How the Montreal Canadiens changed the power play forever
By Jasmine Yen
The Montreal Canadiens are a historic NHL franchise that has been around for over a century. They are also the reason for changing the power play forever.
The Montreal Canadiens are one of the Original Six franchises and are filled with history. They have seen the league grow and evolve, the game change through the different eras, and the fans have witnessed once-in-a-lifetime superstars. The Canadiens have hoisted the Stanley Cup 24 times and are the winningest franchise in NHL history. They are also responsible for changing the power play rules forever.
In today’s NHL, if a player is sent to the penalty box, they are allowed back onto the ice when the two minutes is up or if the opposing team scores on the man advantage. The latter had not always been part of the rules. That is, until the Canadiens’ lethal power play came around and forced the NHL to change its rules.
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The 1955-56 season was Toe Blake‘s first year as the Canadiens’ head coach. Previously, he had played 13 years with Montreal until he broke his leg and ended his playing career.
Blake was brought in as the coach because he was bilingual and was able to control their star forward Maurice Richard. Richard was known for his rage fits and since Blake had a playing career with him, they would get along.
He inherited a hall-of-fame studded roster, with players like Jacques Plante, Jean Beliveau, and Bernie Geoffrion just to name a few. The result was a ridiculous power play unit that combined for 50 power play goals in 70 games.
Once, Beliveau even got a hat trick on the power play. At the time, the power play rule was that you had two minutes for the man advantage, even if your team already scored but the Canadiens took advantage of that rule so much that the rule had to be changed.
Next. Montreal Canadiens All-Time Dream Team. dark
Montreal’s power play was so dominant that the NHL announced the next season that if the penalized team gets scored on, the player is allowed to return back onto the ice. Imagine having such a star-studded lineup that it forces the league to rewrite the rules just to give a chance for everybody else.