1954–55 Montreal Canadiens season

1954–55 Montreal Canadiens
1954–55 record 41–18–11
Goals for 228
Goals against 157
Team information
General Manager Frank J. Selke
Coach Dick Irvin
Captain Butch Bouchard
Alternate captains Maurice Richard
Arena Montreal Forum
Team leaders
Goals Bernie Geoffrion and Maurice Richard (38)
Assists Bert Olmstead (48)
Points Bernie Geoffrion (75)
Penalties in minutes Maurice Richard (125)
Wins Jacques Plante (33)
Goals against average Jacques Plante (2.14)
<1953–54 1955–56>

The 1954–55 Montreal Canadiens season was the Canadiens' 46th season of play. The Canadiens finished in second place in the National Hockey League (NHL) with a record of 41 wins, 18 losses, and 11 ties for 93 points. In the playoffs, they defeated the Boston Bruins in five games in the semi-finals before falling to the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the Stanley Cup Finals.

This season was notable for the suspension of Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Montreal's star player, by NHL president Clarence Campbell after a vicious fight with Boston defenceman Hal Laycoe and Richard punching an on-ice official. The suspension sparked a riot by angry Canadiens fans on March 17, 1955, during a game against the Red Wings (see below).

Regular season

The Richard Riot

For more details on this topic, see Richard Riot.

On March 13, 1955, Canadiens star Maurice Richard was involved in a fighting incident in Boston. Boston's Hal Laycoe high-sticked Richard and cut him on the head, momentarily leaving Richard dazed and prone on the ice. Richard then got up off the ice and attacked Laycoe, breaking his stick on Laycoe. While linesman Cliff Thompson restrained Richard, Laycoe got up and punched Richard. Richard broke free and punched Thompson in the face. This was Richard's second incident with an official that season and a league disciplinary hearing was held. NHL president Clarence Campbell (who had previously been criticized publicly by Richard) then suspended Richard for the rest of the season and the playoffs; at the time, this was the longest suspension for an on-ice incident in NHL history. The Bruins' Laycoe received no fine or suspension for his actions. Public outrage from Montreal soon poured in, but Campbell stood firm, and moreover announced that he would be attending the Canadiens' next home game against the Red Wings on March 17.

Midway into the first period, Campbell arrived with his fiancée. Outraged Canadiens fans immediately began pelting them with eggs, vegetables, and various debris, with more being thrown at him each time the Red Wings scored, building up a 4–1 lead on Montreal. The continuous pelting of various objects stopped when a tear gas bomb was set off inside the Forum not far from where Campbell was sitting. The Forum was ordered evacuated and Campbell ruled the game forfeited to the Red Wings. That was the last straw, as a riot ensued outside the Forum, causing $500,000 in damage to the neighbourhood and the Forum itself. Hundreds of stores were looted and vandalized within a 15-block radius of the Forum. Twelve policemen and 25 civilians were injured. The riot continued well into the night, with police arresting people by the truckload. Local radio stations, which carried live coverage of the riot for over seven hours, had to be forced off the air. The riot was eventually over at 3 am, and left Montreal's Rue Ste-Catherine a mess.

Richard's suspension also cost him the Art Ross Trophy, the closest he ever came to winning it. When Richard's teammate Bernie Geoffrion passed him on the last day of the regular season, he was booed by Montreal faithful. Geoffrion, a right winger, was struggling to gain recognition of his considerable talents because the three leading right wingers of the 1950s were Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings, Andy Bathgate of the New York Rangers, and Richard, Geoffrion's own teammate.

The Canadiens lost the Cup Final to Detroit in seven games, but would win the Cup in the year after, fittingly over the Red Wings — and the next four years in a row after that. Richard retired in 1960 after the Canadiens' fifth straight Stanley Cup, a record that still stands.

Final standings

National Hockey League[1]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Detroit Red Wings 70 42 17 11 204 134 +70 95
2 Montreal Canadiens 70 41 18 11 228 157 +71 93
3 Toronto Maple Leafs 70 24 24 22 147 135 +12 70
4 Boston Bruins 70 23 26 21 169 188 −19 67
5 New York Rangers 70 17 35 18 150 210 −60 52
6 Chicago Black Hawks 70 13 40 17 161 235 −74 43

Schedule and results

Regular season results
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1WOctober 7, 19544–2 Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 1–0–0
2WOctober 9, 19544–1 Boston Bruins (1954–55) 2–0–0
3TOctober 11, 19542–2 @ Boston Bruins (1954–55) 2–0–1
4LOctober 13, 19542–3 Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 2–1–1
5WOctober 15, 19543–0 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 3–1–1
6WOctober 16, 19543–1 @ Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 4–1–1
7LOctober 21, 19541–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 4–2–1
8WOctober 23, 19547–1 New York Rangers (1954–55) 5–2–1
9LOctober 24, 19542–4 @ New York Rangers (1954–55) 5–3–1
10WOctober 27, 19543–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 6–3–1
11WOctober 30, 19545–1 Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 7–3–1
12WNovember 6, 19544–1 Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 8–3–1
13WNovember 7, 19544–3 @ Boston Bruins (1954–55) 9–3–1
14WNovember 11, 19547–4 Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 10–3–1
15WNovember 13, 19542–1 Boston Bruins (1954–55) 11–3–1
16LNovember 14, 19541–4 @ Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 11–4–1
17LNovember 17, 19542–5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 11–5–1
18WNovember 18, 19545–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 12–5–1
19WNovember 20, 19544–1 New York Rangers (1954–55) 13–5–1
20LNovember 21, 19540–2 @ Boston Bruins (1954–55) 13–6–1
21TNovember 23, 19544–4 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 13–6–2
22WNovember 25, 19543–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 14–6–2
23WNovember 27, 19544–1 Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 15–6–2
24LNovember 28, 19541–4 @ New York Rangers (1954–55) 15–7–2
25TNovember 30, 19543–3 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 15–7–3
26WDecember 2, 19544–1 @ Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 16–7–3
27TDecember 5, 19543–3 @ New York Rangers (1954–55) 16–7–4
28LDecember 8, 19541–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 16–8–4
29WDecember 9, 19542–0 Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 17–8–4
30LDecember 11, 19540–3 Boston Bruins (1954–55) 17–9–4
31TDecember 12, 19542–2 @ Boston Bruins (1954–55) 17–9–5
32WDecember 16, 19545–1 New York Rangers (1954–55) 18–9–5
33WDecember 18, 19544–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 19–9–5
34WDecember 19, 19545–0 @ Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 20–9–5
35WDecember 25, 19544–1 New York Rangers (1954–55) 21–9–5
36TDecember 29, 19541–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 21–9–6
37WDecember 30, 19547–4 Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 22–9–6
38WJanuary 1, 19554–1 Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 23–9–6
39LJanuary 2, 19552–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 23–10–6
40WJanuary 6, 19556–0 Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 24–10–6
41TJanuary 8, 19551–1 Boston Bruins (1954–55) 24–10–7
42WJanuary 9, 19557–1 @ New York Rangers (1954–55) 25–10–7
43LJanuary 15, 19553–4 Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 25–11–7
44LJanuary 16, 19550–6 @ Boston Bruins (1954–55) 25–12–7
45WJanuary 20, 19556–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 26–12–7
46WJanuary 22, 19555–3 Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 27–12–7
47WJanuary 23, 19555–3 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 28–12–7
48TJanuary 26, 19551–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 28–12–8
49WJanuary 29, 19554–0 Boston Bruins (1954–55) 29–12–8
50LJanuary 30, 19551–7 @ Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 29–13–8
51WFebruary 3, 19553–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 30–13–8
52WFebruary 5, 19553–1 New York Rangers (1954–55) 31–13–8
53WFebruary 6, 19557–3 @ New York Rangers (1954–55) 32–13–8
54LFebruary 9, 19551–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 32–14–8
55LFebruary 13, 19551–4 @ New York Rangers (1954–55) 32–15–8
56WFebruary 17, 19554–2 Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 33–15–8
57WFebruary 19, 195510–2 New York Rangers (1954–55) 34–15–8
58TFebruary 24, 19551–1 Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 34–15–9
59WFebruary 26, 19554–1 Boston Bruins (1954–55) 35–15–9
60WFebruary 27, 19557–1 @ New York Rangers (1954–55) 36–15–9
61WMarch 2, 19553–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 37–15–9
62WMarch 3, 19554–1 @ Boston Bruins (1954–55) 38–15–9
63TMarch 5, 19554–4 Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 38–15–10
64WMarch 6, 19554–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1954–55) 39–15–10
65TMarch 10, 19550–0 Toronto Maple Leafs (1954–55) 39–15–11
66WMarch 12, 19552–1 Boston Bruins (1954–55) 40–15–11
67LMarch 13, 19552–4 @ Boston Bruins (1954–55) 40–16–11
68‡LMarch 17, 19551–4 Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 40–17–11
69WMarch 19, 19554–2 New York Rangers (1954–55) 41–17–11
70LMarch 20, 19550–6 @ Detroit Red Wings (1954–55) 41–18–11

[2]

‡ Forfeited to Detroit after one period. Goals and assists for the game still counted as official.

Playoffs

Montreal defeated the Boston Bruins 4–1 to reach the finals.

Stanley Cup Final

For more details on this topic, see 1955 Stanley Cup Finals.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens

Date Away Score Home Score Notes
April 3 Montreal 2 Detroit 4
April 5 Montreal 1 Detroit 7
April 7 Detroit 2 Montreal 6
April 9 Detroit 3 Montreal 5
April 10 Montreal 1 Detroit 5
April 12 Detroit 3 Montreal 6
April 14 Montreal 1 Detroit 3

Detroit wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3.

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM
Geoffrion, BernieBernie Geoffrion RW 70 38 37 75 57
Richard, MauriceMaurice Richard RW 67 38 36 74 125
Beliveau, JeanJean Beliveau C 70 37 36 73 58
Olmstead, BertBert Olmstead LW 70 10 48 58 103
Mosdell, KenKen Mosdell C 70 22 32 54 82
Harvey, DougDoug Harvey D 70 6 43 49 58
Moore, DickieDickie Moore LW 67 16 20 36 32
MacKay, CalumCalum MacKay LW 50 14 21 35 39
Leclair, JackieJackie Leclair C 59 11 22 33 12
Johnson, TomTom Johnson D 70 6 19 25 74
Curry, FloydFloyd Curry RW 68 11 10 21 36
St. Laurent, DollardDollard St. Laurent D 58 3 14 17 24
Bouchard, EmileEmile Bouchard D 70 2 15 17 81
Litzenberger, EdEd Litzenberger C/RW 29 7 4 11 12
MacPherson, BudBud MacPherson D 30 1 8 9 55
Marshall, DonDon Marshall LW 39 5 3 8 9
Mazur, EddieEddie Mazur D/LW 25 1 5 6 21
Meger, PaulPaul Meger LW 13 0 4 4 6
Masnick, PaulPaul Masnick C 19 0 1 1 0
Rousseau, GuyGuy Rousseau LW 2 0 1 1 0
Talbot, Jean-GuyJean-Guy Talbot D 3 0 1 1 0
Bartlett, JimJim Bartlett LW 2 0 0 0 4
Binette, AndreAndre Binette G 1 0 0 0 0
Blaine, GarryGarry Blaine RW 1 0 0 0 0
Evans, ClaudeClaude Evans G 4 0 0 0 0
Hodge, CharlieCharlie Hodge G 14 0 0 0 0
Lamirande, Jean-PaulJean-Paul Lamirande LW/D 1 0 0 0 0
Plante, JacquesJacques Plante G 52 0 0 0 2
Ronty, PaulPaul Ronty C 4 0 0 0 2
Tessier, OrvalOrval Tessier C 4 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Plante, JacquesJacques Plante 3080 52 33 12 7 110 2.14 5
Hodge, CharlieCharlie Hodge 820 14 6 4 4 31 2.27 1
Binette, AndreAndre Binette 60 1 1 0 0 4 4.00 0
Evans, ClaudeClaude Evans 200 4 1 2 0 12 3.60 0
Team: 4160 70 41 18 11 157 2.26 6

Playoffs

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM
Geoffrion, BernieBernie Geoffrion RW 12 8 5 13 8
Beliveau, JeanJean Beliveau C 12 6 7 13 18
Curry, FloydFloyd Curry RW 12 8 4 12 4
MacKay, CalumCalum MacKay LW 12 3 8 11 8
Mosdell, KenKen Mosdell C 12 2 7 9 8
Harvey, DougDoug Harvey D 12 0 8 8 6
Moore, DickieDickie Moore LW 12 1 5 6 22
Leclair, JackieJackie Leclair C 12 5 0 5 2
St. Laurent, DollardDollard St. Laurent D 12 0 5 5 12
Olmstead, BertBert Olmstead LW 12 0 4 4 21
Johnson, TomTom Johnson D 12 2 0 2 22
Marshall, DonDon Marshall LW 12 1 1 2 2
Bouchard, EmileEmile Bouchard D 12 0 1 1 37
Bartlett, JimJim Bartlett LW 2 0 0 0 0
Gamble, DickDick Gamble LW 2 0 0 0 2
Hodge, CharlieCharlie Hodge G 4 0 0 0 0
McAvoy, GeorgeGeorge McAvoy D 4 0 0 0 0
Plante, JacquesJacques Plante G 12 0 0 0 0
Ronty, PaulPaul Ronty C 5 0 0 0 2
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO
Plante, JacquesJacques Plante 639 12 6 3 30 2.82 0
Hodge, CharlieCharlie Hodge 84 4 1 2 6 4.29 0
Team: 723 12 7 5 36 2.99 0

[3]

Note:

Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

Roster

1954-55 Montreal Canadiens roster

Forwards

4 – Beliveau • 5 – Geoffrion • 6 – Curry • 8 – Leclair • 9 – Richard • 11 – MacKay • 12 – Moore • 14 – Ronty • 15 – Olmstead • 17 – Litzenberger • 17 – Blaine • 18 – Mosdell • 20 – Meger • 20 – Bartlett • 22 – Tessier • 22 – Marshall • 23 – Mazur • 23 – Lamirande • 24 – Rousseau 

Defenseman

2 – Harvey • 3 – Bouchard • 10 – Johnson • 19 – St. Laurent • 21 – MacPherson • 23 – Talbot 

Goalies

1 – Binette • 1 – Plante • 29 – Hodge • 30 – Evans 

General Manager: Frank J. Selke •  Coach: Dick Irvin

[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "1954–1955 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  2. ↑ "1954–55 Montreal Canadiens Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
  3. ↑ "1954-55 Montreal Canadiens Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  4. ↑ Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-03.
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