Summary
Canadiens again. It was pretty much as simple as that, at least once the playoffs began.
But the Montreal Canadiens weren't as dominant during the regular season as they had been during the previous two seasons, though their margin over second-place Toronto was a comfortable 13 points.
There were some new stars arising with other teams. Bobby Hull of Chicago led the league in scoring and tied with Bronco Horvath of the Boston Bruins for the leadership in goals, while Don McKenney of Boston led in assists. Although Montreal's Jacques Plante won the Vezina Trophy for the fourth year in a row, Chicago's Glenn Hall was named first-team goalie on the All-NHL team.
And an older star was shining again in Detroit. Gordie Howe won the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP for the fifth team as the Red Wings got back into the playoffs after having finished last the previous season.
In the semifinal series, Montreal held Hull to one goal in a four-game sweep while Toronto was beating Detroit in six games. The final series was no contest. The Canadiens outscored the Maple Leafs, 15-5, in another four-game sweep for their fifth straight Stanley Cup championship. They were the first team to go through the playoffs without a loss since Detroit in 1952.
