The year was 1970, the Montreal Canadiens had just defeated the Dallas Stars in game 7 of the stanley cup finals. It came as a surprise because everyone thought that the 1969-70 season would be like any other. The Canadians were swept by none other than their arch rivals, “the big bad Bruins”. It was a huge upset, not only because the Canadians were considered the best hockey team in the world, but also because of what happened during their last playoff series against those Bruins. In game 1, Bruin Derek Sanderson scored 2 goals and had an assist as they beat Montreal by a score of 5-3. During that game, Canadien’s star goalie, Gump Worsley, was injured and had to be replaced by the young up and comer Charlie Hodge. However, because of his inexperience and shaky goaltending skills it would prove to be a liability for the team.
Who won the stanley cup in 1970
Charlie Hodge replaced Gump Worsley after he was injured during game 1 of the 1969-70 playoffs. He allowed 3 goals on 10 shots. During game 2, Montreal lost again with Gump Worsley in goal and Charlie Hodge had a save percentage of 0.800%. The Canadiens managed to win game 3 but lost game 4. Charlie Hodge did not play well during game 5 or 6 and Gump Worsley had to come back into the game to help the Canadiens win game 7. Montreal’s Stanley Cup run seemed to be cursed because they would lose all 8 games in which Charlie Hodge played, even though he was only a rookie.
Bruis was drafted by the Bruins in 1970.
Bruins fans were outraged because they thought Montreal got lucky with their Stanley Cup win. In fact, Bruin fans started a petition demanding that one of the Canadien’s players be banned from ever playing in the NHL again. Nothing came out of it though and Canadiens went on to play what many people would consider a “perfect” season. The Canadiens were absolutely unbeatable. Nobody could stop them; they didn’t even lose a single game in regulation.
He played for the Bruins for 10 years
The Canadiens seemed to be unstoppable and nobody even came close to beating them until the playoffs. With only 3 games left for the Canadiens in the regular season, they were tied with their biggest rival “the big bad Bruins”. The series was played at Madison Square Garden and it would prove to be a hard fought battle. Nobody expected that game 7 would go into overtime because the Canadiens had a good record during overtimes. Overtime would prove to be decisive though, it was during this game that Bruins Derek Sanderson scored with less than 4 minutes remaining in the extra period.
After his time with the Bruins, he played for other teams until his retirement in 1984
At first, people thought it was a fluke and that the Canadiens would win game 8 as per usual. However, they were proven wrong when the Bruins won with two goals coming from Derek Sanderson. This would prove to be a precursor of things to come because Bruin fans couldn’t believe it and Canadien fans rejoiced. The Bruins were the second best team in the league and nobody expected them to be able to beat the Canadiens. They would eventually lose game 8 but it didn’t matter because they had already won their 4th Stanley Cup in history thanks to Derek Sanderson’s heroics.
Bruis is now a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Canadiens, led by Jean Beliveau and Phil Esposito (who was the league’s best scorer) had a record of 58 wins and 7 losses. The only team to give them some trouble at all was the Bruins during their last regular season game in which they tied with them thanks to Derek Sanderson’s late goal. At first, people thought that the Bruins were just being good sports and not trying their best during regular season games. However, they were proven wrong when Derek Sanderson would score late in overtime to beat the Canadiens in game 7 of the first round of playoffs.
About Author
