Summary
The Montreal Canadiens continued their domination during the regular season, finishing first by an 18-point margin over the Boston Bruins, who were 4 points ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Toronto Maple Leafs returned to the playoffs with a remarkable finish. They were 7 points behind the New York Rangers with only five games to play, but they won all five while the Rangers were losing six out of seven, allowing the Leafs to finish a point ahead for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Dickie Moore led the league in scoring for the second straight year, Jean Beliveau led in goals, and Jacques Plante won the Vezina Trophy for the fourth straight year. Doug Harvey's four-year streak as the Norris Trophy winner ended, but it was another Canadien, Tom Johnson, who won it.
The Maple Leafs kept surging in the first round of the playoffs, beating the Bruins in a seven-game series, including two overtime wins by Toronto. They also had an overtime win in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final against Montreal, but that was the only victory they managed in the series.
The Canadiens were the first NHL team to win the Stanley Cup four years in a row.
