Search |  Print  Print
This Date in Stanley Cup History

Today   April   May   June   December   January   February   March

May 01, 1965 Montreal captain Jean Beliveau notched the winning goal and added one assist to lead the Canadiens past the Chicago Black Hawks in Game Seven of the 1965 Final. Beliveau, who posted a 5-5-10 scoring total in the seven-game Stanley Cup Final series, received a new NHL award, the Conn Smythe Trophy, as the most valuable player to his team in the playoffs.
May 01, 2004 Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic tallied his sixth career overtime goal, tying the playoff record set by the legendary Maurice “Rocket” Richard from 1944-1960, in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinal. Sakic’s milestone tally came at 1:32 and was his second overtime goal in as many games, having notched the deciding goal at 5:15 in a 1-0 victory in Game Four.
May 02, 1967 With the oldest lineup in Final history, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 in Game Six to win the 1967 Stanley Cup. The Leafs’ roster included 42-year-old goalie Johnny Bower and 41-year-old defenseman Allan Stanley as well as seven others at least 30 years old. Toronto center Red Kelly played his 65th game in Final competition, setting a Stanley Cup record later tied by Montreal’s Henri Richard.
May 04, 1969 With a 2-1 win in Game Four of the 1969 Stanley Cup Final, the Montreal Canadiens swept the St. Louis Blues in the Final for the second straight season. The Conn Smythe Trophy was presented to Serge Savard, the first defenseman to receive the award.
May 04, 1972 New York Rangers defenseman Brad Park registered two power-play goals in the first period of a 5-2 win against the Boston Bruins to tie a Stanley Cup Final record for one period. Park joined Sid Smith (April 10, 1949) of Toronto and Montreal’s Maurice “Rocket” Richard (April 6, 1954) and Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion (April 7, 1955) in accomplishing this power-play feat.
May 04, 1998 Curtis Joseph of the Edmonton Oilers blanked the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 to become just the second goaltender in NHL playoff history to post back-to-back shutouts in Games Six and Seven of a playoff series. Joseph and the Oilers recorded a 2-0 win over the Avalanche in Game Six.
May 04, 2000 The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh in Game Four of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series, ending the third-longest game in NHL history. Philadelphia forward Keith Primeau scored at 12:01 of the fifth overtime period (92:01 into overtime). The game's duration of six hours, 56 minutes set an NHL record.
May 05, 1966 At 2:30 of overtime in Game Six, Montreal Canadiens center Henri Richard became the ninth player in NHL history to record a Stanley Cup-winning goal in sudden-death. Richard’s overtime goal gave Montreal a 3-2 win versus the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit goaltender Roger Crozier, who amassed a 2.34 average and one shutout in 12 playoff games, earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Crozier was the first Conn Smythe winner from a losing team.
May 06, 1976 Philadelphia winger Reggie Leach joined Maurice “Rocket” Richard and Darryl Sittler as he tied the record for most goals scored in a Stanley Cup playoff game by scoring five goals in the Flyers’ 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins.
May 08, 1973 The Chicago Black Hawks and Montreal Canadiens combined to set an NHL record with 15 goals in one Final game. Led by Stan Mikita’s two-goal, two-assist performance, the Black Hawks edged the Canadiens 8-7 in Game Five at the Montreal Forum. Montreal went on to win the series four games to two.
May 08, 1982 The Vancouver Canucks became the first team since the 1922 Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) to represent that city in the Stanley Cup Final. The Canucks lost the opening game 6-5 in overtime to the New York Islanders, who went on to take the series in four straight games.
May 08, 1995 New York Rangers center Mark Messier scored the 100th goal of his playoff career in an 8-3 win over the Quebec Nordiques in Game Two of their Eastern Conference Quarter-final. He became just the third player in NHL history to reach the milestone, joining former Oiler teammates Wayne Gretzky (110) and Jari Kurri (102).
May 08, 2003 The Minnesota Wild became the first team in NHL history to bounce back from a three-games-to-one deficit twice in one playoff year when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4–2 in Game Seven of their Western Conference Semifinal. In beating the Colorado Avalanche in the first round and the Canucks in the second, the Wild had needed to win both games five and seven on the road.
May 09, 1999 With Detroit’s 4-0 win over Colorado in Game Two of their Conference Semifinal series, Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman recorded his 200th career playoff victory.
May 09, 2006 Anaheim right wing Joffrey Lupul became the first player in playoff history to record a four-goal game that included the overtime winner, scoring each Ducks goal in a 4-3 victory over Colorado in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinal.
May 10, 1970 Bobby Orr, who had distinguished himself in 1969-70 as the first defenseman in NHL history to record 100 points (33-87-120) in a season, scored just 40 seconds into overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 4-3 win and a four-game sweep versus the St. Louis Blues in the 1970 Final. For Orr, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, the goal was his first of the series.
May 10, 1973 In Montreal’s 6-4 series-ending victory in Game Six, Yvan Cournoyer (6-6-12) and Jacques Lemaire (5-7-12) tallied 1-2-3 and 0-2-2 scoring totals, respectively, to tie Gordie Howe’s record of 12 points in one Final series. Meanwhile, Montreal’s Henri Richard tied Red Kelly’s all-time record for Stanley Cup games with the 65th of his career.
May 11, 1968 The Montreal Canadiens swept the St. Louis Blues in straight games with a 3-2 win in Game Four of the 1968 Final. For Montreal coach Toe Blake, it was his 11th Stanley Cup title, setting an all-time record for one individual. Blake, who had won three championships as a player and eight as a coach, retired following the series. Canadiens center Henri Richard later tied Blake’s mark with his 11th Stanley Cup (all as a player) in 1973.
May 11, 1972 For the second time in three seasons, defenseman Bobby Orr scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal as the Boston Bruins blanked the New York Rangers 3-0 in Game Six. The goal gave Orr, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy, a 5-19-24 scoring total in 15 playoff games.
May 11, 1995 Detroit Red Wings right winger Dino Ciccarelli tallied three power-play goals in a 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars in Game Three of their Western Conference Quarter-final to tie an NHL playoff record for most power-play goals in one game. Nine players, including Ciccarelli, had previously shared the record. Ciccarelli was the last player to accomplish the feat, on April 29, 1993 versus Toronto, and became the first player in NHL history to post three power-play goals in a playoff game on separate occasions.
May 14, 1977 Montreal Canadiens center Jacques Lemaire scored his third game-winning goal of the 1977 Final and his second career overtime tally in a Stanley Cup game, leading the Montreal Canadiens to a 2-1 series-clinching win against the Boston Bruins. Only Maurice “Rocket” Richard of the Canadiens (3) and Don Raleigh of the Rangers (2) have ever posted more than one career overtime goal in Final history.
May 15, 1990 Edmonton’s Petr Klima scored 15:13 into the third overtime period to lead the Oilers to a 3-2 triumph over the Boston Bruins in Game One of the 1990 Final at Boston Garden. The 55:13 overtime was the longest in Final history, 1:23 longer than the 53:50 of overtime played in Game Three of the 1931 Final between Chicago and Montreal.
May 15, 1995 The Vancouver Canucks tallied two shorthanded goals in 17 seconds during the second period of their 6-5 win over the St. Louis Blues in Game Five of their Conference Quarter-final series to set an NHL playoff record for the fastest two shorthanded goals by one team. Christian Ruuttu scored for Vancouver at 4:31 of the second period, followed by Geoff Courtnall at 4:48. The Canucks passed the old mark of 24 seconds set by the 1978 Montreal Canadiens versus Detroit on April 23, 1978.
May 16, 1971 Center Jean Beliveau tallied two assists, the final two points of his NHL career, as the Montreal Canadiens downed the Chicago Black Hawks 4-3 in Game Six of the 1971 Final. Beliveau, the all-time scoring leader in Final history with a 30-31-61 total, helped his club win the Stanley Cup two days later in Game Seven.
May 16, 1976 In Game Four of the 1976 Final, Philadelphia Flyers right winger Reggie Leach scored his 19th goal of the playoffs, extending his NHL record in that category. Although the Flyers lost the game 5-3 and the series 4-0 to the Montreal Canadiens, Leach won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player to his team in the playoffs.
May 16, 1982 Right winger Mike Bossy scored twice, including the series-winning goal, to lead the New York Islanders to their third straight Stanley Cup championship. The 3-1 victory gave New York a four-game sweep against the Vancouver Canucks.
May 16, 1996 The Detroit Red Wings defeated the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in a classic seventh and deciding game of their Western Conference Semifinal series at Joe Louis Arena. Steve Yzerman notched the series-winning goal at 1:15 of the second overtime period as Detroit rallied from three straight losses after opening the series with a pair of wins.
May 17, 1981 In Game Three of the 1981 Final, Minnesota North Stars right winger Dino Ciccarelli broke Don Maloney’s one-year rookie playoff scoring record (20 points in 1979) with his 21st point, a goal against the New York Islanders. The Islanders won the game 7-5 and later took the series 4-1.
May 17, 1983 The New York Islanders beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 to complete a four-game sweep of the 1983 Final. It was the Islanders’ fourth straight Stanley Cup, one short of the NHL record for consecutive championships set by the Montreal Canadiens from 1956 to 1960.
May 18, 1971 The Montreal Canadiens, who had missed the playoffs in 1970, won the 1971 Stanley Cup with a 3-2 triumph over the Chicago Black Hawks in Game Seven. 23-year-old rookie goalie Ken Dryden took the Conn Smythe Trophy with a 12-8 record and a 3.00 average in the playoffs.
May 18, 1986 Montreal center Brian Skrudland notched the fastest overtime goal in playoff history, scoring just nine seconds into overtime to give the Canadiens a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames in Game Two of the 1986 Final. The win was the first of four straight for Montreal en route to the team’s 23rd Stanley Cup title.
May 19, 1974 The Philadelphia Flyers, who had entered the NHL in 1967-68, became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, downing the Boston Bruins 1-0 in Game Six of the 1974 Final. Left winger Rick MacLeish scored the game’s only goal, while goaltender Bernie Parent, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, recorded the shutout.
May 19, 1984 The Edmonton Oilers, one of four former WHA teams which joined the League in 1979-80, won their first Stanley Cup title. Oilers center Mark Messier, who registered an 8-18-26 scoring mark in 19 playoff games, won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
May 19, 2007 Captain Daniel Alfredsson scored at 9:32 of overtime to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres and a 4-1 series victory in the Eastern Conference Final. The win put the Senators in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since joining the NHL in 1992-93 and gave the city of Ottawa's its first Cup Final since 1927.
May 20, 1986 In the first period of Game Three, Montreal and Calgary combined for the fastest four goals by two teams in a Final game. Calgary’s Joel Otto (17:59) and Montreal’s Bobby Smith (18:25), Mats Naslund (19:17) and Bob Gainey (19:33) posted goals within one minute and 34 seconds to set the mark. The Canadiens defeated the Flames 5-3.
May 21, 1979 Center Jacques Lemaire scored twice, including his second career Stanley Cup-winning goal, to power the Montreal Canadiens past the New York Rangers 4-1 in Game Five. The win gave Montreal its fourth straight Stanley Cup, one short of the record set by the same team, 1956-60.
May 21, 1981 New York Islanders center Butch Goring notched two goals to help defeat the Minnesota North Stars 5-1 in the fifth and final game of the 1981 Final. Goring, who assisted on the winning goal in Game Two and scored the winner in Game Three, earned the Conn Smythe Trophy.
May 22, 1987 In Game Three of the 1987 Final, Edmonton Oilers center Mark Messier set a new playoff record with his eighth career shorthanded goal. Edmonton lost the game 5-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers but went on to win the series in seven games.
May 22, 1999 The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Dallas Stars 2-1 in the opening game of the Western Conference Final, tying a playoff record for consecutive road victories (seven). The Avalanche equalled a mark previously set by the 1980 and 1982 New York Islanders and the 1995 New Jersey Devils. Dallas went on to defeat Colorado in seven games.
May 24, 1980 Right winger Bob Nystrom scored at 7:11 of overtime as the New York Islanders defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 and captured the 1980 Stanley Cup in six games. Nystrom’s goal was the fourth and final overtime tally of his playoff career and moved him into second place on the all-time list behind Maurice “Rocket” Richard (6).
May 24, 1986 The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Calgary Flames 4-3 in Game Five en route to their 23rd Stanley Cup title, a new professional record for the most championship seasons. Montreal had been tied with Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees, winners of 22 World Series at the time.
May 24, 1990 The Edmonton Oilers won their fifth Stanley Cup in seven years with a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins in Game Five of the 1990 Final at Boston Garden. Edmonton goaltender Bill Ranford, who registered all 16 wins for the Oilers in the postseason, captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Seven Oilers players—Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy, Jari Kurri, Kevin Lowe and Mark Messier—were members of all five championship clubs.
May 24, 1994 Greg Adams of the Vancouver Canucks scored at 14 seconds of the second overtime period to give his team a 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Five of the Western Conference Final at Pacific Coliseum. The win clinched the series for the Canucks and earned them a berth in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1982.
May 24, 1995 New York Rangers center Mark Messier’s goal in the second period of a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in Game Three of their Conference Semifinal was the 102nd of his playoff career, tying Jari Kurri for second place on the all-time list.
May 25, 1978 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Larry Robinson assisted on Mario Tremblay’s Stanley Cup-winning goal to lead the Montreal Canadiens past the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game Six. Robinson was one of three Canadiens, including Doug Jarvis and Steve Shutt, who appeared in all 95 games during the 1977-78 season.
May 25, 1985 Edmonton Oilers center Wayne Gretzky notched three goals in the first period of a 4-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers to tie an NHL record for one Final period. Three players—Toronto’s Harvey “Busher” Jackson (April 5, 1932), Detroit’s Ted Lindsay (April 5, 1955) and Montreal’s Maurice “Rocket” Richard (April 6, 1957)—previously shared the mark.
May 25, 1989 The Calgary Flames captured their first Stanley Cup title with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game Six of the 1989 Final. Goaltender Mike Vernon recorded his 16th victory of the postseason, tying an NHL playoff record set by Edmonton’s Grant Fuhr the previous year, and defenseman Al MacInnis won the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading all playoff scorers with totals of 7-24-31 in 22 games.
May 25, 2002 Colorado Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy appeared in his 237th career playoff game, passing Mark Messier to assume first place on the all-time playoff games played list. The Avalanche defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 3-2, in Game Four of the Western Conference Final. Roy also holds playoff records for career wins, shutouts and minutes.
May 26, 2000 The New Jersey Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Final, marking the first time a team overcame a 3-1 series deficit to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
May 27, 1975 Philadelphia goaltender Bernie Parent blanked the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 in Game Six en route to the Flyers’ second straight Stanley Cup title. Parent earned the Conn Smythe Trophy to become the first back-to-back winner of the award and the second player, after Bobby Orr, to win it twice. Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky collected his second career Conn Smythe Trophy in 1988, Mario Lemieux of the Penguins won the award in 1991 and 1992. Patrick Roy has won the trophy three times, in 1986 and 1993 with Montreal and in 2001 with Colorado.
May 27, 1994 Stephane Matteau of the New York Rangers scored at 4:24 of the second overtime period to give his team a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils in the seventh and deciding game of the Eastern Conference Final at Madison Square Garden. A record three games in the series were decided in double overtime, with Matteau scoring the winner in two of them. The win earned the Rangers a berth in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1979.
May 27, 1995 Detroit Red Wings defenseman Paul Coffey became the all-time leading scorer for defensemen in Stanley Cup playoff history, tallying two points (1-1-2) in Detroit’s 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks in Game Four of their Western Conference Semifinal. The Red Wings clinched the series in four straight games. Coffey’s first-period goal was his 165th point in the postseason (51-114-165 in 146 games), moving him past former New York Islanders rearguard and Hockey Hall of Famer Denis Potvin. Potvin registered 164 points (56-108-164) in 185 career playoff games.
May 30, 1985 The Edmonton Oilers downed the Philadelphia Flyers 8-3 in Game Five to win the 1985 Stanley Cup and their second straight championship title. Conn Smythe Trophy winner Wayne Gretzky scored a goal and assisted on three others to set playoff records for assists (30) and points (47) in a single postseason, and Jari Kurri tied Reggie Leach’s record with his 19th goal of the playoffs.
May 31, 1987 Right winger Jari Kurri scored the Cup-winning goal at 14:59 of the second period as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 in Game Seven of the 1987 Final. The win marked the third Cup title in four seasons for Edmonton.
May 31, 2003 The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim won Game Three of their Stanley Cup Final series with the New Jersey Devils on Ruslan Salei’s goal at 6:59 of overtime. Anaheim improved its overtime record to 6-0 in the playoffs and Jean-Sebastien Giguere ran his overtime streak to a record 167:48. Giguere added 39 more seconds to his streak with a 1-0 overtime victory two nights later.
May 31, 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brad Richards set a single-season playoff record by scoring his seventh game-winning goal. Richards tallied the lone goal in a 1-0 victory against the Calgary Flames in Game Four of the Stanley Cup Final at Calgary.