| 1961 Stanley Cup Finals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Location(s) | Chicago: Chicago Stadium (1, 3, 5) Detroit: Olympia Stadium (2, 4, 6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | Chicago: Rudy Pilous Detroit: Sid Abel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Captains | Chicago: Ed Litzenberger Detroit: Gordie Howe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | April 6–16, 1961 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series-winning goal | Ab McDonald (18:49, second, G6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Black Hawks: Al Arbour (1996, builder) Glenn Hall (1975) Bill Hay (2015, builder) Bobby Hull (1983) Stan Mikita (1983) Pierre Pilote (1975) Red Wings: Alex Delvecchio (1977) Gordie Howe (1972) Marcel Pronovost (1978) Terry Sawchuk (1971) Norm Ullman (1982) Coaches: Sid Abel (1969, player) Rudy Pilous (1985) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1961 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1960–61 season, and the culmination of the 1961 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Black Hawks. Chicago was making its first Finals appearance since 1944, and Detroit its first appearance since 1956; both had lost to the Montreal Canadiens in those previous appearances. The Black Hawks won the best-of-seven series, four games to two, to win their third Stanley Cup, their first since 1938. This was the last time Chicago won the Cup until 2010, a 49-year drought.
This was the only title not won by the Canadiens, Red Wings or Toronto Maple Leafs during the Original Six era, and the only title won by a U.S. team between 1955 and 1970.