1975 Playoffs

As the 1975 playoffs got underway, one of the most intriguing stories involved the Detroit Mustangs and whether or not they could pull off the three-peat. Facing Montreal in the first round, the aging Mustangs quickly found themselves in a 3-1 hole. However, with the resilience that had gotten them four Lewis Cups in six seasons, they managed to take games 5 and 6 both in overtime with Kirk Saunders proving to be the hero in both contests. Game 7 would also go into OT, with Saunders even hitting the crossbar at one point. Ultimately, Royale winger Emmett Hudson netted the winner, propelling Montreal to the second round and likely putting an end to one of hockey's all-time greatest dynasties. In the West, the Denver Bulls and California Nuggets played a very dramatic series with Denver immediately taking a 3-0 series lead. Facing elimination in game 4,  rookie goaltender Yvon Tremblay stopped 47 shots, backstopping California to a 4-2 victory. In game 5, Tremblay would earn a shutout as the Nuggets continued to prolong the series. The Nuggets would win game 6 in dramatic fashion as Dennis Yates scored two goals including the OT winner to send the series to a seventh game. Game 7 was a hard-fought goaltending dual as both Tremblay and Bulls' netminder Jeff Muskew turned in a spectacular performance before Denver's Jack Dunn finally scored the winner halfway through the third period, giving the Bulls their first playoff series victory since 1951. In other first round action the Nova Scotia Claymores only managed 3 goals in their entire series with Philadelphia as the Redshirts swept the series 4-0, while Chicago took out Calgary in 5 games.

In the second round, 3 of the 4 series went the full 7 games, the exception being Ottawa and Philadelphia in which Ottawa defeated the Redshirts in 5. LA entered their series with Chicago as the heavy favorites. However, the gritty Shamrocks did not make it easy on the Wizards, keeping the series tight and ultimately forcing a game 7 which LA won on the strength of a Stuart Holly hat-trick. New York Civics had a lot of problems closing out the Montreal Royale. After taking a 3-1 series lead, the Civics were shut out in game 5, then lost in overtime in a game 6 in which they outshot Montreal 51-32. New York finally sealed the series in game 7 with a 3-1 victory. Minnesota's matchup with Denver was perhaps the most lopsided in the entire playoffs. though Denver had shown tremendous improvement in '74-'75, the fact remained that the Lumberjacks were a legitimate Cup contender who had finished 32 points ahead of Denver, a team that had just squeaked into the post-season. Right off the bat, the Bulls showed they clearly didn't care about the regular season standings or anyone's projections as they won game 1 in Minnesota and game 3 at home to take a 2-1 series lead. Minnesota would put them in their place in game 4, however, as Bobby Sorel turned away 36 shots while Guy Dupont, Todd Winslow, and Clint Allen each scored to give the 'Jacks a 3-1 victory to tie the series. After winning game 5 4-3, it appeared that Minnesota would once again snuff out the plucky Denver squad for the second straight year. However the Bulls, feeding off the energy from a rare sellout crowd, would take game 6 to force a deciding game back at Twin Cities Forum. After jumping to an early 2-0 lead, Minnesota looked to be in control. When Denver responded in the second period with a 3-goal explosion, Minnesota fans wondered if they were about to witness the biggest upset in PHL history. The sellout crowd breathed a huge sigh of relief when unlikely hero Kevin Jewett tied the game with 43 seconds left. Minnesota once again had all the momentum heading into overtime. Then, 15 seconds into the first OT, Brian Hunt blocked a Todd Winslow shot before beating Sorel on the ensuing breakaway. The home crowd was stunned as the Bulls cleared the bench and mobbed their captain in celebration. Denver had pulled off arguably the biggest upset in PHL history.

 After such a dramatic second round, the conference finals had a tough act to follow. Denver had clearly emptied the tank in their upset over Minnesota. LA deafeated the Bulls 6-0 in the opening game of the Western Conference final and ultimately only surrendured game 4 to Denver en route to a 5-game series win and their first-ever berth in the Lewis Cup Finals. In the East, Ottawa took game 1 against the Civics but failed even to get the lead in the next four games as Freddy Huff and the New York Civics returned to the Lewis Cup Finals for the second time in 3 years. The much-anticipated championship series would pit the Civics, looking to redeem themselves after the heartbreak of '73, against the Wizards, a team that many believed would be the league's next great dynasty.