The 1979 Montreal Canadiens marked the end of an era in franchise history–they capped off a great dynasty run by winning a fourth straight Stanley Cup and they used one of the more memorable moments in NHL playoff history to do it. Montreal had set lofty standards in its Cup runs of 1976-78 and you […]
The 1979 Montreal Canadiens continued their dynastic run and won their fourth straight Stanley Cup. But unlike previous years, the regular season and playoffs weren’t one long ode to Canadien greatness. The New York Islanders had the look of a real Cup possibility, the Boston Bruins were a strong contender and the playoff semi-finals saw Montreal pushed to the very brink of elimination.
The year in 1979 sports carries a special place in basketball lore, as Michigan State’s Magic Johnson and Indiana State’s Larry Bird met in the NCAA final that drew the highest TV ratings in the history of that event and set the stage for a new era in the NBA. That’s fair enough as the prime story of the year. There are a few things that we shouldn’t lose sight of though.