1961–62 Montreal Canadiens season



The 1961–62 Montreal Canadiens season was the 53rd season in franchise history. The Canadiens finished 1st in the league and lost in the Semi-finals to the Chicago Black Hawks 4 games to 2.

Pre-season
The Canadiens held their training camp in Victoria, British Columbia. They then played exhibition games in Vancouver, Seattle, Trail, Calgary, Regina, and Winnipeg. One of the reasons for their trip to the west was to counter the Toronto Maple Leafs' reputation as Canada's team. The Canadiens were hoping to increase their popularity across the country, particularly on television broadcasts. Dickie Moore and Jean Béliveau suffered knee injuries during the exhibition games and both missed a significant portion of the regular season.

Regular Season
During the Boston Bruins 5-2 loss on March 10, 1962 to Montreal, the Canadiens dominated the play. The Bruins couldn't sustain any pressure in Montreal's zone, hitting was noticeably absent and turnovers abounded. Jean Béliveau scored early in the third period when he stripped Doug Mohns of the puck at the Bruins blueline and then fired a shot over Bruce Gamble's glove. Both Bruins goals came off rushes with Pat Stapleton scoring his first career goal on a solo effort in which he deked both Lou Fontinato and Jacques Plante.

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
 * Hart Memorial Trophy: Jacques Plante
 * Vezina Trophy: Jacques Plante
 * Calder Memorial Trophy: Bobby Rousseau
 * Jacques Plante, Goalie, NHL First Team All-Star
 * Jean-Guy Talbot, Defense, NHL First Team All-Star