The 1974/75 NHL season was the 58th season in the National Hockey League . 18 teams played 80 games each. The Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup after a 4-2 win in the final series against the Buffalo Sabers . With the Washington Capitals and the Kansas City Scouts , two teams were added and it was decided for the first time in NHL history to play in two conferences with two groups each. The groups are named after four great managers in NHL history, Lester Patrick , Conn Smythe , James E. Norris and Jack Adams . A trophy had already been named after all of them. Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito had their last highlight together in Boston . Esposito was the top scorer with his 61 goals for the sixth time in a row, Orr was the top scorer as a defender with 135 points and scored an outstanding 46 goals. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy for best defender for the eighth time in a row , but was never able to play a full season because of his weak knees. In the play-offs , the New York Islanders were already 3-0 down against the Penguins. Coach Al Arbor brought Glenn Resch into goal for Billy Smith and managed to turn things around with his team. So far, only the Toronto Maple Leafs had succeeded in 1942.
National Hockey League
Greg Joly
