1956 Stanley Cup Final
Canadiens defeat Red Wings in five games.
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The 1956 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's 1955–56 season, contested between the Montreal Canadiens and the two-time defending champion Detroit Red Wings. It marked the fourth Detroit-Montreal series in the 1950s, with Detroit having won all three previous meetings. The Canadiens avenged those losses by defeating the Red Wings in five games to win their second Stanley Cup in four years, denying Detroit a three-peat.
Background
The Canadiens reached the Final by defeating the New York Rangers 4–1, while Detroit eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–1. In game one, Montreal trailed 4–2 after two periods but scored four unanswered goals in a 5:29 span of the third period to win 6–4. Game two saw Montreal take a 2–0 series lead with a 5–1 victory, featuring goals from Henri Richard, Bernie Geoffrion, Jean Beliveau, and Maurice Richard.
Detroit won game three 3–1 at home, with goals from Red Kelly, Ted Lindsay, and Gordie Howe. Jacques Plante recorded a shutout in game four, stopping all 24 shots, and Jean Beliveau scored twice in a 3–0 win. In game five, Montreal won 3–1 at home, with Beliveau contributing a goal and two assists, and Plante making 25 saves.
Did You Know?
- Jacques Plante held the Red Wings to just 9 goals in the five-game series.
- Three engraving mistakes were made on the Stanley Cup for the 1956 Canadiens, including Claude Provost's name misspelled as C. PREVOST.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who scored the series-winning goal in Game 5 of the 1956 Stanley Cup Final?
Jean Beliveau put the puck in the net to seal the decisive Game 5 victory for the Canadiens.
How many games did the 1956 Stanley Cup Final last?
The series stretched to five games, with the Canadiens taking the clinching win in Game 5 to end the contest.
What was the Detroit–Montreal rivalry context heading into the 1956 Stanley Cup Final?
It was the fourth time in the decade that these two teams met in the Cup Final, with Detroit holding a 3-0 series record against Montreal. The Canadiens finally broke that streak by winning the 1956 matchup in five games.
More in Montreal Canadiens games
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: 1956 Stanley Cup Final (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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