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The 1965-66 NHL season was the 49th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 70 games. Another new trophy was introduced for this season. Jack Adams won the first Lester Patrick Trophy for his contribution to hockey in the United States. The Montreal Canadiens won their second consecutive Stanley Cup as they defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to two in the final series.
Regular season
The New York Rangers introduced a rookie goaltender destined for greatness, but not this year. Ed Giacomin lost twice to Montreal, but went on an 6 game unbeaten streak and it seemed the Rangers might be going places. They did---down. The roof fell in as Giacomin was beaten twice and then hammered 9-3 by Montreal on November 20th in which Ralph Backstrom and Bobby Rousseau each had hat tricks. The next night, they had a 3-2 lead and Detroit tied it on a goal that rapidly bounced in and out of the net. Rangers General Manager Emile Francis refused to believe that Detroit had scored and argued with goal judge Arthur Reichart. Fans got on Francis, telling him to shut up in terms that suggested a destination. Soon Francis was fighting with the fans. Ranger players saw that their manager was in trouble and in a bizarre scene, half the team climbed over the glass to the aid of Francis and the result was that 12 Rangers were fined a total of $1,800 and Francis $250. The Rangers then lost games in droves and Emile Francis fired coach Red Sullivan and went behind the bench himself.Francis did no better.The Rangers continued to lose and finished last.
Bobby Hull set a new record for goals in a season with 54 and a new record for points in a season with 97 earing him the Art Ross Trophy and his second straight Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player.
Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes| National Hockey League | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 41 | 21 | 8 | 90 | 239 | 173 | 884 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 70 | 37 | 25 | 8 | 82 | 240 | 187 | 815 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 34 | 25 | 11 | 79 | 208 | 187 | 811 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 31 | 27 | 12 | 74 | 221 | 194 | 804 |
| Boston Bruins | 70 | 21 | 43 | 6 | 48 | 174 | 275 | 787 |
| New York Rangers | 70 | 18 | 41 | 11 | 47 | 195 | 261 | 894 |
Scoring leaders
Leading goaltenders
Stanley Cup playoffs
Playoff bracket
NHL awards
See also
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- 1965 NHL Amateur Draft
- 19th National Hockey League All-Star Game
- National Hockey League All-Star Game
- 1965 in sports
- 1966 in sports
References
"1965-66 NHL season"