The 1971 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1970–71 season, and the culmination of the 1971 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens. The Black Hawks made their first appearance in the finals since 1965, while the Canadiens had last played in and won the final in 1969. The Canadiens won the series, four games to three.

Paths to the Finals The playoff system changed this year to allow cross-over between the divisions during the playoffs.

Chicago defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4–0 and the New York Rangers 4–3 to advance to the final.

Montreal defeated the defending champion Boston Bruins 4–3 and the Minnesota North Stars 4–2. This set up the first "Original Six" Finals since the 1967 Stanley Cup Final.

Game summaries Brothers Frank and Peter Mahovlich starred for the Canadiens, scoring nine goals in the seven-game final series. Ken Dryden debuted for the Canadiens, while this was Jean Beliveau's last Finals appearance. He ended his career with ten championships. This was only the second time that the road team won a game seven in Finals history. The only previous time it happened was when the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings 2–1 in game seven in the 1945 Stanley Cup Final in Detroit. Montreal also won the series despite losing the first two games on the road; none happened again until 2009, when the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Red Wings in game seven by the same 2–1 score after losing the first two games to the Red Wings. The next seven-game Stanley Cup Final did not occur until the 1987 Stanley Cup Final with the Edmonton Oilers and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Game one

Despite Ken Dryden making 56 saves in net for Montreal in game one, Chicago would emerge victorious, with Jim Pappin scoring the game-winning goal in double overtime to give the Black Hawks a 2–1 victory and a 1–0 lead in the series. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st None 2nd MTL Jacques Lemaire (7) – pp J. C. Tremblay (12) and Pete Mahovlich (5) 12:29 1–0 MTL 3rd CHI Bobby Hull (9) – pp Jim Pappin (3) and Pat Stapleton (13) 07:54 1–1 OT None 2OT CHI Jim Pappin (7) Stan Mikita (10) and Bill White (3) 01:11 2–1 CHI Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st CHI Keith Magnuson Elbowing 01:53 2:00 CHI Dan Maloney Elbowing 04:52 2:00 MTL Yvan Cournoyer Hooking 05:27 2:00 MTL Frank Mahovlich Hooking 08:36 2:00 MTL Jean Beliveau Holding 11:26 2:00 2nd CHI Eric Nesterenko Tripping 10:47 2:00 MTL Marc Tardif Slashing 13:27 2:00 3rd MTL Jacques Lemaire Interference 06:25 2:00 CHI Rick Foley Elbowing 12:00 2:00 OT MTL Guy Lapointe Holding 02:21 2:00 CHI Bill White Hooking 08:37 2:00 2OT None Shots by period Team 1 2 3 OT 2OT Total 12 12 7 6 0 37 18 11 17 10 2 58

Game two

Lou Angotti recorded four points for Chicago in game two, and Chicago took a 2–0 series lead. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st CHI Bobby Hull (10) – pp Chico Maki (5) and Lou Angotti (2) 04:39 1–0 CHI MTL Jacques Lemaire (8) – pp J. C. Tremblay (13) 09:06 1–1 MTL Pete Mahovlich (6) J. C. Tremblay (14) and Jacques Laperriere (7) 17:58 2–1 MTL 2nd CHI Chico Maki (5) Lou Angotti (3) and Bobby Hull (9) 11:58 2–2 CHI Jim Pappin (8) Danny O'Shea (5) and Rick Foley (1) 13:50 3–2 CHI 3rd CHI Lou Angotti (2) Unassisted 07:27 4–2 CHI MTL Frank Mahovlich (11) Unassisted 08:56 4–3 CHI CHI Lou Angotti (3) Unassisted 16:47 5–3 CHI Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st MTL Jean Beliveau Holding 04:18 2:00 CHI Dan Maloney Holding 07:20 2:00 CHI Stan Mikita High-sticking 19:28 2:00 MTL John Ferguson High-sticking 19:28 2:00 2nd CHI Keith Magnuson Cross-checking 02:09 2:00 CHI Pit Martin Elbowing 16:39 2:00 MTL Rejean Houle Elbowing 16:39 2:00 3rd CHI Stan Mikita Elbowing 11:11 2:00 MTL Terry Harper High-sticking 11:11 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 10 11 6 27 11 12 12 35

Game three

After Chicago took a 2–0 lead after the first period, Frank Mahovlich netted two goals for Montreal, and Yvan Cournoyer scored the game-winning goal in the third to give the Canadiens a 4–2 lead to the cut the series lead in half. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st CHI Cliff Koroll (6) – pp Bobby Hull (10) and Stan Mikita (11) 04:26 1–0 CHI CHI Bobby Hull (11) Jim Pappin (4) and Pit Martin (6) 13:38 2–0 CHI 2nd MTL Pete Mahovlich (7) Bobby Hull (10) and Stan Mikita (11) 05:56 2–1 CHI MTL Frank Mahovlich (12) – pp Jean Beliveau (14) and Yvan Cournoyer (11) 17:34 2–2 3rd MTL Yvan Cournoyer (7) Terry Harper (5) 06:23 3–2 MTL MTL Frank Mahovlich (13) – pp Guy Lapointe (4) 17:34 4–2 MTL Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st MTL Pete Mahovlich Elbowing 03:39 2:00 CHI Bill White Holding 10:55 2:00 CHI Chico Maki Cross-checking 16:57 2:00 2nd CHI Lou Angotti Kneeing 03:26 2:00 CHI Stan Mikita High-sticking 04:43 2:00 MTL Yvan Cournoyer High-sticking 04:43 2:00 CHI Pit Martin Tripping 07:03 2:00 MTL Guy Lapointe Tripping 07:15 2:00 CHI Bill White Tripping 08:13 2:00 CHI Keith Magnuson Fighting – major 10:06 5:00 MTL Jacques Lemaire Roughing 10:06 2:00 MTL Jacques Lemaire Fighting – major 10:06 5:00 MTL Leon Rochefort Elbowing 11:00 2:00 CHI Jim Pappin Slashing – double minor 13:44 4:00 MTL Phil Roberto Slashing 13:44 2:00 CHI Bobby Hull Hooking 16:03 2:00 3rd CHI Danny O'Shea Holding 03:22 2:00 MTL Rejean Houle Tripping 08:27 2:00 CHI Bobby Hull Hooking 10:26 2:00 CHI Lou Angotti Fighting – major 16:04 5:00 MTL J. C. Tremblay Fighting – major 16:04 5:00 CHI Paul Shmyr Boarding 18:39 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 10 11 6 27 11 12 12 35

Game four

Yvan Cournoyer recorded 3 points for Montreal in game four, giving the Canadiens a 5–2 victory to tie the series. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st MTL Pete Mahovlich (8) Terry Harper (6) and Jacques Laperriere (8) 01:00 1–0 MTL CHI Stan Mikita (5) – pp Cliff Koroll (7) and Pat Stapleton (14) 03:09 1–1 MTL Jean Beliveau (6) – pp Yvan Cournoyer (12) and Frank Mahovlich (10) 06:55 2–1 MTL MTL Guy Lapointe (4) Rejean Houle (3) and Henri Richard (7) 16:33 3–1 MTL 2nd MTL Yvan Cournoyer (8) Unassisted 09:07 4–1 MTL CHI Dennis Hull (5) Stan Mikita (12) 12:30 4–2 MTL MTL Yvan Cournoyer (9) – pp Frank Mahovlich (11) and Pete Mahovlich (12) 15:53 5–2 MTL 3rd None Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st MTL Jean Beliveau Tripping 04:18 2:00 CHI Cliff Koroll High-sticking 07:20 2:00 MTL Jacques Laperriere Interference 14:41 2:00 CHI Rick Foley Holding 15:52 2:00 2nd MTL Yvan Cournoyer Tripping 04:18 2:00 CHI Gerry Pinder High-sticking 09:28 2:00 MTL Leon Rochefort Charging 09:28 2:00 CHI Chico Maki Elbowing 15:32 2:00 3rd CHI Bill White Tripping 01:39 2:00 CHI Lou Angotti Slashing 03:20 2:00 MTL Pete Mahovlich Elbowing 03:20 2:00 MTL Marc Tardif Interference 12:20 2:00 CHI Keith Magnuson Fighting – major 16:08 5:00 CHI Keith Magnuson Misconduct 16:08 10:00 CHI Danny O'Shea Fighting – major 16:08 5:00 CHI Paul Shmyr Fighting – major 16:08 5:00 CHI Paul Shmyr Misconduct 16:08 10:00 MTL Guy Lapointe Fighting – major 16:08 5:00 MTL Guy Lapointe Misconduct 16:08 10:00 MTL Phil Roberto Fighting – major 16:08 5:00 MTL Marc Tardif Fighting – major 16:08 5:00 MTL Marc Tardif Misconduct 16:08 10:00 CHI Jerry Korab High-sticking 17:05 2:00 CHI Jerry Korab Spearing 17:05 2:00 CHI Jerry Korab Misconduct 17:05 10:00 MTL Frank Mahovlich High-sticking 17:05 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 10 17 5 32 16 12 4 32

Game five

Dennis Hull both Cliff Koroll scored for Chicago, and Tony Esposito made 31 saves to record his second shutout of the postseason. The victory gave Chicago a 3–2 series lead. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st CHI Dennis Hull (6) – pp Cliff Koroll (8) and Bobby Hull (11) 10:57 1–0 CHI 2nd CHI Cliff Koroll (7) Dennis Hull (6) and Stan Mikita (13) 11:26 2–0 CHI 3rd None Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st CHI Eric Nesterenko Holding 04:42 2:00 MTL John Ferguson High-sticking 06:58 2:00 CHI Cliff Koroll Holding 07:41 2:00 MTL Henri Richard Hooking 10:25 2:00 CHI Jim Pappin High-sticking 14:02 2:00 MTL Pete Mahovlich High-sticking 14:02 2:00 CHI Bobby Hull Elbowing 16:45 2:00 MTL Terry Harper Elbowing 16:45 2:00 CHI Bill White Holding 18:49 2:00 2nd CHI Keith Magnuson Interference 04:18 2:00 CHI Pete Mahovlich Tripping 12:57 2:00 3rd CHI Bobby Hull Elbowing 05:20 2:00 MTL Rejean Houle Holding 05:20 2:00 CHI Danny O'Shea Fighting – major 16:50 5:00 MTL Phil Roberto Fighting – major 16:50 5:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 10 12 9 31 9 7 6 22

Game six

Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st CHI Jim Pappin (9) Unassisted 11:25 1–0 CHI MTL Yvan Cournoyer (10) Jean Beliveau (15) and Frank Mahovlich (12) 13:38 1–1 2nd MTL Pete Mahovlich (9) Rejean Houle (4) and John Ferguson (6) 05:04 2–1 MTL CHI Chico Maki (6) Bill White (4) and Bobby Hull (12) 13:38 2–2 CHI Jim Pappin (10) Doug Jarrett (6) and Bobby Hull (13) 13:38 3–2 CHI 3rd MTL Frank Mahovlich (14) Jean Beliveau (16) 05:10 3–3 MTL Pete Mahovlich (10) – sh Frank Mahovlich (13) 08:56 4–3 MTL Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st MTL Pete Mahovlich High-sticking 03:44 2:00 CHI Tony Esposito Tripping 04:43 Penalty shot MTL Leon Rochefort Cross-checking 05:12 2:00 CHI Jim Pappin High-sticking 07:34 2:00 MTL Pierre Bouchard Elbowing 07:34 2:00 CHI Keith Magnuson High-sticking 09:41 2:00 MTL Pete Mahovlich High-sticking 09:41 2:00 CHI Eric Nesterenko Cross-checking 15:55 2:00 MTL Terry Harper Hooking 15:55 2:00 2nd MTL John Ferguson Charging 08:50 2:00 3rd MTL Rejean Houle Holding 08:46 2:00 CHI Keith Magnuson Elbowing 11:55 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 11 14 5 30 5 6 5 16

Game seven

After trailing 2–0 to Chicago in game seven, Jacques Lemaire took a shot from centre ice that miraculously escaped goaltender Tony Esposito cutting the Black Hawks' lead to 2–1. Henri Richard tied the game just before the end of the second period, and scored again 02:34 into the third, giving the Habs the lead. Ken Dryden kept Chicago off the board for the rest of the game, making 31 saves. Montreal won their third Stanley Cup in four years. It was the final game for Canadiens superstar and captain Jean Beliveau who retired after the season. The Canadiens were the last road team to win a Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final until the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. It was Al MacNeil's final game as Montreal coach — after he had benched Richard for Game 5, The Pocket Rocket declared "[MacNeil] is the worst coach I ever played for!" Although Richard retracted his "angry comment", as he called it, MacNeil still resigned.

Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st CHI Dennis Hull (7) – pp Cliff Koroll (9) and Bobby Hull (14) 19:12 1–0 CHI 2nd CHI Danny O'Shea (2) Pit Martin (7) 07:33 2–0 CHI MTL Jacques Lemaire (9) Jacques Laperriere (9) 14:18 2–1 CHI MTL Henri Richard (4) Jacques Lemaire (10) 18:20 2–2 3rd MTL Henri Richard (5) Rejean Houle (5) and Guy Lapointe (5) 02:34 3–2 MTL Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st MTL Terry Harper Holding 01:22 2:00 CHI Keith Magnuson Roughing 04:09 2:00 MTL Jacques Lemaire Roughing 04:09 2:00 CHI Dennis Hull Tripping 07:55 2:00 MTL Rejean Houle Holding 17:35 2:00 2nd CHI Keith Magnuson Tripping 01:49 2:00 CHI Eric Nesterenko Roughing 03:20 2:00 MTL Pete Mahovlich Roughing 03:20 2:00 CHI Bench (served by Lou Angotti) Too many men on the ice 04:14 2:00 CHI Keith Magnuson Charging 12:32 2:00 MTL J. C. Tremblay Hooking 13:07 2:00 CHI Doug Jarrett Holding 17:54 2:00 MTL John Ferguson Holding 18:11 2:00 3rd MTL Terry Harper Hooking 05:32 2:00 MTL Pete Mahovlich Hooking 07:37 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 6 9 10 25 12 9 12 33

Coaching controversies