Gerald George McNeil was a professional ice hockey goaltender who won three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens between 1947 and 1956. With the Canadiens he won the Stanley Cup in 1953.
The 1947–48 NHL season was the 31st season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 60 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs were the Stanley Cup winners. They defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to none. This season saw the introduction of a new trophy – Art Ross Trophy – that would be handed out to the player who scored the most points during the regular season.
Joseph Hector "Toe" Blake was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League (NHL). Blake played in the NHL from 1935 to 1948 with the Montreal Maroons and Montreal Canadiens. He led the NHL in scoring in 1939, while also winning the Hart Trophy for most valuable player, and served as captain of the Canadiens from 1940 to his retirement. He won the Stanley Cup three times as a player: in 1935 with the Maroons, and in 1944 and 1946 with the Canadiens. While with the Canadiens Blake played on a line with Elmer Lach and Maurice Richard which was dubbed the Punch line, as all three were highly-skilled players. In 2017 Blake was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. He was also known as "The Old Lamplighter" due to his skill for putting the puck in the net.
The 1943–44 NHL season was the 27th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams played 50 games each. The Montreal Canadiens were the top team of the regular season and followed it up with the team's fifth Stanley Cup championship.
The 1944–45 NHL season was the 28th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 50 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in seven games versus the Detroit Red Wings.
The 1968 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1967–68 season, and the culmination of the 1968 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Montreal Canadiens and the St. Louis Blues. The Canadiens swept the Blues to win their 15th Stanley Cup championship.
The 1966 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1965–66 season, and the culmination of the 1966 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Detroit Red Wings and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens. This was the fifth Detroit-Montreal Cup Final; they previously met in 1952, 1954, 1955, and 1956, with the Red Wings winning the former three and the Canadiens winning the latter. The Canadiens defeated the Red Wings in six games to win the Stanley Cup for the seventh time in eleven years. This was the last Cup Final appearance for the Red Wings until 1995.
The 1960 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1959–60 season, and the culmination of the 1960 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the four-time defending champion Montreal Canadiens, appearing in their tenth consecutive finals, and the Toronto Maple Leafs; it was a rematch of the previous year's finals and the fourth finals meeting in the history of the Canadiens–Maple Leafs rivalry. The Canadiens swept the Maple Leafs for their fifth straight Cup victory, which stands as an NHL record.
The 1934 Stanley Cup Finals was contested by the Chicago Black Hawks and the Detroit Red Wings. It was the Red Wings' first appearance in the Finals, and Chicago's second, after 1931. The Black Hawks won the best-of-five series 3–1 to win their first Stanley Cup.
The 1959 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1958–59 season, and the culmination of the 1959 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the three-time defending champion Montreal Canadiens and their arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs. It was the third Stanley Cup Final meeting in the history of the Canadiens–Maple Leafs rivalry. Montreal was making its ninth consecutive appearance in the Final series. It was Toronto's first appearance since their 1951 win over Montreal. The Canadiens won the series, four games to one, for their fourth straight Cup victory.
The 1958 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1957–58 season, and the culmination of the 1958 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the two-time defending champion Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins in a rematch of the 1957 Finals. The Canadiens, who were appearing in the Finals for the eighth consecutive year, defeated the Bruins in six games for their third straight Cup victory and tenth in the team's history. The Canadiens became the second team in NHL history to three-peat as Stanley Cup champions, joining their archrival Toronto Maple Leafs.
The 1957 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1956–57 season, and the culmination of the 1957 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the defending champion Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins. The Canadiens were making their seventh consecutive Final appearance, while Boston was making their first appearance since their 1953 loss to Montreal. The Canadiens won the series, four games to one, for their second straight Cup victory.
The 1956 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1955–56 season, and the culmination of the 1956 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Montreal Canadiens and the two-time defending champion Detroit Red Wings in the fourth Detroit-Montreal series in the 1950s, the two teams having met in the previous two years as well as in 1952; Detroit won all three. The Canadiens were appearing in their sixth consecutive Finals, the Red Wings their third. The Canadiens avenged their previous three losses to Detroit, as they defeated the Red Wings in five games to win their second Stanley Cup in four years.
The 1953 Stanley Cup Finals was contested by the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins were appearing in the Final for the first time since 1946. The Canadiens, who were appearing in their third straight Finals series, won the series four games to one to clinch their seventh championship.
The 1946 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven series between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens won the series four games to one.
The 1943–44 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 35th season, 27th in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team would win the Stanley Cup for the fifth time. Bill Durnan would join the club as its new goaltender and he won the Vezina Trophy in his rookie season.
The Punch line was a famous ice hockey line for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1940s. It consisted of Elmer Lach at center, Toe Blake on left wing, and Maurice Richard on the right side.
The 1942–43 NHL season was the 26th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Brooklyn Americans were dropped, leaving six teams to play a schedule of 50 games. This is the first season of the "Original Six" era of the NHL. The league's long-time president Frank Calder died due to heart disease. The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup.
The Original Six era of the National Hockey League (NHL) began in 1942 with the demise of the Brooklyn Americans, reducing the league to six teams: Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. This structure remained stable for a quarter century; the era ended in 1967 when the NHL doubled in size adding six expansion teams.
Elmer James Lach was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 14 seasons for the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL). A centre, he was a member of the Punch line, along with Maurice Richard and Toe Blake. Lach led the NHL in scoring twice and was awarded the Hart Trophy in 1945 as the league's most valuable player.
