1961 Stanley Cup Finals

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1961 Stanley Cup Finals
1 2 3 4 5 6 Total
Chicago Black Hawks 3 1 3 1 6 5 4
Detroit Red Wings 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
Location(s) Chicago, IL (Chicago Stadium) (1,3,5)
Detroit, MI (Detroit Olympia) (2,4,6)
Coaches Chicago: Rudy Pilous
Detroit: Sid Abel
Captains Chicago: Ed Litzenberger
Detroit: Gordie Howe
Dates April 6 to April 16, 1961
Series-winning goal Ab McDonald (18:49, second, G6)

The 1961 Stanley Cup Final was contested by the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Black Hawks. Chicago was making its first Finals appearance since 1944, and Detroit its first appearance since 1956; both had lost to the Montreal Canadiens in those previous appearances. The Blackhawks would win the best-of-seven series four games to two to win their third Stanley Cup, their first since 1938. However, this proved to be the last time Chicago won the Cup until 2010, a 49-year drought. This was the only title not won by the Canadiens, Red Wings or Toronto Maple Leafs during the Original Six era.

Paths to the Final[edit]

Detroit defeated Toronto in five games and Chicago upset Montreal, the record five-time defending champion, in six, setting up the first all-American-team Finals since 1950, when the Wings beat the New York Rangers in a seven-game series.

The series[edit]

Two future Hockey Hall of Fame members, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, made their first Stanley Cup appearances. Hull scored two goals in the first game, including the winner, and Mikita scored the winner in game five.[1]

This was the only Stanley Cup championship in the 1960s not to be won by either the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens[1] or feature either team.

Date Visitors Score Home Score Notes
April 6 Detroit 2 Chicago 3
April 8 Chicago 1 Detroit 3
April 10 Detroit 1 Chicago 3
April 12 Chicago 1 Detroit 2
April 14 Detroit 3 Chicago 6
April 16 Chicago 5 Detroit 1

Game 1[edit]

April 6 Detroit Red Wings 2–3
0 – 3, 1 – 0, 1 – 0
Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium

Chicago Black Hawks 1961 Stanley Cup Champions[edit]

Roster

  Centres
  Wingers
  Defencemen
  Goaltenders
  Coaching and administrative staff

† Left off the cup, but included on the team picture.

Stanley Cup engraving

  • Allan Roy Edwards was engraved as Allan R. Edwards. He never played for Chicago. Roy Edwards first NHL game was during the 1967–68 season with Detroit.
  • Denis DeJordy first NHL game was during the 1962–63 season, when he replaced Glenn Hall. This ended Hall's record of 502 consecutive complete games.
  • Ronald Robert Murphy was engraved as Robert Murphy.
  • Tod Aloysius Martin Sloan was engraved as Martin A. Sloan. He was engraved on the cup was Tod Sloan in 1951 with Toronto.
  • -Stan Mikita was born in Slovakia, but moved to Canada as young child. He was the first Slovakia born player to win the Stanley Cup.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Cole, Stephen (2004). The Best of Hockey Night in Canada. Toronto: McArthur & Company. p. 52. ISBN 1-55278-408-8. 

References[edit]

  • Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7
Preceded by
Montreal Canadiens
1960
Chicago Black Hawks
Stanley Cup Champions

1961
Succeeded by
Toronto Maple Leafs
1962