Book Feature Hockey's Wildest Season: The Changing of the Guard in the NHL, 1969-1970 (by John G. Robertson)

Theokritos

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I think the team was criticized by its fans for allowing Gump Worsley to get away. He wasn't getting much work--and he didn't like coach Claude Ruel--so he basically quit around New Year's Day 1970. He was coaxed out of retirement by the Minnesota North Stars and played well for them. I think there were a lot of people in Montreal who think that if Worsley had played more often in goal for Montreal than Phil Myre, Montreal might have made the playoffs.

Thanks.

You have to remember in 1969-70 that Montreal finished with 92 points in a 76-game season and somehow missed the playoffs. At the time, that was easily the highest point total ever accrued by a team that missed the playoffs--so there wasn't anything glaringly wrong with Montreal that year. (Boston and Chicago tied for the Division lead with 99 points, so Montreal was only seven points out of first place!)
Yes.....they were, no doubt, one of the best teams ever to miss the playoffs.

Fair points. However, Canadiens coach Claude Ruel stepped down early in the 1970-71 season because he didn't see eye-to-eye with some of the players. I'm wondering if the frictions already appeared in 1969-70 and had an impact on the team.
 

Theokritos

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Going by the point totals, St. Louis Blues were the only team in the West Divison that would not have ranked last in the East Division. But the scheduled wasn't even balanced, although I don't know how the mode exactly was. 8 games against each team from the own division, 6 games against each team from the other division? That would indeed add up to 76 GP. Anyway, St. Louis would benefit a little from the unbalanced schedule since they had more games against their weaker peers in the West Division.

69-70.jpg


@John Robertson: It's obvious that there was still a gap between the "Original Six" and the "Expansion Six". What was it that St. Louis way doing right? I know they had Scotty Bowman, which obviously didn't hurt.
 

Habsfan18

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Looks like amazon.ca still hasn’t received any copies, but I’ll let you guys know when my copy ships out and I receive it. Status is still listed as “temporarily out of stock”.

edit: The book is now listed as “currently unavailable.” I may have to contact amazon.ca to confirm that they will even be receiving copies.
 
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John Robertson

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Going by the point totals, St. Louis Blues were the only team in the West Divison that would not have ranked last in the East Division. But the scheduled wasn't even balanced, although I don't know how the mode exactly was. 8 games against each team from the own division, 6 games against each team from the other division? That would indeed add up to 76 GP. Anyway, St. Louis would benefit a little from the unbalanced schedule since they had more games against their weaker peers in the West Division.

View attachment 408163

@John Robertson: It's obvious that there was still a gap between the "Original Six" and the "Expansion Six". What was it that St. Louis way doing right? I know they had Scotty Bowman, which obviously didn't hurt.
The schedule for 1969-70 had each team playing eight games against their five divisional rivals and six games against the six teams from other divisions. St. Louis definitely benefited from having Scotty Bowman. Pittsburgh that year became respectable under Red Kelly. The other teams in the West were just spinning their tires. St. Louis had a lot of veteran players who put them ahead of their divisional rivals. Of course, at some point experience becomes age. The Blues knew that if they didn't win the Cup in 1970 they weren't going to get many more chances. Harry Sinden made an interesting comment about St. Louis He said the Blues could play well against any team in the East if they only played once in a while. they had no chance however in a long series. Gerry Cheevers said St. Louis would be a very good team if Red Berenson and a few others could play 40 or 50 minutes a game. There was a clear chasm between the two divisions. That's why the playoff format was changed for 1971. The Cup finals of 1968, 1969, and 1970 lacked drama.
 

John Robertson

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Mar 1, 2021
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Looks like amazon.ca still hasn’t received any copies, but I’ll let you guys know when my copy ships out and I receive it. Status is still listed as “temporarily out of stock”.

edit: The book is now listed as “currently unavailable.” I may have to contact amazon.ca to confirm that they will even be receiving copies.
I'm flattered that you are eagerly awaiting my book. One other option is to order it directly from the publisher (McFarland) directly. I am certain, however, that Amazon will get quantities of the book reasonably soon. They've always carried my books in the past.
 

c9777666

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The 1970 Red Wings had their only playoff season between 1967-1977. How did they fall off so steeply after what seemed like a bounceback season?
 

Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
May 13, 2003
30,614
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Ontario
I'm flattered that you are eagerly awaiting my book. One other option is to order it directly from the publisher (McFarland) directly. I am certain, however, that Amazon will get quantities of the book reasonably soon. They've always carried my books in the past.

Thanks John, I’m very much looking forward to reading it even though it was a tough season from the Habs POV. I’ll wait on amazon, as ordering it directly through McFarland would bring the total cost of the book to nearly $70. Amazon offers free shipping. I’ll let you know when it arrives.
 

overpass

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Jun 7, 2007
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You would be correct. I might be the only person alive who has researched every Boston Bruins game--and I mean every regular-season and playoff game--since the team's inception in 1924. I began doing that in 1983 by visiting numerous libraries and going through vast amounts newspaper microfilms rolls. I started compiling game results for every season. This hobby expanded to compiling individual statistics for each player. As I stated in my previous hockey book, I don't know why I started following the Boston Bruins--I just did. My personal stats collection has been very helpful in my writing about the team.

Hi John!

I wonder if you can help shed any light on a statistical record that has puzzled me about the Boston Bruins.

NHL.com published full special teams scoring data going back to 1933-34. My understanding is this data was based on the official gamesheets. I was excited to see this when it was published, but after looking at the results I was puzzled by some of the power play scoring totals they had for the Boston Bruins in the 30s and 40s.

The table below shows the year by year power play goal totals for Boston as per NHL.com.

Boston Power Play Goals (PPG) by Season

Boston PPGBoston Home PPGBoston Road PPGLeader in PPG
1933-34954Detroit (28)
1934-3520128Detroit (32)
1935-361486Detroit (24)
1936-37707Rangers (22)
1937-38633Canadiens (24)
1938-391248Americans (27)
1939-40413Chicago (16)
1940-411046Toronto (16)
1941-4218135Canadiens (30)
1942-43261412Canadiens (35)
1943-441064Canadiens (30)
1944-451284Canadiens (28)
1945-4615411Chicago (38)
1946-47231211Chicago (41)
1947-4820416Toronto (45)
1948-49291910Detroit (39)
1949-50291514Detroit (55)
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

There are a lot of ups and downs season by season that I find hard to believe. For example:
  • As per these numbers, Boston never led the league in power play goals and was often far behind the leaders, even though they were a strong offensive team for many of these years with stars like Eddie Shore, Milt Schmit, and Bill Cowley.
  • Did Boston really score 0 power play goals at home in 1936-37?
  • Did they only score 6 power play goals in 1937-38 and 4 in 1939-40, when they were a very strong offensive team in both seasons?
  • And then looking forward to the late 40s...did Boston really only score 4 power play goals at home in 1945-46 and again in 1947-48, while scoring double digits on the road?

My opinion is that NHL.com is missing power play goals for Boston in some of these seasons, for whatever reason. When you were tabulating statistics for each season, did you happen to tabulate the power play goals as well? Wondering if you could help shed any light on this as an expert on the topic.
 

John Robertson

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Mar 1, 2021
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Thanks John, I’m very much looking forward to reading it even though it was a tough season from the Habs POV. I’ll wait on amazon, as ordering it directly through McFarland would bring the total cost of the book to nearly $70. Amazon offers free shipping. I’ll let you know when it arrives.
Books are terribly pricey these days. (I can attest that the vast majority of the money one spends on a book does not trickle down to the author.) Yes, get it the cheapest way possible--even if it means waiting.
 

John Robertson

Registered User
Mar 1, 2021
27
31
Hi John!

I wonder if you can help shed any light on a statistical record that has puzzled me about the Boston Bruins.

NHL.com published full special teams scoring data going back to 1933-34. My understanding is this data was based on the official gamesheets. I was excited to see this when it was published, but after looking at the results I was puzzled by some of the power play scoring totals they had for the Boston Bruins in the 30s and 40s.

The table below shows the year by year power play goal totals for Boston as per NHL.com.

Boston Power Play Goals (PPG) by Season

Boston PPGBoston Home PPGBoston Road PPGLeader in PPG
1933-34954Detroit (28)
1934-3520128Detroit (32)
1935-361486Detroit (24)
1936-37707Rangers (22)
1937-38633Canadiens (24)
1938-391248Americans (27)
1939-40413Chicago (16)
1940-411046Toronto (16)
1941-4218135Canadiens (30)
1942-43261412Canadiens (35)
1943-441064Canadiens (30)
1944-451284Canadiens (28)
1945-4615411Chicago (38)
1946-47231211Chicago (41)
1947-4820416Toronto (45)
1948-49291910Detroit (39)
1949-50291514Detroit (55)
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
There are a lot of ups and downs season by season that I find hard to believe. For example:
  • As per these numbers, Boston never led the league in power play goals and was often far behind the leaders, even though they were a strong offensive team for many of these years with stars like Eddie Shore, Milt Schmit, and Bill Cowley.
  • Did Boston really score 0 power play goals at home in 1936-37?
  • Did they only score 6 power play goals in 1937-38 and 4 in 1939-40, when they were a very strong offensive team in both seasons?
  • And then looking forward to the late 40s...did Boston really only score 4 power play goals at home in 1945-46 and again in 1947-48, while scoring double digits on the road?

My opinion is that NHL.com is missing power play goals for Boston in some of these seasons, for whatever reason. When you were tabulating statistics for each season, did you happen to tabulate the power play goals as well? Wondering if you could help shed any light on this as an expert on the topic.
Perhaps I'm not the best person to answer that question, but I'll try: Your stats appear to be accurate. You focused one the few statistical categories--Boston's power play goals--that I haven't researched thoroughly. (I have plenty of data about Boston's shorthanded goals!). Anyway, I think it's more about how the nature of hockey has changed. If you look at some of the rare film clips that show how NHL games were played before the Second World War, they look like they are from another world. The defensemen were often stationary and sometimes didn't move too far past their own blue lines. Given this very defensive mindset, I don't think the power plays from those days were dramatically different. There were also rules that outlawed forward passing to a certain degree, too. I suspect modern NHL power play would look completely foreign to a hockey fan from the 1930s.
 
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overpass

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Perhaps I'm not the best person to answer that question, but I'll try: Your stats appear to be accurate. You focused one the few statistical categories--Boston's power play goals--that I haven't researched thoroughly. (I have plenty of data about Boston's shorthanded goals!). Anyway, I think it's more about how the nature of hockey has changed. If you look at some of the rare film clips that show how NHL games were played before the Second World War, they look like they are from another world. The defensemen were often stationary and sometimes didn't move too far past their own blue lines. Given this very defensive mindset, I don't think the power plays from those days were dramatically different. There were also rules that outlawed forward passing to a certain degree, too. I suspect modern NHL power play would look completely foreign to a hockey fan from the 1930s.

Thanks! I appreciate your perspective.

Yes, the power plays of the 1930s were probably much different, with less structure. Lots of dumping the puck in and sending several players deep in “ganging attacks”.
 

John Robertson

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Mar 1, 2021
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The 1970 Red Wings had their only playoff season between 1967-1977. How did they fall off so steeply after what seemed like a bounceback season?
If you ask a Detroit Red Wings fan that question, the era you refer to is known as the "Darkness with Harkness" era. Ned Harkness, a former college coach, took over the Wings' coaching duties in 1970-71 and had a miserable season. (I can still recall watching the game they lost to Toronto 13-0 that season. It's on YouTube.) He only coached for one year but he moved up the ranks to management and turned Detroit into a have-not team. That's the short answer. The Wings traded a lot of good players away, such as Garry Unger. A lot of their trades seemed to strengthen the already good New York Rangers. Roger Crozier was lost to the Buffalo Sabres. His last season with the Red Wings was 1969-70. (I always liked and respected Crozier as a goalie.) I think the short answer is poor player management for a long, long time in Detroit.
 
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John Robertson

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Mar 1, 2021
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Thanks.




Fair points. However, Canadiens coach Claude Ruel stepped down early in the 1970-71 season because he didn't see eye-to-eye with some of the players. I'm wondering if the frictions already appeared in 1969-70 and had an impact on the team.
From what I read about the 1969-70 Montreal Canadiens during my research was that coach Claude Ruel was a bit of a martinet. He was tough, and he could rub people the wrong way. (He certainly rubbed Gump Worsley the wrong way, causing him to walk away from the Habs.) When Ruel coached the East team at the All-Star Game, the players from other Eastern teams were praiseful of him. Both Bobby Hull and Ron Ellis thought Ruel was especially good at keeping players alert and motivated. I read a lot of articles from the Montreal Gazette from that season. I didn't gather there was much in the way of discontent with Ruel, despite how the regular season turned out for the team.
 

Davenport

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The 1969-70 season remains my favorite - with both Toronto and (best of all) the Montreal Canadiens missing the playoffs. That last weekend of the regular season was the high point for drama. Had the pleasure of listening to the final game between Montreal and Chicago with some Habs fans. I was rolling on the floor as the third period wound down.
 

John Robertson

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Mar 1, 2021
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The 1969-70 season remains my favorite - with both Toronto and (best of all) the Montreal Canadiens missing the playoffs. That last weekend of the regular season was the high point for drama. Had the pleasure of listening to the final game between Montreal and Chicago with some Habs fans. I was rolling on the floor as the third period wound down.
Montreal's mindset going into the last game was hugely important. They brought a lot of negative baggage from watching the Detroit-New York debacle on TV that afternoon--and it worked against them. Still, they had their destiny in their own hands--and they blew it. All they needed versus Chicago that last night of the season was a win, a tie, or to score five goals. There did hold a 1-0 lead at one point and were only down by a goal entering the third period. There are Habs fans today who believe Montreal should have entered the game with the mindset of scoring five goals and not even worrying about playing defense.
 
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Davenport

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Montreal's mindset going into the last game was hugely important. They brought a lot of negative baggage from watching the Detroit-New York debacle on TV that afternoon--and it worked against them. Still, they had their destiny in their own hands--and they blew it. All they needed versus Chicago that last night of the season was a win, a tie, or to score five goals. There did hold a 1-0 lead at one point and were only down by a goal entering the third period. There are Habs fans today who believe Montreal should have entered the game with the mindset of scoring five goals and not even worrying about playing defense.
I would have loved to have heard what was being said on the Canadiens' bench as the third period wound down.
 

Nerowoy nora tolad

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Yes, Tony Esposito was a big factor--a huge factor, actually. He had 15 shutouts--a fantastic total. The Hawks also seemed to put more emphasis on team defense after Esposito started playing regularly in goal. Chicago started poorly in 1969-70, however. Given how disappointing the 1968-69 season was in Chicago, coach Billy Reay seemed likely to be fired. I would agree that Phil's little brother was the main reason for the turnaround. He was chosen as one of the East's two goalies in the All-Star Game. (That was almost unheard of at the time for a rookie goalie.) I would include Bill White--a late-season acquisition from the L.A. Kings--as a big reason too. The Hawks went on a real tear after they got him playing defense. White was very happy to be leaving L.A.--a truly terrible team. Rookie Keith Magnuson was an unexpected star for Chicago. He earned a place on the cover of Sports Illustrated in April 1970. He was a strong defensive-oriented defenseman. He didn't score a goal all season until the semifinal round versus Boston. As Johnny Bucyk said, no one expected Boston to oust Chicago in a sweep. On paper at least, the two teams seemed well matched.

Such an odd series, for a team that was so highly regarded at the time to lose like that. Hard to pick between all of the shocking series losses that team went through in 67, 70, 71.

I had a copy of an old Orr-centric book that was printed very close to the time, and you can tell the writer thought the Hawks were going to be the primary rivals to the Bruins at the time. Only in retrospect all the warts become so much more obvious. Hull leaving for the WHA as well.

I looked through the game logs on wiki for the sweep and it looked like the goaltending was pretty even, Hull is nowhere to be found, and the Hawks D just couldnt handle the Esposito line.
 

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