Summary
There had been just six teams in the National Hockey League since the 1942-43 season, down from a high of ten teams in 1930-31. For the 1967-68 season, the NHL doubled in size by adding six more teams: the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues.
The league also split into two divisions, with the six new teams in the West and the six older teams in the East and the regular season was increased from 70 to 74 games. A new playoff format was established, with semifinal and final rounds in each division, followed by the Stanley Cup final series between the division champions.
In the East, the Montreal Canadiens edged the New York Rangers by 4 points, while the Boston Bruins moved from the cellar into third place and the Chicago Blackhawks took the fourth playoff spot.
The race in the West was very close, with only 6 points between the first-place Philadelphia Flyers and the fifth-place Pittsburgh Penguins. The St. Louis Blues, who finished in third place, were only 3 points back of the Flyers. The Blues won their way to the final round, largely because of Glenn Hall's goaltending, while the Canadiens won eight of nine games in the East playoffs.
Not surprisingly, Montreal swept St. Louis in the final series, but it wasn't that easy. Each game was decided by one goal and two of them went into overtime.
