Montreal's greatest comeback (1971)
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If Habs lose that game in Boston they most likely would have gone with another goalie. After the season would Sam Pollock keep Dryden in Montreal or send him back to the AHL and would Dryden accept a demotion or just go back to school full time.
One thing I never understood is why Pollock just let Tony Esposito get away for nothing. I wish video of this game existed as I remember watching in disbelief that this game ended as a scoreless tie.
http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19680178
Videotape was very expensive in those days ( a one hour reel cost $250 )
Only player with a helmet back then was Boston's Ted Green who 18 months earlier almost died in a preseason game in Ottawa with a blow to the head.
BTW one of the reasons there are so many Bruins fans in and around Montreal is that for many years in the 70's there were more Boston games on Montreal cable than Habs games. During the regular season Montreal fans would see Wednesday and Saturday home games but no road games but Channel 22 in Burlington picked up all the Bruins games home and away from WSBK in Boston.
Pollock demanded that the NHL should make Burlington, VT Montreal territory to stop the Bruins TV invasion but Clarence Campbell ruled Vermont was Bruins territory and if Montreal cable carried the station so be it.
Scintillating10
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The series that made me a Habs fan. We were underdog by far going into this series. The BlackHawk series also. Beliveau, Orr, Hull, playoffs that year...about as high end as it gets. I think game 7 still holds record for most watched game ever in NHL history
Dryden stole the cup this year though, his play was the difference.
Scintillating10
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Not accurate...J.C. Tremblay was my favourite Hab back then, remember clearly he regularly wore a helmet. I think Red Berenson did also but was traded before '71.
Red Kelly of the Leafs, and Stan Makita of the Hawks also wore helmets in 60s and early 70s.
The CBC did not show the Hab game in Northern Ontario that night. We got to watch the Leafs lose.
The CBC did not show the Hab game in Northern Ontario that night. We got to watch the Leafs lose.
Ice Poutine
LA POUTINE IS BACK!
i
I was 14 years old and absolutely GLUED to the B&W TV! Dryden had robbed them and it was just beginning. And look at the quality centers they had at the time:
4 Jean Beliveau
20 Peter Mahovlich
25 Jacques Lemaire
I was 14 years old and absolutely GLUED to the B&W TV! Dryden had robbed them and it was just beginning. And look at the quality centers they had at the time:
4 Jean Beliveau
20 Peter Mahovlich
25 Jacques Lemaire
Scintillating10
Registered User
Another move that team did...mostly goes unmentioned but was huge. Something Bergs should take note of today. Instead of 10 little moves, one giant trade but addresses major hole in team. Painful as it was...late in the season traded 3 good players for one star player...Frank Mahovlich.
S Bah
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Great comeback and huge upset win for the Stanley Cup eventually. Would love to see Bergevin get Evander Kane(LW) from Winnipeg, he could provide a little scoring along with the nasty edge John Ferguson supplied the Habs in the 60's.
Thanks for posting! I've read about that game but have never seem video.
One thing that stood out to me was Orr was incredible in the offensive zone but made some glaring errors that turned into goals against. I read his book and he said the key to his development was the coaching staff let him make his mistakes, especially as a young player. Wish that was still part of the coaching philosophy today. We'd see a lot more magic from guys like Subban and Beaulieu.
Fun to watch!
One thing that stood out to me was Orr was incredible in the offensive zone but made some glaring errors that turned into goals against. I read his book and he said the key to his development was the coaching staff let him make his mistakes, especially as a young player. Wish that was still part of the coaching philosophy today. We'd see a lot more magic from guys like Subban and Beaulieu.
Fun to watch!
Lafleurs Guy
Guuuuuuuy!
- Jul 20, 2007
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I've always wanted to see this series. From what I understand it's pretty much impossible to find. I'd have loved to have seen Dryden's heroics here.i
I was 14 years old and absolutely GLUED to the B&W TV! Dryden had robbed them and it was just beginning. And look at the quality centers they had at the time:
4 Jean Beliveau
20 Peter Mahovlich
25 Jacques Lemaire
Lafleurs Guy
Guuuuuuuy!
- Jul 20, 2007
- 75,185
- 45,019
Just looking at the highlights here... man, rough game for Bobby Orr. Seems to be on the ice for pretty much every goal. On the 2nd one he coughs it up to Richard.
See folks? Even the best blueliners make mistakes.
See folks? Even the best blueliners make mistakes.
i
I was 14 years old and absolutely GLUED to the B&W TV! Dryden had robbed them and it was just beginning. And look at the quality centers they had at the time:
4 Jean Beliveau
20 Peter Mahovlich
25 Jacques Lemaire
Richard was a centre as well. He scored the cup winner.
i
I was 14 years old and absolutely GLUED to the B&W TV! Dryden had robbed them and it was just beginning. And look at the quality centers they had at the time:
4 Jean Beliveau
20 Peter Mahovlich
25 Jacques Lemaire
It's Monsieur Jean Béliveau.
Scintillating10
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Chili
En boca cerrada no entran moscas
- Jun 10, 2004
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Red Kelly of the Leafs, and Stan Makita of the Hawks also wore helmets in 60s and early 70s.
The CBC did not show the Hab game in Northern Ontario that night. We got to watch the Leafs lose.
I remember Paul Henderson with a helmet way back as well. Charlie Burns wore something that resembled a helmet.
Was the Leafs loss the night Parent's mask was tossed into the MSG crowd and Plante had to replace him?
That entire playoff year was incredilble and it's a shame many games were not kept on tape.
As someone mentioned Frank Mahovlich was one of the keys for the Habs that year.
In fairness to Boston, when you look at all the hof'ers on the Habs that year, they were a worthy opponent to lose to. The proof is the way they played against the Hawks in the final.
But Boston had smashed the record books in the regular season and when you hear guys like Orr or Esposito talk about it, you can tell losing that year still hurts.
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CBC-Had a huge fire at Ottawa building in late 1970s early 1980s-it destroyed thousands of film on hockey games
Tony Esposito was one of a few similar blunders Pollock made in the late 60s. He let Esposito go, INCREDIBLY, in order to protect Gump Worsley, who was 40 years old at the time, and only played another six games with us the following year. What the hell did we have to do that for?? We could have protected Esposito, plus Dryden and Phil Myre did not need protection, and the three of them plus our numnber one Rogie Vachon would have been plenty to compete with.
Seriously, Worsley?? At that age?? I was so livid at the time, loved "Tony O".
One year earlier, Pollock let Carol Vadnais go but protected the aging and slowing Ted Harris, who played only two more seasons with us. Vadnais ended up being a star for over a decade. Yes, we kept Serge Savard, but we could have had them both, easily.
Finally, we chose to let Larry Pleau go to the WHA because we had a new stud just drafted named Murray Wilson. Wilson was ok, don't get me wrong, but oops!
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Scintillating10
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The trade that made me a Habs fan since. Big Frank (The Big M) was my favorite player as a boy growing up in Toronto and helped the Leafs to 4 Stanley Cups. He and Bobby Hull were the two preeminent left wingers of the 60's. He was traded after the 67 cup to Detroit and played on a line with Alex Delvechio and Gordie Howe for 2 1/2 years until the trade to Montreal which involved Mickey Redmond going the other way. One year had 49 goals for Detroit. After he was traded from the Leafs I was so pissed I've hated Toronto ever since. It was easy to become a Montreal fan in those days because they were winning so often it made you think you were brilliant for backing them. Its probably part of the reason the fan base to this day feels so entitled to win.
Frank went on to win 2 more cups with Montreal before moving over to the Toronto Toros and later the Birmingham Bulls. He tried a comeback to Detroit but finally retired when he developed a groin injury in training camp that year.
He is now a Liberal (I believe) Senator Ottawa.
Frankenheimer
Sir, this is an Arber
Thanks for vid.
Can you imagine a modern day goalie in nets? I think it would be a series shutout.
Can you imagine a modern day goalie in nets? I think it would be a series shutout.
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