1967-68 NHL season
| 1967–68 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 11, 1967 – May 11, 1968 |
| Number of games | 74 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Season MVP | Stan Mikita (Black Hawks) |
| Top scorer | Stan Mikita (Black Hawks) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Glenn Hall (Blues) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Montreal Canadiens |
| Runners-up | St. Louis Blues |
The 1967–68 NHL season was the 51st season of the National Hockey League. The league expanded to 12 teams, putting the new six in the West Division, while the original six were all placed in the East Division. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup against the new St. Louis Blues.
This season saw the NHL expand from the "Original Six" teams by adding six new franchises, including the St. Louis Blues, California Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Los Angeles Kings. On December 8, 1967, the California Seals were renamed the Oakland Seals before being renamed again to the California Golden Seals in 1970. As a result of the expansion, the League reorganized its teams into two divisions, placing the Original Six teams into the Eastern Division and the expansion franchises into the Western Division. The NHL, furthermore, increased its regular season schedule from 70 to 74 games per team with each team playing 50 games against opponents within its own division (10 against each divisional opponent) and 24 games with teams in the opposite division (4 games per opponent). A new format for the playoffs would also be introduced which would see the top four teams in each division qualify for the post-season with the first and third and the second and fourth place teams in each respective division pairing off in a divisional semi-final series. The winners of the latter would then compete for their respective division's championship, the West finalists competing for the newly created Clarence S. Campbell Bowl and the East finalists vying for the older Prince of Wales, and a berth in the Stanley Cup finals. All series would be best-of-seven contests.
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