Bruins and Maple Leafs: 1st Playoff Clash Since 1973-74

I was listing some hockey cards on eBay last night and one of the cards really struck a cord. It was a 1974-75 Topps card honouring the 1973-74 Quarter-Final series between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. These two will face each other in the opening round of the 2012-13 Stanley Cup playoffs. I wondered, was 1973-74 the last time that Toronto and Boston met in the playoffs?

In fact, yes it was. The last time the Bruins and Maple Leafs met in a Stanley Cup playoff series was 40 years ago. The result in 1974 is probably the same as in the 2013 series with the Bruins sweeping the Maple Leafs in four games. Toronto kept it close in game one and game four, losing 1-0 in the first game and going to overtime in game four before losing 4-3. In between were two 6-3 victories by the Bruins.

On the front of the 1974-75 Topps / O-Pee-Chee card number 211 is Ron Ellis for the Maple Leafs and Don Marcotte for the Bruins. Behind Marcotte, the Toronto goaltender is visible. It could be either Ed Johnston or Doug Favell in net. Johnston played one game against his former teammates while Favell played in the other three. The images shown in this article are from the same card that is listed on eBay.

During the regular season, the Bruins dominated, finishing first overall in the National Hockey League with 113 points. Boston was first in the East Division and finished just one point ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers, with the Flyers finishing first in the West. Toronto ended up fourth place in the East, 27 points behind Boston.

The scoring leaders in this series were an unlikely bunch. For the Bruins, Bob Schmautz and Gregg Sheppard led the team with six points each. For Toronto, the leader was the great Bob Neely with four points.

Over their 16 playoff games, Sheppard led the Bruins with eleven goals and 19 points. Bobby Orr led in the assists department with 14. Wayne Cashman was the baddest of the Big Bad Bruins, sitting 46 minutes in the penalty box. Gilles Gilbert played all 16 games between the pipes for Boston.

With Toronto eliminated, Boston carried on in the playoffs and faced the Chicago Black Hawks in the semi-finals. The Bruins came out victorious in six games to earn a showdown with the Philadelphia Flyers in the finals. The Flyers battered, bruised and broke the Bruins in six games to capture the Stanley Cup. Of course, it was the first time a non-Original 6 team won the Stanley Cup since the 1934-35 Montreal Maroons swept the Maple Leafs.

The Head Coaches of the two clubs were Bep Guidolin for the Bruins and Red Kelly for the Maple Leafs.

An interesting note: the last time the Bruins and Maple Leafs met in a Stanley Cup final series was in 1938-39 when the Bruins were victorious, beating Toronto four games to one. Art Ross was the coach of the Bruins and Dick Irvin was the coach of the Maple Leafs.

Another interesting note: The dice picked the Maple Leafs to reach the finals in a playoff simulation we ran back when the lock-out was still on. The Bruins and Maple Leafs met there also, but in the 2nd round with Toronto winning in five games.