Detroit Red Wings (NHL, 1966-67)

1966-67 Regular Season
Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens

     1966-67 was the end of an era for the National Hockey League: the end of the Original Six era. Heading into the season, the Detroit Red Wings were coming off their third appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in four years. Unfortunately, all three appearances were losses, often in heartbreaking fashion. The Wings were actually up 3-2 in the 1964 Finals, but lost Game 6 in Detroit in overtime, then lost Game 7 in Toronto. Two years later, the Wings won the first two games in Montreal, then lost four in a row, including a controversial overtime loss in Detroit. 

     Sid Abel returned as Head Coach and General Manager, a dual post he had held since 1963. His Red Wings were a team stocked with veterans. led by the ageless Gordie Howe, and a young goaltender, Roger Crozier, who won the 1966 Conn Smythe Trophy. Home games were played at the 13,375-seat Olympia Stadium.

     The Wings took a big step back in 1966-67, as the team slumped to a 27-39-4 record. Their 58 points put them solidly in fifth place, 14 points behind fourth place New York and 14 ahead of last place Boston. The team struggled from the get-go, starting off with a 4-9-2 record in their first 15 games, and never recovered. Attendance actually climbed from the previous season, up to 13,427 per game (over 100% capacity), despite the mediocre season.

     It wasn't the Wings offense that let the team down, as Detroit notched 212 goals on the year, second only to Chicago. The always-dependable center Norm Ullman led the team in points, scoring 26 goals and 70 points in 68 games. Gordie Howe was right behind him, as Mr. Hockey had 25 goals and 65 points in 69 games. Center Bruce MacGregor actually led the team in scoring with 28 goals, a career high. Dean Prentice (23) and Paul Henderson (21) were the other 20-goal scorers on the team. Center Alex Delvecchio notched 17 goals and 55 points in 70 games.

     It was the defense that imploded for the Wings that year. Detroit allowed the second-most goals that season, surrendering 241, up from 194 from the previous year. The team's blueline corps had already lost Marcel Pronovost to trade in 1964, Bill Gadsby to retirement and Doug Barkley to a career-ending eye injury in 1966. Those big losses on the blueline were too much to overcome. The team used three goaltenders that year, with Roger Crozier playing the majority of the games. Crozier struggled in his third full season in net. He played 58 games and had a 22-28-4 record with a 3.36 GAA and 4 shutouts. George Gardner made it into 11 games, with a 3-7-0 record and 3.86 GAA. Veteran Hank Bassen played in 8 games, sporting a 2-4-0 mark and 3.44 GAA. Leading goal scorer on defense was Gary Bergman, with 5 goals and 35 points in 70 games. Desperate for help on the blueline, the Wings even brought in 41-year old Doug Harvey for two games. 

     The Red Wings had 719 penalty minutes that season. Gary Bergman had 129 of those minutes during the season, while wild man Howie Young had an even 100 in 44 games. Gordie Howe, on the other hand, had just 53 PIM in 69 games. Alex Delvecchio, always the gentlemanly hockey player, had just 10 minutes in 70 games.

     For the first time since 1961-62, the Red Wings failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the last playoffs of the Original Six era, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the heavily favored Montreal Canadiens in six games. 

     This program had a bit of a long journey to my mailbox. I bought it online back in September and it didn't arrive until the middle of November. It was lost in the mail somewhere near Grand Rapids and a missing mail inquiry got it moving. 

     As for the program, it's 40 pages long and in near perfect condition (surprising, considering it sat in USPS limbo for a couple months). Most of the pages are black and white, but several ads are either in color. It's set up similar to the 1966 Wings program I covered awhile back. Bob McCord is featured on page 9 and 25. Page 11 has the Red Wing Magazine Hockey Poll, which was conducted with 10 members of the Detroit media, including Red Wings announcers Bruce Martyn and Budd Lynch. No one picked the Wings to finish lower than fourth that year (incorrect), but the unanimous vote for the Calder Trophy went to Boston's 18-year old defenseman Bobby Orr (correct). 

     That night's opponent, the Montreal Canadiens, are featured on pages 13 and 32, while the Red Wing Scrapbook features a full page black and white photo of Bruce McGregor. Montreal's Gilles Tremblay's photo is the "Visitor's Scrapbook" on page 29. The program is from the November 6, 1966 game at the Olympia Stadium.

     Here are the rosters for both the Red Wings and Canadiens. Montreal finished in second place with a 32-25-17 record, 19 points ahead of fifth-place Detroit. However, on this night, the Wings blew out the Habs, 6-0.

     Charlie Hodge and Gump Worsley shared the net for the Habs for the last three seasons. Hodge won the 1964 Vezina Trophy by himself and shared the trophy with Worsley in 1966. Worsley was acquired from the New York Rangers in 1963 in the blockbuster Jacques Plante trade. An injury sent him down to Quebec of the AHL and he ended up remaining there for over a year. He ended up winning four Stanley Cups with Montreal in six seasons. Dick Duff was acquired from the Rangers midway through the 1964-65 season after being part of a blockbuster deal himself, part of the package sent to New York by Toronto in the Andy Bathgate trade. Duff won four more Cups with the Habs until being dealt to Los Angeles during the 1969-70 season. Hall of Famers (either as players or builders) on the Habs roster include: Jean Beliveau, Dick Duff, Gump Worsley, Yvan Cournoyer, Henri Richard, Ted Harris, Jacques Laperriere, Claude Provost, Jean-Guy Talbot, Sam Pollack and Toe Blake.

     

     Despite their poor season, the Wings weren't completely lacking talent. Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio (along with coach Sid Abel), were holdovers from the Wings glory years of the 1950s. Howe was 38 years old, but still had about 13 years of hockey left in him! Norm Ullman just missed the Cup wins of the 1950s, as he debuted in the 1955-56 season, but he was a dependable goal scorer for the Wings for years. Andy Bathgate won his lone Stanley Cup against the Red Wings in 1964, then found himself traded to Detroit for the following season in the Marcel Pronovost deal. Leo Boivin was part of the Bruins two Finals appearances in the late 1950s, and was acquired, along with Dean Prentice, by the Wings in 1966 for the playoffs. While Crozier struggled as the Wings slid down the standings, his reputation as a star netminder did not fade around the NHL. Punch Imlach would acquire Crozier for his expansion Buffalo Sabres in 1970. And then there's Paul Henderson, who scored the winning goal in the 1972 Summit Series for Team Canada. Hall of Famers on the Wings include: Howe, Delvecchio, Abel, Ullman, Boivin and Bathgate.

     Local advertisements include Peters Wieners (make your own joke here), Vernors, Carl's Chop House, Koepplinger's Bread, Little Caesar's Pizza Treat, Krun-Chee Potato Chips and AC Spark Plugs. Since the auto industry was still king in Detroit, car ads include the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, the 1967 Mercury Marquis, the 1967 Buick GS-400 and the 1967 Pontiac. Grand Prix.

Aftermath: The Red Wings would miss the postseason 14 times in the next 16 seasons, often finishing at the bottom of the NHL. The "Dead Wings" era had arrived in Detroit. 

References:

National Hockey League Regular Season Statistics: 1966-67, from hockeydb.com