1977 and 1978: Canadiens beat Bruins in back-to-back seasons
One of the NHL's most storied rivalries took center stage in the late '70s, as the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens faced off in the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row. Unlike the more recent examples, the Habs would be declared winners in both of these series led by a star-studded roster that featured nine future Hall of Famers.
In 1977, each team had a nearly identical playoff run leading up to the final round. The Bruins and Canadiens both won one round via sweep, and the other in six games. The major difference: Montreal had won the Stanley Cup in the previous year, and followed that up with 60 wins in the 1976-77 regular season. That stood as an NHL record for 45 years until, ironically, the Bruins broke it in 2022-23.
Meanwhile, Boston had a respectable season as the Adams Division champions, scoring 44 goals in the first 10 playoff games. But the Canadiens were heavily favored to win, and that they did in spectacular fashion.
Once it came time for the winner-takes-all final round, it was all Montreal. The Canadiens outscored the Bruins 16-6 in the unanimous 4-0 sweep. Boston actually scored first in Game 4, but Jacques Lemaire tied it up and then won it in overtime, 2-1, for Montreal's fourth and final win. Lemaire had three of the Habs' four game-winning goals, something only seven other players have ever accomplished in the SCF.
Ken Dryden posted four shutouts in the 1977 playoffs, which was tied for the NHL record at that time. The Conn Smythe went to Guy Lafleur after he scored nine goals and 17 assists during the playoff run, factoring in of 12 of the Habs' 19 goals in the final round.
Headed into the 1978 finals, the stage was very similarly set: the Canadiens were regular season champions again and the Bruins finished not far behind, making this the battle of the two best clubs that year. Both teams required only nine games to reach the Cup Final and had an overall playoff record of 8-1.
This was a far closer series than the first time around. Boston actually battled back from being down 2-0 to make things even, but Montreal ran away with it in the final two games to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship.
It was defenseman Larry Robinson who got Conn Smythe honors this time. His 17 assists led the NHL, and he tied Lafleur for the points lead with 21 total.
The Canadiens would go on to with a fourth straight Stanley Cup the following year, after which the core players Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden and Jacques Lemaire all hung up the skates for good. The trio finished with 24 Cups between them.
1968 and 1969: Blues are swept by Canadiens twice in a row
The format for the 1968 Stanley Cup Playoffs was a bit jank, to say the least. The NHL had just added six new teams to the league and created the West Division to house all of them, while the Original Six teams were delegated to the East Division. This resulted in an imbalance where the lowest seed in the East to make the playoffs -- the Chicago Black Hawks -- finished with more points than the Philadelphia Flyers, who won the West Division.
The updated playoff format ensured that one expansion team would make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, and that would end up being the St. Louis Blues. It took two straight Game 7s, but the Blues clawed their way to the final round.
St. Louis would meet the Canadiens, who led the NHL during the regular season and saught to defend their Stanley Cup championship from the previous year. Which they did successfully, sweeping St. Louis for the team's second straight Cup victory.
Credit to the Blues, though, for making it a closer series than anyone could have expected. Every game was won by a single goal, including two that were decided in overtime. Goalie Glenn Hall gave St. Louis every possible chance to remain competitive, and that earned him the Conn Smythe. He was the oldest player ever to do so at the time, with a respectable .916 SV% and 2.43 GAA.
The very next year, these two teams would meet once again as the Habs looked to perform a three-peat. Montreal once again led the NHL during the regular season, but St. Louis made some big strides forward by winning their division and finishing with a 37-25-14 record.
The Blues were absolutely dominant entering the finals, coming off of back-to-back sweeps of the Flyers and Kings. St. Louis scored 30 goals in the first eight games. On the other side, the Canadiens also faced little pushback with a sweep of the Rangers in the first round and a Game 6 win over the Bruins in the second.
Unfortunately for St. Louis, the Canadiens once again were too hot to handle and won four straight games to capture their third consecutive Stanley Cup. Montreal's Serge Savard was the first defenseman to ever be named playoff MVP, and Beliveau tallied 15 points in 14 games to lead his squad.