1954–55 Montreal Canadiens season

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1954–55 Montreal Canadiens season

The Canadiens finished 2nd in the NHL with a 41–18–11 record (93 points), scoring 228 goals and allowing 157. They beat the Boston Bruins in five games in the semifinals to reach the Stanley Cup Final, but lost to the Detroit Red Wings in seven games.

The season was marked by the suspension of star Maurice “Rocket” Richard after a fight with Boston’s Hal Laycoe and an incident with an on-ice official. Campbell’s suspension was the longest for an on-ice incident at the time and sparked a riot at the Montreal Forum on March 17, 1955. In Boston on March 13, Laycoe high-sticked Richard, who then fought Laycoe and later punched an official; Campbell suspended Richard for the rest of the season and the playoffs. The forum riot resulted in significant damage and injuries, and the game against Detroit was forfeited after the riot began. The suspension also cost Richard the Art Ross Trophy, as Bernie Geoffrion passed him on the season’s final day and was booed by Canadiens fans.

Team leaders:
- Goals: Bernie Geoffrion and Maurice Richard (38)
- Assists: Bert Olmstead (48)
- Points: Bernie Geoffrion (75)
- Penalty minutes: Maurice Richard (125)
- Wins (goalie): Jacques Plante (33)
- Goals-against average: Jacques Plante (2.14)

The Canadiens would go on to win the Cup the next season, defeating the Red Wings, and would win five straight Stanley Cups overall. Maurice Richard retired in 1960 after the fifth straight Cup, a record that still stands.