1954 Stanley Cup Final
1954 ice hockey championship series
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The 1954 Stanley Cup Final was contested by the Detroit Red Wings and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens, in their fourth straight Finals. It was the second Detroit–Montreal Finals series of the 1950s. Despite blowing a 3–1 series lead, the Red Wings defeated the Canadiens in seven games to win their second Stanley Cup in four years and sixth overall.
Location(s)Detroit: Olympia Stadium (1, 2, 5, 7)
Montreal: Montreal Forum (3, 4, 6)
Montreal: Montreal Forum (3, 4, 6)
CoachesDetroit: Tommy Ivan
Montreal: Dick Irvin
Montreal: Dick Irvin
CaptainsDetroit: Ted Lindsay
Montreal: Emile Bouchard
Montreal: Emile Bouchard
DatesApril 4–16, 1954
| 1954 Stanley Cup Final | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| * – Denotes overtime period(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location(s) | Detroit: Olympia Stadium (1, 2, 5, 7) Montreal: Montreal Forum (3, 4, 6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | Detroit: Tommy Ivan Montreal: Dick Irvin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Captains | Detroit: Ted Lindsay Montreal: Emile Bouchard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | April 4–16, 1954 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series-winning goal | Tony Leswick (4:29, OT) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Red Wings: Keith Allen (1992, builder) Al Arbour (1996, builder; did not play) Alex Delvecchio (1977) Gordie Howe (1972) Red Kelly (1969) Ted Lindsay (1966) Marcel Pronovost (1978) Terry Sawchuk (1971) Canadiens: Jean Beliveau (1972) Emile Bouchard (1966) Bernie Geoffrion (1972) Doug Harvey (1973) Tom Johnson (1970) Elmer Lach (1966) Dickie Moore (1974) Bert Olmstead (1985) Jacques Plante (1978) Maurice Richard (1961) Coaches: Dick Irvin (1958, player) Tommy Ivan (1974) Officials: Bill Chadwick (1964) George Hayes (1988) Red Storey (1967) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As of today, this remains the last Stanley Cup Final where Game 7 was decided in overtime.
Paths to the Finals
Montreal defeated the Boston Bruins 4–0 to reach the Finals. Detroit defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–1 to reach the Finals.
Game summaries
Tony Leswick scored the series-winning goal at 4:29 of overtime in Game 7. In fact, Leswick's goal was one of the strangest Stanley Cup-winning goals in history, as Leswick's shot was deflected off the glove of Montreal's Doug Harvey and into the net.[1] The Canadiens immediately skated off the ice without shaking hands with the Red Wings.[2] This was the second time in NHL history that Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final was decided in overtime; the previous time it happened, in 1950, Detroit beat the New York Rangers in the Finals. As of 2025, this is the last Stanley Cup Final to have an overtime Game 7.
Game one
| April 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–3 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | DET | Ted Lindsay (3) – pp | Earl Reibel (3) and Alex Delvecchio (4) | 13:44 | 1–0 DET |
| 2nd | MTL | Bernie Geoffrion (5) – pp | Doug Harvey (3) and Paul Masnick (2) | 12:16 | 1–1 |
| 3rd | DET | Earl Reibel (1) – pp | Ted Lindsay (3) and Gordie Howe (4) | 01:52 | 2–1 DET |
| DET | Red Kelly (3) – sh | Marty Pavelich (3) and Tony Leswick (1) | 07:13 | 3–1 DET | |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | MTL | Dollard St. Laurent | Interference | 00:52 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Bert Olmstead | Tripping | 05:53 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Glen Skov | Tripping | 08:24 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Dickie Moore | Hooking | 11:54 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Marcel Pronovost | Tripping | 14:52 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Ted Lindsay | High-sticking | 17:39 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Ted Lindsay | Misconduct | 17:39 | 10:00 | |
| MTL | Maurice Richard | Cross-checking | 19:04 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | MTL | Maurice Richard | High-sticking | 01:49 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Maurice Richard | Misconduct | 01:49 | 10:00 | |
| DET | Marty Pavelich | High-sticking | 05:38 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Tom Johnson | Holding | 07:28 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Glen Skov | Tripping | 12:04 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | MTL | Dollard St. Laurent | Boarding | 00:59 | 2:00 |
| DET | Marcel Pronovost | Tripping | 05:46 | 2:00 | |
Game two
| April 6 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–1 | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | MTL | Dickie Moore (5) – pp | Bernie Geoffrion (5) and Jean Beliveau (7) | 15:03 | 1–0 MTL |
| MTL | Maurice Richard (1) – pp | Dickie Moore (7) | 15:28 | 2–0 MTL | |
| MTL | Maurice Richard (2) – pp | Dickie Moore (8) | 15:59 | 3–0 MTL | |
| 2nd | MTL | Alex Delvecchio (1) – pp | Unassisted | 06:37 | 3–1 MTL |
| 3rd | None | ||||
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | DET | Tony Leswick | High-sticking | 01:11 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Emile Bouchard | High-sticking | 01:11 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Bernie Geoffrion | Tripping | 06:19 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Gordie Howe | Holding | 11:12 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Doug Harvey | Hooking | 11:24 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Gordie Howe | High-sticking | 13:42 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Tony Leswick | Slashing | 14:01 | 10:00 | |
| MTL | Ken Mosdell | Tripping | 16:36 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | MTL | Bud MacPherson | Interference | 06:12 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Emile Bouchard | Hooking | 13:31 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | None | ||||
Game three
| April 8 | Detroit Red Wings | 5–2 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | DET | Alex Delvecchio (2) | Gordie Howe (5) | 00:42 | 1–0 DET |
| DET | Ted Lindsay (4) | Red Kelly (1) | 17:06 | 2–0 DET | |
| 2nd | DET | Johnny Wilson (2) | Metro Prystai (2) and Bob Goldham (2) | 04:57 | 3–0 DET |
| 3rd | MTL | Tom Johnson (1) – sh | Unassisted | 07:19 | 3–1 DET |
| DET | Metro Prystai (1) – pp | Alex Delvecchio (5) | 07:59 | 4–1 DET | |
| DET | Gordie Howe (4) | Alex Delvecchio (6) and Benny Woit (1) | 11:32 | 5–1 DET | |
| MTL | Dollard St. Laurent (1) | Calum MacKay (1) | 15:02 | 5–2 DET | |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | MTL | Paul Meger | Cross-checking | 03:30 | 2:00 |
| DET | Benny Woit | Interference | 06:30 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Maurice Richard | High-sticking | 07:41 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Ted Lindsay | Holding | 09:40 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Bud MacPherson | Hooking | 11:57 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | None | ||||
| 3rd | MTL | Bert Olmstead | Hooking | 00:22 | 2:00 |
| DET | Terry Sawchuk | Slashing | 02:45 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Tom Johnson | Interference | 02:45 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Bernie Geoffrion | Slashing | 06:49 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Dickie Moore | Elbowing | 17:32 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Gordie Howe | High-sticking | 18:28 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Gordie Howe | Misconduct | 18:28 | 10:00 | |
Game four
| April 10 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–0 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | DET | Johnny Wilson (3) | Metro Prystai (3) | 02:09 | 1–0 DET |
| 3rd | DET | Red Kelly (4) – en | Unassited | 19:53 | 2–0 DET |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | MTL | Lorne Davis | Boarding | 01:03 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Bert Olmstead | Hooking | 07:55 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Marcel Pronovost | Holding | 11:48 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Floyd Curry | Interference | 15:57 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | DET | Benny Woit | Tripping | 01:37 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Maurice Richard | Interference | 02:05 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Gordie Howe | Slashing – major | 04:12 | 5:00 | |
| DET | Tony Leswick | Tripping | 15:24 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Maurice Richard | Charging | 17:38 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | MTL | Bernie Geoffrion | Slashing | 10:47 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Bernie Geoffrion | Misconduct | 10:47 | 10:00 | |
Game five
| April 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–0 | OT | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | None | ||||
| 3rd | None | ||||
| OT | MTL | Ken Mosdell (1) | Unassited | 05:45 | 1–0 MTL |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | MTL | Bert Olmstead | Tripping | 11:56 | 2:00 |
| DET | Tony Leswick | Roughing | 16:27 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Marty Pavelich | Roughing | 16:27 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Jean Beliveau | Roughing | 16:27 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Tom Johnson | Roughing | 16:27 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | None | ||||
| 3rd | MTL | Tom Johnson | Slashing | 08:21 | 2:00 |
| DET | Gordie Howe | Holding | 10:33 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Lorne Davis | Hooking | 13:10 | 2:00 | |
| OT | None | ||||
Game six
| April 13 | Detroit Red Wings | 1–4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | None | ||||
| 2nd | MTL | Bernie Geoffrion (6) | Jean Beliveau (8) | 12:07 | 1–0 MTL |
| MTL | Floyd Curry (2) | Bert Olmstead (1) and Paul Masnick (3) | 13:07 | 2–0 MTL | |
| MTL | Floyd Curry (3) | Eddie Mazur (3) and Elmer Lach (1) | 14:25 | 3–0 MTL | |
| 3rd | DET | Metro Prystai (2) | Unassisted | 05:11 | 3–1 MTL |
| MTL | Maurice Richard (3) | Elmer Lach (2) | 10:06 | 4–1 MTL | |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | MTL | Paul Masnick | Interference | 02:46 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Lorne Davis | Slashing | 10:41 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | MTL | Dollard St. Laurent | Interference | 04:22 | 2:00 |
| DET | Marcel Pronovost | Roughing | 08:45 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Dickie Moore | Roughing | 08:45 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Glen Skov | Hooking | 15:32 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Glen Skov | Slashing | 19:50 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | MTL | Dickie Moore | Tripping | 16:49 | 2:00 |
Game seven
| April 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–2 | OT | Detroit Red Wings | Olympia Stadium | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | MTL | Floyd Curry (4) | Paul Masnick (4) | 09:17 | 1–0 MTL |
| 2nd | DET | Red Kelly (5) – pp | Ted Lindsay (4) and Alex Delvecchio (7) | 01:17 | 1–1 |
| 3rd | None | ||||
| OT | DET | Tony Leswick (3) | Glen Skov (2) | 04:29 | 2–1 DET |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | MTL | Doug Harvey | Holding | 14:20 | 2:00 |
| DET | Glen Skov | Hooking | 17:11 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | MTL | Paul Masnick | Hooking | 00:20 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | None | ||||
| OT | None | ||||
Broadcasting
CBC's coverage of games 3–5 were joined in progress at 9:30 p.m. (approximately one hour after start time). Meanwhile, CBC joined game six in at 10 p.m. (again, one hour after start time). Game seven was carried nationwide from the opening face-off at 9 p.m. Since game seven was played on Good Friday night, there were no commercials (Imperial Oil was the sponsor).
Stanley Cup engraving
The 1954 Stanley Cup was presented to Red Wings captain Ted Lindsay by NHL President Clarence Campbell following the Red Wings 2–1 overtime win over the Canadiens in game seven.
The following Red Wings players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup 1953–54 Detroit Red Wings
Players
- 7 Ted Lindsay (Captain)
- 8 Tony Leswick
- 9 Gordie Howe
- 11 Marty Pavelich
- 16 John Wilson
- 17 Bill Dineen
- 20 Jimmy Peters
- 26-25 Gilles Dube
- 21 Earl Johnson^
- 2 Bob Goldham (A)
- 3 Marcel Pronovost
- 4 Leonard Red Kelly (A)
- 5 Benny Woit
- 18 Al Arbour
- 19 Keith Allen
- 1 Terry Sawchuk
- 1 David Gatherum*
- 1 Ross Wilson (Playing-Asst. Trainer)*
Coaching and administrative staff
- Marguerite Norris (President/Owner), Bruce Norris (Vice President/Owner)
- Jack Adams (Manager), Jimmy Skinner (Coach)
- John Mitchell (Chief Scout), Carl Mattson (Trainer)
- Fred Huber Jr. (Publicity Director), Wally Crossman (Asst. Trainer/Stick Boy)
Stanley Cup engraving
- #21 Earl Johnson's^ name was engraved on the Stanley Cup, even though he only played 1 regular-season game. Johnson spent the rest of his hockey career in the minors.
- Oct 10 1953, Terry Sawchuk was injured during a game. Ass't Trainer Ross Wilson played goal for the last 16 minutes. Dave Gatherum was called up from the minors. He played goal on Oct 11, 16, 17 for injured Terry Sawchuk. He recorded 1 win, 1 tie, and 1 loss. Gatherum went on to set an NHL record for the longest shutout sequence by a goaltender to start a career, 100:21 min, Oct 11-16, 1953. The record stood until 2011. Gatherum was recalled for the playoffs as a spare goalie. Gatherum never played in the NHL again after losing his first NHL game. Detroit still honoured Dave Gatherum's by having his name included on the Stanley Cup in 1954.
- Earl "Ching" Johnson and Ross "Left" Wilson's names were not included with 1954 Detroit when the cup was redone in 1958 and 1993, replica ring.
- #19 Vic Stasiuk^ played 43 games, but was sent to the minors. His name was left off the cup because he played in the minors during the playoffs.
- #21 Jim Hay played 12 games for Detroit, but did not play in the playoffs. He was included on the team picture. Gilles Dube was listed as Ed Dube by mistake on the team picture.
- Marguerite Norris was the first woman to be engraved on the Stanley Cup in 1954.
- Tommy Ivan was misspelled as THOMAS NIVAN COACH instead of Thomas N. Ivan when the cup was redone in 1957–58. His name was spelled THOMAS IVAN COACH on the Replica Cup created in 1992–93.