WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.940 Have you ever thought about what actually happens 00:00:01.940 --> 00:00:07.400 the moment an impossible ceiling in sports is 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:09.919 finally shattered? Oh, that magical tipping point. 00:00:09.980 --> 00:00:11.919 Right. You know, that moment where a barrier 00:00:11.919 --> 00:00:15.480 everyone agreed was completely unbreakable suddenly 00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:18.579 just vanishes. It is a fascinating concept to 00:00:18.579 --> 00:00:21.239 look at historically. It really is. Welcome to 00:00:21.239 --> 00:00:23.579 today's deep dive, where we are taking you back 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:26.079 in time to explore exactly that kind of moment. 00:00:26.379 --> 00:00:28.059 I'll be your host today. And I'm here to help 00:00:28.059 --> 00:00:30.300 break down the history and the stats behind it 00:00:30.300 --> 00:00:32.579 all. We've got a really fantastic mission for 00:00:32.579 --> 00:00:36.340 you today. We are exploring a single, incredibly 00:00:36.340 --> 00:00:40.140 dense Wikipedia article covering the 1968 -69 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:43.539 NHL season. A truly wild year for hockey. Absolutely 00:00:43.539 --> 00:00:46.259 wild. Our goal is to uncover why this specific 00:00:46.259 --> 00:00:49.659 season, the league's 52nd overall, was an absolute 00:00:49.659 --> 00:00:52.460 powder keg of broken records, bizarre cultural 00:00:52.460 --> 00:00:55.299 milestones, and frankly, some of the most dynastic 00:00:55.299 --> 00:00:57.340 dominance the ice has ever seen. Yeah, it had 00:00:57.340 --> 00:00:59.240 a bit of everything. We'll be touching on everything 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:01.520 from Phyllis Bozzito's shattered ceilings and 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:03.719 the legendary Montreal Canadiens' Stanley Cup 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:07.079 dynasty to the completely forgotten history of 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:09.769 the Miss NHL pageant. which is a story in itself 00:01:09.769 --> 00:01:12.129 oh we will definitely get to that it is an incredible 00:01:12.129 --> 00:01:14.819 piece of hockey history Packed with sports milestones. 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:18.480 To really grasp the magnitude of what unfolded 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:21.659 that year, you have to look at the structural 00:01:21.659 --> 00:01:24.579 architecture of the league at that exact moment. 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:27.780 Setting the stage. Exactly. The NHL had just 00:01:27.780 --> 00:01:30.459 expanded its schedule to 76 games, which was 00:01:30.459 --> 00:01:32.719 adding two more matchups than the previous year. 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:35.680 Right. Which sounds minor. It does. While two 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:37.719 games might seem like a minor administrative 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:41.060 tweak. This season serves as a premier case study 00:01:41.060 --> 00:01:43.640 of a sport in a state of rapid, unprecedented 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:46.540 transition. Because of the expansion. Yes. The 00:01:46.540 --> 00:01:48.659 league had recently doubled in size from the 00:01:48.659 --> 00:01:51.799 traditional original 6 to 12 teams. That is a 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:54.379 massive jump. It changes everything. You suddenly 00:01:54.379 --> 00:01:58.260 have an influx of brand new franchises, a diluted 00:01:58.260 --> 00:02:01.239 talent pool across the ice, and an environment 00:02:01.239 --> 00:02:04.079 that was structurally engineered for historical 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:07.519 norms to be completely rewritten. Okay, let's 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:09.030 unpack this. because we really have to start 00:02:09.030 --> 00:02:10.889 with the most staggering storyline of the entire 00:02:10.889 --> 00:02:14.710 season. The offensive explosion. Yes. Prior to 00:02:14.710 --> 00:02:18.349 the puck dropping on the 1968 -69 campaign, no 00:02:18.349 --> 00:02:20.250 player in the entire history of the National 00:02:20.250 --> 00:02:22.710 Hockey League had ever scored 100 points in a 00:02:22.710 --> 00:02:25.750 single season. Not once. It was treated as this 00:02:25.750 --> 00:02:28.189 mythical barrier, almost like a law of physics 00:02:28.189 --> 00:02:31.069 on the ice, a completely untouched ceiling. Right. 00:02:31.229 --> 00:02:35.289 And then, in this one single season, We didn't 00:02:35.289 --> 00:02:38.569 just see one player quietly scrape past it. We 00:02:38.569 --> 00:02:42.389 saw three absolute titans of the game completely 00:02:42.389 --> 00:02:44.949 demolish the scale. The math behind what they 00:02:44.949 --> 00:02:47.699 achieved is staggering. They essentially broke 00:02:47.699 --> 00:02:49.979 the existing algorithm for offensive production. 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:52.139 Because of that diluted talent pool you mentioned. 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:54.360 Exactly. When you look at the conditions of the 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:56.620 league, adding six new expansion teams meant 00:02:56.620 --> 00:02:59.219 that elite forwards from the original six franchises 00:02:59.219 --> 00:03:01.439 were suddenly getting plenty of ice time against 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:03.939 minor league caliber goaltenders. And unpolished 00:03:03.939 --> 00:03:06.180 defensive lines. The talent disparity created 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:09.500 a vacuum and the best players in the world ruthlessly 00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:11.780 exploited it. And leading that ruthless charge 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:14.530 was the Boston Bruins legendary center. Phil 00:03:14.530 --> 00:03:17.229 Esposito. What a season he had. Unbelievable. 00:03:17.590 --> 00:03:20.650 He didn't just hit the 100 -point mark. He rocketed 00:03:20.650 --> 00:03:23.569 all the way to 126 points. Which is just absurd 00:03:23.569 --> 00:03:26.870 for that era. Tallying 49 goals and an unbelievable 00:03:26.870 --> 00:03:30.530 77 assists. And the sources point out he wasn't 00:03:30.530 --> 00:03:33.530 doing this in a vacuum. No, he had help. He actually 00:03:33.530 --> 00:03:36.349 set a record alongside his linemates, Wayne Cashman 00:03:36.349 --> 00:03:39.110 and Ron Murphy, for the most points in a season 00:03:39.110 --> 00:03:42.560 by a forward line. They were unstoppable. Esposito 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:44.800 was the very first player to ever cross that 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:47.319 100 -point threshold, officially securing the 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:50.319 milestone on March 2nd during a 4 -0 win over 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:52.259 the Pittsburgh Penguins. What's fascinating here 00:03:52.259 --> 00:03:54.860 is the psychological phenomenon at play once 00:03:54.860 --> 00:03:57.379 that first domino fall. Oh, like a mental shift. 00:03:57.780 --> 00:04:00.020 Exactly. It's analogous to the four -minute mile 00:04:00.020 --> 00:04:02.120 effect in track and field. Right, with Roger 00:04:02.120 --> 00:04:04.580 Bannister. Precisely. For decades, runners believed 00:04:04.580 --> 00:04:06.520 breaking four minutes was physically impossible. 00:04:07.289 --> 00:04:09.689 Then Bannister does it, and within a year, multiple 00:04:09.689 --> 00:04:11.750 competitors follow suit. Because they finally 00:04:11.750 --> 00:04:15.229 knew it could be done. Yes. Once Esposito proved 00:04:15.229 --> 00:04:17.250 to the rest of the league that a 100 -point season 00:04:17.250 --> 00:04:19.649 was mathematically and physically achievable 00:04:19.649 --> 00:04:23.069 within the bounds of a 76 -game schedule, the 00:04:23.069 --> 00:04:25.709 mental block completely evaporated for his peers. 00:04:25.990 --> 00:04:28.089 And the timeline of those peers following suit 00:04:28.089 --> 00:04:31.410 is incredibly tight. Trailing just behind Esposito 00:04:31.410 --> 00:04:33.930 was the Chicago Blackhawks' Bobby Hull. Another 00:04:33.930 --> 00:04:37.250 legend. He finished the season with 107 points. 00:04:37.870 --> 00:04:41.370 But Hull's campaign has its own massive historical 00:04:41.370 --> 00:04:44.850 footprint. because he set a brand new all -time 00:04:44.850 --> 00:04:48.660 record for goals, netting an astounding 58. 58 00:04:48.660 --> 00:04:50.699 goals is a phenomenal achievement. The sources 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:52.660 note he actually broke his own previous goals 00:04:52.660 --> 00:04:55.360 record on March 20th, scoring his 55th goal against 00:04:55.360 --> 00:04:57.879 Boston. Incredible. And rounding out this historic 00:04:57.879 --> 00:05:00.600 trio is the ultimate veteran, Gordie Howe of 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:03.240 the Detroit Red Wings. Mr. Hockey himself. Howe 00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:05.259 kept pace with the younger generation and finished 00:05:05.259 --> 00:05:07.980 third overall with 103 points. At that stage 00:05:07.980 --> 00:05:10.060 in his career, it's just remarkable. It really 00:05:10.060 --> 00:05:12.899 is. Zero players in history had touched this 00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:15.819 milestone. And suddenly... Three distinct players 00:05:15.819 --> 00:05:18.019 from three different franchises do it in the 00:05:18.019 --> 00:05:20.800 exact same window. The sheer volume of scoring 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:23.519 wasn't just limited to season -long aggregations 00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:26.759 either. We see this offensive inflation bleeding 00:05:26.759 --> 00:05:29.800 into single -game performances, creating anomalies 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:32.100 that still stand out in the record books today. 00:05:32.279 --> 00:05:35.319 Which brings us to a performance that almost 00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:39.339 defies logic. Let's talk about Red Branson of 00:05:39.339 --> 00:05:41.579 the St. Louis Blues. A truly historic night. 00:05:41.949 --> 00:05:44.110 On November 7th, the Blues were playing a road 00:05:44.110 --> 00:05:47.310 game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Red Berenson 00:05:47.310 --> 00:05:50.490 went on an absolute tear, scoring six goals in 00:05:50.490 --> 00:05:53.050 a single game against the Flyers' goaltender, 00:05:53.269 --> 00:05:56.389 Doug Favell. Six goals! Just think about that. 00:05:56.509 --> 00:06:00.050 The Blues ended up winning that game 8 -0. How 00:06:00.050 --> 00:06:02.009 rare is a performance like that in the modern 00:06:02.009 --> 00:06:04.069 era? To put Berenson's night into historical 00:06:04.069 --> 00:06:07.430 context, he fell just one single goal shy of 00:06:07.430 --> 00:06:10.189 tying the all -time NHL record for goals in a 00:06:10.189 --> 00:06:12.370 game. Which is seven. Right. That record is seven, 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:14.930 held by Joe Malone, and it was set way back in 00:06:14.930 --> 00:06:16.670 the early days of the league. So Berenson was 00:06:16.670 --> 00:06:18.949 right on the edge of history. He was. And his 00:06:18.949 --> 00:06:21.430 feet is incredibly special because he became 00:06:21.430 --> 00:06:24.189 the first player ever to score a double hat trick 00:06:24.189 --> 00:06:27.769 in a road game. Wow. A road game. Walking into 00:06:27.769 --> 00:06:30.149 a hostile environment like the Philadelphia spectrum 00:06:30.149 --> 00:06:33.370 and systematically dismantling a team's defense 00:06:33.370 --> 00:06:36.769 six separate times, it is a testament to the 00:06:36.769 --> 00:06:39.029 widening skill gap we mentioned earlier. While 00:06:39.029 --> 00:06:41.050 Berenson was filling the net in Philadelphia, 00:06:41.470 --> 00:06:43.910 there was an entirely different kind of drama 00:06:43.910 --> 00:06:46.870 unfolding on the opposite end of the ice in Montreal 00:06:46.870 --> 00:06:51.110 later in the season. Ah, yes, the goaltending 00:06:51.110 --> 00:06:54.600 situation. On December 21st, The Montreal Canadiens 00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:57.600 faced what can only be described as a catastrophic 00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:00.660 goalie crisis. Catastrophic is the right word. 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:03.980 Their veteran goaltender, Gump Worsley, suffered 00:07:03.980 --> 00:07:06.839 a nervous breakdown. Compounding the disaster, 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:09.279 their other goalie, Roji Vachon, was out with 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:11.779 an injury. So they had nobody. The team had absolutely 00:07:11.779 --> 00:07:14.639 no one available in the crease. How does a professional 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:17.300 franchise even handle a scenario where both lines 00:07:17.300 --> 00:07:20.060 of defense completely vanish overnight? They're 00:07:20.060 --> 00:07:22.040 forced to panic and look down the depth chart, 00:07:22.220 --> 00:07:24.079 which in this case meant an emergency call up 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:26.759 for a rookie named Tony Esposito. Phil's brother. 00:07:26.939 --> 00:07:30.079 Yes. And the context of Worsley's breakdown is 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:33.240 crucial here. Goaltending in the 1960s was an 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:35.529 incredibly traumatic position. Because of the 00:07:35.529 --> 00:07:38.269 equipment. Exactly. Many were still playing without 00:07:38.269 --> 00:07:41.269 masks or with early rudimentary facial protection, 00:07:41.649 --> 00:07:43.970 facing slap shots from guys like Bobby Hall. 00:07:44.170 --> 00:07:46.649 That sounds terrifying. The physical and mental 00:07:46.649 --> 00:07:49.730 toll was astronomical. So you take this young 00:07:49.730 --> 00:07:52.310 rookie, Esposito, and throw him into the deep 00:07:52.310 --> 00:07:54.670 end without a life vest. Talk about pressure. 00:07:54.930 --> 00:07:57.769 Huge pressure. He has to step onto the ice against 00:07:57.769 --> 00:08:00.209 the Boston Bruins, going head to head against 00:08:00.209 --> 00:08:02.490 their phenomenal goaltender, Jerry Cheevers. 00:08:02.790 --> 00:08:05.300 And the resulting game is pure. cinematic drama. 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:08.660 Against all odds, this emergency start ends in 00:08:08.660 --> 00:08:13.019 a rare, completely scoreless 0 -0 tie. A scoreless 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:16.620 tie in that era of high offense. Right. Rookie 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:19.740 Tony Esposito stood on his head, making 41 saves 00:08:19.740 --> 00:08:22.579 under unimaginable pressure, while Jerry Cheevers 00:08:22.579 --> 00:08:25.379 anchored the opposite end with 34 saves of his 00:08:25.379 --> 00:08:27.930 own. That specific game perfectly illustrates 00:08:27.930 --> 00:08:30.410 the unpredictable nature of sports. You have 00:08:30.410 --> 00:08:33.090 a rookie stepping into a massive void left by 00:08:33.090 --> 00:08:35.370 a legend who needed to prioritize his own mental 00:08:35.370 --> 00:08:37.309 health. And he completely rises to the occasion. 00:08:37.529 --> 00:08:40.289 Tony Esposito absorbs that immense, unexpected 00:08:40.289 --> 00:08:44.690 pressure and delivers a flawless 41 save masterpiece 00:08:44.690 --> 00:08:47.070 against the highest scoring team in the league. 00:08:47.409 --> 00:08:49.789 He wasn't the only rookie making permanent waves 00:08:49.789 --> 00:08:52.580 that year either. Let's look at two other massive 00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:56.259 milestones from the 1968 -69 campaign. There 00:08:56.259 --> 00:08:58.440 were a lot of rookies stepping up. First, you 00:08:58.440 --> 00:09:01.159 have two rookies, Minnesota's Danny Grant and 00:09:01.159 --> 00:09:04.659 Oakland's Norm Ferguson, who both netted 34 goals. 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:07.539 Very solid numbers. By hitting that number, they 00:09:07.539 --> 00:09:10.000 tied a 40 -year -old rookie goal -scoring record 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:12.960 that had been set way back by Nell Stewart. Which 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:14.899 goes to show how much the game was opening up. 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:18.480 And second, the legendary Bobby Orr redefined 00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:20.799 the entire concept of the blue line by breaking 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:22.940 the all -time record for goals by a defenseman, 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:26.120 finishing the season with 21 goals. Orr's achievement 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:28.580 is a perfect pivot point. He was changing the 00:09:28.580 --> 00:09:30.840 geometry of how defensemen operated. Playing 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:32.799 offense from the back. Exactly. Proving they 00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:34.759 could be lethal offensive weapons rather than 00:09:34.759 --> 00:09:37.399 just stay -at -home enforcers. The game was evolving 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:39.870 on the ice at a breakneck pace. Here's where 00:09:39.870 --> 00:09:41.889 it gets really interesting, because the bizarre 00:09:41.889 --> 00:09:46.029 evolution of the 1968 -69 season wasn't contained 00:09:46.029 --> 00:09:48.309 to the ice. Not at all. Moving from the rink 00:09:48.309 --> 00:09:50.730 to the boardroom, the league decided to host 00:09:50.730 --> 00:09:54.429 a completely unprecedented marketing event, the 00:09:54.429 --> 00:09:59.149 1968 Miss NHL Pageant. The pageant is a fascinating 00:09:59.149 --> 00:10:01.629 cultural artifact. It really is. It provides 00:10:01.629 --> 00:10:03.970 a window into how the league's executives were 00:10:03.970 --> 00:10:06.190 attempting to navigate the business of professional 00:10:06.190 --> 00:10:09.850 sports during a massive expansion era. They held 00:10:09.850 --> 00:10:12.330 the inaugural pageant in Toronto on June 27, 00:10:12.649 --> 00:10:16.149 1968. It was an elaborate concept that ultimately 00:10:16.149 --> 00:10:19.190 only survived until 1972 before being completely 00:10:19.190 --> 00:10:21.809 abandoned. A short -lived experiment. The structure 00:10:21.809 --> 00:10:24.429 featured 12 contestants, each representing one 00:10:24.429 --> 00:10:26.690 of the 12 teams in the league. The winner was 00:10:26.690 --> 00:10:28.909 Miss Minnesota North Stars Lynn Marie Stewart, 00:10:29.110 --> 00:10:31.090 who was a second year education student at the 00:10:31.090 --> 00:10:33.190 University of Minnesota. And the prizes they 00:10:33.190 --> 00:10:35.490 gave out are so indicative of the time. They 00:10:35.490 --> 00:10:38.370 are basically a museum exhibit of 1960s luxury. 00:10:38.610 --> 00:10:40.909 The specific items in that prize pool really 00:10:40.909 --> 00:10:43.070 highlight the demographic the NHL was attempting 00:10:43.070 --> 00:10:45.740 to court. The total value of the spoils was an 00:10:45.740 --> 00:10:49.240 estimated $15 ,000, which was a staggering amount 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:52.100 of money at the time. A massive prize. The winner 00:10:52.100 --> 00:10:55.039 walked away with a brand new 1969 convertible, 00:10:55.179 --> 00:10:58.559 a trip for two to Mexico, a mink stole, a movie 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:00.899 camera, and a diamond watch set. Very Mad Men 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:03.559 era. Definitely. As part of her official duties, 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:06.259 she was named the NHL ambassador for the season. 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:08.779 She made highly publicized appearances at the 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:11.960 All -Star Game and even sit alongside NHL President 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:14.240 Clarence Campbell to help present the Stanley 00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:16.879 Cup at the conclusion of the playoffs. It is 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:19.259 tempting to look back at the Miss NHL pageant 00:11:19.259 --> 00:11:22.820 as merely a quirky retro novelty. Just a strange 00:11:22.820 --> 00:11:25.019 footnote. Right. However, analyzing it from a 00:11:25.019 --> 00:11:27.379 business perspective reveals a league actively 00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:30.100 experimenting with its identity. The NHL had 00:11:30.100 --> 00:11:32.419 just doubled its footprint across North America. 00:11:32.659 --> 00:11:35.600 So they needed new fans. Exactly. Executives 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:37.740 were desperately searching for avenues to market 00:11:37.740 --> 00:11:40.100 the sport beyond the traditional diehard fans 00:11:40.100 --> 00:11:42.320 who tuned in for the grit and the fistfights. 00:11:42.539 --> 00:11:44.399 They scored these contestants on personality, 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:47.759 poise, carriage, figure, makeup, grooming, speech, 00:11:47.899 --> 00:11:50.440 and talent. They were essentially trying to graph 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:53.980 the mainstream glamour of 1960s pageant culture 00:11:53.980 --> 00:11:57.500 onto the brutal reality of professional hockey. 00:11:57.759 --> 00:12:00.820 Hoping to attract a broader, more diverse television 00:12:00.820 --> 00:12:03.500 audience. To see if it would stick. It sounds 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:05.639 like the ultimate example of throwing spaghetti 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:07.759 at the wall to build a new audience. It really 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:11.000 was. And the fans who did tune in that year certainly 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:13.840 got an incredible show once the postseason arrived. 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.120 Let's break down the playoff bracket, because 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:21.360 the structure itself tells a massive story. The 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:24.059 structure was very unique. The playoffs pitted 00:12:24.059 --> 00:12:26.059 the East Division against the West Division. 00:12:26.649 --> 00:12:28.830 In the West quarterfinals, we witnessed the first 00:12:28.830 --> 00:12:31.210 ever Battle of California, featuring the Los 00:12:31.210 --> 00:12:33.830 Angeles Kings taking on the Oakland Seals. That 00:12:33.830 --> 00:12:36.490 specific series holds a unique distinction in 00:12:36.490 --> 00:12:38.690 the context of the entire postseason. Oh, because 00:12:38.690 --> 00:12:41.289 of the length. Yes. It was the only matchup in 00:12:41.289 --> 00:12:43.429 the entire playoff bracket that went the full 00:12:43.429 --> 00:12:46.070 distance of seven games. The Kings ultimately 00:12:46.070 --> 00:12:49.309 emerged victorious, taking game seven. And the 00:12:49.309 --> 00:12:51.370 sources provide a rather grim piece of trivia 00:12:51.370 --> 00:12:54.049 regarding the losing side. Yeah, the Oakland 00:12:54.049 --> 00:12:56.750 Seals never won another playoff game in the entire 00:12:56.750 --> 00:12:59.269 history of their franchise after that series 00:12:59.269 --> 00:13:02.750 concluded. That is tough. The contrast between 00:13:02.750 --> 00:13:05.889 the two divisions becomes glaringly obvious when 00:13:05.889 --> 00:13:08.110 you look at the broader playoff picture. It was 00:13:08.110 --> 00:13:11.090 heavily lopsided. The structure isolated the 00:13:11.090 --> 00:13:14.090 six newly added expansion teams in the West Division, 00:13:14.330 --> 00:13:16.710 while the established original six franchises 00:13:16.710 --> 00:13:19.409 battled it out in the East Division. So they 00:13:19.409 --> 00:13:21.740 were kept separate until the end. Right. This 00:13:21.740 --> 00:13:24.759 created a postseason that was essentially a tale 00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:27.639 of two entirely different leagues operating under 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:30.500 one umbrella. The disparity is incredible. Over 00:13:30.500 --> 00:13:32.500 the West Division, the St. Louis Blues operated 00:13:32.500 --> 00:13:35.019 as an absolute juggernaut against their fellow 00:13:35.019 --> 00:13:37.320 expansion teams. They ran through everybody. 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:40.039 They steamrolled the competition, sweeping the 00:13:40.039 --> 00:13:42.779 Philadelphia Flyers 4 -0 in the quarterfinals, 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:45.220 which marked the franchise's first ever four 00:13:45.220 --> 00:13:47.700 -game sweep. Impressive for a new team. And they 00:13:47.700 --> 00:13:49.840 immediately followed that up by sweeping the 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:52.340 Los Angeles Kings four narrow in the semifinals. 00:13:52.740 --> 00:13:55.399 The Blues rattled off eight straight wins to 00:13:55.399 --> 00:13:57.559 completely cruise into the Stanley Cup finals. 00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:01.039 Meanwhile, the East Division was a complete bloodbath. 00:14:01.210 --> 00:14:03.029 Oh, totally different story over there. These 00:14:03.029 --> 00:14:05.710 were the legacy franchises with deep rosters, 00:14:05.950 --> 00:14:09.649 established systems, and decades of bitter rivalries. 00:14:09.830 --> 00:14:12.429 The level of competition required to survive 00:14:12.429 --> 00:14:15.370 the East Bracket was exponentially higher. The 00:14:15.370 --> 00:14:17.370 Montreal Canadiens opened their postseason by 00:14:17.370 --> 00:14:20.789 sweeping the New York Rangers. But the real violence 00:14:20.789 --> 00:14:22.909 happened in the other matchup. The Bruins and 00:14:22.909 --> 00:14:25.690 the Leafs. The Boston Bruins swept the Toronto 00:14:25.690 --> 00:14:28.049 Maple Leafs in a series that opened with absolute 00:14:28.049 --> 00:14:32.500 destruction. In Game 1. Boston annihilated Toronto 00:14:32.500 --> 00:14:36.100 with a final score of 10 -0. 10 -0 in a playoff 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:38.200 game. Phyllis Bozzito carried his regular season 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:40.960 dominance right into the playoffs, scoring four 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:43.769 power play goals in that single game. That sheer 00:14:43.769 --> 00:14:46.889 display of offensive firepower set the stage 00:14:46.889 --> 00:14:49.269 for a brutal collision in the East Semifinals. 00:14:49.429 --> 00:14:52.970 Boston against Montreal. Yes. You had the unstoppable 00:14:52.970 --> 00:14:55.190 offensive engine of the Boston Bruins running 00:14:55.190 --> 00:14:57.789 headfirst into the immovable, experienced defensive 00:14:57.789 --> 00:14:59.970 structure of the Montreal Canadiens. It was an 00:14:59.970 --> 00:15:03.159 absolute war of attrition. It took Montreal six 00:15:03.159 --> 00:15:06.360 grueling games to finally put Boston away and 00:15:06.360 --> 00:15:08.559 survive the series. And those were tight games. 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:11.159 Three of those intensely fought matches required 00:15:11.159 --> 00:15:14.000 overtime to decide a winner. The exhaustion of 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:16.100 that series perfectly sets the stage for the 00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:18.519 climax of the season. The East survivor against 00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:21.759 the West survivor. The 1969 Stanley Cup finals 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:25.220 delivered pure deja vu for hockey fans. It was 00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:27.860 a direct rematch of the exact same matchup from 00:15:27.860 --> 00:15:30.279 the previous year. Montreal and St. Louis again. 00:15:30.460 --> 00:15:32.559 The Montreal Canadiens representing the battle 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:35.559 -tested East against the St. Louis Blues representing 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:38.860 the relatively untested West. And the final result. 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:41.360 We all know what happened. An identical carbon 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:45.840 copy outcome to the 1967 -68 season. The Montreal 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:48.259 Canadiens effortlessly swept the St. Louis Blues 00:15:48.259 --> 00:15:51.519 four narrow. This specific final series underscores 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:54.159 the absolute undeniable dominance of the Montreal 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:56.580 Canadiens organization during this era. They 00:15:56.580 --> 00:15:58.899 were just on another level. Contextualizing their 00:15:58.899 --> 00:16:01.419 performance against St. Louis reveals a staggering 00:16:01.419 --> 00:16:04.480 psychological advantage. Going into this championship 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:08.539 series, Montreal had literally never lost a single 00:16:08.539 --> 00:16:10.539 game to the St. Louis Blues in the history of 00:16:10.539 --> 00:16:13.240 the matchup. Not a single game. They went 3 -0 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:15.399 -1 against them in the previous regular season, 00:16:15.580 --> 00:16:18.379 swept them 4 -0 in the previous finals, went 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:21.580 5 -0 -1 against them in the 1968 -69 regular 00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:24.519 season, and then calmly swept them 4 -0 again 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:28.019 to hoist the cup. That is a completely unbreakable 00:16:28.019 --> 00:16:30.559 wall. You look at the Blues, who managed to put 00:16:30.559 --> 00:16:33.279 together these flawless eight -game winning streaks 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:36.299 in the West playoffs, only to cross the divisional 00:16:36.299 --> 00:16:39.480 line and run headfirst into a brick wall of Original 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:42.179 Six reality. The gap in foundational talent was 00:16:42.179 --> 00:16:44.620 just too wide. You analyze the performance of 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:46.799 a player like Montreal defenseman Serge Savard, 00:16:46.860 --> 00:16:48.980 who was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the 00:16:48.980 --> 00:16:51.360 most valuable player of the playoffs. Well, well 00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:53.679 -deserved honor. Absolutely. Savard, along with 00:16:53.679 --> 00:16:55.259 the rest of the Canadiens roster, represented 00:16:55.259 --> 00:16:57.679 the absolute pinnacle of an established dynasty 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:00.720 operating at peak, ruthless efficiency. They 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:02.779 understood exactly how to suffocate hope and 00:17:02.779 --> 00:17:05.279 win when the stakes were highest. It is a phenomenal 00:17:05.279 --> 00:17:07.619 narrative of two different worlds colliding. 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:10.769 So what does this all mean for you? When we look 00:17:10.769 --> 00:17:14.089 back at the entirety of this deep dive, the 1968 00:17:14.089 --> 00:17:18.349 -69 NHL season presents this incredible dichotomy. 00:17:18.450 --> 00:17:21.750 A season of contrasts. On one side of the coin, 00:17:21.869 --> 00:17:24.589 you have an explosive era of individual revolution. 00:17:25.509 --> 00:17:28.670 Players like Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull, and Red 00:17:28.670 --> 00:17:31.650 Berenson were completely shattering ceilings 00:17:31.650 --> 00:17:34.069 that experts deemed mathematically impossible. 00:17:34.490 --> 00:17:36.950 They were actively redefining the physical limits 00:17:36.950 --> 00:17:39.170 of what a single human being could achieve on 00:17:39.170 --> 00:17:41.549 the ice. But on the flip side, you have an organization 00:17:41.549 --> 00:17:44.349 like the Montreal Canadiens proving that no matter 00:17:44.349 --> 00:17:47.049 how many individual scoring records fall, the 00:17:47.049 --> 00:17:49.250 ultimate team prize still belonged firmly to 00:17:49.250 --> 00:17:51.839 the established old guard. The team dynamic beat 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:54.460 the individual milestones. Individual brilliance 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:57.220 was surging, but the dynastic status quo remained 00:17:57.220 --> 00:17:59.500 totally unchallenged. If we connect this to the 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:01.779 bigger picture, consider the trajectory of the 00:18:01.779 --> 00:18:03.940 St. Louis Blues for a moment. They managed to 00:18:03.940 --> 00:18:05.740 navigate their division and reach the Stanley 00:18:05.740 --> 00:18:07.720 Cup Finals in their second year of existence. 00:18:08.059 --> 00:18:10.170 Which is amazing for an expansion team. From 00:18:10.170 --> 00:18:12.970 an organizational standpoint, that is an incredible 00:18:12.970 --> 00:18:15.970 feat of team building, drafting, and execution. 00:18:16.569 --> 00:18:19.730 Yet, they were systematically swept 4 -0 by the 00:18:19.730 --> 00:18:22.450 exact same opponent two consecutive years in 00:18:22.450 --> 00:18:24.750 a row. A tough pill to swallow. It raises an 00:18:24.750 --> 00:18:27.430 important question for you to mull over. In your 00:18:27.430 --> 00:18:30.730 own pursuits, how do you measure success? Is 00:18:30.730 --> 00:18:33.230 it the incredible, unlikely achievement of making 00:18:33.230 --> 00:18:35.349 it to the final stage and proving you belong 00:18:35.349 --> 00:18:38.410 in the conversation? Or does the inevitable sting 00:18:38.410 --> 00:18:40.910 of hitting an un - breakable ceiling overshadowed 00:18:40.910 --> 00:18:42.730 the journey that got you there in the first place? 00:18:43.009 --> 00:18:46.009 That is a brilliant question to leave on. History 00:18:46.009 --> 00:18:48.369 is full of barriers, some that we managed to 00:18:48.369 --> 00:18:50.809 completely shatter and others that force us to 00:18:50.809 --> 00:18:53.869 reevaluate our own definitions of victory. Thank 00:18:53.869 --> 00:18:55.690 you so much for joining us on this deep dive 00:18:55.690 --> 00:18:59.470 into the 1968 -69 NHL season. We hope you take 00:18:59.470 --> 00:19:01.089 that lingering thought with you today, and we'll 00:19:01.089 --> 00:19:03.130 see you next time as we unpack another fascinating 00:19:03.130 --> 00:19:03.529 story.