Long Island and Canada accounted for the most meaningful Stanley Cup playoff glory in the 1980s. After the New York Islanders nabbed four titles to start the decade, the next six went to either Edmonton, Montreal or Calgary.
Appropriately, some of those championship roads bore spectacular scenic routes. But even in non-regal campaigns, the franchises defining this dazzling, scoring-heavy era took part in top-notch best-of-five or best-of-seven sagas. Those who hung up at least one banner in the 1980s combined for involvement in seven of the decade’s 10 greatest series.
In between, one Canadian franchise never attained the ultimate glory. At least not in this era, let alone under its identity of the time. But it did score two triumphs of a bolder-than-usual flavor. One came at the expense of a provincial rival the year before said foe resurged en route to the Cup.
As always, all games in a given series went into account as we weighed their worth, with elimination and/or clinching contests carrying extra import. The 10 most riveting series shook out as follows.
10. 1982: Los Angeles vs. Edmonton
One team came from behind to win each of this best-of-five set’s first four games. The epitome of those rallies was Game 3’s “Miracle on Manchester,” which saw the Kings seize a 6-5 overtime victory after trailing, 5-0, going into the third period.
Even before that, L.A. stunned Edmonton’s audience by turning a 4-1 deficit into a 10-8 victory. The Oilers answered with a 3-2 sudden-death victory in Game 2, then tied the series again with a regulation steal of the same score from the L.A. Forum.
By comparison, the rubber match was anticlimactic. The Kings won a 7-4 barnburner at Northlands Coliseum, putting the game away fairly quickly. They had a 6-2 upper hand at the second intermission, augmented that lead and limited Edmonton’s rally to two goals.
9. 1982: Quebec vs. Boston
The host won the first four games of this Adams Division final, taking a one-goal squeaker and a blowout apiece. Once the series was reduced to a virtual best-of-three, however, predictability vanished.
Coming off an upset of Montreal, the fourth-place Nordiques pushed the second-seeded Bruins to the brink. But the B’s shook off the 4-3 setback at the Boston Garden, building three two-goal leads at the Quebec Coliseum. The Nordiques finally caught up and forced overtime, only to let Peter McNab force Game 7 in a 6-5 final.
Back in Beantown, the series-long offensive firestorm cooled off. McNab pulled the hosts even late in the second period after Quebec drew first blood on a power play. But in the closing frame, one more man-advantage conversion was all the Nordiques needed to cement their 2-1 escape.
8. 1981: St. Louis vs. Pittsburgh
This best-of-five first-round series did one better than the next year’s Kings-Oilers card in the drama department. The eventual victor surrendered the first goal of every game. Moreover, the deciding contest turned into an overtime marathon.
Game 1 featured a goal in the first and final minute of play. The visiting Penguins drew first blood at the 15-second mark. Their eventual 4-2 loss would have been 3-2 had Mike Crombeen not filled their empty net at literally the last second.
Pittsburgh trailed twice early in Game 2 before a four-goal second-period storm set it on pace to a 6-4 victory. St. Louis won a 5-4 seesaw in Game 3, then blew two leads along with its first chance to clinch.
The resultant Game 5 saw the Pens raise 1-0 and 2-1 upper hands. The Blues surmounted that deficit, only to let in a 3-3 equalizer with 9:24 left in regulation. A full overtime period failed to break the deadlock, but Crombeen buried the clincher at 5:16 of the fifth period.
7. 1985: Montreal vs. Boston
To start this best-of-five division semifinal, the Bruins salvaged a 5-3 win after letting an initial 3-0 lead get away. The Habs reasserted themselves for the Montreal Forum masses, winning Game 2 by an identical score with three unanswered third-period strikes.
Upon repressing the Bruins at the Garden in Game 3, Montreal was on the cusp of a 3-1 series triumph. It led Game 4 by a commanding 4-1 count at the first intermission. Boston closed the gap, but still trailed until Ken Linseman drew a 6-6 knot in the final minute of the middle frame.
With the scoring storm tempered, Linseman completed a hat trick for the third period’s only goal. But in the resultant Game 5, Montreal’s Mats Naslund inserted the lone tally with 51 seconds left in regulation.
6. 1985: NY Islanders vs. Washington
First the Capitals trailed twice in Game 1 before prevailing in overtime, 4-3. Then they took a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five division semifinal with a 2-1 double-OT triumph.
By Game 4 at Nassau Coliseum, the Caps were 17 minutes away from clinching. But a four-goal Islanders rally, culiminating in Mike Bossy’s last-minute empty netter, forced Game 5.
As they did in the opener, the Isles opened 1-0 and 2-1 leads at the Capital Centre in the rubber match. But unlike in Game 1, goaltender Billy Smith held his ground. He would repel 39 of 40 shots on the night, preserving the 2-1 thriller.
This ended the last great best-of-five series in Stanley Cup playoff history. The first round returned to best-of-seven two years later. Then the Islanders-Capitals rivalry would reach a new peak at the same point in the 1987 tournament.
5. 1989: Calgary vs. Vancouver
Not to be overlooked in a losing cause, Vancouver’s goaltending was valiant over seven games against the eventual champions. The Flames had entered this Smythe Division semifinal as the second highest-scoring team in the league behind Los Angeles. Yet Kirk McLean and Steve Weeks combined for 220 saves on 246 shots in the matchup.
In the 1988-89 regular season, that .894 save percentage would have been good enough for top-five status. In the playoffs, it was almost enough to give the Canucks, who started the series with a 4-3 overtime win, the upset.
A back-and-forth saga saw the Flames steal Game 3 from Pacific Coliseum. Otherwise, the home team on a given night had to earn its advantage. That included a season-preserving 6-3 win for Vancouver, which had initially trailed Game 6 by 1-0 and 2-1 counts.
To cap the set, the Canucks erased three one-goal deficits to force another overtime at the Saddledome. With double-OT less than a minute away, however, Joel Otto gave the Flames a permanent lead and identical 4-3 game and series triumphs. McLean and Calgary counterpart Mike Vernon finished their deciding duel with 42 saves apiece.
4. 1985: Quebec vs. Montreal
The two lopsided contests of this Adams Division Final had compelling implications to compensate for the scores. First the upset-minded Nordiques stole Game 5 from the Forum, 5-1. Then the Canadiens averted elimination by repressing their Coliseum hosts, 5-2.
Beforehand, the provincial rivals split back-to-back games in each other’s mansions. Quebec claimed 2-1 and 7-6 overtime victories in Games 1 and 3, respectively. Montreal overcame a 2-0 deficit and recovered from a Nordiques rally to take a 6-4 barnburner in Game 2. It later stole a 3-1 decision for its first of two wins at the Coliseum in the series.
In all, the visitor had prevailed four times in six tries entering the finale. The Nordiques looked primed to make that five out of seven upon raising their upper hand to 2-0 early in the middle frame. The Habs quickly filled that pothole, and the 2-2 deadlock held up throughout the third period.
At 2:22 of the series’ third overtime, franchise face Peter Stastny completed arguably the greatest highlight in the history of the Nordiques brand. His clincher gave the franchise its last conference final berth before moving to Colorado.
3. 1985: Chicago vs. Minnesota
In a pool full of epic series that went the distance, it is hard for one lasting six games to stand out. But this Norris Division Final found copious ways. Its key stats included 61 goals, six lead changes within the games and four overtime periods.
To start, the North Stars overcome three early one-goal deficits, then held off a Blackhawks rally to take an 8-5 road win in Game 1. After tying the series with a 6-2 steamroll, Chicago regained the illusion of home-ice advantage. It did this by reversing the roles from Game 1, turning early 1-0 and 2-1 deficits into a 5-3 win in Minneapolis.
The Hawks subsequently silenced the Met Center crowd by claiming a 7-6 double-OT victory. Facing elimination at Chicago Stadium, the North Stars countered with a 5-4 sudden-death victory. This after trailing Game 5 by counts of 3-0 and 4-1.
Back home, Minnesota raised five upper hands in an effort to save its season once more. But the Blackhawks responded each time, ultimately forcing a third straight OT game. Following up on their fifth equalizer of the night, they put the series away via Darryl Sutter at 15:41.
2. 1987: NY Islanders vs. Washington
There was more to this best-of-seven first-round series than the Easter Epic. That game was a fitting finale to a tight, back-and-forth matchup.
The Patrick Division’s second-seeded Capitals let a 3-0 lead dangerously devolve in Game 1, but held on for a 4-3 win. After the Isles stole Game 2 from the Capital Centre, Washington returned the favor on Long Island.
Upon losing the set’s most decisive contest, 4-1, New York faced a quick exit back on the Beltway. But the desperate Islanders started Game 5 with two unanswered first-period goals, then bagged another pair after the Caps drew a knot for a 4-2 victory. A similar pattern saw the Isles fall behind after initially holding another 2-0 lead, only to recover for a 5-4 home win.
Mike Gartner drew first blood for the host Capitals in the final minute of Game 7’s first period. Washington opened another one-goal lead late in the middle frame, but let Bryan Trottier give New York another equalizer late in the third.
The equivalent of another game, and then some, elapsed with no further scoring. New York netminder Kelly Hrudey withstood the brunt of the barrage on the night, totaling 73 saves. At the other end, he was rewarded when Pat LaFontaine slugged the Isles’ 57th past Bob Mason at 8:47 of the seventh period.
1. 1987 Stanley Cup Final
A battle of the only two teams to earn triple-digit points in the regular season nearly ended in a five-game whimper. But even if the Oilers had clinched the Cup on their first try, each individual game would have made the series’ 4-1 outcome deceptive.
Philadelphia led Game 2 in Edmonton before dropping a 3-2 final in overtime. It climbed back into the series by turning a 3-0 deficit into a 5-3 home victory in Game 3.
Upon splitting the two games at the Spectrum, the Oilers looked poised to secure their third Cup in four years back home. By 1:32 of the second period, they led Game 5, 3-1. But the Flyers regrouped and seized a 4-3 squeaker.
Edmonton blew another two-goal lead in Game 6, which the Flyers took by a 3-2 count in front of their fans. Adding to Philadelphia’s supposed momentum, Murray Craven converted a power play to draw first blood in the second minute of Game 7.
But the Flyers’ resilience ended there. The Oilers took the last turn surmounting deficits and scored three unanswered goals to raise the Cup at Northlands Coliseum.
Leave a Reply