1970–71 NHL season
The 1970–71 NHL season was the 54th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Fourteen teams each played 78 games. The Montreal Canadiens were the Stanley Cup winners as they swept the Chicago Black Hawks in seven games in the final series. The Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks made their NHL debuts this season.
Regular season
Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold
| National Hockey League | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 78 | 57 | 14 | 7 | 121 | 399 | 207 | 1154 |
| New York Rangers | 78 | 49 | 18 | 11 | 109 | 259 | 177 | 952 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 78 | 42 | 23 | 13 | 97 | 291 | 216 | 1271 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 78 | 37 | 33 | 8 | 82 | 248 | 211 | 1133 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 78 | 24 | 39 | 15 | 63 | 217 | 291 | 1188 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 78 | 24 | 46 | 8 | 56 | 229 | 296 | 1371 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 78 | 22 | 45 | 11 | 55 | 209 | 308 | 988 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Black Hawks | 78 | 49 | 20 | 9 | 107 | 277 | 184 | 1280 |
| St. Louis Blues | 78 | 34 | 25 | 19 | 87 | 223 | 208 | 1092 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 78 | 28 | 33 | 17 | 73 | 207 | 225 | 1060 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 78 | 28 | 34 | 16 | 72 | 191 | 223 | 898 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 25 | 40 | 13 | 63 | 239 | 303 | 775 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 78 | 21 | 37 | 20 | 62 | 221 | 240 | 1079 |
| California Golden Seals | 78 | 20 | 53 | 5 | 45 | 199 | 320 | 937 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| PLAYER | TEAM | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Esposito | Boston Bruins | 78 | 76 | 76 | 152 | 71 |
| Bobby Orr | Boston Bruins | 78 | 37 | 102 | 139 | 91 |
| John Bucyk | Boston Bruins | 78 | 51 | 65 | 116 | 8 |
| Ken Hodge | Boston Bruins | 78 | 43 | 62 | 105 | 113 |
| Bobby Hull | Chicago Black Hawks | 78 | 44 | 52 | 96 | 32 |
| Norm Ullman | Toronto Maple Leafs | 73 | 34 | 51 | 85 | 24 |
| Wayne Cashman | Boston Bruins | 77 | 21 | 58 | 79 | 100 |
| John McKenzie | Boston Bruins | 65 | 31 | 46 | 77 | 120 |
| Dave Keon | Toronto Maple Leafs | 76 | 38 | 38 | 76 | 4 |
| Jean Beliveau | Montreal Canadiens | 70 | 25 | 51 | 76 | 40 |
| Fred Stanfield | Boston Bruins | 75 | 24 | 52 | 76 | 12 |
Stanley Cup playoffs
Playoff bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Stanley Cup Final | |||||||||||
| E1 | Boston Bruins | 3 | |||||||||||
| E3 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | |||||||||||
| E3 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | |||||||||||
| W4 | Minnesota North Stars | 2 | |||||||||||
| W2 | St. Louis Blues | 2 | |||||||||||
| W4 | Minnesota North Stars | 4 | |||||||||||
| E3 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | |||||||||||
| W1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3 | |||||||||||
| W1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4 | |||||||||||
| W3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | |||||||||||
| W1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4 | |||||||||||
| E2 | New York Rangers | 3 | |||||||||||
| E2 | New York Rangers | 4 | |||||||||||
| E4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2 | |||||||||||
NHL awards
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: | Chicago Black Hawks |
| Art Ross Trophy: | Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: | Jean Ratelle, New York Rangers |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: | Gilbert Perreault, Buffalo Sabres |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: | Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: | Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: | Johnny Bucyk, Boston Bruins |
| Lester B. Pearson Award: | Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins |
| NHL Plus/Minus Award: | Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins |
| Vezina Trophy: | Eddie Giacomin & Gilles Villemure, New York Rangers |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: | William M. Jennings, John B. Sollenberger, Terry Sawchuk |