Bizarre final day of season led to no Canadian teams in 1970 playoffs
It’s remembered as the wildest day in NHL history and as a matter of fact, Mickey Redmond was remembering it just the other day.
“It’s funny,” Redmond recalled. “Given the situation that we’re in here in Detroit right now, having been in the playoffs 24 straight years, I don’t remember how many straight years it had been in Montreal.”
Actually it was 21 successive years in the playoffs for the Habs as the 1969-70 campaign got underway, not to mention two straight Stanley Cup wins and four over the previous five seasons for the Canadiens.
“I got thinking about that the other day, how disappointing that had to be for the fans, and the players, for sure. You always want to be in the playoffs,” Redmond said. “But to lose out that way, wow.” Yeah, that way. What a way to lose, a way that was so weird, the NHL immediately acted to ensure it could never happen again.
Imagine trying to make the Stanley Cup playoffs without a goaltender.
Actually, you don’t have to imagine it.
On the last day of the 196970 NHL season, the Canadiens thought they’d give it a try.
First, the scenario. Detroit, Montreal and the New York Rangers went into the final weekend of the regular season battling for third and fourth place, the final two playoff spots in the East Division.
Beating the Rangers 6-2 on April 4, 1970, the Wings clinched third spot, and celebrated well into the wee hours thanks to Champagne supplied by team owner Bruce Norris. Meanwhile, the Canadiens fell 4-1 at the Forum to the Blackhawks, leaving a two-team showdown for fourth place on the final day of the regular season between Montreal and New York.
That afternoon, the Rangers played host to a tired Wings team that also saw coach Sid Abel rest several of his stars, allowing the Rangers to unleash a 65-shot barrage on Roger Crozier during a 9-5 triumph.
Now here’s where it gets interesting.
The first tiebreaker for a playoff spot was most wins, the second fewest losses. If Montreal lost at Chicago later that night, both the Rangers and Canadiens would finish with identical 38-22-16 records.
The third tiebreaker? Well, that was goals for and this is what led to the fiasco that was about to unfold.
After routing Detroit, the Rangers led the Canadiens 246-242 in that department, leaving Montreal three options if the post-season was to be in its future — win, tie, or score at least five goals.
Contemplating simply pursuing the latter, Canadiens coach Claude Ruel considered starting the game with six attackers, a game plan his veteran leaders like Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard advised him would be foolhardy.
After two periods, Chicago led 3-2 but when the Blackhawks improved their advantage to 5-2, Ruel pulled goalie Rogie Vachon for the final 9:20, only to see Chicago pour in five empty-net tallies for a 10-2 win.
With Toronto already long out of the picture, Montreal’s elimination marked the first time there would be no Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A Wings employee for decades, as a player and TV analyst, Redmond nonetheless harbours bitterness over Detroit’s performance on that fateful day.
“It was because they dressed only half a lineup,” Redmond said. They sat (Frank) Mahovlich, they sat (Gordie) Howe, they sat (Alex) Delvecchio and a whole host of others and basically allowed the Rangers to run up the score.
“Was there collaboration? I don’t think so. But I’m sure with the success that we’d had in Montreal and that the Canadiens had long before me, nobody was crying too many tears for Montreal not being in the playoffs.”
All of Canada’s teams will be watching the Stanley Cup playoffs on television again this spring.
Only this time, no one can blame it on the Red Wings.