1979 Stanley Cup Final
1979 Stanley Cup Final
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers four games to one to win the Stanley Cup for the fourth straight year. The series took place May 13–21, 1979, with games at the Montreal Forum (Games 1, 2, 5) and Madison Square Garden (Games 3, 4). Montreal's coach was Scotty Bowman; New York's coach was Fred Shero. Montreal captain was Yvan Cournoyer and Rangers captain was Dave Maloney.
Bob Gainey of Montreal was the playoff MVP. The series-winning goal was scored by Jacques Lemaire at 1:02 of the second period in Game 5, sealing the Cup on home ice for Montreal—the first time they had done so since 1968.
Montreal outscored New York 46–26 over the five games. This final began a stretch of six consecutive Finals involving a New York metropolitan-area team, with the New York Islanders winning the next four of those finals to build their own dynasty.
After the series, several Canadiens players and the coach moved on: Jacques Lemaire, Yvan Cournoyer, and Ken Dryden retired, and head coach Scotty Bowman left to coach the Buffalo Sabres.
How the teams reached the final: Montreal beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–0 and the Boston Bruins 4–3 in earlier rounds; Rangers beat the Los Angeles Kings 2–0, the Philadelphia Flyers 4–1, and the New York Islanders 4–2.
The Stanley Cup was presented to Serge Savard by NHL President John Ziegler after Montreal’s 4–1 victory in Game 5.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:49 (CET).