Recap
Three players went over 100 points this season, a feat never before accomplished. Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins led the way with an incredible 126 points.
Chicago's Bobby Hull scored a record 58 goals and added 49 assists for 107 points, while Detroit's Gordie Howe, who turned 41 during the season, had 103 points.
Esposito won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player and his teammate, Bobby Orr, won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman for the second straight year, though he was only in his third NHL season. Nevertheless, the Bruins finished in second place in the East Division, 3 points behind the Montreal Canadiens. The St. Louis Blues, featuring Vezina Trophy winners Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante in goal, won the West easily.
After sweeping the Rangers in the first round, the Canadiens won a six-game series over Boston to advance into the finals, while St. Louis swept both Philadelphia and Los Angeles to get there.
It was the same matchup as the previous season's Stanley Cup finals, and it had the same result, with Montreal winning in four games. Serge Savard of the Canadiens was the first defenseman to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.
what a year. the competitiveness of the ABL really brought the NBA out of its duldrums.