4 4 4 4 2 1 Start date May 13, 1979 | 4 4 4 2 Champion Montreal Canadiens MVP Bob Gainey | |
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Location(s) Montreal, QC (Montreal Forum) (1,2,5)
New York, NY (Madison Square Garden) (3,4) Announcers Dan Kelly, Dick Irvin, Jr., Gary Dornhoefer Similar 1959 Stanley Cup Finals, 1969 Stanley Cup Finals, 1960 Stanley Cup Finals, 1973 Stanley Cup Finals, 1931 Stanley Cup Finals | ||
The 1979 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the New York Rangers and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens, making their fourth straight appearance. It was New York's first appearance since 1972. The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to one, to win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup.
Contents
- Paths to the Final
- The series
- Stanley Cup engraving
- Members of Montreal Canadiens 1976 to 1979 dynasty
- Broadcasting
- References
This was the last Stanley Cup Final until 2013 where both teams were from the Original Six, and the first of six consecutive Finals involving a team from the New York metropolitan area. The next five Finals would be contested by the Rangers' crosstown rivals the New York Islanders, who would win the first four of those series to forge a dynasty matching that of the Canadiens. By defeating the Rangers, the Canadiens completed the rare accomplishment of winning four consecutive titles in a North American league competition consisting of at least sixteen teams, a feat that had been achieved only twice before (both times by the New York Yankees) and has been achieved only once since (by the aforementioned Islanders).
Paths to the Final
Montreal defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–0 and the Boston Bruins 4–3 (highlighted by the "too many men on the ice" game 7 overtime win) to advance to the finals.
New York defeated the Los Angeles Kings 2–0, the Philadelphia Flyers 4–1 and the New York Islanders 4–2 to make it to the finals.
The series
The Canadiens won the Cup in five games, winning it on home ice for the first time since 1968. After the game Jacques Lemaire, Yvan Cournoyer and Ken Dryden retired, while head coach Scotty Bowman would leave the Canadiens to join the Buffalo Sabres, which would mark the end of the Canadiens' dynasty.
This Final marked the second time in four years that Bowman and Fred Shero coached against each other. In 1976, they coached against each other, though Shero was with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Montreal wins the series 4–1.
Stanley Cup engraving
Members of Montreal Canadiens 1976 to 1979 dynasty
Rick Chartraw, Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Bob Gainey, Doug Jarvis, Guy Lafleur, Yvon Lambert, Guy Lapointe, Michel Larocque, Jacques Lemaire, Doug Risebrough, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Steve Shutt, Mario Tremblay,(15 Players), Jacques Courtois, Sam Pollock, Jean Beliveau, Scotty Bowman, Claude Ruel, Eddie Palchak, Pierre Meilleur, Ron Caron, Floyd Curry (9 Non-Players)
Broadcasting
The Stanley Cup Finals were produced by CBC, who carried the game in Canada, and were shown in the United States on the NHL's syndicated package. Dan Kelly provided play-by-play, while Dick Irvin, Jr. and Gary Dornhoefer served as color commentators, Dave Hodge as host, and Howie Meeker as studio analyst. ABC was contracted to televise Game 7. Since the Finals ended in five games, the contract was void.