The 1978 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1977–78 season, and the culmination of the 1978 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Boston Bruins and the defending champion Montreal Canadiens, making their third straight appearance in the Finals. The series was a rematch of the 1977 Stanley Cup Final. The Canadiens won the best-of-seven series, four games to two, to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship and their 21st overall. This was the last time that both the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens met in the Stanley Cup Final. The Canadiens eventually joined the Bruins in the Adams Division (now the Atlantic Division) in 1982, rendering a rematch impossible.
Paths to the Finals Montreal defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4–1 and the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–0 to advance to the final.
Boston defeated the Chicago Black Hawks 4–0 and the Philadelphia Flyers 4–1 to make it to the final.
Game summaries Defenceman Larry Robinson of Montreal led all players with 17 assists, and finished tied with teammate Guy Lafleur with 21 points, to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Game one
Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st BOS Brad Park (6) – pp Bobby Schmautz (14) and Jean Ratelle (5) 02:31 1–0 BOS MTL Guy Lafleur (8) – pp Guy Lapointe (5) 04:31 1–1 MTL Yvon Lambert (2) – pp Guy Lafleur (10) and Steve Shutt (8) 09:53 2–1 MTL 2nd MTL Steve Shutt (7) Jacques Lemaire (7) and Guy Lafleur (11) 13:54 3–1 MTL 3rd MTL Yvan Cournoyer (7) Doug Jarvis (3) and Yvon Lambert (3) 13:54 4–1 MTL Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st MTL Pierre Mondou Tripping 00:38 2:00 BOS Rick Smith Holding 04:26 2:00 MTL Bill Nyrop Holding 06:27 2:00 BOS Rick Smith Slashing 09:21 2:00 BOS Bench (served by Wayne Cashman) Delay of game 09:53 2:00 MTL Serge Savard Interference 13:05 2:00 BOS Rick Smith Hooking 15:16 2:00 2nd BOS Brad Park Elbowing 09:34 2:00 3rd MTL Jacques Lemaire Holding 13:57 2:00 BOS Brad Park Tripping 14:35 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 5 2 9 16 12 7 8 27
Game two
Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st None 2nd BOS Brad Park (7) Terry O'Reilly (9) and Peter McNab (9) 03:57 1–0 BOS MTL Steve Shutt (8) Larry Robinson (14) and Yvan Cournoyer (3) 07:00 1–1 3rd MTL Bob Gainey (2) Doug Jarvis (4) and Rejean Houle (8) 12:12 2–1 MTL BOS Rick Smith (1) Wayne Cashman (5) and Peter McNab (10) 15:48 2–2 OT MTL Guy Lafleur (9) Larry Robinson (15) 13:09 3–2 MTL Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st MTL Larry Robinson Tripping 04:13 2:00 MTL Rejean Houle Hooking 06:22 2:00 BOS Gregg Sheppard Hooking 09:19 2:00 BOS John Wensink Boarding 12:06 2:00 MTL Bill Nyrop Holding 18:46 2:00 BOS Stan Jonathan High-sticking 19:31 2:00 2nd MTL Larry Robinson Boarding 12:39 2:00 BOS Mike Milbury High-sticking 15:46 2:00 MTL Yvan Cournoyer Slashing 15:46 2:00 3rd BOS Dennis O'Brien Elbowing 05:37 2:00 MTL Guy Lafleur Tripping 15:46 2:00 OT None Shots by period Team 1 2 3 OT Total 8 10 10 4 32 8 5 7 15 35
Game three
Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st BOS Gary Doak (1) Jean Ratelle (6) 00:59 1–0 BOS BOS Rick Middleton (5) Jean Ratelle (7) 05:11 2–0 BOS 2nd None 3rd BOS Peter McNab (7) Mike Milbury (6) 02:54 3–0 BOS BOS Terry O'Reilly (5) Peter McNab (11) and Mike Milbury (7) 15:39 4–0 BOS Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st BOS Bobby Schmautz High-sticking 08:52 2:00 MTL Gilles Lupien High-sticking 08:52 2:00 BOS Bobby Schmautz Interference 12:24 2:00 BOS Stan Jonathan Holding 19:33 2:00 2nd BOS Brad Park Roughing 07:03 2:00 MTL Bob Gainey Roughing 07:03 2:00 MTL Serge Savard Hooking 08:29 2:00 MTL Doug Jarvis Holding 16:51 2:00 3rd None Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 7 5 4 16 10 13 13 36
Game four
Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st BOS Gregg Sheppard (2) Don Marcotte (6) 00:25 1–0 BOS MTL Doug Risebrough (2) Mario Tremblay (1) and Bob Gainey (7) 05:11 1–1 2nd MTL Larry Robinson (3) Pierre Mondou (5) 07:00 2–1 MTL 3rd BOS Peter McNab (8) Terry O'Reilly (10) and Wayne Cashman (6) 09:19 2–2 BOS Brad Park (8) Mike Milbury (8) and Gregg Sheppard (8) 13:20 3–2 BOS MTL Guy Lafleur (10) Guy Lapointe (6) and Jacques Lemaire (8) 19:27 3–3 OT BOS Bobby Schmautz (7) Gregg Sheppard (9) and Brad Park (11) 06:22 4–3 BOS Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st BOS Gary Doak Interference 01:03 2:00 MTL Bob Gainey Charging 01:03 2:00 BOS Gerry Cheevers Elbowing 03:38 2:00 MTL Yvon Lambert Roughing 03:38 2:00 BOS Stan Jonathan Fighting – major 06:28 5:00 BOS John Wensink Fighting – major 06:28 5:00 BOS John Wensink Gross misconduct 06:28 10:00 MTL Pierre Bouchard Fighting – major 06:28 5:00 MTL Gilles Lupien Fighting – major 06:28 5:00 MTL Gilles Lupien Gross misconduct 06:28 10:00 BOS Bob Miller Slashing 08:14 2:00 MTL Yvan Cournoyer Slashing 08:14 2:00 MTL Yvan Cournoyer Tripping 10:27 2:00 BOS Terry O'Reilly Roughing 16:00 2:00 MTL Mario Tremblay Roughing 16:00 2:00 2nd BOS Gary Doak Interference 03:23 2:00 MTL Bob Gainey Tripping 07:53 2:00 MTL Stan Jonathan Tripping 15:14 2:00 MTL Rejean Houle Tripping 19:18 2:00 3rd BOS Rick Smith Slashing 06:15 2:00 MTL Guy Lafleur Slashing 06:15 2:00 BOS Rick Smith Roughing 12:37 2:00 MTL Pierre Mondou Roughing 12:37 2:00 OT None Shots by period Team 1 2 3 OT Total 10 7 7 6 30 8 5 9 2 24
Game five
Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st MTL Larry Robinson (4) Serge Savard (5) 07:46 1–0 MTL MTL Pierre Mondou (3) – pp Serge Savard (6) 11:10 2–0 MTL 2nd MTL Pierre Larouche (2) – pp Yvan Cournoyer (4) and Serge Savard (7) 13:04 3–0 MTL MTL Jacques Lemaire (6) Bill Nyrop (3) 18:42 4–0 MTL 3rd BOS Don Marcotte (5) – pp Bobby Schmautz (8) and Bob Miller (3) 11:22 4–1 MTL Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st BOS Mike Milbury High-sticking 02:30 2:00 MTL Jacques Lemaire Slashing 02:30 2:00 BOS Bobby Schmautz High-sticking 04:02 2:00 MTL Bob Gainey High-sticking 04:02 2:00 BOS Brad Park High-sticking 07:01 2:00 MTL Guy Lafleur Cross-checking 07:01 2:00 BOS Dennis O'Brien Holding 09:29 2:00 BOS Mike Milbury High-sticking 11:37 2:00 MTL Guy Lafleur High-sticking 11:37 2:00 BOS Don Marcotte High-sticking 17:13 2:00 MTL Jacques Lemaire High-sticking 17:13 2:00 2nd MTL Doug Jarvis Holding 01:34 2:00 BOS Terry O'Reilly Roughing – double minor 04:02 4:00 BOS Bobby Schmautz Fighting – major 04:02 5:00 MTL Doug Risebrough Roughing 04:02 2:00 MTL Mario Tremblay Fighting – major 04:02 5:00 BOS Mike Milbury High-sticking 09:23 2:00 MTL Bob Gainey High-sticking 09:23 2:00 BOS Don Marcotte Hooking 11:07 2:00 BOS Stan Jonathan Roughing 14:02 2:00 MTL Steve Shutt Slashing 14:02 2:00 BOS Wayne Cashman Unsportsmanlike conduct 15:02 2:00 BOS Gerry Cheevers Slashing 17:35 2:00 MTL Doug Jarvis Roughing 17:35 2:00 3rd BOS Peter McNab Hooking 00:27 2:00 BOS Terry O'Reilly Game misconduct 00:27 10:00 MTL Mario Tremblay Hooking 03:55 2:00 MTL Doug Jarvis Hooking 10:04 2:00 BOS Bob Miller Hooking 13:31 2:00 BOS Mike Milbury Slashing 15:00 2:00 BOS Stan Jonathan Fighting – major 19:39 5:00 BOS Bob Miller Fighting – major 19:39 5:00 BOS John Wensink Fighting – major 19:39 5:00 MTL Guy Lapointe Fighting – major 19:39 5:00 MTL Doug Risebrough Fighting – major 19:39 5:00 MTL Mario Tremblay Fighting – major 19:39 5:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 11 7 12 30 11 14 5 30
Game four
Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st BOS Brad Park (2) – pp Don Marcotte (4) and Gregg Sheppard (10) 04:05 1–0 BOS MTL Steve Shutt (9) Pierre Mondou (6) and Larry Robinson (16) 07:01 1–1 MTL Mario Tremblay (1) Pierre Mondou (7) and Larry Robinson (17) 09:20 2–1 MTL 2nd MTL Mario Tremblay (2) Yvon Lambert (4) and Bill Nyrop (4) 13:37 3–1 MTL MTL Rejean Houle (3) Doug Jarvis (5) 17:46 4–1 MTL 3rd None Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st MTL Bill Nyrop Holding 03:43 2:00 MTL Dennis O'Brien Holding 04:54 2:00 2nd BOS Stan Jonathan Boarding 04:34 2:00 MTL Doug Jarvis Interference 07:09 2:00 BOS John Wensink Interference 08:43 2:00 3rd None Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 8 9 7 24 4 4 8 16
Team rosters
Boston Bruins
Montreal Canadiens
Stanley Cup engraving The 1978 Stanley Cup was presented to Canadiens captain Yvan Cournoyer by NHL President John Ziegler following the Canadiens 4–1 win over the Bruins in game six.
The following Canadiens players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup
1977–78 Montreal Canadiens
See also 1977–78 NHL season
References