1972–73 Montreal Canadiens season



The 1972–73 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 64th season. The Canadiens finished 1st in the East Division and defeated the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1973 Stanley Cup Finals 4 games to 2 to win their 18th Stanley Cup.

Regular Season
Rookie goalie Wayne Thomas left his mark in Canadiens history by becoming only the second goaltender in over 50 seasons to record a shutout (3-0) in his NHL debut against Vancouver on January 14, 1973.

Montreal Canadiens 4, Buffalo Sabres 2
The Canadiens met the Buffalo Sabres making their playoff debut in the first round, defeating the Sabres four games to two.

Montreal Canadiens 4, Philadelphia Flyers 1
In the second round, the Canadiens defeated the Philadelphia Flyers who had beaten the Minnesota North Stars, winning the series four games to one to advance to the finals against the Chicago Black Hawks.

Regular Season

 * Scoring
 * Goaltending

Playoffs

 * Scoring
 * Goaltending

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes; PPG=Power-play goals; SHG=Short-handed goals; GWG=Game-winning goals

MIN=Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; SO = Shutouts

Awards and Records

 * Prince of Wales Trophy: Montreal Canadiens
 * Vezina Trophy: Ken Dryden
 * Conn Smythe Trophy: Yvan Cournoyer
 * James Norris Memorial Trophy: Guy Lapointe, Runner-up
 * Frank Mahovlich, Left Wing, NHL First Team All-Star
 * Guy Lapointe, Defense, NHL First Team All-Star
 * Ken Dryden, Goalie, NHL First Team All-Star
 * Yvan Cournoyer, Right Wing, NHL Second Team All-Star

Trivia

 * Canadiens who recorded a Hat trick this season include:
 * Jacques Lemaire during the 4-3 win over the New York Islanders on October 24, 1972.
 * Rejean Houle during the 6-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 17, 1973.
 * Yvan Cournoyer during the 7-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres, Game 2 of the 1973 Quarter-finals, April 5, 1973.

Video
Over eight minutes of highlights of the January 18, 1973 Canadiens-Penguins game.