During last week's NHL Eastern Conference finals Game 7, a graphic flashed once as the Penguins and Senators prepared to head to double overtime: There had only been three times previously in NHL history when Game 7 of a conference final (or NHL semifinal, as they were back in the day) went two overtimes or more.
And one of those three times came during the 1967-68 season, when the North Stars lost to St. Louis.
Wait, what?
Either I need to brush up on my North Stars history or this is an underrated moment in the lore of Minnesota sports heartbreak.
Maybe both?
When it comes to playoff heartbreak in Minnesota, there is a natural tendency to focus on the Vikings because of the four Super Bowl losses (and more recently the NFC title game losses). The North Stars lost Stanley Cup Finals in 1981 (to the Islanders) and 1991 (to the Penguins), but both of those seasons are still remembered fondly.
In any event, the Game 7 double-overtime graphic sent me scurrying to Hockey Reference for further investigation.
The 1967-68 season was, as you probably know, the year the NHL doubled in size from its original six teams to 12. The North Stars were one of six expansion teams that season. Minnesota finished fourth in the geographically confusing "West Division," a grouping that also included fellow expansion teams Philadelphia, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Oakland.
