1985 Stanley Cup Finals
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The 1985 Stanley Cup Finals was played between the defending champion Edmonton Oilers, in their third straight Finals appearance, and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Oilers would win the best-of-seven series four games to one, to win their second Stanley Cup. It was also the sixth straight Finals contested between teams that joined the NHL in 1967 or later. As of 2015, this is also the last time that a team, defending champion or runner-up, would appear in the Finals for the third straight season. This would be the third of eight consecutive Finals contested by a team from Alberta (the Oilers appeared in six, the Calgary Flames in 1986 and 1989), and the second of five consecutive Finals to end with the Cup presentation on Alberta ice (the Oilers won four of those times, the Montreal Canadiens once).
Paths to the Final
Edmonton defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3–0, the Winnipeg Jets 4–0, and the Chicago Black Hawks 4–2 to advance to the finals.
Philadelphia defeated the New York Rangers 3–0, the New York Islanders 4–1, and the Quebec Nordiques 4–2 to make it to the finals.
The series
The 1985 Finals continued to use the format of alternating locations after game two and game five, instead of the previous format of alternating after game two, game four and every game thereafter. The NHL would revert to the previous format for the 1986 Finals. Wayne Gretzky scored seven goals in the five games, tying the record set by Jean Béliveau of the Canadiens in 1956 and Mike Bossy of the Islanders in 1982. Grant Fuhr stopped two penalty shots. Jari Kurri scored 19 goals in the playoffs, tying the single-year record set by Reggie Leach of the Flyers in 1976.
This was the first Stanley Cup Finals where games were scheduled for June. Had the series reached game six, it would have been played Sunday, June 2, with game seven on Tuesday, June 4. The NHL season would not extend into June until 1992.
This was the second and last Stanley Cup Finals to use the 2–3–2 format, long favored by Major League Baseball for its World Series and used from 1985 through 2013 for the NBA Finals. Edmonton went 6–0 at home during the 1984 and 1985 Finals, allowing it to clinch in game five on home ice each time.
Game one
| Tuesday, May 21 | Edmonton Oilers | 1 – 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | ||||
The Flyers posted a 4–1 victory to open the series. Edmonton coach Glen Sather was reportedly so disappointed with his team's performance that he burned the game videotapes after watching them.
Game two
| Thursday, May 23 | Edmonton Oilers | 3 – 1 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | ||||
Wayne Gretzky's first goal of the series late in the second period snapped a 1–1 tie, and Dave Hunter added an insurance empty-netter and the Oilers drew even in the series with a 3–1 win.
Game three
| Saturday, May 25 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 – 4 | Edmonton Oilers | Northlands Coliseum | ||||
Gretzky almost single-handedly won Edmonton the game. He scored twice within the first 90 seconds of the game, and finished off a hat trick by the end of the first period. Although the Oilers put six shots on net over the final 40 minutes, it was enough to escape with a 4–3 win and 2–1 series lead.
Game four
| Tuesday, May 28 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 – 5 | Edmonton Oilers | Northlands Coliseum | ||||
Unbowed, the Flyers leapt out to a 3–1 lead midway through the first period thanks to goals at even strength, on the power play and shorthanded. However, the Oilers roared back with four consecutive goals, including two from Gretzky, to win 5–3 and take a commanding series lead.
Game five
| Thursday, May 30 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 – 8 | Edmonton Oilers | Northland Coliseum | ||||
Against backup goaltender Bob Froese, substituting for starter Pelle Lindbergh (who had been playing progressively less well over the course of the Finals), the Oilers blitzed the Flyers with a four-goal first period and sailed to a convincing 8–3 win. Gretzky and Kurri posted a goal and three assists each, while Paul Coffey and Mark Messier scored two goals apiece. Edmonton won its second consecutive Stanley Cup while the Flyers, at the time the youngest team in professional sports, took the lessons from their loss into the clubs' next Stanley Cup Finals; they lost again to the Oilers in 1987, albeit in seven games. Wayne Gretzky won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, scoring a record 47 points this playoff year.
Edmonton Oilers 1985 Stanley Cup champions
Roster
- 99 Wayne Gretzky (Captain)
- 26 Mike Krushelnyski
- 24 Kevin McClelland
- 11 Mark Messier
(played left wing during the regular season)
- 8 Dave Lumley
- 9 Glenn Anderson
- 10 Jaroslav Pouzar
- 12 Dave Hunter
- 14 Esa Tikkanen
- 16 Pat Hughes
- 17 Jari Kurri
- 18 Mark Napier
- 19 Willy Lindstrom
- 27 Dave Semenko
- 20 Billy Carroll
(played Centre during the regular season)
- 2 Lee Fogolin Jr.
- 4 Kevin Lowe
- 7 Paul Coffey
- 21 Randy Gregg
- 22 Charlie Huddy
- 29 Don Jackson
- 28 Larry Melnyk
- 31 Grant Fuhr
- 35 Andy Moog
- Coaching and administrative staff
- Peter Pocklington (Owner),
- Glen Sather (President/General Manager/Head Coach)
- Bruce MacGregor (Asst. General Manager)
- John Muckler (Asst. Coach), Edward Ted Green (Asst. Coach)
- Barry Fraser (Director of Player Personnel/Chief Scout)
- Garnet "Ace" Bailey (Scout), Ed Chadwick (Scout), Lorne Davis (Scout), Matti Valsanen (Scout)
- Peter Millar (Athletic Therapist), Dr. Gordon Cameron (Team Physician)
- Barrie Stafford (Trainer), Lyle Kulchisky (Asst. Trainer)
Stanley Cup engraving
Garnet "Ace" Bailey, Ed Chadwick, Lorne Davis, Matti Valsanen (Scouts), Gordon Cameron (Team Physician) received rings with Edmonton in 1984. Their names however, were left off the Stanley Cup in 1984, but included in 1985.
See also
References
- Diamond, Dan (2000). Total Stanley Cup. Toronto: Total Sports Canada. ISBN 978-1-892129-07-9.
- Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7
| Preceded by Edmonton Oilers 1984 |
Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Champions 1985 |
Succeeded by Montreal Canadiens 1986 |
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