Montreal Canadiens Absolutely Dominated In the 1970s
Published on June 12th, 2022 12:27 pm ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel
With the Tampa Bay Lightning playing for a chance to win their third straight Stanley Cup, the talk has turned to the greatest NHL dynasties of all time.
There have obviously been some fantasticly dominant teams over the history of the NHL.
The Edmonton Oilers.
The New York Islanders.
The Detroit Red Wings.
The Montreal Canadiens in the 1950s.
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The greatest NHL dynasty of all time, however, belongs to the 1970s Montreal Canadiens.
In fact, you can put the 1970s Montreal Canadiens in amongst the greatest dynasties of all time in any sport.
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From 1970 to 1979, the Montreal Canadiens won SIX Stanley Cups, including four straight from 1976 to 1979.
These teams included a number of the greatest players in the history of the NHL.
In the early 1970s, you had Frank Mahovlich and Henri Richard.
Later on in the '70s, you had the likes of Ken Dryden, Larry Robinson, Guy Lafleur and Jacques Lemaire, just to name a few.
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During their run in the '70s, the Canadiens won Cups in 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979.
Over their nine-year run, the Canadiens NEVER finished the regular season with a winning percentage of less than .600.
They finished in first place seven times and won six conference titles.
In 1976-77, the Canadiens finished with 132 points and a winning percentage of .825, both of which are records that may never be broken.
In 1976-77, the Canadiens finished the regular season with a record of 60-8-12, and a goal differential of +216.
In 1977-78, the Canadiens finished the regular season with a record of 59-10-11, and a goal differential of +176.
In 1978-79, the Canadiens finished the regular season with a record of 52-17-11, and a goal differential of +133.
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There have been some very good teams in the history of the NHL, but none compare to the 1970s Montreal Canadiens.