Summary
Bobby Orr became the first defenseman to lead the NFL in scoring and completed an unprecedented sweep of major awards when he won the Conn Smythe as the MVP of the playoffs. He added that to the Ross Trophy for scoring leadership, the Hart Trophy as the regular-season MVP, and his third consecutive Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the league. His Boston teammate, Phil Esposito, led in goals while Orr was the assists leader with a record 87.
Still, the Bruins finished tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for first place in the East Division. Both teams had 99 points, while the third-place Red Wings had 95 and the fourth-place New York Rangers 92. The St. Louis Blues again won the West Division easily, by 22 points over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After beating the Rangers in a six-game series, the Bruins swept the Blackhawks in the division finals. Meanwhile, it took the Blues two six-game series to eliminate Minnesota and Pittsburgh.
This was the third straight year St. Louis had reached the Stanley Cup finals, and they were swept for the third time. The Blues did a good job of checking Orr, but the Bruins just had too many other guns.
After three easy Boston victories, the fourth game went into overtime. Just 40 seconds in, Orr got his only goal of the series. The shot of him flying through the air as the puck went into the net is perhaps the most famous photo in NHL history.
