1975 Stanley Cup Finals
Encyclopedia
The 1975 Stanley Cup
Final championship series was played by the Buffalo Sabres
, making their first Finals appearance and the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers
. The Flyers would win the best-of-seven series four games to two. This was the first Final to have two non-"Original Six
" teams since the 1967 expansion. The 1975 Flyers are the last Stanley Cup championship team to be comprised solely of Canadian-born players.
This was the only Final between and not to feature either the Boston Bruins or the Montreal Canadiens
.
4–1 and the Montreal Canadiens
4–2 to advance to the final.
Philadelphia defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs
4–0 and the New York Islanders
4–3 to make it to the final.
led the Flyers, allowing only 12 goals in the six games, capped with a shutout. He became the first player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy
for two consecutive years. Since then, only Mario Lemieux
has managed to duplicate this feat.
in the arena, which flew above and around the players for the majority of the game, until Sabres center Jim Lorentz
killed it with his stick. Many superstitious Buffalo fans considered this to be an "Evil Omen," pertaining to the result of the series. It was the only time that any player killed an animal during an NHL game. The game continued and the Sabres won thanks to Rene Robert
's goal in overtime.
Philadelphia wins the series 4–2.
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...
Final championship series was played by the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
, making their first Finals appearance and the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. The Flyers would win the best-of-seven series four games to two. This was the first Final to have two non-"Original Six
Original Six
The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that composed the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. These six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the...
" teams since the 1967 expansion. The 1975 Flyers are the last Stanley Cup championship team to be comprised solely of Canadian-born players.
This was the only Final between and not to feature either the Boston Bruins or the Montreal Canadiens
Bruins–Canadiens rivalry
The rivalry between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League is considered "one of the greatest rivalries in sports," along with the Yankees – Red Sox and Bears–Packers rivalries...
.
Paths to the Final
Buffalo defeated the Chicago Black HawksChicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
4–1 and 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 ...
4–2 to advance to the final.
Philadelphia 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 and the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
4–3 to make it to the final.
The series
Bernie ParentBernie Parent
Bernard Marcel Parent , better known as Bernie Parent, is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 13 National Hockey League seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs, and also spent one season in the World Hockey Association with the...
led the Flyers, allowing only 12 goals in the six games, capped with a shutout. He became the first player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy
Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged most valuable to his team during the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup playoffs. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 46 times to 40 players since the 1964–65 NHL season...
for two consecutive years. Since then, only Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...
has managed to duplicate this feat.
Fog and the Bat
Game 3 in the series was the legendary Fog Game. Due to unusual heat in Buffalo in May 1975, portions of the game were played in heavy fog. Players, officials, and the puck were invisible to many spectators. The fog began to form just minutes after another odd incident: A batBat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
in the arena, which flew above and around the players for the majority of the game, until Sabres center Jim Lorentz
Jim Lorentz
James Peter Lorentz, Jr. is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres. He won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 1970. He was the color analyst for the Sabres on the...
killed it with his stick. Many superstitious Buffalo fans considered this to be an "Evil Omen," pertaining to the result of the series. It was the only time that any player killed an animal during an NHL game. The game continued and the Sabres won thanks to Rene Robert
Rene Robert
René Paul Robert is a retired professional ice hockey right winger who played 12 seasons in the NHL between 1970 and 1982. Robert was selected to 2 National Hockey League All-Star Games and was selected as the Second NHL All-Star Team right wing in 1974–75.Robert played 744 career NHL games,...
's goal in overtime.
Series Box Score
| Date | Visitors | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, May 15 | Buffalo | 1 | Philadelphia | 4 | |
| Sun, May 18 | Buffalo | 1 | Philadelphia | 2 | |
| Tue, May 20 | Philadelphia | 4 | Buffalo | 5 | OT |
| Thu, May 22 | Philadelphia | 2 | Buffalo | 4 | |
| Sun, May 25 | Buffalo | 1 | Philadelphia | 5 | |
| Tue, May 27 | Philadelphia | 2 | Buffalo | 0 |
Philadelphia wins the series 4–2.