Expansion Doubles League, Habs Still Win in 1968

[@paulinieminen9083]

1968, the year of the Prague Spring. The reason Jagr wears his number.

[@fireballmelch2684]

Time for three straight finals appearances for the blues.

[@AdamLaMore]

And never again...

[@chaosrookie3231]

@@AdamLaMore you wanna repeat that?

[@AdamLaMore]

@@chaosrookie3231 As a Blues fan, I have never been more happy to be wrong

[@chaosrookie3231]

@@AdamLaMore glad to hear that XD I'm happy for ya guys.

[@VTStudent76]

In 1968 the ABA Minnesota Muskies also played at Mets Center and were also in the ABA Playoffs at the same time as the North Stars

[@jsullivan5823]

Love this series so much, thanks again.

[@PancakesAndHammers2426]

Gump Worsley getting the Vezina or rather sharing it is great. Love Gump because he was one of the first goalies I really liked. Two years in a row and three pieces of hardware in each year for Mikita. My gosh what a freaking legend.

[@bandeannonce3923]

One of your best videos ever. Can't wait for the rest of the series.

[@not2tees]

Go, Shannon - you are my Hockey History Guru.

[@JoshuaWSiegel]

4:40 I remember, in 2013, once Marc Staal got hit in the eye with a puck, Jordan and Eric both started wearing visors the next game.

[@JoeOsChannel]

One of the only historical videos I've watched on your channel. Just never really clicked on them before really. But I enjoyed this. I'll be looking back to view more of them. Great stuff Shannon!

[@c71score]

Been looking forward to this all day. Love this series.

[@mr.waffles7599]

Such a great series ! Thank you

[@stevenloeffler1266]

Yes. Expansion. I love it

[@janellemaynait]

Fun fact Derek Sanderson was my former step dad's cousin

[@tonghale163]

Owners would riot in front of Gary Bettman’s office if the NHL solely put the expansion teams in one division

[@phendric66]

Birth of the greatest franchise. Let's Go Pens!

[@CArchivist]

You need to get those other magnets custom made! Seals and North Stars deserve their own! (Or the old Kings logo too)

[@regantyn]

Just a note: Overall scoring actually went DOWN, not up, this first expansion season. (The rise in scoring wouldn't start until the following year, 1968-69.) Having pointed that out, I would assume that scoring for the 6 established clubs was higher against the expansion teams.

[@patch8376]

This would be terribly received if the NHL did this now. It would be like Vegas times ten in terms of complaints, especially if a team from that upstart division went far in the playoffs. Actually if a team from an upstart division mandatorily went to the final as it did here the uproar would be Vegas x100.

[@GreenHornet553]

True. But there could also be complaints about the NHL propping up the original 6 teams by putting Detroit and Chicago in an easy division made up mostly of expansion teams so they could stay in the playoff.

[@patch8376]

AlmightyMalachi so what you're saying is fans will always find something to complain about no matter what happens?...;)

[@GreenHornet553]

@@patch8376 In a roundabout way, yes. :)

[@GreenHornet553]

I have to assume that the only reason a "western conference" filled with only the expansion teams was the same reason the Steelers, Colts, and Browns had to be financially incentivized to move into the new AFC following the AFL-NFL merger. And that is the original 6 owners thought of the expansion teams as upgraded AHL teams. At the same time, I can also see there being a benefit to doing expansion this way when there were so few teams. If they NHL did realignment based on geography, people could argue that they are just trying to keep all the original 6 teams in the playoffs by propping up Chicago and Detroit in the western conference and inflating their records against average to mediocre expansion teams.

[@HorseshoeCrab1998]

Would be a different story if that same Stanley cup final match up happened this season lol

[@Jay-fl5yr]

Oh hey! That one year the Blues were relevant!

[@iron1349]

I can see why the Blues couldn't get anywhere in their first 3 stanley cup finals appearances, when even the class of the division was sub 500

[@janellemaynait]

Expansion bitches!!!!!#

[@answeris4217]

I think that having all the expansion teams together is smart. Now I get it that they shouldn't have a real shot at winning it all but you set things up so the fans of those teams believe they do and playoffs gets fans in the stands plus excitement for the game. Look at Vegas if they did an Ottawa and stayed at the bottom for 5 plus years to start they wouldn't be around.

[@Lebby-lc9co]

Rip blues

[@smithryansmith]

Tiny winge, but I wish you had an actual Minnesota North Stars magnet in place of that D (its distracting).

[@j.nicolosi6647]

The Dinnesota Stars

[@kevaninthe4135]

Oh Shannon do a Scotty Bowman video please.

[@fentonhardy8176]

Poor Charlie Hodge, he was the goalie with 13 of those 15 wins, as well as 13 of those 17 Ties. It wasn't his fault that the Seals Stunk. Sadly there is a Misconception about the Masterton that not wearing a helmet caused his death, rumor has it he had a Concussion prior, according to Cesare Maniago a close friend of Masterton's, that Masterton had been suffering from Headaches and according to the North Stars Coach Wren Blair, Bill's face in Skating drills almost would turn blue, and Bill refused to go to the Doctor or at the least Put on a helmet temporarily, I do not mean to speak ill of the Dead, I'm just saying that had Bill takent he Advice of the Coach, and put on a Helmet for a while till he felt better, he might have been Alive today, all the same Rest in peace, Bill Masterton.

[@cym1963]

Did the 1968 Tracey tornado cause venue change? I think it was spring when it hit Minnesota.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Ice Capades at the Met Center caused 5 games to be played in St Louis and only 2 at the Met

[@michaelleroy9281]

May 15 1967 the most one sided trade in the history of hockey that won the Bruins 2 future Stanley Cups

[@PancakesAndHammers2426]

I think people would be flipping cars and burning buildings if we had a division with all expansion teams. I would be laughing at people's anger, but the harm these angry people would do would not be funny.

[@ericveneto1593]

T o my knowledge, there's never been a Travis Roy injury in the NHL. Is it just tremendous fortune?

[@DARK24-7]

Go North Stars!!!-Check!!!

[@mynameisdpc]

You should do a video about Buffalo’s fake draft pick!

[@Onlytheclouds]

Did you get new camera equipment Shannon? For some reason this video looks and sounds much clearer than others. Maybe it's the lighting Lol I dunno

[@acanadianineurope814]

It's the bright white of the Montreal Jersey :P Makes everything better.

[@JoeyJordison97]

😊

[@socal27]

.

[@Devilpogo]

Damn...a coach matchup between Toe Blake and Bowman...ive seen worst

[@PeterCPRail8748]

An expansion devision would definitely not work in today's game. Look at all the crying and bitching with Las Vagas this past season. To many idiots saying it was rigged, bettman wanted the Knights in the finals so he made it happen.

[@lukewarmwaterYT]

Didn’t Oakland make the playoffs twice?

[@TheHockeyGuy]

Once, I believe. I don't think they ever had a winning record.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Oakland made the playoffs in 1968-69 and 1969-70 both times beaten in the first round 69 to LA in 7 games 70 to Pittsburgh in 4 games

[@bouncer3087]

If you want to put all games of the playoffs, use another board and just hold when you are talking about the playoffs

[@ocarinamonkey1708]

Canadiens>leafs

[@Lando_Guest]

3rd