Demers Demurs From Comment About a Toronto-Montreal Final

No sooner had the Canadiens finished off the Islanders on Monday to win the Wales Conference final in five games than they began talking about a Montreal-Toronto Stanley Cup final.

The last time the two met for the Cup was 1966-67, a four-game Toronto triumph that remains the Leafs’ most recent Cup title. The last all-Canadian final was in 1988-89, when Calgary defeated Montreal in six games.

“It’s going to be a big battle. We can’t wait,” Montreal forward Gilbert Dionne said of facing the Leafs.

Said Canadien Coach Jacques Demers: “Let me tell you something about (Toronto Coach) Pat Burns. He did a great job to get his team ready (Sunday). . . . But a good friend of mine coaching the Los Angeles Kings, Barry Melrose, has done a great job there. Whoever comes, we’ll be ready. We can’t start talking about preferences.”