PROFILBARU.COM

1955 Stanley Cup Finals
1955 Stanley Cup Finals
Location(s)	Detroit: Olympia Stadium (1, 2, 5, 7); Montreal: Montreal Forum (3, 4, 6)
Coaches	Detroit: Jimmy Skinner; Montreal: Dick Irvin
Captains	Detroit: Ted Lindsay; Montreal: Emile Bouchard
Dates	April 3–14, 1955
Series-winning goal	Gordie Howe (19:49, second)
Hall of Famers	Red Wings:; Alex Delvecchio (1977); Gordie Howe (1972); Red Kelly (1969); Ted Lindsay (1966); Marcel Pronovost (1978); Terry Sawchuk (1971); Canadiens:; Jean Beliveau (1972); Emile Bouchard (1966); Bernie Geoffrion (1972); Doug Harvey (1973); Tom Johnson (1970); Dickie Moore (1974); Bert Olmstead (1985); Jacques Plante (1978); Maurice Richard (1961; did not play); Coaches:; Dick Irvin (1958, player)

The 1955 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1954–55 season, and the culmination of the 1955 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Montreal Canadiens, appearing in their fifth of ten straight Finals, and the defending champion Detroit Red Wings, in the third Detroit-Montreal Finals series of the 1950s and the second consecutively. The Red Wings once again defeated the Canadiens in seven games for their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship, fourth in six seasons, and seventh overall. The Red Wings would not win the Stanley Cup again until 1997.

Paths to the Finals

Montreal defeated the Boston Bruins in five games to reach the Finals. Detroit defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in four games to reach the Finals.

Game summaries

Prior to the playoffs, Montreal's Maurice Richard was suspended and would be missed by the Canadiens.^[1]

In the second game, Ted Lindsay scored four goals to set an NHL record for most goals in one game in a Finals series.^[2]

Gordie Howe set two NHL records, amassing 12 points in this round, and surpassing former Canadiens player (and soon-to-be-coach) Toe Blake's point mark for the playoffs with 20 points in 11 games.^[3]

This was also the first Finals in which the home team won all seven games of the series, a feat that would be repeated only twice in the next 50 years, in 1965 (Montreal defeated the Chicago Black Hawks) and 2003 (the New Jersey Devils beat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim).^[4]

April 3	Montreal Canadiens		2–4	Detroit Red Wings	Olympia Stadium	Recap
No scoring		First period		No scoring
Floyd Curry (4) - 5:09		Second period		14:00 - pp - Alex Delvecchio (2)
Floyd Curry (5) - 8:57		Third period		13:05 - Vic Stasiuk (3) 17:07 - sh - Marty Pavelich (1) 19:42 - Ted Lindsay (3)
Jacques Plante		Goalie stats		Terry Sawchuck

April 5	Montreal Canadiens		1–7	Detroit Red Wings	Olympia Stadium	Recap
No scoring		First period		2:15 - sh - Marcel Pronovost (1) 9:57 - Ted Lindsay (4) 16:00 - Alex Delvecchio (3) 17:11 - Gordie Howe (5)
No scoring		Second period		8:10 - Ted Lindsay (5) 15:48 - pp - Ted Lindsay (6) 19:37 - Ted Lindsay (7)
Ken Mosdell (2) - 12:32		Third period		No scoring
Jacques Plante, Charlie Hodge		Goalie stats		Terry Sawchuck

April 7	Detroit Red Wings		2–4	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Red Kelly (1) - pp - 18:13		First period		8:30 - pp - Bernie Geoffrion (3) 8:42 - pp - Bernie Geoffrion (4)
Vic Stasiuk (4) - 16:16		Second period		14:23 - Bernie Geoffrion (5)
No scoring		Third period		7:50 - Jack LeClair (4)
Terry Sawchuck		Goalie stats		Jacques Plante

April 9	Detroit Red Wings		3–5	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Dutch Reibel (4) - 12:38		First period		00:40 - Calum MacKay (2)
No scoring		Second period		3:41 - Bernie Geoffrion (6) 8:25 - Jean Beliveau (4) 9:07 - Tom Johnson (2)
Dutch Reibel (5) - 3:40 Jim Hay (1) - 12:000		Third period		2:33 - Floyd Curry (6)
Terry Sawchuck		Goalie stats		Jacques Plante

April 10	Montreal Canadiens		1–5	Detroit Red Wings	Olympia Stadium	Recap
Jean Beliveau (5) - pp - 8:01		First period		12:59 - Glen Skov (2) 18:59 - Gordie Howe (6)
No scoring		Second period		12:29 - pp - Gordie Howe (7) 16:20 - pp - Gordie Howe (8)
No scoring		Third period		2:09 - Vic Stasiuk (5)
Jacques Plante		Goalie stats		Terry Sawchuck

April 12	Detroit Red Wings		3–6	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Alex Delvecchio (4) - 13:36		First period		7:30 - Jean Beliveau (6)
Alex Delvecchio (5) - pp - 15:54		Second period		3:45 - pp - Jack LeClair (5) 5:21 - pp - Bernie Geoffrion (7) 18:18 - Bernie Geoffrion (8)
Red Kelly (2) - 16:23		Third period		00:19 - Floyd Curry (7) 18:55 - Calum MacKay (3)
Terry Sawchuck		Goalie stats		Jacques Plante

April 14	Montreal Canadiens		1–3	Detroit Red Wings	Olympia Stadium	Recap
No scoring		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		7:12 - Alex Delvecchio (6) 19:49 - Gordie Howe (9)
Floyd Curry (8) - pp - 14:35		Third period		2:59 - Alex Delvecchio (7)
Jacques Plante		Goalie stats		Terry Sawchuck

Detroit won series 4–3

Stanley Cup engraving

The 1955 Stanley Cup was presented to Red Wings captain Ted Lindsay by NHL President Clarence Campbell following the Red Wings' 3–1 win over the Canadiens in game seven.

The following Red Wings players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup:

1954–55 Detroit Red Wings

Players

Centres

Wingers

Defencemen

Goaltenders

1 Terry Sawchuk

Coaching and administrative staff

Marguerite Norris (President/Owner), Bruce Norris (Vice President/Owner)
Jack Adams (Manager), Jimmy Skinner (Coach)
John Mitchell (Chief Scout), Carl Mattson (Trainer)
Fred Huber Jr. (Publicity Director), Ross "Lefty" Wilson (Asst. Trainer)

Stanley Cup engraving

Larry Hillman became the youngest player to be engraved on the Stanley Cup at 18 years, 2 months, 9 days. Gaye Stewart held the previous record in 1942 at 18 years, 9 months, and 21 days.
Wally Crossman (Asst. Trainer/Stick Boy) was left off the Stanley Cup, and team picture.
Marguerite Norris was first women to win back to back Stanley Cups in 1953–54, 1954–55.
Jimmy Skinner was the 8th NHL rookie coach to win the Stanley Cup.

Members of Detroit Red Wings Dynasty 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955

Gordie Howe, Red Kelly, Ted Lindsay, Marty Pavelich, Marcel Pronovost, John Wilson (6 Players), Jack Adams, Carl Mattson, Fred Hubert Jr. (3 Non-players).

Notes

^ Cole, Stephen (2004). The Best of Hockey Night in Canada. Toronto: McArthur & Company. pp. 38–40. ISBN 1-55278-408-8.
^ "Wings Top Canadiens Again; LINDSAY'S 4 GOALS MARK 7-1 TRIUMPH Detroit Takes 2-0 Lead in Games Over Montreal Six in Stanley Cup Finals". The New York Times. April 6, 1955. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
^ "POINT OF FACT". Sports Illustrated. March 26, 1962. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
^ "Devils Defeat Mighty Ducks to Win Stanley Cup". The New York Times. June 9, 2003. Retrieved June 17, 2024.

References

Diamond, Dan (2000). Total Stanley Cup. Toronto: Total Sports Canada. ISBN 978-1-892129-07-9.
Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7
"All-Time NHL Results".