Jari Kurri’s Historic 5-Point Game in the 1990 Stanley Cup Final

On May 18, 1990, Jari Kurri of the Edmonton Oilers delivered one of the most dominant individual performances in Stanley Cup Final history. In Game 2 against the Boston Bruins at the old Boston Garden, Kurri recorded 5 points, becoming the last NHL player to hit that mark in a final series game.

Kurri’s night included a hat trick and two assists in Edmonton’s 7-2 win. He scored the Oilers’ second, third, and final goals while setting up Craig Simpson and Esa Tikkanen in the second period.

Edmonton made the most of their opportunities early, scoring three times on just four shots against Boston starter Andy Moog. Backup Rejean Lemelin fared little better, surrendering four more goals on 18 shots.

The Oilers went on to defeat the Bruins 4-1 in the series, securing their only Stanley Cup championship without Wayne Gretzky. That spring also marked Kurri’s final playoff run with Edmonton before reuniting with Gretzky in Los Angeles two years later.

During the 1989-90 postseason, Kurri tallied 25 points in 22 games, finishing just behind Mark Messier and Craig Simpson (31 points each). Goaltender Bill Ranford earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, backstopping all 22 games with a 2.53 GAA and one shutout.

About Jari Kurri

Jari Kurri Played 1,251 regular season and 200 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1980-81 and 1997-98 with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Anaheim Might Ducks and Colorado Avalanche. Over the time, he scored 601 goals with a career high 71 in 1984-85. Kurri was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.

NHL Hockey Trivia Jari Kurri

Much more NHL hockey trivia can be found at our website: World's Best Hockey Trivia

1. Jari Kurri was the first Finnish player to reach which major NHL milestone?

500 career goals 1,000 career points 1,500 career points 700 career goals

2. Which NHL team drafted Jari Kurri in 1980?

Los Angeles Kings Edmonton Oilers Colorado Rockies Winnipeg Jets

3. In the 1984–85 season, Kurri scored a career-high how many goals?

68 71 73 78

4. After leaving the Oilers, Kurri later reunited with Wayne Gretzky on which team?

New York Rangers Los Angeles Kings Colorado Avalanche Anaheim Mighty Ducks

5. In what year was Jari Kurri inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?

1999 2000 2001 2003

Benefits Of Being Traded For Paul Coffey

Paul Coffey is one of just 20 players in National Hockey League history to play for nine or more teams during their career. It goes without saying that Coffey was part of a fair share of big trades, considering he was one of the best defensemen of all time.

Three players traded for Paul Coffey stand out above the rest. Each of these three saw instant success with the team that was trading Paul away. Ironically, each was a second round pick in their NHL Entry Draft. Despite his nine teams, Coffey never played with any of these three players during his National Hockey League career.

Craig Simpson

In November of 1987, Coffey was part of a multi-player trade between the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins with Paul leaving the Gretzky gang. Among the players going to Edmonton was Craig Simpson. Simpson played in the NHL from 1985-86 to 1994-95 with the Penguins, Oilers and Buffalo Sabres. Originally, he was the second overall pick of the Penguins at the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.

That season, the Oilers went on to meet Boston in the Stanley Cup finals where they swept the Bruins in four games. Pittsburgh did not qualify for the post season. Simpson won another Stanley Cup with Edmonton in 1989-90. Once again, it was the Boston Bruins that fell victim to the Oilers, this time in five games.

Jimmy Carson

Fast forward to January of 1993. After being reunited with Wayne Gretzky in Los Angeles for a short time, Coffey was traded by the Kings to the Detroit Red Wings. Headed in the other direction was Jimmy Carson. Carson played in the NHL from 1986-87 to 1995-96 with the Kings, Oilers, Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks and Hartford Whalers. He had been the second overall pick at the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, going to the Kings.

In the 1992-93 season, the Steve Yzerman led Red Wings made an early first round exit from the playoffs. Jimmy Carson and the Kings moved on to the Stanley Cup finals before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games.

Brendan Shanahan

In October of 1996, the Red Wings sent Paul Coffey to the Hartford Whalers. Among the players coming in the other direction was Brendan Shanahan. Shanahan played in the National Hockey League from 1987-88 to 2008-09 with the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Whalers, Red Wings and New York Rangers. He was the second overall pick at the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, going to the Devils.

Detroit reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1996-97 and swept the Philadelphia Flyers to become champions. It was the first time the Red Wings had won the Stanley Cup since 1954-55. Hartford, however, did not qualify for post season action. But, Coffey wasn’t with the Whalers at the season’s end. Paul was traded again in December to those same Philadelphia Flyers and played in the finals against the team that he started the season with.