NHL Hockey Trivia: The Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is the holy grail of hockey. Lord Stanley’s Mug is handed to the National Hockey League’s playoff champion each season. Test your knowledge and broaden your hockey horizons with the following four bits of trivia.

Q. What was the first non-‘Original Six’ NHL team to win the Stanley in the post expansion era?

A. The Philadelphia Flyers, known as the ‘Broad Street Bullies’ won the Stanley Cup with a victory over the Boston Bruins in the 1974 Stanley Cup. The Flyers would repeat the accomplishment the following season with a victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Those were the only two times the Flyers have ever won the Cup, although Philadelphia reached the finals in 1975-76 against the Montreal Canadiens, 1979-80 against the New York Islanders, 1984-85 and 1986-87 against the Edmonton Oilers, 1996-97 against the Detroit Red Wings and 2009-10 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Flyers entered the NHL for the 1967-68 season. Previous to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1973-74, Philadelphia had won just one playoff series. In 1972-73, the Flyers knocked off the Minnesota North Stars in the quarter-finals before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in the semi-finals.

Q. Unfortunately, there are defunct franchises throughout the history of the NHL. What was the last now-defunct team to win the Stanley Cup?

A. The Montreal Maroons were the darlings of the English population in Montreal. The Maroons won the Stanley Cup in 1935. In that 1934-35 NHL season, Montreal was just fourth in the nine team league during the regular season. In the finals, they swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in three games. Toronto had finished first overall.

The Maroons entered the National Hockey League for the 1924-25 season. The following year, they captured their first of two Stanley Cup championships. Montreal would also lose in the finals in 1927-28 to the New York Rangers. It was New York's first ever championship in only their second year in the league. The Maroons played their final NHL season in 1937-38.

Q. How many Stanley Cups did the Montreal Canadiens win during the 1970’s?

A. The Habs won a total of six Stanley Cups in the 1970’s. They dominated the Cup from four years from 1976 to 1979. They also won in 1971 and 1973. Montreal has won 24 championships, to date. Since the 1970's, however, the Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup just twice, in 1985-86 over the Calgary Flames and in 1992-93 over the Los Angeles Kings.

Q. What team has gone the longest without winning the Stanley Cup?

A. Until the 2009-10 season ended, the answer to this question was the Chicago Blackhawks, not having won the Stanley Cup since 1961. Chicago's win left the Toronto Maple Leafs as the team that has gone the longest without a Stanley Cup victory. The Leafs last won in 1967, a year before the league expanded to twelve teams. The St. Louis Blues remain the only 1967 expansion team to have never won a Stanley Cup but entered the league a year after Toronto won their last Cup.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks NHL Stanley Cup Playoff History

In 2012-13, the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks meet for the sixth time in the post season. Detroit holds the edge, winning three of the previous five showdowns. The Red Wings have been in the National Hockey League since the 1926-27 season and have won the Stanley Cup championship on eleven occasions. Anaheim entered the NHL as an expansion team for the 1993-94 season. The Ducks have won Stanley Cup.

1996-97 – Western Conference Semi-Finals

The Ducks (at the time the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) reached the post season for the first time in their young NHL history. During the regular season, Anaheim finished second in the Pacific Division with 85 points while the Red Wings placed second in the Central with 92 points.

In the Western Conference Quarter-Finals, Detroit took out the St. Louis Blues in six games while Anaheim went the distance before beating the Phoenix Coyotes in seven games. This, of course, set up the first showdown between the Red Wings and Ducks.

Detroit swept Anaheim in four games. The Red Wings then went on to beat the Colorado Avalanche four games to two in the Conference Finals before sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers to capture the Stanley Cup.

1998-99 – Western Conference Quarter-Finals

Another Detroit and Anaheim matchup resulting in another sweep. The teams met in the opening round after the Red Wings finished first in the Central with 93 points and the Ducks finished third in the Pacific with 83. After taking out the Ducks, Detroit moved on to the Conference Semi-Finals, where they lost to Colorado in six games.

2002-03 – Western Conference Quarter-Finals

Yet another sweep. However this time the Red Wings were on the losing end. Detroit finished atop the Central Division with a healthy 110 points. Anaheim placed second in the Pacific with 95.

Anaheim then followed up by upsetting the Dallas Stars in the Western semi-final. Dallas was first overall in the Conference during the regular season. In the conference final, the Ducks swept the Minnesota Wild to earn their first ever appearance at the Stanley Cup finals. Anaheim met up with the New Jersey Devils and took the series to the seventh game before bowing out.

2006-07 – Western Conference Finals

Detroit and Anaheim were the first and second seeds in the Western Conference. Both plowed their way through to the conference finals. Detroit beat the Calgary Flames then the San Jose Sharks, both in six games, to advance. Anaheim played two less games than Detroit while beating both the Minnesota Wild

Anaheim took their second playoff series in a row off the Red Wings, winning four games to two. The Ducks again advanced to the Stanley Cup finals. This time, they were victorious, beating the Ottawa Senators four games to one to capture their first and only Stanley Cup championship.

2008-09 – Western Conference Semi-Finals

Detroit was the second seed going into the playoffs, recording 112 points during the regular season. Anaheim squeaked into the eighth and final position with 91 points. In the first round, the Ducks upset the first seed San Jose Sharks while the Red Wings easily dispatched the Columbus Blue Jackets in a four game sweep. For the Blue Jackets, it was their only playoff series to date, since joining the league for the 2000-01 season.

The matchup in the conference semi-finals between Anaheim and Detroit went the distance with the Red Wings coming out on top four games to three. Detroit moved on to beat the Chicago Blackhawks in five in the conference finals before falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in the finals.

2012-13 – Western Conference Quarter-Finals

Bruce Boudreau had a chance to capture something that’s avoided him since his pro hockey career started in 1975-76 with the Johnstown Jets of the North American Hockey League – a championship. Boudreau had the talent in front of him to win with the Washington Capitals but the team came up short. Bruce was brought in to coach the Ducks in 2012-13 and the team was nothing but stellar during the regular season.

Anaheim captured the second position in the west. For the Red Wings, it went right down to the final game of the season to determine if they were in or out. Detroit placed seventh in the west, just one point ahead of ninth place Columbus.

Once again, Boudreau's team couldn't compete in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Red Wings won the set in seven games. This was a tightly fought battle, to say the least. Teams alternated wins, starting with Anaheim and ending with Detroit. Four games needed overtime to decide a winner. In the final game, Valtteri Filppula scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the second period. Anaheim responded with a goal late in the third to bring the score to 3-2 but the Red Wings prevailed.

Detroit moved on, only to fall to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in the conference semi-finals. That series went seven games, as well.

With Detroit moving to the Eastern Conference, a rematch between the Ducks and Red Wings may be a long time coming. Teams from opposing conferences can only meet in the Stanley Cup finals.

Islanders V Penguins NHL Playoff History

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the National Hockey League as an expansion franchise in 1967-68. The New York Islanders were an expansion franchise, starting play in 1972-73. The two teams met for just the fourth time in a post season series in the opening round of the 2012-13 Stanley Cup playoffs. The first time they met was in 1974-75, New York’s third year in the NHL. The last time was in 1992-93 when the Islanders spoiled Pittsburgh’s 3-peat attempt. It’s hard to believe but the Penguins had never won a series against the Islanders until 2012-13.

1974-75

The two evenly matched teams met in the Quarter-Finals with the Islanders taking the series in seven games. The final game of the series was a 1-0 shutout by New York. New York beat the cross-town New York Rangers and the Penguins beat the St. Louis Blues to set up the showdown. During the regular season, the Islanders placed third in the Patrick Division with 88 points while the Penguins finished third in the Norris with 89 points.

The Islanders were coached by Al Arbour and led offensively by Hall of Fame defenseman Denis Potvin. During the regular season, Billy Smith played the bulk of the games between the pipes with Glenn Resch as the backup. In the playoffs, the roles reversed with Resch taking on most of the goaltending load.

Pittsburgh was coached by Marc Boileau and was led by a pack of equally qualified stars in Ron Schock, Syl Apps, Jean Pronovost, VicHadfield and Pierre Larouche. Gary Inness saw the bulk of the team’s action in goal.

1981-82

Despite the matchup being a total mismatch, the Penguins held their own in the Patrick Division Semi-Final series with the Islanders. Pittsburgh fell three games to two. During the regular season, the Islanders finished first in the Patrick and first overall in the NHL with 118 points. Pittsburgh placed fourth in the Patrick with 75 points.

Once again, New York was coached by Al Arbour and led by Mike Bossy and Brian Trottier. Billy Smith was still the man in net for New York. The Islanders were at their greatest and advanced to win their third of four straight Stanley Cup championships with a sweep of the Vancouver Canucks in the finals.

Pittsburgh was coached by long-time NHL goaltender, Ed Johnston. Leading the way offensively were Rick Kehoe and defenseman Randy Carlyle. Playing most of Pittsburgh’s games in net was Michel Dion.

1992-93

This was the last time the Islanders won a playoff series. New York beat the Penguins four games to three in the Patrick Division finals. New York wrecked what should have the Penguins third consecutive Stanley Cup championship. Pittsburgh finished first overall in the NHL with 119 points. The Islanders placed fourth in the Patrick with 87 points.

In the opening round, Pittsburgh beat the New Jersey Devils and the Islanders took out the Washington Capitals to set up the series. New York met the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference finals and lost. The Habs went on to win the Stanley Cup with a win over the Los Angeles Kings.

In his second last year as head coach in the NHL, Al Arbour was again behind the bench of the Islanders. The team was led by Pierre Turgeon and Steve Thomas with Glenn Healy seeing the majority of action in net. The Penguins were coached by the great Scotty Bowman. Mario Lemieux, Kevin Stevens, Rick Tocchet and Ron Francis all had 100 points or more during the regular season.

2012-13

For the Islanders, it was their first visit to the Stanley Cup playoffs since losing to the Buffalo Sabres in the 2006-07 opening round. 2012-13 did not bring around their first series win since beating the Penguins back in 1992-93.

After game four, the series was tied at two games each. However, it could have been a 3-1 Islanders lead if the Pens had not snuck out a game three victory in overtime. Pittsburgh then won the final two games to take the series in six. However, the Islanders fought until the end with game six also going into extra time.

In that final game, the Penguins never led. Evgeny Malkin tied the score at three fairly late in the third to force overtime. It was Malkin and Tyler Kennedy setting up Brooks Orpik in the first overtime period for the win.

Pittsburgh then beat the Ottawa Senators in five in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. It was the Boston Bruins that ended the team's run, sweeping the Penguins in the Conference finals. Over their 15 playoff games, the team was led offensively by Malkin, Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby.

1st Stanley Cup Playoff Action For The 1967 NHL Expansion Teams

For the 1967-68 hockey season, the National Hockey League added six expansion teams to double the number of teams in the league. Although the six new franchises were dismal, their odds of reaching the post-season were quite good. The NHL, in all their wisdom, created two divisions, the East and West. In the East, they placed all the existing ‘Original 6’ teams. In the West were all the expansion clubs. No matter their record, the top four in each division qualified for the playoffs.

That said, four of the six expansion teams, despite none having a .500 record, saw their first playoff action in their first year of existence. Because of the odd division setup, one of these four teams would get a chance to play in the Stanley Cup finals.

Here’s a little history into each of the six 1967 expansion team’s first experience with the Stanley Cup post-season, in no particular order.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins were slow out of the gate and did not qualify for the playoffs until their third year in the NHL. In 1969-70, Pittsburgh placed second in the West Division with just 64 points in 76 games, 26 points behind the division leader, the St. Louis Blues. During the regular season, the team was led offensively by Dean Prentice with just 51 points in 75 games. The Penguins were coached by Red Kelly.

Pittsburgh came up against the Oakland Seals in the quarter-finals and swept the series in four games. Oakland had finished the regular season fourth with 58 points. The Seals were tied in points with the Philadelphia Flyers but were awarded the final playoff spot on more wins. Two games were decided by just one goal and the fourth game went into overtime. In the semi-finals, the Penguins fell to St. Louis in six games.

In the post-season, Pittsburgh was led by Michel Briere. The rookie had five goals and eight points in ten games and was said by many to be on his way to super-stardom. Unfortunately, in the off-season, Briere was involved in a car accident that placed him in a coma. He died a year later.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings finished their inaugural NHL season with 72 points, placing second in the West, one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers. Another Red Kelly coached team, Los Angeles was led by Eddie Joyal during the regular season, contributing 57 points in 74 games.

Los Angeles came up against the Minnesota North Stars in the quarter-finals and the series went the full seven games. The Kings held a 3-2 lead in the series but Minnesota won game six in overtime then blew out the Kings in game seven, 9-4. L.A. was led offensively in the series by Lowell MacDonald and Doug Robinson who totalled seven points each.

The Kings would win their first playoff series the following year. In the 1968-69 Stanley Cup quarter-finals, Los Angeles beat their California Rivals, the Oakland Seals, in seven games to advance.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers were the first of the six 1967 expansion teams to capture the Stanley Cup, but that wouldn’t come until 1973-74. In 1967-68, Philadelphia qualified for the post-season, finishing first in the West with just 73 points in 74 games. The team was led by Lou Angotti with just 49 points in 70 games.

Philadelphia met the Blues in the quarter-finals with the series going the full seven games before St. Louis came out victorious. The Flyers were led offensively by Forbes Kennedy and Andre Lacroix with five points each. Philly would not win their first playoff series until 1972-73 when they beat the North Stars 4-2 in the quarter-finals.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues were the top expansion franchise right out of the gate, reaching the Stanley Cup finals in their first three years of existence. As mentioned earlier, the Blues beat the Flyers in their first playoff series, a quarter-final meeting that went the full seven games. St. Louis then took out Minnesota in seven games to earn a berth in the Stanley Cup finals. The Montreal Canadiens swept the Blues in four.

During the 1967-68 regular season, the Blues finished third in the West with 70 points, just three points out of first place. In regular season play, it was Red Berenson leading the way with 51 points in 55 games. In the playoffs, a Hockey Hall of Famer had his last kick at the can. Dickie Moore led the team with 14 points over 18 games.

Oakland Seals

The Oakland Seals played in the Stanley Cup playoffs just twice in an NHL existence that lasted from 1967-68 to just 1975-76. After that, the franchise moved to Ohio, where they became the Cleveland Barons for two years. Somewhere in the Dallas Stars bloodlines lie this ill-fated California team.

Their first series came in 1968-69 when they met the St. Louis Blues in the quarter-finals. The Seals extended the series to seven but couldn’t conquer the Blues. During the regular season, the Seals had their best year in their short history, finishing second in the West with 69 points. The team was led in the regular season by Ted Hampson with 75 points in 76 games. In the post season, it was Earl Ingarfield leading the way with ten points in seven games.

Oakland, later known as the California Golden Seals, would reach the post season on just one other occasion. In 1969-70, the Seals met the Pittsburgh Penguins in the quarter-finals. The Penguins made haste with a four game sweep.

Minnesota North Stars

The direct descendant of the modern day Dallas Stars, Minnesota clung to the fourth and final playoff spot in their first year with 69 points in 74 games. The North Stars were led during the regular season by Wayne Connelly with 56 points in 74 games.

Minnesota faced off against the Los Angeles Kings in the quarter-finals and took the full seven games to eliminate their foes. The North Stars then went another full seven games in the semi-finals before falling to the St. Louis Blues. In the post season, it was Bill Goldsworthy leading the way with 15 points in 14 games.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Chicago Blackhawks Retired Numbers

The Chicago Blackhawks have been a fixture in the National Hockey League since the 1926-27 season. Many great hockey players have worn the red, black and white of the Blackhawks. Only a select group of these hockey legends have had their numbers taken out of circulation by the team and raised to the rafters for eternity.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of the Chicago Blackhawks retired numbers with these four hockey trivia questions.

Q. Two goaltenders have had their numbers retired by the Chicago Blackhawks. What goalie is the number 35 retired for?

A. Tony Esposito played for Chicago from 1969-70 until 1983-84. With exception of 13 games played with the Montreal Canadiens in 1968-69, Esposito played his whole career in Chicago. Tony finished his career with 76 shutouts and a 2.92 goals against average in 886 regular season games. Esposito was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, four years after his brother Phil Esposito.

The other number retired by Chicago for a goaltender is number 1 in honour of Glenn Hall. Glenn played for Chicago from 1957-58 to 1966-67. He came to the Blackhawks from the Detroit Red Wing and ended his career with the St. Louis Blues. The three time Vezina Trophy winner was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.

Both Tony Esposito and Glenn Hall had their numbers retired by the Blackhawks on the same day, November 20, 1988.

Q. What number is retired by the Chicago Blackhawks for two different players?

A. The number 3 is retired in honour of two defensemen, Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson. Both were long time blue liners in Chicago. Pilote was a three time winner of the Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.

Pilote played for Chicago from 1955-56 to 1967-68, spending one last year in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1968-69. Magnuson played his entire NHL career with Chicago from 1969-70 to 1979-80. Both Pilote and Magnuson had their number retired by the Blackhawks on the same night, November 12, 2008. For Magnuson, it was posthumously, having died in 2003.

Q. The number 21 is retired by the Chicago Blackhawks in honour of what long-time great?

A. Stan Mikita holds the all-time Blackhawks career records for points and assists. He is the only NHL player to win the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy and the Lady Byng Trophy in the same year. He accomplished this in two consecutive seasons during the 1960’s.

Mikita played his entire NHL career with Chicago from 1958-59 to 1979-80. His number was retired on October 19, 1980 and he entered the Hockey Hall of Fame three years later in 1983.

Q. The Blackhawks retired number 9 for what Hockey Hall of Fame player?

A. Easy question. Bobby Hull wore number 9 for the Blackhawks from 1957 to 1972 before becoming the face of the fledgling World Hockey Association. In 1983, Bobby entered the HHOF along with long time line mate Stan Mikita. On December 18, 1983, his number was retired by Chicago.

 

Upsets Abound In 1981-82 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

The 1981-82 National Hockey League season was the end of an evenly distributed regular season schedule. Teams now played more games against teams in their own division than the other teams in the league. The Colorado Rockies were in their last season in Denver. The following season, the franchise relocated to East Rutherford, New Jersey to become the present day New Jersey Devils. It was also the year that the record for most goals in a single season was set at an unbeatable level with Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers scoring 92.

1981-82 was also a year of playoff upsets. The New York Islanders were looking for their third Stanley Cup championship in a row. The Edmonton Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky, were assured to challenge the Islanders for the ultimate prize. At least, that’s the way it should have played out.

Four of the eight first round matchups were upsets. The Quebec Nordiques ousted their provincial rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, three games to two. The Canadiens finished the regular season with 109 points and were first in the Adams Division. Quebec finished with 82 points and in fourth place in the Adams. That 27 point differential was wiped out in five short games.

In the Norris Division Semi-finals, the fourth place Chicago Blackhawks took out the first place Minnesota North Stars three games to one. Minnesota finished the regular season twenty-two points ahead of the Blackhawks with 94 to Chicago’s 72.

The other Norris Division Semi also ended with the underdog on top. The third place St. Louis Blues beat out the second place Winnipeg Jets in four games. This upset was not quite as dramatic as the Blues finished just eight points behind the Jets in the regular season.

The Edmonton Oilers expected run to a Stanley Cup championship ended prematurely against the Los Angeles Kings in the Smythe Division Semi-finals. The Kings finished the season winning just 24 games while losing 41 and tying 15 for just 63 points. The Oilers finished second overall to only the New York Islanders with a total of 111 points. The Kings took the series in five games. Their run would come to a halt in the next round, however, when they bowed out to eventual Stanley Cup finalist, the Vancouver Canucks.

The upsets continued in the following round. In the Adams Division final, fourth place Quebec beat out the second place Boston Bruins in seven games. In the Smythe Division, fourth place Chicago defeated third place St. Louis in six.

The magic would end for the Quebec Nordiques in the conference finals when they came up against the New York Islanders. The Islanders easily swept the Nordiques in four games. It would also come to an end for the Blackhawks as Chicago lost out to the Vancouver Canucks in five games.

Although Vancouver was always the top seed in each series until the finals when they lost out to the Islanders in four games, their run to the finals should be seen as an upset of sorts. Vancouver finished the season with a weak record of 30 wins, 33 losses and 17 ties. The only reason they ranked high is because they were in the weakest conference. They were seeded second in the Smythe and fourth in the conference. Their point total would have placed them eighth in the other conference.

The Oilers licked their wounds and came back strong the following season. The Islanders won their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup in 1982-83, the last for the franchise, but the Oilers would make it to the finals against New York this time. The following season, the Oilers won the Stanley Cup and would win it again in three of next four seasons. One dynasty had replaced another.

 

4 Canadiens Draft Picks In 1984 To Play 1,000+ NHL Games

Some NHL franchises just have a superior system for developing players from within. Where some teams since the 1960’s have only drafted a handful of players that have gone on to play over 1,000 NHL regular season games, from just the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, the Montreal Canadiens drafted and developed four players that went on to surpass the 1,000 game plateau in the National Hockey League. Even the first overall pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984, Mario Lemieux, played just 915 over his Hockey Hall of Fame career.

Petr Svoboda

Petr Svoboda was the fifth overall pick at the 1984 NHL draft. He is listed as playing for the Czechoslovakia national junior team but his junior hockey club was HC Litvinov. The defenseman and native of Most, Czech Republic played with Montreal from 1984-85 until a trade sent him to the Buffalo Sabres midway through the 1991-92 season and continued on in the NHL until 2000-01.

Along with the Habs and Sabres, Svoboda also played for the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Over 1,028 games, he scored 58 goals and totalled 399 points. Petr was part of the 1985-86 Stanley Cup winning team in Montreal and went to the Stanley Cup finals in 1996-97 before being swept by the Detroit Red Wings.

Shayne Corson

Shayne Corson was taken eighth overall by Montreal after playing three years of major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League from 1983-84 to 1985-86, one with the Brantford Alexanders and two with the Hamilton Steelhawks. Both those teams are predecessors to the present day Erie Otters. Corson played two separate stints with the Canadiens, 1986-87 to 1991-92 and 1996-97 to 1999-00. He saw his first action with the club in 1985-86 with three regular season games while still a junior.

He played in the NHL until the end of the 2003-04 season, also appearing with the Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars. Corson played 1,156 regular season games, contributed 693 points. He also played in 140 playoff games but the closest he came to a Stanley Cup championship was a loss in the finals to the Calgary Flames in 1988-89.

Stephane Richer

Stephane Richer was drafted from the QMJHL’s Granby Bisons in the second round, 29^th overall. Richer played two years in the QMJHL, 1983-84 and 1984-85. Part way through his second season, he was traded from Granby to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. Like Shayne Corson, Richer had two stints with the Canadiens, 1985-86 to 1990-91 and 1996-97 to 1997-98. His first action with the Habs came in the form of a single game played during the 1984-85 season while still a junior in the QMJHL. He also appeared in nine AHL Calder Cup playoff games that year with the Sherbrooke Canadiens.

Stephane played 1,054 regular season NHL games before retiring after 2001-02, also playing for the New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored 421 goals and totalled 819 points. Twice with the Canadiens, Richer reached the 50 goal plateau with 50 in 1987-88 and 51 in 1989-90. He played for two Stanley Cup winning teams, the 1985-86 Canadiens and the 1994-95 New Jersey Devils.

Patrick Roy

Like Richer, Patrick Roy was drafted out of the Granby Bisons. Roy, a Hockey Hall of Fame goalie since 2006, played for the Bisons from 1982-83 to 1984-85. He was a third round pick of the Canadiens, 51^st overall. He played for Montreal from 1985-86 to 1995-96, earning the first of his three Conn Smythe Trophies as he led the Habs to the Stanley Cup in his rookie year.

Patrick was traded to the Colorado Avalanche during the 1995-96 season and finished his career with that club, retiring after the 2002-03 season. Roy was part of four Stanley Cup winning teams, two with Montreal and two with Colorado. Along with his three Conn Smythe’s, he won the Jennings Trophy five times and the Vezina Trophy on three occasions. His number 33 has been retired by both the Canadiens and Avalanche.

 

4 Consecutive Stanley Cup Finals Sweeps - The Only Time In NHL History

With the Los Angeles Kings winning the 2013-14 Stanley Cup championship in five games over the New York Rangers, there now hasn't been a four game sweep in the Stanley Cup finals since the 1997-98 NHL season. That National Hockey League season marked the last of four consecutive sweeps to decide the Stanley Cup champion. This four year span happens to be the only time in NHL history when there has been four consecutive years with sweeps. In fact, the only time there has been three consecutive years with sweeps in the finals came with the 1967 expansion when the St. Louis Blues were at the losing end of sweeps between 1967-68 and 1969-70.

New Jersey Devils 1994-95

The New Jersey Devils starting things off in 1994-95 by taking down the Detroit Red Wings in four games to capture the Stanley Cup. New Jersey lost just four games in the first three rounds of the playoffs and finished off the post-season with a 16-4 record. In the finals, the Devils outscored the Red Wings 16-7. This was the first championship in New Jersey Devils history. The franchise that began as the Kansas City Scouts back in 1974-75 has since won the Cup on two more occasions.

 The 1995 final was a faceoff between teacher and student. Jacques Lemaire was head coach of the Devils while Scotty Bowman was behind the bench of the Red Wings. Lemaire played a key part on the ice for the Scotty Bowman coached Montreal Canadiens in the 1970’s. The Conn Smythe Trophy was won by Claude Lemieux of the Devils with the team led defensively by Scott Stevens and rock-solid goaltender Martin Brodeur.

Colorado Avalanche 1995-96

The Quebec Nordiques built a roster with championship potential. However, it wasn’t until the franchise moved to Denver before they could reap their rewards. The Colorado Avalanche met up with the Florida Panthers in the 1995-96 finals. The Avalanche held the trap-playing Panthers to just four goals in the over the series while scoring 15 of their own. Game two of the series was an 8-1 blowout. However, Florida put up a fight, losing 1-0 in triple overtime in game four.

 Claude Lemieux won his second consecutive Stanley Cup after moving over to the Avalanche from New Jersey. Joe Sakic of Colorado won the Conn Smythe with Patrick Roy and Adam Foote also playing starring roles in the victory. The Avalanche lost a total of six games in the 1995-96 post season.

 Detroit Red Wings 1996-97

Detroit was back in the finals for 1996-97 after a year away, this time on the winning end of the sweep. The Philadelphia Flyers were Detroit’s opponent in the final and outscored them 16-6 over the four games. The Red Wings lost just four games during the entire 1996-97post-season.

The series put two great captains head to head with Steve Yzerman of the Red Wings and Eric Lindros of the Flyers facing off. Mike Vernon, goaltender for Detroit, won the Conn Smythe Trophy. Hockey Hall of Famer Brendan Shanahan and Nicklas Lidstrom also led the way for the Red Wings.

 Detroit Red Wings 1997-98

The Red Wings were back for more in 1997-98. This time, their victim was the Washington Capitals. As of the end of the 2013-14 season, this is the only time the Capitals have reached the Stanley Cup finals since joining the National Hockey League in 1974-75, along with the Kansas City Scouts.

Detroit outscored Washington 13-7 in a defensive struggle. Detroit’s record throughout the playoffs was 16-6 with mostly the same cast as the year before. Steve Yzerman was the recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy.

10 Facts About The Florida Panthers Of The NHL

The Florida Panthers have now spent over 20 years in the NHL. The team, who plays their home games out of the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, has managed to survive in Southern Florida, a region not known for producing hockey players or hockey fans.

Here are ten things you may or may not know about the Florida Panthers:

1. Before starting the 2013-14 season with the Detroit Red Wings, Stephen Weiss established himself as Florida’s all-time leader in assists. Weiss totalled 249 assists with the Panthers between 2001-02 and 2012-13, 18 more than Olli Jokinen. Until his signing with Detroit, Florida was the only NHL team Stephen had played for.

2. The Florida Panthers have not won a playoff series since reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 1995-96 against the Colorado Avalanche. They were swept in that series. Since, the Panthers have lost in the opening round in 1996-97 to the New York Rangers, to the Boston Bruins in 1997-98, the New Jersey Devils in 1999-00 and the Devils again in 2011-12.

3. Florida made it to the Stanley Cup finals in just their third year of existence. The Panthers met the Colorado Avalanche in the finals but were swept in four games. The three victorious rounds en route to the finals stand as the only three playoff matchups the Panthers have won in their relatively brief existence.

4. Goaltender Craig Anderson held the record for the most shots faced in a shutout victory. In a Florida Panthers uniform, Anderson shutout the New York Islanders 1-0 on March 2, 2008 while facing 53 shots. However, on April 3, 2012, Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes stopped 54 shots in a 2-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

5. In an odd twist, Florida’s individual single season record for most goals is higher than the team’s record for most assists. Pavel Bure holds the record for most goals in a season with 59 in 2000-01. Viktor Kozlov holds the Panthers record for most assists in a single season with 53 in 1999-00.

6. For a long time, the only player from the Panthers to win a major NHL individual award is Pavel Bure. Pavel won the Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy as the NHL player with the most goals twice. In 1999-00, he led the league with 58 goals and the following season he added one to lead with 59. It was just the second and third years that the trophy was awarded. Since, Brian Campbell won the Lady Byng Trophy in 2011-12 and Jonathan Huberdeau won the Calder Trophy in 2012-13.

7. Florida joined the National Hockey League for the 1993-94 season. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim joined that same season. Unlike the typical NHL expansion team, the Panthers finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, just one point behind the New York Islanders for the final playoff spot. The Mighty Ducks did nearly as well, finishing ninth in the Western Conference, 11 points behind the eighth place San Jose Sharks.

8. Ed Jovanovski has been Florida’s only first overall pick at the NHL Entry Draft. The Panthers took Jovanovski in the 1994 draft after his first year with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. He returned to play one more year of junior in the OHL before joining the Panthers. Ed played just three and a half seasons with Florida before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks. 2011-12 marks Jovanovski’s return to Florida after spending the past five seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes.

9. The Florida Panthers began play in the Miami Arena. The rink was built in 1988 and had a seating capacity of just 14,703 for hockey. For the 1998-99 season, the Panthers moved to the brand new Bank Atlantic Centre which holds 17,040. The Arena is now called the BB&T Centre. The Miami Arena was demolished in 2008 after just 20 years of existence.

10. Two members of the 2011 Hockey Hall of Fame induction class finished off their National Hockey Careers with the Florida Panthers. Goaltender Ed Belfour played in Florida for just one season, 2006-07. Joe Nieuwendyk played the 2005-06 season and a handful of games in 2006-07 before retiring.

New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Playoff History

The New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings will meet in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in NHL history. The Rangers entered the National Hockey League for the 1926-27 season and are four time Stanley Cup winners. The last time the Rangers won the championship was 1993-94. The Kings entered the NHL in 1967-68 and are one time winners of the Stanley Cup, last winning in 2011-12.

Not only have New York and Los Angeles not met in the Stanley Cup finals prior to 2013-14, the two have rarely met at all in the post season. In fact, the teams have played off against each other on just two occasions. Both times, it was in a preliminary round series. Both times, the Rangers were victorious.

Rangers vs. Kings 1978-79

New York and Los Angeles met in the preliminary round of the 1978-79 Stanley Cup playoffs with the Rangers sweeping the series in two games. New York easily won the first game 7-1 at Madison Square Garden while the second game was decide in overtime at The Forum in Los Angeles with the Rangers coming out on top 2-1.

Despite the offensive threat that the Triple Crown Line provided, the Kings only had goals from Charlie Simmer and Syl Apps on the series. Marcel Dionne was silenced after an outstanding regular season. Dionne’s 59 goals placed him second in the NHL behind Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders. His 71 assists placed him third behind Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders and Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens. Marcel was second in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with 130 points, four behind Bryan Trottier.

New York was led by Anders Hedberg, Phil Esposito and Pat Hickey during the regular season and it was Esposito that led the club with 20 points through the playoffs. New York went on to beat the Philadelphia Flyers in the quarter-finals and the New York Islanders in the semi-finals to earn a showdown with the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup finals. Montreal came out on top in five games.

During the regular season, the Fred Shero coached Rangers placed third in the Patrick Division with 91 points. The Bob Berry coached Kings finished third in the Norris Division with 80 points.

Rangers vs. Kings 1980-81

Two years later, Los Angeles and New York met again in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This time, the series was a best of five affair. This time, it was the Rangers winning again with the series decided in four games. New York won game one by a score of 3-1, game three by a whopping 10-3 score and the deciding fourth game by a 6-3 count. The Kings won game two 5-4. On the series, New York outscored the Kings 22-8.

Through the 1980-81 playoffs, the Rangers were led by Ron Duguay, Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg. It had been Hedberg, Ed Johnstone and Ron Greschner that led the club offensively through the regular season. Playing the bulk of the playoffs in net was the forgettable Steve Baker. New York went on to the beat the St. Louis Blues in the second round before being swept by the Islanders in the semi-finals. The Rangers would muster just eight goals against their cross-town rivals.

The series was certainly a disappointment for the Kings with the Triple Crown Line at their pinnacle. During the regular season, Marcel Dionne scored 58 and assisted on 77 for 135 points, Dave Taylor scored 47 and assisted on 65 for 112 points and Charlie Simmer scored 56 and assisted on 49 for 105 points. Dionne once again finished second in the NHL for goals behind Mike Bossy. He also once again finished third for assists, this time behind Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers and Kent Nilsson of the Calgary Flames. His 135 points was second in the race for the Art Ross Trophy behind Gretzky’s 164.

Bob Berry was still the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings. However, Fred Shero was replaced midseason behind the New York bench by Craig Patrick. Phil Esposito was still with the Rangers but now behind the bench as an assistant coach. During the regular season, Los Angeles finished second in the Norris Division with 99 points while the Rangers placed fourth in the Patrick Division with just 74 points.

1985-86 Edmonton Oilers: Stanley Cup Playoff Train Wreck

1985-86 was the year the National Hockey League changed rules to try and keep the Edmonton Oilers from obliterating the league’s scoring records. From 1985 to 1993, the NHL allowed teams to play five on five instead of four on four when coincidental minors were handed out. Unofficially, the rule was changed because the Oilers were unstoppable in a four-on-four situation.

1985-86 was also a year when the Edmonton Oilers should have cruised to a Stanley Cup victory. Instead, they allowed the Calgary Flames to oust them from the playoffs in the second round. The series went the full seven games with neither team winning consecutive games and Calgary outscoring Edmonton by a slight margin at 25-24 on the series. Both Edmonton and Calgary had easily swept in their opening round. The Oilers took out the Canucks in three and the Flames took out the Jets in three. Calgary reached the Stanley Cup final before bowing out to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

That season, the Oilers won 56 games while losing only 17 and tying 7 for 119 points. The point total was thirty more than the Flames, who were second in the Clarence Campbell Conference. They Oilers were nine points better than the Philadelphia Flyers who were first in the Prince of Wales Conference. Coincidentally, the Flyers were knocked out in the first round by the New York Rangers who finished the season with just 78 points and were two games below .500.

Edmonton players set National Hockey League individual records that season and several still stand today. Of them, Wayne Gretzky’s 215 points and 163 assists are the records that likely will remain for an eternity. Gretzky also tied the NHL mark for most assists in a single game with seven. Paul Coffey scored 48 goals which stands as the most goals scored by a defenseman in one season. Paul eclipsed the previous mark of 46 set by Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins in 1974-75. Coffey also set the record for the longest point streak for defenseman at 28 games.

Edmonton players dominated the NHL’s top ten in the race for the Art Ross Trophy. Wayne Gretzky was 74 points ahead of the number two man in the league, Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who totalled 141 points. Paul Coffey came in third with 138 points, one less than Bobby Orr’s record for defenseman set in 1970-71. Jari Kurri finished fourth in the NHL with 131 points and led the league with 68 goals. Unfortunately for Kurri, the Rocket Richard Trophy didn’t come into existence for another decade and a half.

The Oilers took home the hardware at the NHL awards ceremony in 1985-86. Gretzky was awarded the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer and the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP. The Oilers won the President’s Trophy for the highest point total during the National Hockey League regular season. Glen Sather won the Jack Adams Award as the top coach despite having a team full of ringers and experiencing such a playoff disappointment. Of course, Paul Coffey won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.

Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey were selected to the NHL’s First Team All-Star team and Jari Kurri made Second Team. Nine Edmonton Oilers players appeared in the NHL’s All-Star Game in 1985-86. Other than Gretzky, Coffey and Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Lee Fogolin, Grant Fuhr, Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier and Andy Moog appeared. Ironically, with such an offensively laden team, their Campbell Conference team lost a low-scoring affair to the Wales Conference squad.

The Oilers learned from their playoff disaster. The following season, Gretzky scored 32 less points, the team scored 54 less goals, had seven less wins and 13 less points. Edmonton still won the President’s Trophy but with only 106 points. Most importantly, they won the Stanley Cup in seven games over the Philadelphia Flyers. As for the Calgary Flames, they lost in the opening round in 1986-87 to the Winnipeg Jets in six games.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Maple Leaf Gardens In Toronto

For nearly seventy years, Maple Leaf Gardens was the home of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs. The arena, known in short as MLG, was also home to several other teams over the years in the sports of indoor soccer, lacrosse and basketball. Test and expand your hockey knowledge of Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens with the following four hockey trivia questions.

Q. Besides the Toronto Maple Leafs, what other professional hockey team called Maple Leaf Gardens home?

A. The Toronto Toros of the World Hockey Association called MLG home for the 1974-75 and 1975-76 season after played their first year at Varsity Arena. The Toros began as a WHA franchise in Ottawa and moved to Birmingham for the 1976-77 season.

Q. In what season did the Toronto Maple Leafs win the first Stanley Cup in their new home?

A. The Maple Leafs began play at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931-32. The team won the Stanley Cup that year with a final series victory over the New York Rangers. Toronto swept New York in the best of five series with the final game being played at MLG. Of the three games, only one was played in New York and Toronto each with the other played in Boston due to the Circus taking over Madison Square Garden in New York. Starring for Toronto that year were Busher Jackson, Joe Primeau and Charlie Conacher.

Q. What was the first NBA team to play home games at Maple Leaf Gardens?

A. The Buffalo Braves of the National Basketball Association played a total of 16 home games at MLG over four seasons between 1971 and 1975. The Braves are the predecessors of the current Los Angeles Clippers. The franchise played mainly out of the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium from 1970-71 to 1977-78. They then moved to San Diego where they took on the Clippers name for the first time. The franchise lasted in San Diego from 1978-79 until 1983-84 before moving north to Los Angeles.

The Toronto Raptors never called Maple Leafs Gardens home. The NBA franchise began play for the 1995-96 season and played home games at the SkyDome until the Air Canada Centre opened for the 1999-00 season.

Q. In what year did Maple Leaf Gardens host the first annual NHL All-Star Game?

A. In October of 1947, the first official NHL All-Star Game was played at MLG. 13 years earlier, in 1934, the first NHL All-Star game of any kind was played as a benefit for Ace Bailey. The 1947 game featured the defending Stanley Cup champion Toronto Maple Leafs against an All-Star team from the other five teams in the league. The All-Stars came out on top 4-3 before a crowd of 14,169 with Doug Bentley scoring the winning goal in the third period, assisted by Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard and Milt Schmidt.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Al Arbour

Al Arbour played 626 games in the National Hockey League from 1953-54 to 1970-71. Yet it was his accomplishments as a head coach with the New York Islanders than earned him a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Test and expand your knowledge of Al Arbour and the NHL with these hockey trivia questions.

Q. What team did Al Arbour begin his NHL career with?

A. Arbour began his NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1953-54 season. Arbour played with Detroit until the end of the 1957-58 season. He began the next year with the Chicago Black Hawks. He would also play for the St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 1953-54, Al played in 36 games with the Red Wings and contributed just one assists. He also appeared in 19 games in the QHL with the Sherbrooke Saints. Arbour would not play in the National Hockey League again until the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1955-56. After a full season in the WHL with the Edmonton Flyers, Al joined the Red Wings for the playoffs. He played in four of the team’s ten post season games as Detroit fell in the finals to the Montreal Canadiens.

Q. What team did Al Arbour play his final NHL game with?

A. Arbour played his final season, 1970-71 with the St. Louis Blues. He took over as head coach of the Blues during that season. In that final year, Arbour played just 22 regular season games. He was credited with 50 games as head coach of the team before being replaced by Scotty Bowman. In the playoffs, Al played another six games for the Blues. St. Louis fell in the opening round to the Minnesota North Stars in six games, ending their run of consecutive Stanley Cup finals appearances at three. In his four years as a player with St. Louis, Arbour served as team captain.

Q. How many years did Al Arbour coach the New York Islanders?

A. Arbour coached the Islanders for nineteen seasons, beginning in 1973-74. He coached through to the end of the 1985-86 season. He then took over as head coach again in 1988-89 and lasted until the end of the 1993-94 season. He coached one game in the 2007-08 season.

Q. How many Stanley Cup winning teams did Al Arbour coach?

A. Arbour coached the New York Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1979-80 to 1982-83. These were the only four Stanley Cups that Arbour would win. Leading up to that dynastic run, the Islanders reached the final four in four of Al’s first six years behind the bench in Long Island. The team fell in the semi-finals in 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77 and 1978-79. In 1983-84, New York reached the final again, looking for their fifth straight championship but fell to the Edmonton Oilers in five games. Arbour reached the semi-finals one more time, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in 1992-93.

Keys To The 1931-32 NHL Season

1931-32 marked the fifteenth season of the National Hockey League. A long, long way from the game that is played in thirty NHL cities today, 1931-32 still leaves us with some timeless names like Howie Morenz, King Clancy, Babe Siebert and Busher Jackson. What follows are seven keys to the 1931-32 NHL season.

The Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Quakers left the league after the 1930-31 season, reducing the NHL to eight teams for 1931-32. The league was divided into two divisions of four teams, the Canadian and American. Ottawa returned the following season but the Quakers were not to rise again.

1931-32 was the last time the Detroit franchise would be nicknamed the Falcons. Following bankruptcy at the end of the season, the team was re-organized and came out as the Red Wings for the 1932-33 season.

The Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL’s most valuable player went to Howie Morenz of the Montreal Canadiens. Morenz led the Canadiens with 49 points in 48 games as the team finished atop the Canadian Division. Morenz was third in points behind the Toronto duo of Busher Jackson and Joe Primeau.

The Canadiens finished first overall in the league. After winning the Stanley Cup the previous two seasons, Montreal was a heavy favourite to repeat. However, due to injuries, the Canadiens lost to the New York Rangers in the semi-finals.

The Toronto Maple Leafs enjoyed their first season in their new home, Maple Leaf Gardens. MLG was built in under six months at the start of 1931 and was ready for the November start to the 1931-32 season. Maple Leaf Gardens remained the home of the Maple Leafs until 1999.

Toronto christened their new home with a Stanley Cup victory. The Maple Leafs finished third overall and second in the Canadian Division during the regular season. They took out the Chicago Black Hawks and Montreal Maroons to earn a berth in the finals against the New York Rangers. Toronto swept New York in the best of five series. The first game was played at Madison Square Garden in New York. The second was on neutral ground at the Boston Garden and the final game was played at Maple Leaf Gardens.

It was fifteen years before the Art Ross Trophy was first given to the NHL’s top point getter. Busher Jackson was the NHL’s leader in 1931-32 with 53 points. Teammate Charlie Conacher led the league in goals with 34. Uncharacteristic of many defensive minded Toronto teams to come, the Maple Leafs led the league in total goals scored with 155.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Bill Barilko of the Toronto Maple Leafs

Bill Barilko played just five years in the National Hockey League in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, yet his name remains one of the most recognizable amongst Canadian hockey fans to this day. Barilko went missing in dense Northern Ontario forest following a plane crash. His death came shortly after his overtime goal in game five of the Stanley Cup finals gave Toronto the victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of Bill Barilko with the following four trivia questions.

Q. What minor league team did Bill Barilko play for before being called up to the Toronto Maple Leafs?

A. Barilko played 1945-46 and 1946-47 with the Hollywood Wolves of the Pacific Coast Hockey League. Barilko was called away from Hollywood after 47 games in 1946-47. The Wolves finished first in the South Division that season but lost in the play-offs semi-final. It was the last season the Wolves existed. Bill was supposed to be heading to the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League when he was called away from Hollywood. He never played in the NHL and instead went directly to the Maple Leafs.

Q. What Montreal Canadiens goaltender was in net when Bill Barilko scored the overtime game winning goal in game five of the 1951 Stanley Cup championships?

A. Gerry McNeil was the unfortunate soul to allow the game and series winning goal by Barilko. It, of course, was the last goal the Bill ever scored. McNeil played in the NHL from 1947-48 to 1956-57, all with the Montreal Canadiens. Gerry was the number one goaltender in Montreal until the end of the 1953-54 season when Jacques Plante took over and McNeil drifted off into obscurity.

Q. How many Stanley Cup winning teams was Bill Barilko a member of?

A. Incredibly, in his five years with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they won the Stanley Cup four times. In 1946-47 and 1950-51 they beat the Montreal Canadiens and in 1947-48 and 1948-49 they beat the Detroit Red Wings. In each series with the Red Wings, Toronto swept the Detroit in four games. Hap Day was the head coach of the Maple Leafs for the first three championships while Joe Primeau was the coach in 1951.

Q. How many all-star games did Bill Barilko play in?

A. In the era when Barilko played in the NHL, the all-star game consisted of the Stanley Cup winning team from the previous spring playing against the best players from the other five teams. Therefore, Barilko played in three all-star games and would have played a fourth in 1951.