Montreal Canadiens win Stanley Cup
The 1965 Stanley Cup Finals was played between the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens won the best-of-seven series four games to three to win the Stanley Cup.
Montreal defeated the defending champion Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 to advance to the finals and Chicago defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4–3.
Like the 1955 finals, every game was won by the home team. This was the last final until 2003 that this happened. Gump Worsley made his first Finals appearance after 12 years in the league and recorded two shutouts, including the one in game seven. Jean Beliveau was awarded the inaugural Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, scoring eight goals and eight assists in thirteen games.
First place Detroit was challenged by the Chicago Black Hawks in one semi-final series, while the two Canadian teams, Montreal and Toronto, battled in the other. It took seven games, but the Black Hawks eliminated the Red Wings, and the Habs pushed the Leafs aside four games to two, ending Toronto's three-year Cup run. Montreal's Gump Worsley played in his first Stanley Cup final after 12 seasons in the NHL. The Canadiens won the series against Chicago four games to three, but three of those four victories came by shutout. Charlie Hodge recorded one shutout, while the veteran Worsley played four games, recording two shutouts, most notably shutting out Chicago in game seven to lift Montreal to the Stanley Cup title. Captain Jean Beliveau won the first-ever Conn Smythe Trophy for Most Valuable Player in the playoffs, scoring 16 points in 13 games.
In the semifinals, for the second year in a row, the Canadiens face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the defending champions and winners of three straight Stanley Cups.
The Habs start the playoffs by delighting their fans with two wins at the Forum. With the series in Toronto for the next two games, the Canadiens see their opponents tie the series as they drop the next two, 3-2 in overtime and 4-2.
Back in Montreal, Toe Blake’s squad puts the Maple Leafs in a hole with a 3-1 win in Game 5. During the sixth game at Maple Leaf Gardens, Provost, the team’s leading scorer, sends Toronto packing when he finds the back of the net 16:33 into overtime, propelling the Habs a 4-3 victory.
The Canadiens are back in the Finals for the first time in five seasons and face the Chicago Blackhawks, who upset Detroit in seven games in the other semifinal. During the regular season, the Habs maintained a 6-5-3 record against Chicago, including their worst defeat of the season, a 7-0 loss.
The showdown with the Blackhawks starts the same as the series against the Maple Leafs, with the Canadiens winning the first two games at the Forum before losing the next two at Chicago Stadium.
Back in Montreal, the Habs take a 3-2 series lead with a decisive 6-0 win. Chicago forces a seventh and deciding game with a 2-1 win in overtime in front of its fans.
The home team’s dominance continues in Game 7 as the Canadiens register their third shutout of the series in a 4-0 win to claim the Stanley Cup for the 13th time in team history.
Jean Beliveau records eight goals and 16 points in eight games, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is awarded for the first time to the most valuable player of the playoffs.
