regular season, losing the tie-breaker to both Philadelphia and Buffalo in total wins. The Vancouver Canucks entered the playoffs as the Smythe Division champions and the sixth seed in the quarterfinals as the third lowest remaining seed in the playoffs, earning 86 points during the regular season. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Montreal swept all four games in this year's regular season series. This series also marked the first appearance of a team representing Vancouver in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 51 years. The most recent team to represent Vancouver before this was the Vancouver Maroons who lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the 1924 Stanley Cup Semifinals.


April 13 Vancouver Canucks 2–6 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
Paulin Bordeleau (1) – 15:40
Gerry O'Flaherty (1) – 17:24
First period 09:02 – Guy Lapointe (1)
12:17 – pp – Guy Lapointe (2)
No scoring Second period 09:29 – Guy Lafleur (1)
13:34 – ppYvan Cournoyer (1)
No scoring Third period 11:04 – Guy Lafleur (2)
17:21 – Steve Shutt (1)
Ken Lockett Goalie stats Ken Dryden
April 15 Vancouver Canucks 2–1 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Gerry O'Flaherty (2) – 15:08 Second period 12:39 – Doug Risebrough (1)
Garry Monahan (1) – 13:46 Third period No scoring
Gary Smith Goalie stats Ken Dryden
April 17 Montreal Canadiens 4–1 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period 03:15 – John Gould (1)
Jimmy Roberts (1) – 03:56
Bob Gainey (1) – 15:06
Jacques Lemaire (1) – 19:28
Second period No scoring
Guy Lafleur (3) – pp – 06:34 Third period No scoring
Ken Dryden Goalie stats Gary Smith
April 19 Montreal Canadiens 4–0 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Guy Lafleur (4) – 04:06
Yvan Cournoyer (2) – 16:38
Second period No scoring
Peter Mahovlich (1) – 07:35
Serge Savard (1) – 14:17
Third period No scoring
Ken Dryden Goalie stats Gary Smith
April 22 Vancouver Canucks 4–5 OT Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
John Gould (2) – pp – 05:32 First period No scoring
Paulin Bordeleau (2) – pp – 05:45
Andre Boudrias (1) – 10:38
Second period 01:40 – Peter Mahovlich (2)
04:21 – Yvan Cournoyer (3)
Bob Dailey (1) – 05:36 Third period 08:09 – Peter Mahovlich (3)
10:54 – Guy Lapointe (3)
No scoring First overtime period 17:06 – Guy Lafleur (5)
Gary Smith Goalie stats Ken Dryden
Montreal won series 4–1


(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) New York Islanders

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the Quarterfinals as the fourth seed and they qualified for this round by defeating the St. Louis Blues in the preliminary round. The New York Islanders were seeded fifth in the Quarterfinals and qualified for this round by defeating the New York Rangers in the preliminary round. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. The teams split this year's regular season series. After trailing the series 3–0, the Islanders rallied to win four straight games and take the series. They became the second North American professional sports team (after the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs) to accomplish such a feat.


April 13 New York Islanders 4–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena Recap  
Andre St. Laurent (1) – 16:05 First period 02:05 – shVic Hadfield (2)
10:59 – Ron Stackhouse (2)
14:52 – Pete Laframboise (1)
Bob Bourne (1) – pp – 12:10 Second period No scoring
J.P. Parise (3) – pp – 06:52
J.P. Parise (4) – 17:47
Third period 00:36 – Bob Kelly (2)
04:44 – Dave Burrows (1)
Billy Smith Goalie stats Gary Inness
April 15 New York Islanders 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 00:24 – Jean Pronovost (2)
09:30 – Lowell MacDonald (1)
Clark Gillies (3) – 15:34 Third period 14:51 – Lowell MacDonald (2)
Billy Smith Goalie stats Gary Inness
April 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–4 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
Jean Pronovost (3) – 04:12
Bob Kelly (3) – 07:26
First period No scoring
Bob Kelly (4) – 03:25 Second period 07:26 – shEd Westfall (1)
Vic Hadfield (3) – 10:31
Syl Apps Jr. (2) – 18:15
Lowell MacDonald (3) – 19:48
Third period 01:17 – Jude Drouin (1)
17:41 – Bert Marshall (2)
19:08 – Jude Drouin (2)
Gary Inness Goalie stats Billy Smith
April 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period 03:48 – ppAndre St. Laurent (2)
Bob Kelly (5) – pp – 08:18 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 06:16 – Clark Gillies (4)
06:55 – J.P. Parise (5)
Gary Inness Goalie stats Chico Resch
April 22 New York Islanders 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena Recap  
Billy Harris (2) – pp – 02:11
Ralph Stewart (1) – 05:24
First period No scoring
Ed Westfall (2) – pp – 11:47 Second period 08:14 – Vic Hadfield (4)
Jude Drouin (3) – 19:30 Third period 17:06 – Lowell MacDonald (4)
Chico Resch Goalie stats Gary Inness
April 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Pierre Larouche (2) – 04:56 Second period 04:07 – Ralph Stewart (2)
15:16 – Garry Howatt (1)
No scoring Third period 19:34 – Ed Westfall (3)
19:59 – Garry Howatt (2)
Gary Inness Goalie stats Chico Resch
April 26 New York Islanders 1–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Ed Westfall (4) – 14:42 Third period No scoring
Chico Resch Goalie stats Gary Inness
New York won series 4–3


Semifinals

(1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (4) New York Islanders

This was the first playoff series between these two teams. The Flyers won this year's season series earning eight of twelve points during the regular season. After becoming the second North American professional sports team to win a best-of-seven series after trailing 3–0 in the previous round against the Penguins, the Islanders almost accomplished the same feat in this round. However, the Flyers firmly defeated them in game seven to preserve the series win. In doing so, the Islanders set a record for most consecutive playoff wins when facing elimination, 8. This would mark the last time an NHL team forced a seventh game of a best-of-seven series after trailing 3–0 until the Flyers themselves did so against Boston in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals.


April 29 New York Islanders 0–4 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
No scoring First period 06:04 – Don Saleski (1)
No scoring Second period 02:39 – Bill Barber (3)
18:19 – shBobby Clarke (1)
No scoring Third period 01:34 – ppRick MacLeish (5)
Chico Resch Goalie stats Wayne Stephenson
May 1 New York Islanders 4–5 OT Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
Denis Potvin (3) – pp – 05:34 First period 03:13 – Gary Dornhoefer (2)
07:38 – Reggie Leach (4)
09:50 – ppTom Bladon (1)
J.P. Parise (6) – pp – 12:22 Second period 00:58 – Bill Barber (4)
J.P. Parise (7) – 13:46
Denis Potvin (4) – 14:00
Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 02:56 – Bobby Clarke (2)
Billy Smith Goalie stats Wayne Stephenson
May 4 Philadelphia Flyers 1–0 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Reggie Leach (5) – 00:30 Third period No scoring
Bernie Parent Goalie stats Chico Resch
May 7 Philadelphia Flyers 3–4 OT New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period 04:58 – ppEd Westfall (5)
Ross Lonsberry (1) – 17:24
Rick MacLeish (6) – 19:21
Second period 05:29 – Gerry Hart (1)
12:49 – ppRalph Stewart (3)
Rick MacLeish (7) – 04:48 Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 01:53 – Jude Drouin (4)
Bernie Parent Goalie stats Chico Resch
May 8 New York Islanders 5–1 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
J.P. Parise (8) – pp – 14:19 First period No scoring
Billy Harris (3) – 14:23
Jude Drouin (5) – 17:35
Second period No scoring
Bobby Nystrom (1) – 10:51
Garry Howatt (3) – 18:23
Third period 15:10 – Bob Kelly (1)
Chico Resch Goalie stats Bernie Parent
May 11 Philadelphia Flyers 1–2 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
Ross Lonsberry (2) – 01:42 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 16:15 – ppDenis Potvin (5)
No scoring Third period 03:42 – Gerry Hart (2)
Bernie Parent Goalie stats Chico Resch
May 13 New York Islanders 1–4 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
Jude Drouin (6) – pp – 05:02 First period 00:19 – Gary Dornhoefer (3)
02:27 – ppRick MacLeish (8)
07:11 – pp – Rick MacLeish (9)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 18:52 – Rick MacLeish (10)
Chico Resch Goalie stats Bernie Parent
Philadelphia won series 4–3


(2) Buffalo Sabres vs. (3) Montreal Canadiens

This was the second playoff series between these two teams, with Montreal winning the only previous meeting in six games in the 1973 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. Buffalo won this year's season series earning nine of ten points during the regular season.


April 27 Montreal Canadiens 5–6 OT Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
Guy Lapointe (4) – pp – 00:32
Guy Lafleur (6) – 18:29
First period 05:12 – ppRichard Martin (4)
11:22 – Rene Robert (3)
18:07 – Rick Dudley (3)
Guy Lapointe (5) – sh – 06:44
Yvan Cournoyer (4) – pp – 10:57
Second period 18:15 – Gilbert Perreault (4)
Jacques Lemaire (2) – 19:36 Third period 04:20 – Jim Lorentz (3)
No scoring First overtime period 04:42 – Danny Gare (4)
Ken Dryden Goalie stats Gerry Desjardins, Roger Crozier
April 29 Montreal Canadiens 2–4 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
No scoring First period 17:20 – Don Luce (2)
Yvon Lambert (1) – pp – 11:22 Second period 09:53 – Jim Lorentz (4)
Henri Richard (1) – 09:00 Third period 01:27 – Craig Ramsay (2)
19:50 – Danny Gare (5)
Ken Dryden Goalie stats Roger Crozier
May 1 Buffalo Sabres 0–7 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
No scoring First period 01:38 – ppPeter Mahovlich (4)
18:56 – Guy Lafleur (7)
No scoring Second period 17:33 – Jacques Lemaire (3)
No scoring Third period 01:24 – Yvon Lambert (2)
08:51 – Doug Risebrough (2)
14:55 – pp – Guy Lafleur (8)
15:22 – Guy Lafleur (9)
Gerry Desjardins, Roger Crozier Goalie stats Ken Dryden
May 3 Buffalo Sabres 2–8 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
Don Luce (3) – sh – 06:42 First period 07:59 – Bob Gainey (2)
19:21 – ppJacques Lemaire (4)
No scoring Second period 12:51 – ppGuy Lafleur (10)
15:30 – Yvon Lambert (3)
Jerry Korab (1) – 10:28 Third period 03:08 – pp – Guy Lafleur (11)
06:34 – pp – Yvon Lambert (4)
08:48 – ppGuy Lapointe (6)
17:52 – Glen Sather (1)
Gerry Desjardins Goalie stats Ken Dryden
May 6 Montreal Canadiens 4–5 OT Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
Jacques Lemaire (5) – 02:51
Yvan Cournoyer (5) – 19:53
First period 02:18 – Craig Ramsay (3)
08:37 – Fred Stanfield (2)
17:03 – ppGilbert Perreault (5)
Doug Risebrough (3) – 08:40 Second period No scoring
Jimmy Roberts (2) – 03:10 Third period 14:35 – pp – Craig Ramsay (4)
No scoring First overtime period 05:56 – Rene Robert (4)
Ken Dryden Goalie stats Gerry Desjardins
May 8 Buffalo Sabres 4–3 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
Craig Ramsay (5) – sh – 02:05
Richard Martin (5) – 08:51
Peter McNab (2) – 12:48
First period 09:48 – Peter Mahovlich (5)
Jim Lorentz (5) – 09:33 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 08:05 – Guy Lafleur (12)
18:55 – Peter Mahovlich (6)
Gerry Desjardins Goalie stats Ken Dryden
Buffalo won series 4–2


Stanley Cup Finals

The defending Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers' appeared in their second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals and second overall. In the previous year's Stanley Cup Finals, the Flyers defeated the Boston Bruins in six games. This was the Buffalo Sabres' first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in their fifth season. This was the first playoff series (and only Finals) meeting between these two teams. The Philadelphia Flyers won this year's regular season series earning seven of eight points.

In the first Stanley Cup Finals matchup between two expansion teams, The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Buffalo Sabres four games to two for their second consecutive Stanley Cup.


May 15 Buffalo Sabres 1–4 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Richard Martin (6) – pp – 11:07 Third period 03:42 – Bill Barber (5)
07:29 – ppRoss Lonsberry (3)
11:41 – ppBobby Clarke (3)
19:02 – Bill Barber (6)
Gerry Desjardins Goalie stats Bernie Parent
May 18 Buffalo Sabres 1–2 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 08:24 – Reggie Leach (6)
Jerry Korab (2) – 02:18 Third period 06:43 – ppBobby Clarke (4)
Gerry Desjardins Goalie stats Bernie Parent
May 20 Philadelphia Flyers 4–5 OT Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
Gary Dornhoefer (4) – 00:39
Don Saleski (2) – 03:09
Rick MacLeish (11) – 14:13
First period 11:46 – Danny Gare (6)
12:03 – Richard Martin (7)
Reggie Leach (7) – 14:30 Second period 00:29 – Don Luce (4)
No scoring Third period 09:56 – Bill Hajt (1)
No scoring First overtime period 18:29 – Rene Robert (5)
Bernie Parent Goalie stats Gerry Desjardins, Roger Crozier
May 22 Philadelphia Flyers 2–4 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
Andre Dupont (3) – 11:28 First period No scoring
Ross Lonsberry (4) – 04:20 Second period 03:46 – ppJerry Korab (3)
10:07 – ppGilbert Perreault (6)
15:07 – Jim Lorentz (6)
No scoring Third period 19:28 – Danny Gare (7)
Bernie Parent Goalie stats Gerry Desjardins
May 25 Buffalo Sabres 1–5 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
No scoring First period 03:12 – Dave Schultz (1)
12:31 – Gary Dornhoefer (5)
12:50 – Bob Kelly (2)
No scoring Second period 01:55 – ppReggie Leach (8)
09:56 – Dave Schultz (2)
Don Luce (5) – 14:02 Third period No scoring
Gerry Desjardins Goalie stats Bernie Parent
May 27 Philadelphia Flyers 2–0 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Bob Kelly (3) – 00:11
Bill Clement (1) – 17:13
Third period No scoring
Bernie Parent Goalie stats Roger Crozier
Philadelphia won series 4–2


Awards

1975 NHL awards
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(Wales Conference regular season champion)
Buffalo Sabres
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:
(Campbell Conference regular season champion)
Philadelphia Flyers
Art Ross Trophy:
(Top scorer, regular season)
Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:
(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)
Don Luce, Buffalo Sabres
Calder Memorial Trophy:
(Top first-year player)
Eric Vail, Atlanta Flames
Conn Smythe Trophy:
(Most valuable player, playoffs)
Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers
Hart Memorial Trophy:
(Most valuable player, regular season)
Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers
Jack Adams Award:
(Best coach)
Bob Pulford, Los Angeles Kings
James Norris Memorial Trophy:
(Best defenceman)
Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:
(Excellence and sportsmanship)
Marcel Dionne, Detroit Red Wings
Lester B. Pearson Award:
(Outstanding player, regular season)
Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
Vezina Trophy:
(Goaltender(s) of team(s) with best goaltending record)
Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers
Lester Patrick Trophy:
(Service to hockey in the U.S.)
Donald M. Clark, William L. Chadwick, Thomas N. Ivan

All-Star teams

First Team   Position   Second Team
Bernie Parent, Philadelphia Flyers G Rogie Vachon, Los Angeles Kings
Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins D Guy Lapointe, Montreal Canadiens
Denis Potvin, New York Islanders D Borje Salming, Toronto Maple Leafs
Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers C Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens RW Rene Robert, Buffalo Sabres
Rick Martin, Buffalo Sabres LW Steve Vickers, New York Rangers

Source: NHL.

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Bobby Orr Boston Bruins 80 46 89 135 101
Phil Esposito Boston Bruins 79 61 66 127 62
Marcel Dionne Detroit Red Wings 80 47 74 121 14
Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadiens 70 53 66 119 37
Peter Mahovlich Montreal Canadiens 80 35 82 117 64
Bobby Clarke Philadelphia Flyers 80 27 89 116 125
Rene Robert Buffalo Sabres 74 40 60 100 75
Rod Gilbert New York Rangers 76 36 61 97 22
Gilbert Perreault Buffalo Sabres 68 39 57 96 36
Rick Martin Buffalo Sabres 68 52 43 95 72

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 68 4041 137 2.03 44 14 10 12
Rogatien Vachon L.A. Kings 54 3239 121 2.24 27 14 13 6
Gary Edwards L.A. Kings 27 1561 61 2.34 15 3 8 3
Chico Resch N.Y. Islanders 25 1432 59 2.47 12 7 5 3
Roger Crozier Buffalo Sabres 23 1260 55 2.62 17 2 1 3
Ken Dryden Montreal Canadiens 56 3320 149 2.69 30 9 16 4
Tony Esposito Chicago Black Hawks 71 4219 193 2.74 34 30 7 6
Billy Smith N.Y. Islanders 58 3368 156 2.78 21 18 17 3
Dan Bouchard Atlanta Flames 40 2400 111 2.78 20 15 5 3
Phil Myre Atlanta Flames 40 2400 114 2.85 14 16 10 5

Other statistics

  • Plus-minus: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
  • All Time NHL record for most Penalty Minutes in a season: 472, Dave Schultz, Philadelphia Flyers

Coaches

Patrick Division

Adams Division

Norris Division

Smythe Division

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1974–75 (listed with their first team):

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1974–75 (listed with their last team):

NOTE: Ullman would finish his major professional career in the World Hockey Association.

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-10-12 13:52 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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