The Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens played to a 0-0 stalemate that ultimately ended in a shootout win for Montreal.
Per Jonathan Mills of the Red Wings team site, “Saturday’s result also marked the first 0-0 game through 60 minutes between these two clubs since Game 5 of the 1954 Stanley Cup Finals.”
Given how far back the Red Wings and Canadiens’ history of playing against one another stretches, that’s an amazing feat. Detroit won the Stanley Cup Final 4 games to 3 against the Canadiens that season, but Game 5 was the most memorable.
Red Wings, Canadiens Last Finished 0-0 In Regulation In 1954
On Apr. 11, 1954, the Red Wings and Canadiens squared off at the old Detroit Olympia. Detroit entered the game with a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
Montreal coach Dick Irvin replaced goaltender Jacques Plante in the goal with Gerry McNeil. McNeil couldn’t have played a better game on the big stage, matching legendary Red Wings goaltender Terry Sawchuk to keep the game scoreless through regulation.
The overtime period meant Detroit was one goal away from hoisting the 1954 Stanley Cup. Instead, Ken Mosdell kept the Canadiens alive when he got one past Sawchuk at 5:45 in overtime, forcing a Game 6.
Game 6 took place at the Montreal Forum, and the Canadiens beat Detroit 4-1. But Detroit got it together in Game 7 at the Olympia and won 2-1. Ironically, Tony Leswick’s series-winning goal also came in overtime.
Detroit, Montreal Recreate 1954 Rarity With Another 1-0 Finish
This time around, a shootout, not overtime, decided the victor. Alexandre Texier nearly ended the game in overtime, but an offside call following a coach’s challenge negated the goal. Instead, Zachary Bolduc was the hero when he beat Daniil Tarasov in the shootout on Montreal’s sixth attempt.
Jacob Fowler and Tarasov both received shutouts, while only McNeil was awarded the shutout in the Cup Final. In both matchups, each netminder kept the game tied at zero through 65 full minutes, with Sawchuk allowing Mosdell’s goal at 5:45.
So, the 1954 winner came just 45 seconds beyond the amount of time the two teams played on Saturday.
The Circumstances Couldn’t Be Any Different In 2026
Last season, the Canadiens earned a trip to the Eastern Conference Final before they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes. 2025-26 also marked the third time the Red Wings were in serious playoff contention, but a late-season collapse kept them out of the postseason.
Montreal is on the cusp of building on that successful deep playoff run, while the Red Wings are in disarray. There is still no permanent general manager heading into mid-October; the Dylan Larkin situation is still up for grabs, and the Red Wings’ offense has been stale.
Still, it was cool to see both teams make history on Saturday night. It also marked the third game this season when the Red Wings refused to allow a goal at 5-on-5.
The previous two matchups came vs. the New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets. Detroit allowed a power-play goal and an empty-netter vs. New York, and three power-play goals vs. Winnipeg.
Do the math and, through five games, the Red Wings only allowed a 5-on-5 goal in 40 percent of them. The third game in which they allowed zero regulation goals happened to make history.
Red Wings, Canadiens Revived A 72-Year-Old Stanley Cup Final Rarity