1972 Playoffs

The 1972 playoffs had a slightly different look form the previous two seasons. LA not only found themselves in the post-season for the first time in franchise history but actually won the Pacific division and earned a first-round bye, while in the Central, Detroit gave up their first-round bye to Minnesota, who finished first overall in the league. In the Western Conference, Detroit made short work of Chicago, sweeping them in four straight, while Skippy Cleveland, in perhaps the last great moment of his career, led Calgary to a six-game victory over Winnipeg. In the East, Ottawa upset Quebec in five games, and in the only seven-game series in the first round, Philadelphia defeated the defending champion Boston Bulldogs in a series that proved to be quite chippy after Redshirts defenseman Frank McDermit ran Boston goaltender Ricky Spooner in game 5. Spooner would not return for the remainder of the series. Bulldogs' coach Bruce Winter blamed the loss on the Spooner injury and the Bulldogs promised revenge on their hated rivals the following season. In the second round, LA managed to overcome some adversity early on against the Calgary Wranglers to defeat them in six games, while Montreal took down Ottawa in five. In one of the most competitive series of the playoffs, Minnesota took on the Detroit Mustangs in the Central Division final. After the teams split the first four games, Minnesota eeked out a 1-0 win in game five thanks to a big overtime goal from Jimmy Andrews. After Detroit forced game seven with a 3-1 win, the teams then played an epic game seven where both Bobby Sorel and Bobby Cole both stood on their heads as the game went to triple overtime, once again at 0-0. At 12:32 of the third overtime, Jimmy Andrews once again proved to be the hero for the 'Jacks, flipping the puck over Cole's shoulder to propell Minnesota to the Western final. In the Atlantic Division, Nova Scotia met the Cinderella Redshirts in another thrilling seven-gamer. In this series, Philly found themselves up 3-1 after the first four games. But Nova Scotia roared back, winning two overtime games in a row before clinging to a 4-3 third-period lead in a nerve-racking game seven to advance. In the Western Conference final, the LA Wizards put up a valiant fight against Minnesota, but ultimately succumbed to the powerful Lumberjacks in six games, while Montreal defeated Nova Scotia in five games to set up a Lewis Cup final between the league's two best teams. 

First Round

Second Round

Third Round

Lewis Cup Preview

 The Lewis Cup finals would pit the Minnesota Lumberjacks, who finished first overall in the Western Conference and in the league, against the Montreal Royale, who finished first overall in the Eastern Conference. On paper, the Lumberjacks appeared to be the favorites. Their "SAW" line of Jimmy Andrews, Guy Dupont and Doug Williams was on fire throughout the playoffs, while goaltender Bobby Sorel was quickly establishing himself as the best goaltender in the game. Montreal would rely on their shutdown defensive pairing of Martin Gilbert and Pierre Gervais against Minnesota's speedy forwards. veteran goaltender Jean-Claude Richard was playing at the top of his game at age 33 and would also be relied on heavily. Game one would take place in Minneapolis, where fans camped out for tickets to what promised to be a thrilling Lewis Cup Final.