1965–66 Montreal Canadiens season

1965–66 Montreal Canadiens
Stanley Cup champions
League1st NHL
1965–66 record41–21–8
Home record23–11–1
Road record18–10–7
Goals for239
Goals against173
Team information
General managerSam Pollock
CoachToe Blake
CaptainJean Beliveau
Alternate captainsHenri Richard
Jean-Guy Talbot
ArenaMontreal Forum
Team leaders
GoalsBobby Rousseau (30)
AssistsJean Beliveau and Bobby Rousseau (48)
PointsBobby Rousseau (78)
Penalty minutesJohn Ferguson (153)
WinsGump Worsley (29)
Goals against averageGump Worsley (2.36)

The 1965–66 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 57th season of play. The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season, and the 14th time in their history. Bobby Rousseau registered 78 points and tied with Stan Mikita for second in the overall 1965–66 NHL scoring race.[1]

Regular season

Final standings

Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 70 41 21 8 239 173 +66 90
2 Chicago Black Hawks 70 37 25 8 240 187 +53 82
3 Toronto Maple Leafs 70 34 25 11 208 187 +21 79
4 Detroit Red Wings 70 31 27 12 221 194 +27 74
5 Boston Bruins 70 21 43 6 174 275 −101 48
6 New York Rangers 70 18 41 11 195 261 −66 47
Source: National Hockey League

Record vs. opponents

1965–66 NHL Records [2]
Team BOS CHI DET MTL NYR TOR
Boston — 4–8–2 2–11–1 4–9–1 8–5–1 4–9–1
Chicago 8–4–2 — 11–1–2 4–8–2 9–4–1 5–8–1
Detroit 11–2–1 1–11–2 — 4–8–2 7–3–4 8–4–2
9–4–1 8–4–2 8–4–2 — 12–2 5–7–2
New York 5–8–1 4–9–1 3–7–4 2–12 — 3–6–5
Toronto 9–4–1 8–5–1 4–8–2 7–5–2 6–3–5 —


Schedule and results

1965–66 regular season[3]
October
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record
1 W October 23, 1965 8–1 Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 1–0–0
2 W October 24, 1965 4–3 @ New York Rangers (1965–66) 2–0–0
3 W October 27, 1965 4–3 New York Rangers (1965–66) 3–0–0
4 L October 30, 1965 4–6 Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 3–1–0
5 T October 31, 1965 2–2 @ Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 3–1–1
November
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record
6 W November 4, 1965 5–1 Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 4–1–1
7 L November 6, 1965 1–3 Boston Bruins (1965–66) 4–2–1
8 W November 7, 1965 5–2 @ Boston Bruins (1965–66) 5–2–1
9 T November 10, 1965 3–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 5–2–2
10 W November 13, 1965 5–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 6–2–2
11 T November 14, 1965 2–2 @ Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 6–2–3
12 L November 18, 1965 1–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 6–3–3
13 W November 20, 1965 9–3 New York Rangers (1965–66) 7–3–3
14 L November 21, 1965 2–3 @ Boston Bruins (1965–66) 7–4–3
15 W November 24, 1965 2–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 8–4–3
16 W November 27, 1965 3–2 Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 9–4–3
17 W November 28, 1965 2–1 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 10–4–3
December
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record
18 W December 4, 1965 4–3 New York Rangers (1965–66) 11–4–3
19 T December 5, 1965 4–4 @ Boston Bruins (1965–66) 11–4–4
20 W December 8, 1965 8–3 Boston Bruins (1965–66) 12–4–4
21 W December 11, 1965 2–1 Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 13–4–4
22 W December 12, 1965 5–3 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 14–4–4
23 L December 16, 1965 2–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 14–5–4
24 W December 18, 1965 2–1 Boston Bruins (1965–66) 15–5–4
25 L December 19, 1965 2–3 @ New York Rangers (1965–66) 15–6–4
26 W December 25, 1965 4–3 Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 16–6–4
27 L December 26, 1965 0–1 @ Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 16–7–4
28 L December 29, 1965 2–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 16–8–4
January
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record
29 W January 1, 1966 5–1 New York Rangers (1965–66) 17–8–4
30 W January 2, 1966 6–3 @ New York Rangers (1965–66) 18–8–4
31 L January 5, 1966 2–4 Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 18–9–4
32 W January 8, 1966 6–0 Boston Bruins (1965–66) 19–9–4
33 L January 9, 1966 2–4 @ Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 19–10–4
34 L January 13, 1966 0–6 Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 19–11–4
35 W January 15, 1966 6–4 Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 20–11–4
36 W January 16, 1966 3–1 @ Boston Bruins (1965–66) 21–11–4
37 L January 20, 1966 2–5 @ Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 21–12–4
38 L January 22, 1966 0–3 Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 21–13–4
39 T January 23, 1966 3–3 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 21–13–5
40 L January 26, 1966 2–4 Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 21–14–5
41 W January 29, 1966 6–2 New York Rangers (1965–66) 22–14–5
42 W January 30, 1966 3–1 @ Boston Bruins (1965–66) 23–14–5
February
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record
43 W February 3, 1966 5–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 24–14–5
44 T February 5, 1966 2–2 Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 24–14–6
45 W February 6, 1966 4–0 @ New York Rangers (1965–66) 25–14–6
46 L February 10, 1966 0–2 @ Boston Bruins (1965–66) 25–15–6
47 T February 12, 1966 2–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 25–15–7
48 W February 13, 1966 4–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 26–15–7
49 L February 16, 1966 1–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 26–16–7
50 W February 19, 1966 5–2 Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 27–16–7
51 W February 20, 1966 5–3 @ New York Rangers (1965–66) 28–16–7
52 W February 23, 1966 3–2 Boston Bruins (1965–66) 29–16–7
53 W February 26, 1966 4–3 New York Rangers (1965–66) 30–16–7
54 W February 27, 1966 5–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 31–16–7
March
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record
55 T March 2, 1966 3–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 31–16–8
56 L March 3, 1966 0–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 31–17–8
57 W March 5, 1966 7–2 Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 32–17–8
58 W March 6, 1966 1–0 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 33–17–8
59 L March 9, 1966 1–3 Boston Bruins (1965–66) 33–18–8
60 W March 12, 1966 4–1 Detroit Red Wings (1965–66) 34–18–8
61 L March 13, 1966 2–3 @ New York Rangers (1965–66) 34–19–8
62 W March 16, 1966 7–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 35–19–8
63 W March 19, 1966 6–2 New York Rangers (1965–66) 36–19–8
64 L March 20, 1966 2–4 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 36–20–8
65 L March 24, 1966 0–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 36–21–8
66 W March 26, 1966 5–2 Boston Bruins (1965–66) 37–21–8
67 W March 27, 1966 3–1 @ Boston Bruins (1965–66) 38–21–8
68 W March 30, 1966 3–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1965–66) 39–21–8
April
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record
69 W April 2, 1966 8–3 Chicago Black Hawks (1965–66) 40–21–8
70 W April 3, 1966 4–1 @ New York Rangers (1965–66) 41–21–8

Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

Finals

Further information: 1966 Stanley Cup Finals

With this series, Toe Blake had coached the Canadiens to seven Stanley Cup championships in eleven years. Henri Richard, a member of all seven, would score the series winner in overtime of game six. Despite the Wings losing, their goalie Roger Crozier would win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens

Date Visitors Score Home Score Notes
April 17 Detroit 3 Montreal 2
April 20 Detroit 5 Montreal 2
April 22 Montreal 4 Detroit 2
April 25 Montreal 2 Detroit 1
April 27 Detroit 1 Montreal 5
April 29 Montreal 3 Detroit 2 OT

Montreal wins Stanley Cup four games to two.

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring

Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Bobby Rousseau RW 70 30 48 78 20 10 0 4
Jean Beliveau C 67 29 48 77 50 13 0 7
Henri Richard C 62 22 39 61 47 3 0 7
Claude Provost RW 70 19 36 55 38 3 0 5
Gilles Tremblay LW 70 27 21 48 24 5 0 4
Dick Duff LW 63 21 24 45 78 5 0 2
Ralph Backstrom C 67 22 20 42 10 1 0 3
J. C. Tremblay D 59 6 29 35 8 2 0 1
Claude Larose RW 64 15 18 33 67 0 0 3
Jacques Laperriere D 57 6 25 31 85 2 1 2
Yvan Cournoyer RW 65 18 11 29 8 16 0 0
John Ferguson LW 65 11 14 25 153 1 0 1
Jean-Guy Talbot D 59 1 14 15 50 0 0 0
Ted Harris D 53 0 13 13 87 0 0 0
Terry Harper D 69 1 11 12 91 0 0 0
Jim Roberts D/RW 70 5 5 10 20 0 1 1
Dave Balon LW 45 3 7 10 24 0 0 1
Red Berenson C 23 3 4 7 12 0 0 0
Noel Price D 15 0 6 6 8 0 0 0
Leon Rochefort RW 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Gump Worsley G 51 0 1 1 4 0 0 0
Jean Gauthier D 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Danny Grant RW 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Charlie Hodge G 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Don Johns D 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Goaltending

Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Gump Worsley 2899 51 29 14 6 114 2.36 2
Charlie Hodge 1301 26 12 7 2 56 2.58 1
Team: 4200 70 41 21 8 170 2.43 3

Playoffs

Scoring

Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
J. C. Tremblay D 10 2 9 11 2
Jean Beliveau C 10 5 5 10 6
Gilles Tremblay LW 10 4 5 9 0
Bobby Rousseau RW 10 4 4 8 6
Ralph Backstrom C 10 3 4 7 4
Dick Duff LW 10 2 5 7 2
Dave Balon LW 9 2 3 5 16
Yvan Cournoyer RW 10 2 3 5 2
Terry Harper D 10 2 3 5 18
Claude Provost RW 10 2 3 5 2
Henri Richard C 8 1 4 5 2
John Ferguson LW 10 2 0 2 44
Jim Roberts D/RW 10 1 1 2 10
Leon Rochefort RW 4 1 1 2 4
Jean-Guy Talbot D 10 0 2 2 8
Claude Larose RW 6 0 1 1 31
Noel Price D 3 0 1 1 0
Ted Harris D 10 0 0 0 38
Gump Worsley G 10 0 0 0 0

Goaltending

Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO
Gump Worsley 602 10 8 2 20 1.99 1
Team: 602 10 8 2 20 1.99 1

[4]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Milestones

  • November 1965: Henri Richard got his 600th career point
  • January 1966: Richard would earn his 400th career assist
  • Jean Beliveau would play in his 800th career game during the season.
  • During the season, Beliveau would become the first Canadiens player to accumulate 500 career assists.[1]

Draft picks

Montreal's draft picks at the 1965 NHL amateur draft held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 5 Pierre Bouchard  Canada St. Vincent de Paul Saints (LHJAA)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p. 184, Published in Canada by Doubleday, 2009, ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0.
  2. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "1965-66 Montreal Canadiens Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  4. ^ "1965-66 Montreal Canadiens Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
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