Just as U.S. President Gerald Ford is often forgotten and not given his due for facing the unique challenges that he inherited as the only appointed president in American history, Al MacNeil also fails to get his due as a Stanley Cup-winning coach for the Montreal Canadiens, hockey’s most storied franchise.
MacNeil coached Les Glorieux for less than one season but it turned out to be one of the most memorable campaigns in the grand history of Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge.
Surprise Call
After a successful 14 year NHL playing career, MacNeil moved on to coaching and was at the minor league level as head coach of Montreal’s top farm club in the American Hockey League.
The Canadiens were 11-8-4 and playing uninspired hockey when MacNeil got the unexpected call to take over the big club following the resignation of head coach Claude Ruel.
Ruel led the Habs to the 1969 Stanley Cup, but the perpetual expectation of Stanley Cup championships proved to be too much for him to deal with. Montreal missed the playoffs in 1970, which was an unforgivable sin in the eyes of their passionate and demanding fans that were spoiled by routine Stanley Cups. At the time of Ruel’s resignation, the Habs faced the possibility of missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
For MacNeil and the Habs, an accident was to become a championship design.
The Big M
A key acquisition made by famed Montreal general manager Sam Pollock was Frank Mahovlich, who arrived from the Detroit Red Wings midway through the season. The brooding Mahovlich would prove to be one of the heroes of the Habs 1971 playoff run with 27 points.
MacNeil Rolls Snake Eyes
Heading into the playoffs as a decided underdog against the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, MacNeil decided he had nothing to lose by starting a lanky Ivy League rookie named Ken Dryden between the pipes for the post season. Dryden was a law student at the time, yet unexpectedly became an instant North American sensation that would end up in the Hall of Fame.
Boston was at their peak and an offensive powerhouse in 1971. The Bruins were overconfident and sloppy, however, as evidenced by a stunning 7-5 Montreal win in game two in which the Habs rallied from a 5-1 deficit. Montreal went on to win the series in seven games to shock the hockey world in one of the most stunning playoff upsets ever.
Montreal next went on to defeat the Minnesota North Stars in a six game series to qualify for the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks.
French Kiss of Death
During the Stanley Cup final, MacNeil benched the popular Henri Richard during the series. The younger brother of Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Henri did not take his removal from action well and went public. The “Pocket Rocket” said that MacNeil was the worst coach that he ever played for.
Henri Richard’s comments triggered the absolute worst instincts of thousands of French-Canadian fans and ignited a firestorm of ugliness that remains detestable to this day. MacNeil did not speak French, which made him an instant suspect and outcast to many Montreal fans. Having been called out by a popular francophone star, MacNeil faced death threats and the necessity of having body guards. At first, MacNeil laughed it off, but when his wife became upset, it changed his outlook dramatically.
Americans Take Notice
The Canadiens and Blackhawks Cup Final went to a seventh and deciding game in Chicago. American fans were so enthralled with the series that they flooded the CBS television network with calls and telegrams demanding that the game be televised. It remains the most watched NHL game in American history. With the greatest play-by-play announcer in the history of sports, Dan Kelly, calling the game for CBS, it only added to a night of glory, history, irony, and destiny.
The Return of the Pocket Rocket
MacNeil proved to be a big man and put Richard back into the lineup instead of holding a grudge. The Pocket Rocket lit the lamp twice with the Cup clinching goal scored in the third period.
The Greatest Save in Hockey History
As Chicago furiously rallied to tie the game with ten minutes to play, Blackhawks sniper Jim Pappin took a perfect pass on the doorstep of the wide open Montreal net. When Pappin shot at the open net, he raised his stick in celebration, only to end up as the stunned victim of a felony. Dryden robbed him by quickly sticking out his right pad, slamming the door hut on the empty net, for the greatest save of all time. The historic heist was the final argument in giving Dryden the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 1971 NHL playoffs.
Looking back today, one has to wonder how it all would have turned out if MacNeil did not have the nerve to start Dryden for what turned out to be an epic playoff run for the ages.
End of Elegance
Montreal team captain Jean Beliveau, the most graceful, classy, and elegant athlete ever, accepted the Stanley Cup from NHL President Clarence Campbell. Nearing 40 years of age, Beliveau set a then playoff record for assists, as he prepared to retire on top. After accepting the Stanley Cup, Beliveau next cemented the tradition of carrying it in a victory lap of glory. Beliveau skated around the Chicago Stadium rink for a story book ending to a legendary Hall of Fame career. Beliveau’s final moment of glory is yet another special part of the MacNeil story and the Habs improbable underdog Cup run of 1971.
Richard and MacNeil embraced after the win. But it would not be enough for MacNeil to return. After a brief vacation he decided that he could not return as head coach of the Canadiens.
Unsung Hero
Despite winning the Stanley Cup and posting a 31-15-9 record, MacNeil moved back down to the minor leagues. The ugliness over the Henri Richard incident proved to be a vital part of his final decision.
Just as Gerald Ford is never mentioned as one of the great presidents, Al MacNeil is never mentioned as one of great coaches in NHL history. Neither Ford nor MacNeil is celebrated for their charisma or their brilliance. Both men took a lot of abuse and faced plenty of disrespect while in their roles. Yet each man took over their respective positions at a time of crisis and departed having left things in better shape than what they inherited. While Ford and MacNeil will never be celebrated for greatness, they each proved to be the right men at the right time in their respective careers.
Al MacNeil is hockey’s forgotten champion. And history is treating him better by the day.
