On This Date in Sports May 5, 1966: Henri in Overtime
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Montreal Canadiens dynasty continues as they win their 14th Stanley Cup. It is the second straight for the Canadiens and the seventh in 11 years. The Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings in six games, with a 3-2 overtime win at the Olympia on a goal by Henri Richard. Despite the loss, Detroit goalie Roger Crozier wins the Conn Smythe as the Playoff MVP. It was the first time since 1954. An overtime goal won the Stanley Cup.
For much of the NHL's first 40 years, it was the Toronto Maple Leafs who had the most sips from the Stanley Cup. However, the Montreal Canadiens took over the mantle in the 1950s as they had a record five-year championship reign. The Maple Leafs tied the tally with three straight Stanley Cups from 1962-1964. The Canadiens took a 13-12 lead, beating the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1965 Stanley Cup FInals.
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Coached by Toe Blake, the Montreal Canadiens won the regular season with a record of 41-21-8. Bobby Rousseau won a share of the scoring title with Stan Mikita of the Black Hawks at 78 points. The Canadiens pair of Gump Worsley and Charlie Hodge won the Vezina as top goaltenders, while Jacques Laperriere won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL.
In the playoffs, the Canadiens dominated the Toronto Maple Leafs winning four straight, while the Detroit Red Wings shocked the Chicago Black Hawks in six games to move on to the Stanley Cup Final. It was the first Stanley Cup Final to air on national television in the United State and to air in color on NBC. Detroit remained hot in the Stanley Cup Final,, winning the opener in Montreal 3-2. The Red Wings also took Game 2 at the Forum 5-2, with five different goal scorers,, none of whom were Gordie Howe.
In Game 3, at Olympia Stadium, the Red Wings jumped out to a Norman Ullman goal. However, Montreal scored twice late in the first period as Jean Beliveau scored with 48 seconds left. Giles Tremblay scored twice in the third period, as the Canadiens won 4-1. Game 4 was tight throughout as Ullman gave Detroit a 1-0 lead midway through the second period. Beliveau tied the game with nine seconds left in the second, while Montreal was on the power play. Ralph Backstrom netted a goal in the third period as the Canadiens won 2-1 to even the series.
Game 5 was all Montreal, as they became the first home team to win a game in the series, winning 5-1, with five different goal scorers. The Canadiens jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Game 6, on goals by Jean Beliveau and Leon Rochefort. Detroit rallied as Norman Ullman scored in the second period and Floyd Smith scored in the third to force overtime. The Canadiens would win the game 2:20 into sudden death as Henri Richard scored his first goal of the postseason.