1961 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1961 Stanley Cup Final was contested by the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago was making its first appearance since 1944 in the Final, and Detroit, their first appearance since 1956. The Blackhawks would win the best-of-seven series four games to two to win their third Stanley Cup, their first since 1938. However, this proved to be the last time Chicago won the Cup until 2010, a 49 year drought.

Paths to the Final

Detroit defeated Toronto Maple Leafs to advance to the final and Chicago defeated the defending champion Montreal Canadiens.

The series

Two of some of the most notable athletes in Chicago sports history, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita made their first Stanley Cup appearances. Hull scored two in the first game including the winner, and Mikita scored the winner in game five.^[1]

This was the only Stanley Cup championship in the 1960s not to be won by either the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens.^[1]

Chicago Blackhawks 1961 Stanley Cup Champions

Roster

Stanley Cup engraving

• Allan Roy Edwards was engraved as Allan R. Edwards. He never played for Chicago. Roy Edwards first NHL game was during the 1967–68 season with Detroit.
• Denis DeJordy first NHL game was during the 1962–63 season, when he replaced Glenn Hall. This ended Hall's record of 502 consecutive complete games.
• Ronald Robert Murphy was engraved as Robert Murphy.
• Tod Aloysius Martin Sloan was engraved as Martin A. Sloan. He was engraved on the cup was Tod Sloan in 1951 with Toronto.

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1960–61 NHL season

Notes

References

• Diamond, Dan (2000). Total Stanley Cup. Toronto: Total Sports Canada. ISBN 978-1-892129-07-9. 

• Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7