1979 Stanley Cup Finals
Encyclopedia
The 1979 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the New York Rangers
and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens
, making their fourth straight appearance. It was New York's first appearance since . The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to one, to win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup
. As of 2011, this is the most recent time that two teams of the Original Six
have competed for the Stanley Cup championship.
4–0 and the Boston Bruins
4–3 to advance to the finals.
New York defeated the Los Angeles Kings
2–0, the Philadelphia Flyers
4–1 and the New York Islanders
4–2 to make it to the finals.
, Yvan Cournoyer
and Ken Dryden
retired, while head coach Scotty Bowman
would leave the Canadiens to join the Buffalo Sabres
, which would mark the end of the Canadiens' dynasty.
Montreal wins the series 4–1.
, who carried the game in Canada, and were shown in the United States on the NHL's syndicated package. Dan Kelly
provided play-by-play, while Dick Irvin, Jr.
and Gary Dornhoefer
served as color commentators, Dave Hodge
as host, and Howie Meeker
as studio analyst. ABC was contracted to televise Game 7. Since the Finals ended in five games, the contract was void. Had there been a seventh game, then Boston Bruins
radio play-by-play man Bob Wilson would have called play-by-play, Jim McKay
(between-periods host), Bobby Clarke
(color commentator), and Frank Gifford
(reporter, who would have been in the winning team's dressing room to interview players and coaches as well as hand the phone to the winning team's coach that that would have allowed him to talk to both President
Jimmy Carter
and Prime Minister
Pierre Trudeau
). The game would have started at 5:10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on a Saturday, replacing Wide World of Sports
and local news shows that typically followed it on ABC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, making their fourth straight appearance. It was New York's first appearance since . The Canadiens would win the best-of-seven series four games to one, to win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
. As of 2011, this is the most recent time that two teams of the Original Six
Original Six
The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that composed the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. These six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the...
have competed for the Stanley Cup championship.
Paths to the Final
Montreal defeated the Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
4–0 and the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
4–3 to advance to the finals.
New York defeated the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
2–0, the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
4–1 and the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
4–2 to make it to the finals.
The series
The Canadiens won the Cup in five games, winning it on home ice for the first time since . After the game Jacques LemaireJacques Lemaire
Jacques Gerard Lemaire is a former ice hockey forward for the Montreal Canadiens and a long-time coach, most notably with the New Jersey Devils and the Minnesota Wild.-Playing career:...
, Yvan Cournoyer
Yvan Cournoyer
Yvan Serge "The Roadrunner" Cournoyer is a retired Canadian hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens from 1963 to 1979. Cournoyer was born in Drummondville, Quebec. He was nicknamed "The Roadrunner" due to his small size and blazing speed, which he...
and Ken Dryden
Ken Dryden
Kenneth Wayne Dryden, PC, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former NHL goaltender. Dryden is married with two children and four grandchildren and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame...
retired, while head coach Scotty Bowman
Scotty Bowman
William Scott "Scotty" Bowman is a retired National Hockey League head coach. He holds the record for most wins in league history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He coached the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and...
would leave the Canadiens to join the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
, which would mark the end of the Canadiens' dynasty.
| Date | Visitors | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, May 13 | New York | 4 | Montreal | 1 | |
| Tue, May 15 | New York | 2 | Montreal | 6 | |
| Thu, May 17 | Montreal | 4 | New York | 1 | |
| Sat, May 19 | Montreal | 4 | New York | 3 | OT |
| Mon, May 21 | New York | 1 | Montreal | 4 |
Montreal wins the series 4–1.
Montreal Canadiens 1979 Stanley Cup champions
Members of Montreal Canadiens 1976 to 1979 dynasty
Rick Chartraw, Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Bob Gainey, Doug Jarvis, Guy Lafleur, Yvon Lambert, Guy Lapointe, Jacques Lemaire, Michel Laroque, Doug Risebrough, Mario Tremblay, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Steve Shutt (15 Players), Jacques Courtois, Sam Pollock, Jean Beliveau, Scotty Bowman, Claude Ruel, Eddie Palchak, Pierre Meilleur, Ron Caron (8 Non-Players)Broadcasting
The Stanley Cup Finals were produced by CBCHockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
, who carried the game in Canada, and were shown in the United States on the NHL's syndicated package. Dan Kelly
Dan Kelly (sportscaster)
Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St...
provided play-by-play, while Dick Irvin, Jr.
Dick Irvin, Jr.
James Dickinson Irvin, Jr. is a retired Canadian sports broadcaster and author. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 under the broadcasters category1...
and Gary Dornhoefer
Gary Dornhoefer
Gerhardt Otto Dornhofer , better known as Gary Dornhoefer, is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player, known for winning two Stanley Cups with the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League in 1973-74, and 1974-75....
served as color commentators, Dave Hodge
Dave Hodge
Dave Hodge is a Canadian sports announcer who currently works for TSN, and has worked in the past for the CBC and CFRB 1010 radio in Toronto.-Broadcasting career:...
as host, and Howie Meeker
Howie Meeker
Howard William Meeker, C.M. is a former right winger in the National Hockey League, youth coach and educator in ice hockey and television sports announcer as well as a former Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament...
as studio analyst. ABC was contracted to televise Game 7. Since the Finals ended in five games, the contract was void. Had there been a seventh game, then Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
radio play-by-play man Bob Wilson would have called play-by-play, Jim McKay
Jim McKay
James Kenneth McManus , better known by his professional name of Jim McKay, was an American television sports journalist....
(between-periods host), Bobby Clarke
Bobby Clarke
Robert Earle Clarke, OC , better known as Bobby Clarke or, in later life, Bob Clarke, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire National Hockey League career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team...
(color commentator), and Frank Gifford
Frank Gifford
Francis Newton "Frank" Gifford is a Hall of Fame former American football player and American sportscaster.-Early life:Gifford was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Lola Mae and Weldon Gifford, an oil driller....
(reporter, who would have been in the winning team's dressing room to interview players and coaches as well as hand the phone to the winning team's coach that that would have allowed him to talk to both President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
). The game would have started at 5:10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on a Saturday, replacing Wide World of Sports
Wide World of Sports (US TV series)
ABC's Wide World of Sports is a sports anthology series on American television that ran from 1961 to 1998 and was originally hosted by Jim McKay. The title continued to be used for general sports programs until 2006...
and local news shows that typically followed it on ABC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones.