| 1965–66 NHL season | |
| Duration: | October 23, 1965 – May 5, 1966 |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Draft: | Draft |
| Draft Link: | 1965 NHL Draft |
| Top Pick Link: | List of first overall NHL draft picks |
| No Of Games: | 70 |
| No Of Teams: | 6 |
| Tv: | CBC, CTV, SRC (Canada) NBC, RKO General (United States) |
| Mvp: | Bobby Hull (Black Hawks) |
| Mvp Link: | Hart Memorial Trophy |
| Top Scorer: | Bobby Hull (Black Hawks) |
| Top Scorer Link: | Art Ross Trophy |
| Playoffs: | Playoffs |
| Playoffs Mvp: | Roger Crozier (Red Wings) |
| Playoffs Mvp Link: | Conn Smythe Trophy |
| Finals: | Stanley Cup |
| Finals Link: | 1966 Stanley Cup Finals |
| Nextseason Link: | 1966–67 NHL season |
| Prevseason Link: | 1964–65 NHL season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1966–67 |
| Prevseason Year: | 1964–65 |
| Seasonslistnames: | NHL |
The 1965–66 NHL season was the 49th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 70 games. The Montreal Canadiens won their second consecutive Stanley Cup as they defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to two in the final series.
A new trophy was introduced for this season. Jack Adams won the first Lester Patrick Trophy for his contribution to hockey in the United States.[1]
February saw the momentous announcement that six conditional franchises had been awarded to Los Angeles, San Francisco, St. Louis, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, all to begin play in 1967. The St. Louis franchise was surprising, as no formal application from the city had been tendered. It was awarded to fulfill the wishes of James D. Norris and Arthur Wirtz, owners of the Chicago Black Hawks, who also owned the St. Louis Arena, which they wanted to sell.[2]
On the debit side, a strong bid from Vancouver was rejected, much to the anger of many Canadians and the protest of their Prime Minister Lester Pearson. A rumour was widely spread — fuelled by a corroborating statement from Leafs' general manager Punch Imlach that the Toronto and Montreal owners had vetoed the bid out of a dislike for sharing the proceeds from television broadcasts of the games. Vancouver would eventually get an NHL franchise in 1970.[3]
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) called for the end the direct sponsorship of junior ice hockey team and to allow players who graduated from junior hockey to be chosen in the NHL Amateur Draft. CAHA president Lionel Fleury asked the NHL to terminate the existing professional-agreement rather than letting it expire in 1968.[4] NHL president Clarence Campbell declined to terminate the agreement since 95 per cent of NHL players were produced by sponsored junior teams. The NHL felt that a draft of players might be viable but wanted to draft players at a younger age than 20, and wanted to continue making payments directly to amateur teams instead of the CAHA dispersing funds as it saw fit.[5] Discussions remained unresolved until a new agreement with the requested changes was reached in August 1966.[6]
The only significant rule change for this season was a requirement that the teams suit up two goaltenders for each game.
| 1965-66 National Hockey League | ||||
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | |
| Boston Bruins | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 13,909 | |
| Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Stadium | 16,666 | |
| Detroit Red Wings | Detroit, Michigan | Detroit Olympia | 15,000 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | Montreal, Quebec | Montreal Forum | 15,551 | |
| New York Rangers | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 15,925 | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario | Maple Leaf Gardens | 13,718 | |
Among notable players to debut during this season were Ed Giacomin for the Rangers, Bill Goldsworthy for the Bruins, Ken Hodge for Chicago and Mike Walton for Toronto. In the meantime, however, the career of future Hockey Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay was over, as his request for reinstatement as an active player was vetoed by the Toronto ownership.
Ed Giacomin put together a six-game unbeaten streak early in the season to the delight of the fans. But the Rangers' inexperience behind the blueline caught up with them as the team began to lose and the Rangers were out of contention quickly, which cost coach Red Sullivan his job. Emile Francis took over the coaching reins, but the Rangers were headed nowhere this season.Worse, Rod Gilberthad to undergo a second spinal fusion surgery if he wanted to play hockey again. The Rangers missed his offense.
Gordie Howe scored his 600th NHL goal in Montreal on November 27 in a 3–2 loss to the Canadiens to the cheers of the local fans. Among lesser milestones in the season were Frank Mahovlich's 250th goal and Johnny Bucyk's and Claude Provost's 200th.
In an unusual incident, the Red Wings' jerseys were stolen from the visitors' dressing room in Montreal the night before a January game, and Detroit was compelled to play in the uniforms of their junior farm team in Hamilton, which were express shipped to Montreal in time for the match.[7]
James D. Norris, owner of the Chicago Black Hawks, died of a heart attack in late February.
The second game of the semifinal series between Detroit and Chicago on April 10, was nationally televised in the United States.[8]
For the fourth straight year, it was Montreal vs. Toronto and Detroit vs. Chicago in the first round. The Canadiens were victorious over the Leafs in four straight games, while the Wings beat the Hawks in six.
The Montreal Canadiens were the best regular season team, earning 90 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs earned the third seed with 79 points. This was the twelfth playoff series between these two rivals, with Toronto winning six of their eleven previous series. This was a rematch from the 1965 semifinals, where Montreal won in six games. Toronto won sixteen of twenty-eight points in this year's regular season series.
The Canadiens defeated the Maple Leafs in a four-game sweep.
The Chicago Black Hawks earned the second seed with 82 points. The Detroit Red Wings earned the fourth seed with 74 points. This was the eighth playoff series between these two rivals, with Detroit winning four of their seven previous series. This was a rematch of the 1965 semifinals, where Chicago won in seven games. Chicago earned twenty-four of twenty-eight points in this year's regular season series.
The Red Wings upset the Black Hawks in six games.
See main article: 1966 Stanley Cup Finals. The Montreal Canadiens were the defending champions in their twenty-second Stanley Cup Finals, after winning their thirteenth championship the previous year with a seven-game victory over the Chicago Black Hawks. This was the Detroit Red Wings' eighteenth Stanley Cup Finals, having won seven championships previously. Their most recent Finals came in 1964, when they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games. This was the eleventh playoff series between these two teams, with Detroit winning seven of their ten previous series. Their most recent series had come in the 1958 semifinals, where Montreal won in a four-game sweep. Montreal won eighteen of twenty-eight points in this year's regular season series. Detroit would not return to the Stanley Cup Finals again until 1995.
Behind the skilled goaltending of Roger Crozier, who had missed parts of the regular season with illness, the Red Wings won the first two games of the Finals. However, Crozier was injured in the fourth game and the Canadiens won the Cup four games to two. Roger Crozier won the Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the losing team.
Bobby Hull set a new record for goals in a season with 54 and a new record for points in a season with 97, earning him the Art Ross Trophy and his second straight Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. No left-winger would pace the NHL in points again until Alexander Ovechkin in 2007–08. Jacques Laperriere of Montreal won the Norris Trophy as best defenceman.
| 1965–66 NHL awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prince of Wales Trophy
| Montreal Canadiens | |
| Art Ross Trophy
| Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks | |
| Calder Memorial Trophy
| Brit Selby, Toronto Maple Leafs | |
| Conn Smythe Trophy
| Roger Crozier, Detroit Red Wings | |
| Hart Trophy
| Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks | |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy
| Jacques Laperriere, Montreal Canadiens | |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
| Alex Delvecchio, Detroit Red Wings | |
| Vezina Trophy
| Gump Worsley and Charlie Hodge, Montreal Canadiens | |
| First team | Position | Second team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn Hall, Chicago Black Hawks | align=center | G | Gump Worsley, Montreal Canadiens |
| Jacques Laperriere, Montreal Canadiens | align=center | D | Allan Stanley, Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Pierre Pilote, Chicago Black Hawks | align=center | D | Pat Stapleton, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks | align=center | C | Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens |
| Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings | align=center | RW | Bobby Rousseau, Montreal Canadiens |
| Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks | align=center | LW | Frank Mahovlich, Toronto Maple Leafs |
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Black Hawks | 65 | 54 | 43 | 97 | 70 | ||
| Chicago Black Hawks | 68 | 30 | 48 | 78 | 56 | ||
| Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 30 | 48 | 78 | 20 | ||
| Montreal Canadiens | 67 | 29 | 48 | 77 | 50 | ||
| Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 29 | 46 | 75 | 83 | ||
| Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 31 | 41 | 72 | 35 | ||
| Detroit Red Wings | 70 | 31 | 38 | 69 | 16 | ||
| New York Rangers | 69 | 29 | 33 | 62 | 10 | ||
| Montreal Canadiens | 62 | 22 | 39 | 61 | 47 | ||
| Boston Bruins | 70 | 18 | 42 | 60 | 30 |
Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts
| Player | Team | GP | MIN | GA | GAA | W | L | T | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 35 | 1998 | 75 | 2.25 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | 51 | 2899 | 114 | 2.36 | 29 | 14 | 6 | 2 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | 26 | 1301 | 56 | 2.58 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 1 | |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 64 | 3747 | 164 | 2.63 | 34 | 21 | 7 | 4 | |
| Detroit Red Wings | 64 | 3734 | 173 | 2.78 | 27 | 24 | 12 | 7 | |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 11 | 453 | 23 | 3.05 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 27 | 1521 | 80 | 3.16 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 1 | |
| N.Y. Rangers | 28 | 1613 | 94 | 3.50 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 2 | |
| N.Y. Rangers | 36 | 2096 | 128 | 3.66 | 8 | 19 | 7 | 0 | |
| Boston Bruins | 39 | 2083 | 128 | 3.69 | 11 | 20 | 3 | 1 | |
| Boston Bruins | 33 | 1744 | 108 | 3.72 | 10 | 19 | 2 | 1 | |
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1965–66 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1965–66 (listed with their last team):
Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. HNIC also began producing Wednesday night regular season game telecasts for CTV. Games were typically not broadcast in their entirety until the 1968–69 season, and were typically joined in progress.
NBC agreed to air 1966 Sunday afternoon playoff games, marking the first time since the 1959–60 season that the NHL aired nationally in the U.S., and the first time ever that postseason games aired on American network television. The clinching Game 6 of the 1966 Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday, May 5 aired across RKO General-owned stations.