1960–61 NHL season

Did You Know?

• Eddie Shore, the former Boston Bruins defenseman, suffered a heart attack but was resting comfortably in a Springfield, Massachusetts hospital.
• Gordie Howe became the first NHL player to reach 1,000 regular-season points; Jean Beliveau matched the feat seven seasons later.

Regular season

The Chicago Black Hawks entered the season with a strong roster, featuring defensemen Pierre Pilote, Al Arbour, Jack Evans, and Elmer Vasko, forwards Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, and goaltender Glenn Hall. On October 13, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 8–4, with Bernie Geoffrion and Dickie Moore each recording hat tricks. Jack McCartan earned his only NHL shutout on October 19, blanking Chicago 2–0; in that game, Chicago's Reg Fleming set a record with 37 penalty minutes, including three majors, a misconduct, and a game misconduct.

On December 1, the Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6–3 at the Montreal Forum; Jean-Guy Gendron scored, and referee Frank Udvari called 21 penalties. In January, Stan Mikita scored two goals in a 3–2 win over the Rangers on January 4 and the winner in a 4–3 victory over Boston the next night. Former Canadiens defenseman Leo Lamoureux died on January 11 at age 45. On March 8, Chicago beat the Rangers 4–3; New York goalie Gump Worsley pulled a hamstring and was replaced by Joe Shaefer. The next night, the Rangers were eliminated as Geoffrion recorded a hat trick in a 6–1 Montreal win.

Broadcasting

Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television broadcast Saturday night regular season and playoff games, though games were not shown in full until the 1968–69 season; the radio version aired complete games.