Top 5 Players of the 1959 Stanley Cup Finals

Originally published on Nov. 11, 2019

By Zane Miller

On Saturday, April 18th, 1959, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Boston Garden to win the 46th Stanley Cup Finals four games to one. It was the 11th Stanley Cup championship for the Canadiens franchise, and the 12th that was won in Quebec. These are the top five players that I felt most stood out during the series.

5. #1 Jacques Plante (Canadiens)- G

Plante claimed the win in all four of the Canadiens’ victories during the series, with his best game coming in game two as he allowed just one goal.

4. #16 Bert Olmstead (Maple Leafs)- F

Olmstead got player of the game honors in game three, getting a goal in the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 victory in overtime.

3. #16 Henri Richard (Canadiens)- F

Richard took player of the game in game one, getting one goal and two assists as the Canadiens took the 5-3 win.

2. #14 Claude Provost (Canadiens)- F

Provost picked up player of the game in game two, as he scored a pair of goals in the Canadiens’ 3-1 win.

1. #5 Bernie Geoffrion (Canadiens)- F

Geoffrion earned player of the game honors in games four and five, getting one goal and two assists as the Canadiens won it 3-2, followed up in game five with two goals and one assist in the Canadiens’ 5-3 victory to take home the championship.

Players of the Game Breakdown:

Link to stats database: https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/1959-montreal-canadiens-vs-toronto-maple-leafs-stanley-cup-final.html