May 16, 1976: Montreal Produces Hockey's Triumph of Skill Over Violence

Left to right: Serge Savard (18), Larry Robinson (19),

Yvan Cournoyer (12), Guy Lapointe (5), Jacques Lemaire (25).

This looks more like the Boston Garden than The Spectrum,

So it could be the 1977 or the 1978 clincher, instead of 1976.

May 16, 1976, 50 years ago: The Montreal Canadiens beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-3 at The Spectrum, and clinch a 4-game sweep for the Stanley Cup, defeating the 2-time defending Champions. The slogan "Hat Trick in '76" did not come true for the "Broad Street Bullies."

Coached by Scotty Bowman, the Canadiens had gone 12-1 during the Playoffs. That remains the best postseason record since the 1967 expansion. (The 1960 Canadiens and the 1952 Detroit Red Wings went 8-0 -- in the Wings' case, the 8 wins needed inspiring the creation of the throwing of the 8-legged octopus onto the ice.)

The Canadiens had 9 Hall-of-Famers on their roster: Goaltender Ken Dryden; defensemen Guy Lapointe, Serge Savard and Larry Robinson; center Jacques Lemaire; left wings Steve Shutt and Bob Gainey; and right wings Yvan Cournoyer (their Captain) and the man who would go on to become the franchise's all-time leading scorer, Guy Lafleur. Arguably, they should be joined by centers Doug Risebrough and Doug Jarvis (who would eventually hold the NHL's record for consecutive games played, since broken). 

They would make this the 1st of 4 straight Stanley Cups for Les Habitantes, and help the NHL move away from the era epitomized by the Flyers and Boston's "Big Bad Bruins" into one of style and flair, later exemplified in the 1980s by the Edmonton Oilers. In between those 2 dynasties, the New York Islanders would combine the formats.

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May 16, 1976 was a Sunday. The World Hockey Association Playoffs were a little behind the NHL. The Houston Aeros, 2-time defending WHA Champions, beat the New England Whalers, 2-0 at The Summit in Houston, to reach the Finals for the 3rd straight season. But they were swept in 4 straight by the Winnipeg Jets. (The Summit is now the Central Campus of televangelist Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church.)