We have added a special segment to our second NHL Saturday miniseries, since we really have not explored the Original Six era (1943-1967) on The Daily McPlay. This was that 25-year stretch where the National Hockey League had just six teams: the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, the Montréal Canadiens, and the New York Rangers. It’s time to explore that era, properly, albeit in brief.

So, we hit up the Canadiens—the winningest team in NHL history with 23 Stanley Cup championships. Along with the Maple Leafs, the Habs are the longest-surviving franchise in North American professional hockey’s top league … dating back to 1917. That’s a long time now, and overall, Montréal has made 85 postseasons with a whopping 37 division titles, too. The team’s .581 winning percentage is the best, too.

No. 5: 1957-58 Montreal Canadiens

A first-place league finish was due to a 43-17-10 record for 96 points. Montréal sported the No. 1 offense, the No. 1 defense, and the No. 1 SRS ranking overall. The Canadiens swept the Red Wings in the semifinals and then beat the Bruins in six games to win the Cup. They outscored the two opponents by the combined score of 35-20, and Detroit only scored 6 goals in the 4 games against Montréal. It was a pretty dominant team.

Left wing Dickie Moore (36G, 48A, 65 PIMs) and center Henri Richard (28G, 52A, 58 PIMs) were the offensive stars, while defenseman Doug Harvey (131 PIMs), goaltender Jacques Plante (34-14-8, 9 shutouts), and backup goalie Charlie Hodge (8-2-2, 1 SO) held down the fort beyond the blue line. The key game in the Finals was a 3-2 OT Game 5 win at home for the Canadiens, as they closed out the series in six.

No. 4: 1961-62 Montreal Canadiens

This team also finished first in dominant 1-1-1 fashion, with a 42-14-14 record for 98 points. The Canadiens won the first two games of the semifinals against Chicago, by 1 goal each, but then the Black Hawks won the next four straight—by a combined 15-7 score—to eliminate the heavy Cup favorites. Chicago’s legendary G Glenn Hall posted a .936 save percentage in the series, giving credence to the “hot goalie” playoff theorem.

Balanced on offense with six players posting at least 50 points, the Canadiens sported a strong defense, bolstered by D Jean-Guy Talbot (90 PIMs) and Plante (2.37 GAA, .923 S%, and 4 SOs)—who started every game of the regular season. That may have hurt Montréal in the postseason series—his save percentage dropped to just .904, and you can do the math on his GAA average with Chicago scoring 19 times in the set.

No. 3: 1958-59 Montreal Canadiens

First place again! The 39-18-13 record amounted to 91 points, with the 1-1-1 sequence in tow once again. With a six-game series victory over the Black Hawks and five-game series win over the Maple Leafs, these Canadiens claimed the Cup. Montréal just wore down Chicago, winning Game 5 at home and Game 6 on the road, and in the Finals, the sub-.500 Maple Leafs did put up a good fight, but they just weren’t strong, really.

Moore (41G, 55A, 61 PIMs) and C Jean Béliveau (45G, 46A, 69 PIMs) were pretty awesome at scoring, while D Tom Johnson (76 PIMs) and Plante (38-16-13, 9 SOs) anchored the defense. In the Chicago series, the Habs really stuck it to Hall (.893 S%), while in the Cup Finals, all five games were decided by two goals or fewer—with Montréal obviously coming out ahead behind Plante’s .919 save percentage.

No. 2: 1944-45 Montreal Canadiens

With World War II raging on, we find it weird there were enough players to keep the league intact, but then again, it was just six teams. These Canadiens posted a 38-8-4 record for 80 points to pull off the 1-1-1 trifecta. But Toronto shocked Montréal by winning the first two games on the road by one goal apiece, and the Habs never recovered. The Maple Leafs won Game 4 at home in OT to put a stranglehold on the series.

C Elmer Lach (26G, 54A, 37 PIMs), right wing Maurice Richard (50G, 23A, 46 PIMs), and LW Toe Blake (29G, 38A, 35 PIMs) led the scoring corps, while G Bill Durnan (2.42 GAA) did the honors in the crease, starting every game in the short(er) season. But even though the Canadiens won Game 5 of the semifinals by a 10-3 score, Toronto closed the matchup out in Game 6 with a one-goal victory, again, at home. Ouch.

No. 1: 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens

The best team in Original Six era for this franchise dropped a 38-5-7 record for 83 points, with the 1-1-1 combination ringing true again. And this time, the Habs rolled through the two rounds of the playoffs, losing only one game combined to the Maple Leafs (1) and the Black Hawks (0). Durnan posted a 1.53 GAA in the postseason, while the skaters really found the back of the net: 39 times in 9 games, to be exact. Yikes!

Lach (24G, 48A) was the top scorer, as 11 skaters managed at least 30 points in a 50-game season. Meanwhile, Durnan’s regular-season numbers (2.18 GAA, 2 SOs) were pretty good, too. Toronto managed just four scores in its five games against the Habs, and Chicago only managed 8 goals in its five games. Exemplary of the Stanley Cup in 1944? Montréal won Game 5 against the Leafs by an 11-0 score. Not a typo.