1972 Stanley Cup Championship

Lore & Background

This was the fourth meeting between teams from Boston and New York City for a major professional sports championship. This previously occurred in two World Series (1912, 1916), and the 1929 Stanley Cup Final. Boston defeated their rival in the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games and swept the St. Louis Blues to advance to the Final. New York defeated the defending champion Montreal Canadiens in six games and the Chicago Black Hawks in a sweep to set up an 'Original Six' Final. This was only the second Stanley Cup Final contested by New York in which the Rangers hosted all of their home games. The first such Final, held in 1929, had lasted only two games. All other previous Finals contested by the Rangers had partly or entirely coincided with an annual circus formerly held at Madison Square Garden, compelling the Rangers to play Finals games at neutral sites and/or at the venues of their opponents.

In Their Own Story

The ice crackled under the skates of Phil Esposito as he surveyed the rink during Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The arena roared, a deafening symphony of hope and tension filling the Boston Garden. With the score tied late in the third period, Esposito received a pass near the blue line. He deked past a Ranger defender, his stickhandling fluid and precise, before firing a wrist shot that beat the goalie high glove-side. The net rippled as the puck found its mark, sending the crowd into a frenzy. In that moment, the weight of the city's expectations lifted, replaced by pure jubilation.

Reader's Guide

Bobby Orr, who tallied 4 goals and 4 assists in the series, won the Conn Smythe Trophy for the second time. It was also Orr's second Cup-clinching goal, having accomplished both feats in the 1970 finals. Phil Esposito had 41 shots in the series but was held without a goal. Game one in Boston saw both teams play poorly. The Bruins at one point led 5–1 as Ken Hodge completed a hat trick, and Hodge and Derek Sanderson scored short-handed goals on the same Ranger power play at the end of the first period. However, the Rangers tied the game with goals from Gilbert, Hatfield, Tkaczuk, and Bruce MacGregor. With 2:16 remaining in the third period, Garnet 'Ace' Bailey beat Rangers star defenseman Brad Park to have the Bruins prevail 6–5. Gary Doak of the Rangers was ejected from the game after a heated argument with referee Bill Friday over a penalty he received at 18:50 of the first period. Game two had Gilles Villemure replace Ed Giacomin in goal for the Rangers. He played well, but the Bruins did too and won 2–1. Eddie Johnston also replaced Cheevers in goal for the Bruins. In New York, Giacomin and Cheevers were back in goal for game three as the Rangers won 5–2. Brad Park opened the scoring with a power play goal and scored another in the first period. Rod Gilbert also had two goals in the game. Giacomin, facing Johnston in this game, was having trouble with a knee he injured during the Chicago series and lost game four 3–2. Game five in Boston had Villemure again replace Giacomin, while Johnston remained in goal for the Bruins. Boston led 2–1 after two periods. However, Bobby Rousseau scored twice in the third period, his second at 12:45 turned out to be the winner in a 3–2 win for the Rangers. Game six in New York saw Boston play flawlessly and Gerry Cheevers picked up a shutout, 3–0. Bobby Orr's first-period marker ended up standing as the Stanley Cup-winning goal, and he also assisted on the Bruins' second goal. Orr spent 10 minutes in the penalty box after arguing with referee Art Skov but upon his return on the ice played a crucial role in killing off a penalty to the Bruins. Wayne Cashman scored two goals, one of which trickled in behind Gilles Villemure. As of 2025, the 1972 Bruins are the most recent team to have won the Cup without a formal captain. John Bucyk, as the team's senior alternate captain, accepted the Cup and circled the rink in the ceremon

Did You Know?

• This was the last time the Bruins won the Stanley Cup until 2011.
• The Boston Bruins' name was misspelled as 'BQSTQN BRUINS' (one Q replacing one O) on the Stanley Cup engraving. This error was corrected on the replica Cup created in 1992–93.
• Not every person whose name was engraved as a member of the 1972 Bruins had previously appeared on the Stanley Cup; for example, rookie Terry O'Reilly had not.
• Garry Peters dressed for 2 games 1 & 2 of Stanley Cup Semi-Finals, playing game 1. Chris Hayes then played in game 3 of the Semi-Finals (his only NHL game). By the rules of the time, this qualified both to have their nam
• As with the 1970 team, the Boston Bruins did not have a team captain. John Bucyk, Phil Esposito, Ted Green and Ed Westfall all served as alternate captains (all but Green held the title in 1970 as well).