1955 Stanley Cup Finals
Encyclopedia
The 1955 Stanley Cup Final NHL
championship series was contested by the Montreal Canadiens
, appearing in their fifth of ten straight Finals and the defending champion Detroit Red Wings
, in the fourth Detroit-Montreal Final series of the 1950s
and the second consecutively. The Wings would win the series 4–3 to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup
and fourth in six seasons. It would be 42 years before Detroit would win another cup.
4–1 to reach the final. Detroit defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs
4–0 to reach the final.
was suspended and would be missed by the Canadiens.
In the second game, Ted Lindsay
would score 4 goals to set a NHL record for most goals in one game in a Final series. The win was also the Wings' fifteenth consecutive, another NHL record.
Gordie Howe
set two NHL records, amassing 12 points, and he surpassed Toe Blake
's point mark for the playoffs with 20 points in 11 games.
This was also the first final in which the home team won all seven games of the series, a feat that would be repeated only twice in the next 50 years, in and .
Detroit Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens
Detroit wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
championship series was contested by the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, appearing in their fifth of ten straight Finals and the defending champion Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, in the fourth Detroit-Montreal Final series of the 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
and the second consecutively. The Wings would win the series 4–3 to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
and fourth in six seasons. It would be 42 years before Detroit would win another cup.
Paths to the Final
Montreal defeated the Boston BruinsBoston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
4–1 to reach the final. Detroit defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
4–0 to reach the final.
The series
Prior to the playoffs, Montreal's Maurice RichardMaurice Richard
Joseph Henri Maurice "the Rocket" Richard, Sr., was a French-Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League from 1942 to 1960. The "Rocket" was the most prolific goal-scorer of his era, the first to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50...
was suspended and would be missed by the Canadiens.
In the second game, Ted Lindsay
Ted Lindsay
Robert Blake Theodore Lindsay is a former professional ice hockey player, a forward for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League . He scored over 800 points in his Hockey Hall of Fame career, won the Art Ross Trophy in 1950, and won the Stanley Cup four times...
would score 4 goals to set a NHL record for most goals in one game in a Final series. The win was also the Wings' fifteenth consecutive, another NHL record.
Gordie Howe
Gordie Howe
Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League , and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association . Howe is often referred to as Mr...
set two NHL records, amassing 12 points, and he surpassed Toe Blake
Toe Blake
Hector "Toe" Blake, CM was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League .-Nickname:His nickname came out of his childhood for his younger sister was unable to pronounce his name...
's point mark for the playoffs with 20 points in 11 games.
This was also the first final in which the home team won all seven games of the series, a feat that would be repeated only twice in the next 50 years, in and .
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