The 1967 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1966âÂÂ67 season, and the culmination of the 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs. A best-of-seven series, it was contested between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was the fifth and most recent Cup Final Meeting in the history of the Canadiens-Maple Leafs rivalry. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens in six games to win their thirteenth and most recent Stanley Cup championship.
To date, this is Toronto's last appearance in the Stanley Cup Final and they have the longest-active championship drought in the NHL. The 1967 series was also the last Stanley Cup Final in the Original Six era. This was also the last all-Canadian Final series until 1986, the last Stanley Cup Final to be played in Ontario until 2007, and the last championship series to feature a Toronto-based team until the Blue Jays made the 1992 World Series.
This was the last Stanley Cup before the 1967 expansion, which meant there were only two rounds and three series in total played in the playoffs. Montreal defeated New York to advance to the Final and Toronto defeated Chicago.
The average age of the Leafs' players was 31, the oldest lineup to win the Cup. Johnny Bower was 42 and Allan Stanley was 41. Dave Keon won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Montreal won the opener 6âÂÂ2, with Henri Richard recording a hat trick and an assist, and Yvan Cournoyer scoring twice. For the second game, Terry Sawchuk was replaced with Bower and provided the Leafs with a shutout win, stopping all 31 shots in a 3âÂÂ0 victory. Bower was in net for game three, making 61 saves in the contest and winning the game 3âÂÂ2 on Bob Pulford's double-overtime goal. This game has been described as "one of the most exciting games ever played".
Bower was injured before game four and Sawchuk had to replace him. Al Smith was called up from the minors to serve as back-up for the fourth and fifth games. The Canadiens defeated the Leafs 6âÂÂ2 again, this time in Toronto to even the series, with Jean Beliveau and Ralph Backstrom both recording two goals for Montreal. Sawchuk would play well in game five, making 37 saves in a 4âÂÂ1 victory.
In the sixth game Bower returned to the line-up as back up for Toronto. Gump Worsley would also replace Rogie Vachon for Montreal, who had been pulled in game five. Jim Pappin scored his seventh goal of the playoffs and Sawchuk stopped 40 shots helping Toronto win the Cup. Pappin had four goals and four assists in the final series. Captain George Armstrong scored the 3âÂÂ1 empty-net insurance goal to put game six out of reach.
The 1967 Stanley Cup was presented to Maple Leafs captain George Armstrong by NHL President Clarence Campbell following the Maple Leafs 3âÂÂ1 win over the Canadiens in game six.
The following Maple Leafs players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup.
1966âÂÂ67 Toronto Maple Leafs