Indeed, the rough-and-tumble, two-time defending Cup champion Flyers were on a collision course with Scotty Bowman’s vaunted Canadiens. Both teams had powered through the regular season at a blistering pace…Montreal at a stunning 58-11-11 clip (127 points) and Philly only slightly behind (51-13-16, 118 points). Each club had dispatched their Semi-Finals opponent in five games.
The matchup was viewed as a battle between good and evil. Darth Vader versus Luke Skywalker.
Boasting such legendary bad men as Dave “the Hammer” Schultz, “Wolfman” Jack McIlhargey, André “Moose” Dupont, Bob “Hound” Kelly and Don “Big Bird” Saleski and aided and abetted by second-tier toughies like bristling Mel Bridgman, Gary “Elbows” Dornhoefer and future Pens Orest Kindrachuk and Ross Lonsberry, the Broad Street Bullies were at the height of their destructive powers.