1960s/1970s fans: question

[tinyzombies]

Did you see the late 60’s and late 70’s dynasties coming or was it a surprise?

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[Scintillating10]

Did you see the late 60’s and late 70’s dynasties coming or was it a surprise?

From 1955 to 1979 Habs won 15 Cups, don't see the late 60s and 70s dynasty a surprise. They had great front offices, first with Frank Selke Sr, then Pollock.

 

[Shabs]

You could see it coming. Lafleur and Robinson were both drafted in 1970 first round.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

It was expected, I just thought watching the Habs skating around with the Cup was the way the NHL season ended

Very spoiled

 

[dinodebino]

Did you see the late 60’s and late 70’s dynasties coming or was it a surprise?

Early 70's was somewhat of a surprise, as Boston was pegged to be the next dynasty. And while the mid-70's was not unexpected, the context of the game (i.e. Philly model) was not condusive to a new dynastic run by the Habs. It took some heavy fights from some of our talented players (Savard and Robinson) to let the Philly and Bruins crews that Montreal could dance with them PLUS play the extreme finesse, puck possession games.

 

[peate]

After the 5 in a row, things got quiet. Leafs had their little run, stole our cup for Expo 67, otherwise that's another 5 in a row. Then Boston got better, but we still managed 4 cups that decade. 71 was a fluke called Dryden and then after Lafleur took off his helmet, he soared as did the team, winning 5 of the next 7 cups. You could see it coming the year after we swept the Flyers when we lost only 8 games . Won't see that happening any time soon.

 

[Lshap]

It was expected, I just thought watching the Habs skating around with the Cup was the way the NHL season ended

Very spoiled

Same here. First memories were watching the Habs beat St Louis in the SCF with guys like Beliveau, Savard, Worsely (who looked like a 45-year old). Then the team transitioned smoothly to Dryden, Mahovlich, and Cournoyer, but the story remained the same. More Cups. It was actually cool to see the weird interregnum of the orange Flyers banging and hitting their way to two Cups before the story reset and the Habs won a few more with Robinson, Gainey and Lafleur.

I remember taking the Metro to the Forum and paying something like $8 for standing-room tickets to see the late-70s team.

A surprise they won? No. It was a surprise when they stopped winning. Spoiled, I was.

 

[Lshap]

Why do I feel this thread is a sneaky way to out the old guys on this board...

 

[Laurentide]

I came of age watching the Habs of the 70's. I'm a little too young to have a rational recollection of 71. 73 wasn't expected but the Habs winning the Cup was never a complete shock or surprise back then. The late 70's dynasty I took in stride. I enjoyed winning every year but there was nothing unexpected about it and save for the 79 semi-final against Boston, no real fear of losing. Not winning it all in 1980 was a bigger shock than any win. I was crushed when Minnesota eliminated us on that late goal (on a bad Habs' line change which gave the North Stars an odd-man rush, if I recall correctly) After that, getting bounced in the first round became kind of routine so in 84 when they beat the Bruins and then the Nordiques I was pretty giddy (I was at the Forum for the Good Friday game - easily the best night of hockey I ever experienced live) After we beat the Islanders in the first two games of the semis I thought for sure we had our ticket punched for the finals (although I did not expect that we would beat the Oilers) But then Steve Penny's mojo ran out and the Isles won the next four.

The 86 Cup was my favourite and most enjoyable simply because it was so unexpected. But nothing the Habs did in the 70's was a surprise. They were an elite team and for the most part they played like it.

 

[Lshap]

I came of age watching the Habs of the 70's. I'm a little too young to have a rational recollection of 71. 73 wasn't expected but the Habs winning the Cup was never a complete shock or surprise back then. The late 70's dynasty I took in stride. I enjoyed winning every year but there was nothing unexpected about it and save for the 79 semi-final against Boston, no real fear of losing. Not winning it all in 1980 was a bigger shock than any win. I was crushed when Minnesota eliminated us on that late goal (on a bad Habs' line change which gave the North Stars an odd-man rush, if I recall correctly) After that, getting bounced in the first round became kind of routine so in 84 when they beat the Bruins and then the Nordiques I was pretty giddy (I was at the Forum for the Good Friday game - easily the best night of hockey I ever experienced live) After we beat the Islanders in the first two games of the semis I thought for sure we had our ticket punched for the finals (although I did not expect that we would beat the Oilers) But then Steve Penny's mojo ran out and the Isles won the next four.

The 86 Cup was my favourite and most enjoyable simply because it was so unexpected. But nothing the Habs did in the 70's was a surprise. They were an elite team and for the most part they played like it.

Yeah, that first year of Patrick freakin Roy was amazing. This skinny, scrawny, pale kid who looked like a high-school nerd, a playoff beast? Unreal.

 

[Whalers Fan]

The first Cup I remember watching was the '71 win. The win wasn't a shock, but somewhat of an upset, as Boston was the defending champ and was loaded with Orr, Esposito and company. Rookie Ken Dryden ended up being the X-factor in that post season. Also, the Habs always had the Bruins number in the postseason.

By the four Cup run, though, the Cups were expected and certainly not a surprise. The team was loaded with talent throughout the roster, and Bowman was showing why he would become a legendary coach. Once they vanquished the big, bad Flyers the Canadiens were unchallenged for a few years.

I always wondered if they could have won an additional Cup had Dryden not sat out the '73 - '74 season in that contract dispute. The team gave up 56 more goals than in the previous Cup-winning season and were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.

 

[S Bah]

The 70's Habs started with the upset of the mighty Bruins with Orr, Esposito, Sanderson, Bucyk, McKenzie etc., with a very young squad led by Beliveau, H. Richard,F. Mahovlich, the following draft added Lafleur & Robinson, soon followed by WHA returnee's and Mark Napier along with Pierre Larouche (50 goal man in a trade.) The Habs just seemed unstoppable, always one step ahead with Sammy Pollock & Scotty Bowman at the helm. IMHO!!!...

 

[bryan1966]

In the 70's as a youngster, woke up every morning and asked my dad "how much did the Canadiens win" never asked if they won because was very rare for them to lose. So was no surprise they were a powerhouse and so much fun to watch. Team filled with skill and speed!

 

[Runner77]

Why do I feel this thread is a sneaky way to out the old guys on this board...

Next thing you know, hockey pants ("Cooperalls") that crept into the game in the early 80s, are going to come up:

And then, someone will try and top that, by referencing the surreal alternate jersey that the St-Louis Blues had come up with in 1996, but which was never worn as one Mike Keenan shot it down. Another victim of Keenan's decision was the proposed mascot, "Cool Cat", shown here with the alternate jersey:

And as we move through the decades, this whole thing is going to degenerate into cleavage and puck bunnies, as these "good ole days" type-threads always spiral into somehow.

 

[Chili]

The only year I expected them to win was 1977, they were so dominant that season.

There were usually very tough opponents to get by...Bruins, Hawks, Flyers, etc.

In 1979, the Bruins had them beat. Only Lafleur`s determination saved the Habs in that incredible game seven where the Bruins kept taking the lead.

The difference between winning and losing a series can be razor thin (like the Pens win over the Sens last season).

All it takes is a hot goaltender to knock out a better team sometimes (a la Halak).