Top 5 Players of the 1973 Stanley Cup Finals

Originally published on Dec. 7, 2019

By Zane Miller

On Thursday, May 10th, 1973, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Chicago Black Hawks (now Chicago Blackhawks) at Chicago Stadium in Chicago to win the 60th Stanley Cup Finals four games to two. It was the 18th Stanley Cup championship for the Canadiens franchise, and the fifth that was won in Illinois. These are the top five players that I felt most stood out during the series.

5. #29 Ken Dryden (Canadiens)- G

Dryden got all four wins for the Canadiens, with his best games coming in game two, as he made 18 saves on 19 shots for a 4-1 win, as well as in game four with a shutout, making 19 saves on 19 chances as the Canadiens went on to win 4-0.

4. #10 Dennis Hull (Black Hawks)- F

Hull got player of the game in game three, getting two goals and one assist in the Black Hawks’ 7-4 victory.

3. #21 Stan Mikita (Black Hawks)- F

Mikita earned player of the game honors in game five, as he got two goals and two assists as the Black Hawks took the 8-7 win, the highest scoring game in Stanley Cup Finals history.

2. #25 Jacques Lemaire (Canadiens)- F

Lemaire picked up player of the game in game one, earning a pair of goals and a pair of assists in the Canadiens’ 8-3 win to start off the series.

1. #12 Yvan Cournoyer (Canadiens)- F

Cournoyer took player of the game honors in games two, four, and six, as he got two goals as the Canadiens won it 4-1, followed in game four with one goal and one assist in the team’s 4-0 victory, and again in game six with one goal and two assists as the Canadiens won 6-4 to take home the Stanley Cup.

Players of the Game Breakdown:

Link to stats database: https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/1973-chicago-black-hawks-vs-montreal-canadiens-stanley-cup-final.html