1964 Stanley Cup Final
Maple Leafs won third straight Cup in seven games.
The 1964 Stanley Cup Final decided the NHL championship for the 1963–64 season, wrapping up the playoffs. For the second year in a row, the defending champion Toronto Maple Leafs faced the Detroit Red Wings. Down three games to two, the Maple Leafs rallied to win the series in seven games, securing their third consecutive title. This marked Toronto’s second Stanley Cup three-peat. To this day, it remains the last Final to end before May. Nearly thirty years would pass before Maple Leaf Gardens hosted another Game 7.
Both teams reached the final by winning their semifinal series in seven games: Toronto beat the Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit defeated the Chicago Black Hawks.
The series is remembered for Bob Baun’s grit. In Game 6, a Gordie Howe slapshot broke Baun’s ankle, but he returned in overtime to score the winning goal. He also played in Game 7 despite the pain; only after the series did it become known he had fractured his ankle.
Until the 2008–09 Final, John MacMillan and Red Kelly were the only players to appear in back-to-back Finals with different teams when the same two clubs faced each other. MacMillan won the Cup with Toronto in 1963 (a five-game win over Detroit) and lost the 1964 Final to the Leafs as a Red Wing. Kelly played for Toronto in 1963 and Detroit in 1964.
After Toronto’s 4–0 win in Game 7, NHL President Clarence Campbell presented the Stanley Cup to Maple Leafs captain George Armstrong.
The following Maple Leafs players and staff had their names engraved on the Cup: [list of players from source]. However, Ed Litzenberger and Al Arbour, who each played in one Final game, were left off because they spent most of the season in the minors. Kent Douglas, who played 43 regular-season games but was in the minors during the playoffs, was also omitted. Frank “King” Clancy’s name was misspelled as FRANK KING CLANCEY; this was corrected on the replica Cup in 1992–93. Chief Scout Bob Davidson, physiotherapist Dr. Karl Elieff, and team doctors Dr. Jame Murphy and Dr. Hugh Smythe were also left off. (See also the 1965 Montreal entry regarding Toronto’s 1962–64 engravings.)
- Notable player
- John MacMillan and Red Kelly (only players until 2008–09 to appear in back-to-back Finals with different teams against same opponent)
Lore & Background
The 1964 Stanley Cup Final is famous for the courageous play of Bob Baun. In game six of the Final, he took a Gordie Howe slapshot on his ankle and had to leave play. He returned in overtime and scored the winning goal. He also played in game seven despite the pain and only after the series was over was it revealed that he had played on a fractured ankle. Until the 2008–09 Final, John MacMillan and Red Kelly were the only players to play in back-to-back Finals with different teams in successive series that pitted the same teams against each other. MacMillan won the Cup with the 1963 Toronto Maple Leafs in a five-game decision over Detroit and then lost the 1964 Cup Final to the Leafs as a member of the Red Wings. Kelly played for Toronto in 1963 and Detroit in 1964.
Reader's Guide
The 1964 Stanley Cup Final marked the third consecutive championship for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a feat known as a three-peat and the second such achievement in franchise history. The series is historically notable for being the last Stanley Cup Final to conclude before the month of May. The dramatic game six, in which Bob Baun scored the overtime winner on a fractured ankle, remains one of the most celebrated displays of toughness in hockey lore. The series also featured a unique cross-team narrative: John MacMillan played for Toronto in 1963 and for Detroit in 1964, becoming the only player until 2009 to appear in back-to-back Finals with different teams against the same opponent. The engraving of the Stanley Cup that year included several omissions and a misspelling of Frank 'King' Clancy's name, which was corrected decades later on a replica Cup.
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