By: Camryn Meece | Follow me on Twitter / X @MeeceCamryn
On May 10, 1979, the Bruins faced the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals at the Montreal Forum. Boston held a 4-3 lead late in the third period and was close to reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1977. After losing to Montreal in the Final the previous two seasons, the Bruins had a chance to get past their biggest rival once again.
Boston had taken a 3-1 lead earlier in the game, but Montreal fought back to tie it in the third period. With 3:59 remaining, Bruins right winger Rick Middleton scored to give the Bruins another lead. Boston now had less than four minutes to hold it and finish the series.
With a little over two minutes counting down on the clock, the Bruins were trying to protect their 4-3 lead when the line change went wrong. Left winger Don Marcotte had been matched against Guy Lafleur, and the two had been on the ice together for several shifts. When Lafleur stayed on the ice, Marcotte remained out to continue covering him. Boston then tried to make a change by getting fresh players on the ice. Rick Middleton was sent over the boards while Stan Jonathan remained, leaving the Bruins with six skaters.
Don Cherry tried to pull players back, but it was too late. The officials stopped play and called Boston for too many men on the ice. The penalty gave Montreal a two-minute power play with 2:34 remaining in the third period. The Canadiens quickly took advantage of the opportunity. Guy Lafleur scored 40 seconds into the power play, beating Gilles Gilbert to tie the game 4-4 with 1:14 remaining in the third period. Montreal had erased Boston’s lead, sending the game to overtime.
Boston had a chance to win the game early in overtime. Peter McNab set up Don Marcotte in front of the Montreal net, but Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden made the save. Montreal then outshot Boston 11-3 in overtime. Over nine minutes into overtime, Mario Tremblay carried the puck down the right side and passed it across to Yvon Lambert. Lambert put the puck past Gilles Gilbert to give Montreal a 5-4 win and end the Bruins’ season.
The win sent Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final for the fourth straight season. The Canadiens went on to defeat the New York Rangers in five games to win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup. For Boston, the loss also marked the end of Don Cherry’s time behind the Bruins’ bench. Cherry had coached Boston since the 1974-75 season, leading the team to two straight Stanley Cup Finals in 1977 and 1978.
The Bruins and Canadiens would meet again in the playoffs, including four straight Division Semifinal series from 1984 through 1987. But they would never meet in the Stanley Cup Semifinals again. Their 1979 series remain the last time the two rivals met in that round.
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