UNIONDALE, N.Y. - It was well past the glory days for the New York Islanders. The Islanders were three years removed from the last of their four straight Stanley Cups, and age and injuries had started to tap the skills of their stars. It seemed their dynasty had already been pushed to the back-burners of hockey fans' minds, as the Edmonton Oilers were in the middle of a championship run of their own.
Mike Bossy was also in decline in 1986, but his fall wasn't as sharp as the Islanders' was. Though he never won an MVP trophy nor received the recognition he deserved as one of the best scorers in the NHL - usually ceding the limelight to Wayne Gretzky - Bossy was still a force to be reckoned with in the league.
After being the first NHL player in 32 years to score 50 goals in 50 games earlier in his career, Bossy added another line to his resume in 1986 that nobody in NHL history has been able to claim, before or since. He became the first player to score at least 50 goals in nine straight seasons, reaching the mark in an 8-4 win over Calgary on March 11, 1986.
It's impressive in itself that Bossy set the record for consecutive 50-goal seasons. But this record stands out, as it's the only record Bossy set that wasn't immediately eclipsed by the great Gretzky. Gretzky seemed poised to equal the mark in the 1987-88 season, but injuries held him to only 64 games, forcing him to come up short. Gretzky scored 50 goals the next season, making him only the second player after Bossy to have nine 50-goal seasons at all, but Bossy stands alone in consecutive seasons reaching that mark.
Bossy played every game in the 1985-86 season, ending with 61 goals. At the age of 29, he seemed destined to make a run at all sorts of career scoring records, or at least to end up number 2 behind Gretzky in everything. But the next year, injuries held him to 63 games, and then he was done, retired from the game at age 30.
It seems unfair that Bossy had to retire as young as he did, as hockey fans were deprived of the chance to see how many goals he could score in his career. But in another way, it was a good thing for his reputation. Unlike most other stars in virtually every sport, nobody saw Bossy as his skills started to wane. There were no seasons where he was a shell of his former self, simply hanging on and clouding everybody's memory of him. It wasn't by his choice, but Bossy retired at the perfect time for his legacy. He will now always be remembered as the high-scoring right wing for hockey's forgotten dynasty.
Showing posts with label hockey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hockey. Show all posts
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
March 3, 1981: Scoring in bunches
UNIONDALE, N.Y. - The scoring machine that was Mike Bossy was at its peak in the 1980-81 season. The main offensive weapon for the Islanders teams that won four straight Stanley Cups, Bossy had already made headlines earlier in the season by scoring 50 goals in 50 games. Now, as the Islanders were finishing up their schedule, he had another scoring record.
In compiling his impressive goals total, Bossy had wracked up eight hat tricks during the season, tying the NHL record. He had 15 games to try to get number nine.
Meanwhile, the Islanders had some issues of their own to work out. On February 25, they lost to Calgary 11-4, capping off a month in which they had games of 8 and 9 goals allowed, as well. This was certainly not the kind of performance expected of a two-time champion that had sites set on a third. It seemed as though the Islanders had corrected their problem, giving up only one goal each in a pair of wins following the Calgary disaster.
But then the Edmonton Oilers came to town on March 3, 1981. Behind the play of the great Wayne Gretzky, the Oilers were a scoring machine, and though they hadn't quite reached the heights they would in a few years, they were still a formidible opponent. They were perfectly capable of seeing just how much the Islanders' defense had improved.
The answer: not much. Edmonton poured in eight goals against the Islanders. Fortunately for New York, they had an answer, scoring eight goals of their own to lead to a rather ugly looking 8-8 tie. Among those eight goals were four goals by Bossy, giving him his NHL-record ninth hat trick of the season.
Most of Bossy's offensive exploits from the 1980-81 season were blown away by Gretzky the following season. Gretzky got to 50 goals in only 39 games, and ended up scoring an NHL-record 92 goals - scoring the record-breaking goal against Quebec on March 3, 1982. But that was in the future. In the present, the Oilers were done giving up bunches of goals. They lost only one more game in the regular season, then went 15-3 in the playoffs to win their third straight Stanley Cup.
In compiling his impressive goals total, Bossy had wracked up eight hat tricks during the season, tying the NHL record. He had 15 games to try to get number nine.
Meanwhile, the Islanders had some issues of their own to work out. On February 25, they lost to Calgary 11-4, capping off a month in which they had games of 8 and 9 goals allowed, as well. This was certainly not the kind of performance expected of a two-time champion that had sites set on a third. It seemed as though the Islanders had corrected their problem, giving up only one goal each in a pair of wins following the Calgary disaster.
But then the Edmonton Oilers came to town on March 3, 1981. Behind the play of the great Wayne Gretzky, the Oilers were a scoring machine, and though they hadn't quite reached the heights they would in a few years, they were still a formidible opponent. They were perfectly capable of seeing just how much the Islanders' defense had improved.
The answer: not much. Edmonton poured in eight goals against the Islanders. Fortunately for New York, they had an answer, scoring eight goals of their own to lead to a rather ugly looking 8-8 tie. Among those eight goals were four goals by Bossy, giving him his NHL-record ninth hat trick of the season.
Most of Bossy's offensive exploits from the 1980-81 season were blown away by Gretzky the following season. Gretzky got to 50 goals in only 39 games, and ended up scoring an NHL-record 92 goals - scoring the record-breaking goal against Quebec on March 3, 1982. But that was in the future. In the present, the Oilers were done giving up bunches of goals. They lost only one more game in the regular season, then went 15-3 in the playoffs to win their third straight Stanley Cup.
Monday, February 28, 2011
February 29, 1980: 800
HARTFORD, Conn. - Gordie Howe was 51 years old in 1980 (about to turn 52 in March). He had played his first professional hockey game in 1945, a stunning 35 years earlier. There was no real reason for him to suit up for the Hartford Whalers that year except to achieve the unique claim of playing professionally in five different decades.
But Howe's season with the Whalers was anything but a publicity stunt. Even at his age, Howe played all 80 games for the Whalers, scoring 15 goals while playing on a line with his son, who by then was in his ninth season of professional hockey. In fact, the elder Howe was named to the All-Star team in 1980 as he led the Whalers to a playoff appearance.
On February 29, 1980, with the Whalers hosting the St. Louis Blues, Howe added one more number to his staggering career totals. In Hartford's 3-0 win, Howe scored the 800th goal of his major professional career. The nice, round number was a fitting milestone to the most durable, versitle player in NHL history.
Howe finally retired after the 1980 season, holding the NHL records in games played, seasons played, goals (he would end with 801), and assists, among other records. While Wayne Gretzky soared past both Howe's goals and assists records (in about half the time) and several players have since passed him in assists, Howe can rest easy knowing that he'll hold the record for games played and seasons played probably forever.
But Howe's season with the Whalers was anything but a publicity stunt. Even at his age, Howe played all 80 games for the Whalers, scoring 15 goals while playing on a line with his son, who by then was in his ninth season of professional hockey. In fact, the elder Howe was named to the All-Star team in 1980 as he led the Whalers to a playoff appearance.
On February 29, 1980, with the Whalers hosting the St. Louis Blues, Howe added one more number to his staggering career totals. In Hartford's 3-0 win, Howe scored the 800th goal of his major professional career. The nice, round number was a fitting milestone to the most durable, versitle player in NHL history.
Howe finally retired after the 1980 season, holding the NHL records in games played, seasons played, goals (he would end with 801), and assists, among other records. While Wayne Gretzky soared past both Howe's goals and assists records (in about half the time) and several players have since passed him in assists, Howe can rest easy knowing that he'll hold the record for games played and seasons played probably forever.
February 28, 2010: Crosby the Golden Boy
VANCOUVER - There probably aren't enough words to describe what this gold medal would mean to the Canadians, just how important it would be to win this game. You can look at Canada's history in Olympic hockey before this game - seven gold medals, including one as recent as 2002 - and wonder why it's such a big deal, why it mattered.
But oh, did it matter. See, these Olympics were being held on Canadian ice. They were the home team, the one the crowd was behind. And despite all of Canada's Olympic success, they had never won hockey gold at home, never watched their flag lifted to the rafters own their own soil. So yah, it mattered.
Maybe it mattered a little too much. Because after crushing Norway in the first game, the unthinkable happened: Canada needed a shootout to beat Switzerland of all teams. Switzerland! Their next game wasn't much better, as they lost 5-3 to the Americans. So maybe things were getting a little tight around the collar. The loss to the Americans wasn't an upset to the level it was in, say, 1960 - this American team was full of NHL players, too. But the Americans were maybe fourth or fifth best in the world. Canada shouldn't have been losing to them.
The loss to the United States meant that Canada had to play an extra game to get to the medal round, and that they had to play Russia in the quarterfinals rather than in the final, ruining the final that everybody had expected. But maybe it was good for Canada to lose to the Americans in group play. Maybe it kicked them in the ass a little bit. They demolished Russia, dropped seven goals on them. Slovakia in the semifinals was a little tougher, but Canada still got past them with ease. That set up the final against ... team USA.
One of the biggest surprises of the 2010 Olympics wasn't that the United States got to the gold medal game, but the ease with which they got there. They were the top seeded team after group play, winning all three games by at least two goals. In the knockout rounds they had gotten past Switzerland and Finland with ease. That Finland game was the surprise. Finland was supposed to be better than the Americans, but team USA scored six on them. It was too easy. And it set up an all-North American gold medal game.
So often, highly anticipated matchups tend to let down, unable to live up to the increased hype. This was not the case for the 2010 gold medal game. The United States and Canada put on a display of beautiful, tense hockey, showing everything that was good and fun about the sport. The Canadians were the fast, skilled team, using crisp passing and wonderful individual skill to keep control of the puck. The Americans, not nearly as talented, nevertheless played smoothly as a unit, looking as if they had been playing together as a team for years rather than weeks. They didn't have the skilled shooters and passers of the Canadians, but they had the hard hitters and the help defenders. In short, the two teams that seemed to be so different, that seemed to have such a talent gap between them, turned out to be pretty evenly matched.
Still, though, despite the brilliant play from goalie Ryan Miller - by far the best goaltender of these Olympics - the Americans were down 2-1 in the final minute. They pulled Miller, got the extra attacker, and threw themselves at the net with fury. Finally, Zach Parise broke through with his fourth goal of the Olympics, pushing a rebound past Roberto Luongo with 24 seconds to play to tie the game.
It was the second time since the Olympics changed formats in hockey that the gold medal game had gone to overtime. The previous time, in 1994, also saw Canada give up a late goal. They lost that one in a shootout. They weren't going to let that happen again.
It happened seven minutes into overtime. Sidney Crosby - Canada's best young player since Lemieux, and the player who would shoulder most of the blame if his team failed - carried the puck into the zone. His first shot was stopped by Miller, and the puck went behind his net. As Crosby skated along the boards to set up the offense, he ran into the linesman, and the puck stopped where it was. That actually turned into a blessing for Canada. Two Americans that had been chasing Crosby went after the puck but lost the race to Jarome Iginla, who had been following the play along the boards. With two men converging on Iginla, he fed a return pass to Crosby, who sent it past Miller for the gold medal-winning goal.
The game was an immediate success. The matchup helped, but how close the game was brought it to new heights. In the United States, it was the most watched hockey game since the final in 1980. But that paled in comparision to the reception in Canada. It is estimated that two-thirds of the Canadian population was watching the moment Crosby scored his overtime goal. His goal sent Canada into a nationwide celebration, one that continued through that night's closing ceremonies and lasted well into the spring.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_koQujQ8Vg
But oh, did it matter. See, these Olympics were being held on Canadian ice. They were the home team, the one the crowd was behind. And despite all of Canada's Olympic success, they had never won hockey gold at home, never watched their flag lifted to the rafters own their own soil. So yah, it mattered.
Maybe it mattered a little too much. Because after crushing Norway in the first game, the unthinkable happened: Canada needed a shootout to beat Switzerland of all teams. Switzerland! Their next game wasn't much better, as they lost 5-3 to the Americans. So maybe things were getting a little tight around the collar. The loss to the Americans wasn't an upset to the level it was in, say, 1960 - this American team was full of NHL players, too. But the Americans were maybe fourth or fifth best in the world. Canada shouldn't have been losing to them.
The loss to the United States meant that Canada had to play an extra game to get to the medal round, and that they had to play Russia in the quarterfinals rather than in the final, ruining the final that everybody had expected. But maybe it was good for Canada to lose to the Americans in group play. Maybe it kicked them in the ass a little bit. They demolished Russia, dropped seven goals on them. Slovakia in the semifinals was a little tougher, but Canada still got past them with ease. That set up the final against ... team USA.
One of the biggest surprises of the 2010 Olympics wasn't that the United States got to the gold medal game, but the ease with which they got there. They were the top seeded team after group play, winning all three games by at least two goals. In the knockout rounds they had gotten past Switzerland and Finland with ease. That Finland game was the surprise. Finland was supposed to be better than the Americans, but team USA scored six on them. It was too easy. And it set up an all-North American gold medal game.
So often, highly anticipated matchups tend to let down, unable to live up to the increased hype. This was not the case for the 2010 gold medal game. The United States and Canada put on a display of beautiful, tense hockey, showing everything that was good and fun about the sport. The Canadians were the fast, skilled team, using crisp passing and wonderful individual skill to keep control of the puck. The Americans, not nearly as talented, nevertheless played smoothly as a unit, looking as if they had been playing together as a team for years rather than weeks. They didn't have the skilled shooters and passers of the Canadians, but they had the hard hitters and the help defenders. In short, the two teams that seemed to be so different, that seemed to have such a talent gap between them, turned out to be pretty evenly matched.
Still, though, despite the brilliant play from goalie Ryan Miller - by far the best goaltender of these Olympics - the Americans were down 2-1 in the final minute. They pulled Miller, got the extra attacker, and threw themselves at the net with fury. Finally, Zach Parise broke through with his fourth goal of the Olympics, pushing a rebound past Roberto Luongo with 24 seconds to play to tie the game.
It was the second time since the Olympics changed formats in hockey that the gold medal game had gone to overtime. The previous time, in 1994, also saw Canada give up a late goal. They lost that one in a shootout. They weren't going to let that happen again.
It happened seven minutes into overtime. Sidney Crosby - Canada's best young player since Lemieux, and the player who would shoulder most of the blame if his team failed - carried the puck into the zone. His first shot was stopped by Miller, and the puck went behind his net. As Crosby skated along the boards to set up the offense, he ran into the linesman, and the puck stopped where it was. That actually turned into a blessing for Canada. Two Americans that had been chasing Crosby went after the puck but lost the race to Jarome Iginla, who had been following the play along the boards. With two men converging on Iginla, he fed a return pass to Crosby, who sent it past Miller for the gold medal-winning goal.
The game was an immediate success. The matchup helped, but how close the game was brought it to new heights. In the United States, it was the most watched hockey game since the final in 1980. But that paled in comparision to the reception in Canada. It is estimated that two-thirds of the Canadian population was watching the moment Crosby scored his overtime goal. His goal sent Canada into a nationwide celebration, one that continued through that night's closing ceremonies and lasted well into the spring.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_koQujQ8Vg
Sunday, February 27, 2011
February 27, 1960: The original miracle
SQUAW VALLEY, Calif. - Before the college kids from 1980 could be compiled with the goal of beating the Soviet Union - heck, before some of them had even learned to walk - there was the original miracle, the original Olympic hockey upset.
The Soviet Union hockey team wasn't as highly regarded in 1960 as it had been in 1980, but they were still considered the best team in the world. They had won the gold in 1956, the first time they had entered the Olympic ice hockey competition, and they were favorites again in 1960 as the games came to California.
Meanwhile, not many people were paying attention to the United States team at these Olympics. Most people thought that if the Soviets were going to lose, it would be to either Canada or Czechoslovakia. But then the Americans shockingly beat Czechoslovakia in group play, then surprised even more people by beating the Canadians in the medal round.
This set up a matchup on February 27, 1960, between the unbeaten Americans and the unbeaten (but once tied) Soviets, in a game that would almost certainly determine the gold medal winner.
Trailing 2-1 after one period, the Americans tied the score in the second on a goal by Bill Christian, assisted by his brother, Roger. The game was on now. The play picked up, and it was a fast-paced, up-and-down affair between two gifted teams. There was no more scoring in the second period, and half the third period passed without a goal, either. Then, Bill Christian struck again, poking one home from right in front of the net to give the U.S. a 3-2 lead. Once again, he was assisted by his brother
From there, the Americans held on, winning 3-2 and making the standing-room-only crowd of more than 10,000 delirious.
The competition wasn't over yet. While the United States could do no worse than silver, they still had a rematch against Czechoslovakia the next day to clinch the gold. Earlier in the day, the Canadians shocked the Soviets, ensuring Canada of a medal and leaving the U.S. - Czechoslovakia game to decide it all.
After two periods, with the U.S. trailing 4-3, a famous scene occurred in the U.S. locker room. A member of the Soviet team came into the U.S. locker room. Not knowing English, he instead used gestures to suggest the American team take oxygen to refresh themselves for the third period. It was seemed as a great example of sportsmanship, but there was a reason for it - if the Czechs held on, the Russians would have been deprived of a medal. An American win would give the Soviets the bronze.
The Americans took the Russian's advice, taking the oxygen to recharge their batteries. They came out firing, outscoring the Czechs 6-0 in the third to win 9-4 and clinch the gold. Roger Christian scored a natural hat trick in the period to lead the U.S. to their unlikely medal.
In a unique family twist, Bill's son (and Roger's nephew) Dave would play on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. The two teams are forever linked as the only U.S. Olympic hockey teams to win the gold medal. In the Soviet Union's history, they lost only six Olympic hockey games, and 1960 and 1980 represent the only two times the nation did not win the gold medal. Both times, the turning point was an upset loss to the Americans on American soil. And while the 1980 game is widely considered the greatest moment in American sports history, the 1960 game isn't too far behind.
The Soviet Union hockey team wasn't as highly regarded in 1960 as it had been in 1980, but they were still considered the best team in the world. They had won the gold in 1956, the first time they had entered the Olympic ice hockey competition, and they were favorites again in 1960 as the games came to California.
Meanwhile, not many people were paying attention to the United States team at these Olympics. Most people thought that if the Soviets were going to lose, it would be to either Canada or Czechoslovakia. But then the Americans shockingly beat Czechoslovakia in group play, then surprised even more people by beating the Canadians in the medal round.
This set up a matchup on February 27, 1960, between the unbeaten Americans and the unbeaten (but once tied) Soviets, in a game that would almost certainly determine the gold medal winner.
Trailing 2-1 after one period, the Americans tied the score in the second on a goal by Bill Christian, assisted by his brother, Roger. The game was on now. The play picked up, and it was a fast-paced, up-and-down affair between two gifted teams. There was no more scoring in the second period, and half the third period passed without a goal, either. Then, Bill Christian struck again, poking one home from right in front of the net to give the U.S. a 3-2 lead. Once again, he was assisted by his brother
From there, the Americans held on, winning 3-2 and making the standing-room-only crowd of more than 10,000 delirious.
The competition wasn't over yet. While the United States could do no worse than silver, they still had a rematch against Czechoslovakia the next day to clinch the gold. Earlier in the day, the Canadians shocked the Soviets, ensuring Canada of a medal and leaving the U.S. - Czechoslovakia game to decide it all.
After two periods, with the U.S. trailing 4-3, a famous scene occurred in the U.S. locker room. A member of the Soviet team came into the U.S. locker room. Not knowing English, he instead used gestures to suggest the American team take oxygen to refresh themselves for the third period. It was seemed as a great example of sportsmanship, but there was a reason for it - if the Czechs held on, the Russians would have been deprived of a medal. An American win would give the Soviets the bronze.
The Americans took the Russian's advice, taking the oxygen to recharge their batteries. They came out firing, outscoring the Czechs 6-0 in the third to win 9-4 and clinch the gold. Roger Christian scored a natural hat trick in the period to lead the U.S. to their unlikely medal.
In a unique family twist, Bill's son (and Roger's nephew) Dave would play on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. The two teams are forever linked as the only U.S. Olympic hockey teams to win the gold medal. In the Soviet Union's history, they lost only six Olympic hockey games, and 1960 and 1980 represent the only two times the nation did not win the gold medal. Both times, the turning point was an upset loss to the Americans on American soil. And while the 1980 game is widely considered the greatest moment in American sports history, the 1960 game isn't too far behind.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
February 24, 1980: Mission accomplished
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - Herb Brooks was steaming mad. He didn't even know what to say. He was out of inspirational speeches, done with the "you can do it" attitude. The United States hockey team, two days after shocking the Soviet Union, playing with the gold medal on the line, was trailing Finland 2-1 entering the final period.
Everything they had worked for, all the celebrations they had touched off by beating the Soviets, would have been for naught had they lost this game. They could have been shut out of the medals completely had they lost, or at the very least allowed the Soviets to back into a gold. That was unacceptable.
Finally, Brooks thought of what he wanted to say. He stormed back into the locker room and looked around. Then, he spoke: "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your fucking graves." And he walked away.
It wasn't much, but it was direct. And it drove the point home. He didn't need to say anything else. The Americans were ready to play the third period right then and there, not wanting to wait out the rest of the intermission.
The final period the 1980 United States hockey team played together might go down as its best. Inspired by Brooks' message - or was it a threat? - they played a complete period, completely stifiling the Finnish attack. Just 2:25 into the third period, Phil Verchota scored the tying goal on a power play. Three minutes and 40 seconds later, Rob McClanahan gave them the lead, stuffing one home from point-blank range. The fans haven't stopped cheering since.
From there, the result seemed predetermined. When Mark Johnson scored a shorthanded goal with 3:35 left, the Americans' Miracle run was officially complete. They had won their improbable gold medal.
All that was left was the medal ceremony. After the national anthem had been performed, and after the players had received their medals, captain Mike Eruzione turned and called his team up to join him. The seen was chilling, and fitting; 20 men gathered together on a space designed to fit one, celebrating together one final time. The team that had inspired a nation giving everybody one final goosebump moment.
Everything they had worked for, all the celebrations they had touched off by beating the Soviets, would have been for naught had they lost this game. They could have been shut out of the medals completely had they lost, or at the very least allowed the Soviets to back into a gold. That was unacceptable.
Finally, Brooks thought of what he wanted to say. He stormed back into the locker room and looked around. Then, he spoke: "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your fucking graves." And he walked away.
It wasn't much, but it was direct. And it drove the point home. He didn't need to say anything else. The Americans were ready to play the third period right then and there, not wanting to wait out the rest of the intermission.
The final period the 1980 United States hockey team played together might go down as its best. Inspired by Brooks' message - or was it a threat? - they played a complete period, completely stifiling the Finnish attack. Just 2:25 into the third period, Phil Verchota scored the tying goal on a power play. Three minutes and 40 seconds later, Rob McClanahan gave them the lead, stuffing one home from point-blank range. The fans haven't stopped cheering since.
From there, the result seemed predetermined. When Mark Johnson scored a shorthanded goal with 3:35 left, the Americans' Miracle run was officially complete. They had won their improbable gold medal.
All that was left was the medal ceremony. After the national anthem had been performed, and after the players had received their medals, captain Mike Eruzione turned and called his team up to join him. The seen was chilling, and fitting; 20 men gathered together on a space designed to fit one, celebrating together one final time. The team that had inspired a nation giving everybody one final goosebump moment.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
February 22, 1980: Believe
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - When did the players first start to believe?
Was it during the pregame speech? The now-famous inspirational message Herb Brooks delivered that February afternoon, the one where he said that while the Soviets would probably beat the Americans nine times out of 10, it wouldn't happen today. The one where Brooks looked his players in the eyes and said "You were meant to be here. This moment is yours." Is that when they started to believe?
Or did they start to believe at the end of the first period, when Mark Johnson slipped between two defenders, grabbed the loose rebound, and fired the puck past Vladislav Tretiak just moments before the horn blew. Was that the moment? That shocking, lightning-in-a-bottle goal, the one that went in so quickly that it took a moment to figure out just what had happened? Is that when they started to believe?
Or did they start to believe at the start of the second period, when they looked over at the Soviet bench and saw Tretiak sitting there, pulled from the game. They were facing the best goaltender in the world at the time, the man who may have been the best goalie to ever play hockey, and they had knocked him out of the game. That had to be it, then. That had to be the moment when the Americans first started to believe that this was possible.
But they still had two periods to play. It wasn't a surprise when the Soviets took the lead after two periods. What was surprising was that it was only 3-2. The Americans were still in it. But they couldn't get anything past Vladimir Myshkin. Tretiak's replacement was playing better than Tretiak.
Then the penalty. Vladimir Krutov was called for high-sticking, and the Americans had a power play. For two minutes, they fired on Myshkin, trying to get something past him. Just as the power play ended, Dave Johnson hit the shot, sending one between Myshkin's legs to tie the game. Bedlam.
Is that when the fans at the game started to believe? It was one thing to hang with the Soviets. It was quite another to be tied with them in the middle of the third period. This had to be when they started to believe. This is when the "USA, USA" chants started to get loud. But still, there was one detail that some people probably couldn't get past: it was one thing to be tied with the Soviets, but it was another to have the lead. The Americans hadn't yet taken the lead.
Then Mark Pavelich had the puck along the boards. Mike Eruzione was alone in the high slot. Pavelich fell, but was able to send the puck along the ice. The pass came, the shot went. Red light. An explosion of sound. Eruzione ran, rather than skated, to the far boards, joining in the celebration with the crowd. The American bench emptied, everybody piling on their captain. Improbably, impossibly, unbelievably, they had done it.
One year earlier, Brooks had chosen his roster not based on who the best 20 players were, but which 20 players would best be able to beat the Soviets. They had been together for eight months, training together, eating together, never leaving each others' side, with the sole purpose of winning one game. This game. And now, with exactly 10 minutes to play, they were had the lead.
And that's when everybody started to believe. Even though there were still 10 minutes to play - 10 excruciating minutes, 10 of the longest minutes any hockey team would ever have to endure - people in the crowd, people watching on television at home, people everywhere, started to believe. The boys actually had a shot at this.
But the Soviets weren't known as the best hockey team in the world for nothing. The final 10 minutes was a display of offensive force unlike anybody, even the Americans, had ever seen. Shot after shot was fired at goalie Jim Craig. Shot after shot was turned away. And as more and more shots bounced helplessly away from the net, more and more people started to believe.
The final 30 seconds was pure cheering, pure adrenaline, pure excitement. This was actually happening. The Soviets weren't going to score. They kept firing, kept missing, kept losing the race to the loose pucks. Then the puck finally bounced to the stick of an American defenseman and was cleared out of the zone one final time. And then, with five seconds left, Al Michaels finally believed. At this point, his now-famous question was redundant: "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"
Was it during the pregame speech? The now-famous inspirational message Herb Brooks delivered that February afternoon, the one where he said that while the Soviets would probably beat the Americans nine times out of 10, it wouldn't happen today. The one where Brooks looked his players in the eyes and said "You were meant to be here. This moment is yours." Is that when they started to believe?
Or did they start to believe at the end of the first period, when Mark Johnson slipped between two defenders, grabbed the loose rebound, and fired the puck past Vladislav Tretiak just moments before the horn blew. Was that the moment? That shocking, lightning-in-a-bottle goal, the one that went in so quickly that it took a moment to figure out just what had happened? Is that when they started to believe?
Or did they start to believe at the start of the second period, when they looked over at the Soviet bench and saw Tretiak sitting there, pulled from the game. They were facing the best goaltender in the world at the time, the man who may have been the best goalie to ever play hockey, and they had knocked him out of the game. That had to be it, then. That had to be the moment when the Americans first started to believe that this was possible.
But they still had two periods to play. It wasn't a surprise when the Soviets took the lead after two periods. What was surprising was that it was only 3-2. The Americans were still in it. But they couldn't get anything past Vladimir Myshkin. Tretiak's replacement was playing better than Tretiak.
Then the penalty. Vladimir Krutov was called for high-sticking, and the Americans had a power play. For two minutes, they fired on Myshkin, trying to get something past him. Just as the power play ended, Dave Johnson hit the shot, sending one between Myshkin's legs to tie the game. Bedlam.
Is that when the fans at the game started to believe? It was one thing to hang with the Soviets. It was quite another to be tied with them in the middle of the third period. This had to be when they started to believe. This is when the "USA, USA" chants started to get loud. But still, there was one detail that some people probably couldn't get past: it was one thing to be tied with the Soviets, but it was another to have the lead. The Americans hadn't yet taken the lead.
Then Mark Pavelich had the puck along the boards. Mike Eruzione was alone in the high slot. Pavelich fell, but was able to send the puck along the ice. The pass came, the shot went. Red light. An explosion of sound. Eruzione ran, rather than skated, to the far boards, joining in the celebration with the crowd. The American bench emptied, everybody piling on their captain. Improbably, impossibly, unbelievably, they had done it.
One year earlier, Brooks had chosen his roster not based on who the best 20 players were, but which 20 players would best be able to beat the Soviets. They had been together for eight months, training together, eating together, never leaving each others' side, with the sole purpose of winning one game. This game. And now, with exactly 10 minutes to play, they were had the lead.
And that's when everybody started to believe. Even though there were still 10 minutes to play - 10 excruciating minutes, 10 of the longest minutes any hockey team would ever have to endure - people in the crowd, people watching on television at home, people everywhere, started to believe. The boys actually had a shot at this.
But the Soviets weren't known as the best hockey team in the world for nothing. The final 10 minutes was a display of offensive force unlike anybody, even the Americans, had ever seen. Shot after shot was fired at goalie Jim Craig. Shot after shot was turned away. And as more and more shots bounced helplessly away from the net, more and more people started to believe.
The final 30 seconds was pure cheering, pure adrenaline, pure excitement. This was actually happening. The Soviets weren't going to score. They kept firing, kept missing, kept losing the race to the loose pucks. Then the puck finally bounced to the stick of an American defenseman and was cleared out of the zone one final time. And then, with five seconds left, Al Michaels finally believed. At this point, his now-famous question was redundant: "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"
Saturday, February 12, 2011
February 12, 1980: The first step
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Or in this case, a single shot.
The faceoff was in the Swedish zone. The United States, trailing 2-1, had an empty net behind them, going with the extra attacker in the hopes of getting that tying goal that would earn them a very important point in the standings. With 41 seconds left, the Americans won the faceoff clean, passing back to the blue line. The original shot was blocked, and the puck was tipped to keep it in the zone. Defenseman Bill Baker stepped up on the blue line to keep it in again, firing the puck back behind the net. In a scramble of yellow and blue sweaters, the puck worked around to the opposite board. Seeing an opening, Baker slipped into the slot...
The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team had been chosen in 1979 with the explicit goal of compiling a team capable of beating the Soviet Union. The players chosen, the game plan used, even the coaches picked were all done with an eye toward beating the greatest team in the world. Herb Brooks' team had played a year of exhibition matches in order to learn to play together, to develop the cohesiveness and stamina that would enable them to counter the powerful Soviet attack.
But as the 1980 Olympics finally began in Lake Placid, there were worries that all that had been for naught. Despite playing more than 60 exhibition games in the year leading up to the Olympics, the Americans had been crushed 10-3 by the Soviets in the final exhibition game before the Olympics. Even a closer loss would have given the country reason to hope, but a loss that devastating was bad for morale.
Then came the first game of group play. Since the Americans and Soviets were placed in different groups, the Americans would have to advance to the medal round to get their shot at the Soviets. The two teams standing in their way of that goal were Sweden and Czechoslovakia, who happened to be the Americans' first two opponents.
In game 1 against Sweden, the Americans trailed 1-0 after one period, and it looked like that would be the score after two periods, as well, Dave Silk scored with 28 seconds left in the period to tie the score entering the third. Sweden scored early in the third to put the Americans into catch-up mode again.
It took nearly the entire period - and the extra attacker that came after pulling goalie Jim Craig - until they finally broke through. With the puck against the side boards, Mark Pavelich saw Baker slip down off the blue line and into the slot. The pass was perfect, the shot a one-timer. Red light flashing. Tie game.
It was just one shot in the opening game, but Baker's shot helped propel the United States. Now confident that they could play with anybody in the world, the United States went undefeated in group play, setting up their showdown with the Soviets.
The faceoff was in the Swedish zone. The United States, trailing 2-1, had an empty net behind them, going with the extra attacker in the hopes of getting that tying goal that would earn them a very important point in the standings. With 41 seconds left, the Americans won the faceoff clean, passing back to the blue line. The original shot was blocked, and the puck was tipped to keep it in the zone. Defenseman Bill Baker stepped up on the blue line to keep it in again, firing the puck back behind the net. In a scramble of yellow and blue sweaters, the puck worked around to the opposite board. Seeing an opening, Baker slipped into the slot...
The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team had been chosen in 1979 with the explicit goal of compiling a team capable of beating the Soviet Union. The players chosen, the game plan used, even the coaches picked were all done with an eye toward beating the greatest team in the world. Herb Brooks' team had played a year of exhibition matches in order to learn to play together, to develop the cohesiveness and stamina that would enable them to counter the powerful Soviet attack.
But as the 1980 Olympics finally began in Lake Placid, there were worries that all that had been for naught. Despite playing more than 60 exhibition games in the year leading up to the Olympics, the Americans had been crushed 10-3 by the Soviets in the final exhibition game before the Olympics. Even a closer loss would have given the country reason to hope, but a loss that devastating was bad for morale.
Then came the first game of group play. Since the Americans and Soviets were placed in different groups, the Americans would have to advance to the medal round to get their shot at the Soviets. The two teams standing in their way of that goal were Sweden and Czechoslovakia, who happened to be the Americans' first two opponents.
In game 1 against Sweden, the Americans trailed 1-0 after one period, and it looked like that would be the score after two periods, as well, Dave Silk scored with 28 seconds left in the period to tie the score entering the third. Sweden scored early in the third to put the Americans into catch-up mode again.
It took nearly the entire period - and the extra attacker that came after pulling goalie Jim Craig - until they finally broke through. With the puck against the side boards, Mark Pavelich saw Baker slip down off the blue line and into the slot. The pass was perfect, the shot a one-timer. Red light flashing. Tie game.
It was just one shot in the opening game, but Baker's shot helped propel the United States. Now confident that they could play with anybody in the world, the United States went undefeated in group play, setting up their showdown with the Soviets.
Monday, January 24, 2011
January 24, 1981: The race for 50 in 50
UNIONDALE, N.Y. - For 32 years, no NHL player had come close to Maurice Richard's accomplishment of 50 goals in 50 games. Then, in the 1980-81 season, two players made a serious run at it.
It wasn't too surprising that Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders made a good run at the hallowed mark. He had led the NHL with 69 goals two years before and had scored at least 50 in all three years he played in the NHL. As a player with a reputation as a top scorer, his run at Richard wasn't too much of a shock.
Charlie Simmer of the Los Angeles Kings didn't have the reputation for scoring that Bossy had, though Simmer had led the league in goals in the 1979-80 season. The 56 goals he scored that year were more than he had scored in his previous five seasons combined.
When Bossy and Simmer both got off to hot starts in the 1980-81 season, the talk began about whether either or both would reach the hallowed 50 goals in 50 games mark. Soon, an unofficial competition between the two scorers began to grow as they embarked on a race against each other and against Richard.
One thing that helped the competition was that both the Islanders and the Kings had their 50th game scheduled for the same day: January 24, 1981. That date was the finish line, the deadline for the two snipers to get their hallowed mark.
Entering play on January 24, Bossy had 48 goals and Simmer had 46, so both needed a big day to give Richard company among goal scorers. Simmer's Kings played a game in Boston that day, and he rose to the occasion with a hat trick. But Simmer couldn't find the fourth goal he needed and ended up just short of the mark. Still, as only the second player to score 49 goals in his team's first 50 games, his was still an impressive season.
That left the spotlight on Bossy, whose Islanders were hosting the Quebec Nordiques. For most of the game, the Nordiques kept Bossy in check, leaving him stuck on 48 goals. But in the final five minutes, he broke free, getting his 49th and 50th goals in teh final moments of a 7-4 victory.
Bossy's feat was celebrated around the league, and Richard himself was on hand to congratulate Bossy after the game. Bossy ended up with a league-high 68 goals for the season, his second scoring crown, as the Islanders won their second straight Stanley Cup that spring.
For Bossy, the 50 goals in 50 games was the high point of a brilliant but short career. He reached 50 goals in his first nine seasons in the NHL and is the only NHL player to have nine straight seasons of 50 or more goals. He joins Wayne Gretzky as the only two players to score at least 60 goals in five different seasons. But while Gretzky enjoyed a long enough career to collect every relevant career scoring record in the NHL, Bossy's career only lasted 10 seasons before being derailed by injury. Still, he holds the NHL record for most goals per game - a mark that is helped by the fact that his career wasn't long enough for him to play with depleted skills - and he is still ranked number 19 on the career scoring list.
It wasn't too surprising that Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders made a good run at the hallowed mark. He had led the NHL with 69 goals two years before and had scored at least 50 in all three years he played in the NHL. As a player with a reputation as a top scorer, his run at Richard wasn't too much of a shock.
Charlie Simmer of the Los Angeles Kings didn't have the reputation for scoring that Bossy had, though Simmer had led the league in goals in the 1979-80 season. The 56 goals he scored that year were more than he had scored in his previous five seasons combined.
When Bossy and Simmer both got off to hot starts in the 1980-81 season, the talk began about whether either or both would reach the hallowed 50 goals in 50 games mark. Soon, an unofficial competition between the two scorers began to grow as they embarked on a race against each other and against Richard.
One thing that helped the competition was that both the Islanders and the Kings had their 50th game scheduled for the same day: January 24, 1981. That date was the finish line, the deadline for the two snipers to get their hallowed mark.
Entering play on January 24, Bossy had 48 goals and Simmer had 46, so both needed a big day to give Richard company among goal scorers. Simmer's Kings played a game in Boston that day, and he rose to the occasion with a hat trick. But Simmer couldn't find the fourth goal he needed and ended up just short of the mark. Still, as only the second player to score 49 goals in his team's first 50 games, his was still an impressive season.
That left the spotlight on Bossy, whose Islanders were hosting the Quebec Nordiques. For most of the game, the Nordiques kept Bossy in check, leaving him stuck on 48 goals. But in the final five minutes, he broke free, getting his 49th and 50th goals in teh final moments of a 7-4 victory.
Bossy's feat was celebrated around the league, and Richard himself was on hand to congratulate Bossy after the game. Bossy ended up with a league-high 68 goals for the season, his second scoring crown, as the Islanders won their second straight Stanley Cup that spring.
For Bossy, the 50 goals in 50 games was the high point of a brilliant but short career. He reached 50 goals in his first nine seasons in the NHL and is the only NHL player to have nine straight seasons of 50 or more goals. He joins Wayne Gretzky as the only two players to score at least 60 goals in five different seasons. But while Gretzky enjoyed a long enough career to collect every relevant career scoring record in the NHL, Bossy's career only lasted 10 seasons before being derailed by injury. Still, he holds the NHL record for most goals per game - a mark that is helped by the fact that his career wasn't long enough for him to play with depleted skills - and he is still ranked number 19 on the career scoring list.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
January 13, 1968: Death on the ice
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The January 13 game was four minutes old when Bill Masterton skated into the attacking zone. After being penned in by the defence, Masterton flipped a pass over to teammate Wayne Connelly. Soon after passing, Masterton got tangled up with two defenders and fell, hitting his head on the ice.
Play stopped immediately as players and officials saw the pool of blood under Masterton's head. A teammate who had rushed to tend to him heard him mumble "never again, never again." He was taken off the ice on a stretcher, still bleeding, and taken to the hospital.
Masterton had starred at the University of Denver but had trouble getting his professional hockey career going. He retired from the game to take a job at Honeywell in Minneapolis, only to return when the NHL rewarded a franchise to Minnesota. At the age of 29, Masterton had scored four goals in 38 games in the 1967-68 season, including the first goal in North Stars franchise history.
Now, though, he was tragically going to be remembered for something else. When Masterton was taken to the hospital, the doctors saw that the damage was so extensive that they could not perform surgery. Masterton never regained consciousness after his injury and died two days later. He was the first NHL player to die as a result of an on-ice injury.
Considering the nature of the sport, many people saw it as a minor miracle that nobody had been killed during a game before Masterton. After all, players wore blades on their feet while shooting a hard rubber disk up to 100 miles an hour, all while checking and fighting each other. Oh, and nobody wore helmets back then.
That's where Masterton's death, however tragic, did some good. At the time, the NHL was the only hockey league at any level where players didn't wear helmets, even though there had been calls for years to change that. While it's possible Masterton's injury was severe enough that a helmet wouldn't have saved him, it's also possible that it would have. Players around the league started to realize this; faced with their own mortality, they started to see that the pros of wearing a helmet - i.e., they can save your life - outweighed the cons - i.e., they were heavy, cumbersome, sweaty, and distracting.
Things moved slow, though, and helmets weren't mandated in the NHL until 1979. Still, players who had played without one before 1979 were allowed to remain helmetless. It took until 1997, with the retirement of Craig McTavish, until every player in the NHL wore a helmet.
Masterton's legacy lives on in both the Stars franchise and the NHL. The North Stars never issued his number 19 again, retiring it officially in 1987. The NHL established the Bill Masterton Trophy, given to a player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey." The award is often given to players who have returned from career- or life-threatening injuries or illnesses.
Play stopped immediately as players and officials saw the pool of blood under Masterton's head. A teammate who had rushed to tend to him heard him mumble "never again, never again." He was taken off the ice on a stretcher, still bleeding, and taken to the hospital.
Masterton had starred at the University of Denver but had trouble getting his professional hockey career going. He retired from the game to take a job at Honeywell in Minneapolis, only to return when the NHL rewarded a franchise to Minnesota. At the age of 29, Masterton had scored four goals in 38 games in the 1967-68 season, including the first goal in North Stars franchise history.
Now, though, he was tragically going to be remembered for something else. When Masterton was taken to the hospital, the doctors saw that the damage was so extensive that they could not perform surgery. Masterton never regained consciousness after his injury and died two days later. He was the first NHL player to die as a result of an on-ice injury.
Considering the nature of the sport, many people saw it as a minor miracle that nobody had been killed during a game before Masterton. After all, players wore blades on their feet while shooting a hard rubber disk up to 100 miles an hour, all while checking and fighting each other. Oh, and nobody wore helmets back then.
That's where Masterton's death, however tragic, did some good. At the time, the NHL was the only hockey league at any level where players didn't wear helmets, even though there had been calls for years to change that. While it's possible Masterton's injury was severe enough that a helmet wouldn't have saved him, it's also possible that it would have. Players around the league started to realize this; faced with their own mortality, they started to see that the pros of wearing a helmet - i.e., they can save your life - outweighed the cons - i.e., they were heavy, cumbersome, sweaty, and distracting.
Things moved slow, though, and helmets weren't mandated in the NHL until 1979. Still, players who had played without one before 1979 were allowed to remain helmetless. It took until 1997, with the retirement of Craig McTavish, until every player in the NHL wore a helmet.
Masterton's legacy lives on in both the Stars franchise and the NHL. The North Stars never issued his number 19 again, retiring it officially in 1987. The NHL established the Bill Masterton Trophy, given to a player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey." The award is often given to players who have returned from career- or life-threatening injuries or illnesses.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
January 11, 1976: Bullying the Soviets
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia defenseman Ed Van Impe stepped out of the box, his penalty over. Coming his way was Red Army star Valeri Kharlamov. Van Impe delivered a crushing blow to Kharlamov, causing the Russian to lay prone on the ice for more than a minute. The Soviet coach was furious that no penalty was called, and he pulled his team off the ice. The Flyers offered no apologies; the Soviets had said they wanted to know what it was like to play an NHL team in an NHL rink under NHL rules. Now they knew.
The Super Series was a novel idea, a great opportunity to grow the sport of hockey during a time when there was little to no cooperation between the Soviet Union and the rest of the world. The Soviet's Red Army team was considered the best team in the world, believed to be capable of beating even the best professional teams. However, they had never actually played the best.
So in the winter of 1976, the NHL and the Russian KHL organized the Super Series. Two teams from Russia - CSKA Moscow (better known as the Red Army Team) and Soviet Wings - would come to North America and each play three NHL teams. The games would be televised live internationally. They were among the most anticipated hockey games ever played to that point.
The Red Army team started the series with a victory over the New York Rangers. On New Years Day, they travelled to Montreal to play the Canadiens, who would go on to win the Stanley Cup that season. In one of the greatest hockey games ever played, the Red Army managed a tie against Montreal despite being outshot 38-13. The magnificent play of Vladislav Tretiak kept the Red Army in the game and drew rave reviews from people who had never seen the magnificant goaltender play before.
With the Red Army team having three games under their belts and Soviet Wings done with their four-game set, the final game of the Super Series was set for Philadelphia on January 11, 1976. The Flyers were the defending Stanley Cup champions and their matchup against the Red Army was the most anticipated of the three. With their reputation as the Broad Street Bullies firmly intact, the Flyers planned to give the Soviets a first-hand look at exactly how hockey was played in North America.
The final game was almost ruined, though, after Van Impe's devastating hit. When no penalty was called, the Red Army team left the ice, refusing to return. The NHL delegation demanded they return to the ice or else the Soviets wouldn't get the fee they had been promised. The Soviets tried to negotiate further, asking that the penalty they had just received for too many men on the ice be overturned. Again, the NHL said no. Reluctantly, the Soviets returned.
The delay was designed in part to get into the Flyers' heads. All it did was make them angry. Inspired by the knowledge that they had sufficiently intimidated the Red Army team, Philadelphia took off, scoring the first goal of the game on the power play shortly after the delay ended and cruising to a 4-1 victory.
The end result of the Super Series was that everything that had been believed about the Soviet team ended up being true. The Red Army team and Soviet Wings went a combined 5-2-1 against NHL teams, showing North America that they had the talent to skate with the best. The thrashing they received at the hands of the Flyers, though - and the Red Army team's reaction to the beating - confirmed the stereotype that the Soviet players were soft, not used to the physical play common in the NHL.
HONORABLE MENTION
January 11, 1987: CLEVELAND - Things seemed perfect for Cleveland. They had a 20-13 lead, and Denver had just botched the kickoff. The Broncos had to drive 98 yards in 5:32 to tie the AFC Championship Game, and they had to do it on the road. What happened next has become known as The Drive. Fifteen plays later, Denver's Mark Jackson made a sliding catch on his knees of a John Elway pass, tying the game with 39 seconds left. Denver would win in overtime, and the Browns fans still haven't recovered.
The Super Series was a novel idea, a great opportunity to grow the sport of hockey during a time when there was little to no cooperation between the Soviet Union and the rest of the world. The Soviet's Red Army team was considered the best team in the world, believed to be capable of beating even the best professional teams. However, they had never actually played the best.
So in the winter of 1976, the NHL and the Russian KHL organized the Super Series. Two teams from Russia - CSKA Moscow (better known as the Red Army Team) and Soviet Wings - would come to North America and each play three NHL teams. The games would be televised live internationally. They were among the most anticipated hockey games ever played to that point.
The Red Army team started the series with a victory over the New York Rangers. On New Years Day, they travelled to Montreal to play the Canadiens, who would go on to win the Stanley Cup that season. In one of the greatest hockey games ever played, the Red Army managed a tie against Montreal despite being outshot 38-13. The magnificent play of Vladislav Tretiak kept the Red Army in the game and drew rave reviews from people who had never seen the magnificant goaltender play before.
With the Red Army team having three games under their belts and Soviet Wings done with their four-game set, the final game of the Super Series was set for Philadelphia on January 11, 1976. The Flyers were the defending Stanley Cup champions and their matchup against the Red Army was the most anticipated of the three. With their reputation as the Broad Street Bullies firmly intact, the Flyers planned to give the Soviets a first-hand look at exactly how hockey was played in North America.
The final game was almost ruined, though, after Van Impe's devastating hit. When no penalty was called, the Red Army team left the ice, refusing to return. The NHL delegation demanded they return to the ice or else the Soviets wouldn't get the fee they had been promised. The Soviets tried to negotiate further, asking that the penalty they had just received for too many men on the ice be overturned. Again, the NHL said no. Reluctantly, the Soviets returned.
The delay was designed in part to get into the Flyers' heads. All it did was make them angry. Inspired by the knowledge that they had sufficiently intimidated the Red Army team, Philadelphia took off, scoring the first goal of the game on the power play shortly after the delay ended and cruising to a 4-1 victory.
The end result of the Super Series was that everything that had been believed about the Soviet team ended up being true. The Red Army team and Soviet Wings went a combined 5-2-1 against NHL teams, showing North America that they had the talent to skate with the best. The thrashing they received at the hands of the Flyers, though - and the Red Army team's reaction to the beating - confirmed the stereotype that the Soviet players were soft, not used to the physical play common in the NHL.
HONORABLE MENTION
January 11, 1987: CLEVELAND - Things seemed perfect for Cleveland. They had a 20-13 lead, and Denver had just botched the kickoff. The Broncos had to drive 98 yards in 5:32 to tie the AFC Championship Game, and they had to do it on the road. What happened next has become known as The Drive. Fifteen plays later, Denver's Mark Jackson made a sliding catch on his knees of a John Elway pass, tying the game with 39 seconds left. Denver would win in overtime, and the Browns fans still haven't recovered.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
December 30, 1981: 50 in 39
EDMONTON - Ever since Maurice "Rocket" Richard scored 50 goals in the 50-game 1944-45 season, the most hallowed scoring mark in the NHL has been the 50 goals in 50 games mark. While the length of the season has changed throughout the years in the NHL, making it a little difficult to compare scorers from different eras, the 50 goals in 50 games mark has always been the benchmark, especially since it took another 33 years for someone to match Richard's mark.
The Islanders' Mike Bossy was the second to achieve that hallowed mark, scoring his 50th goal in the Islanders' 50th game of the 1980-81 season. Later in 1981, in a new season, a young man in Edmonton would make Bossy's mark be quickly forgotten.
Wayne Gretzky was only 20 years old when the 1981-82 NHL season began, but he had already established himself as the best player in the game. Even so, nobody could have expected the flurry he was about to unleash on the NHL. Gretzky was piling up goals faster than anybody had before him, faster than even Bossy the year before. As the final week of December rolled around, Gretzky had scored 41 goals in the Oilers' first 37 games, putting the 50 in 50 mark well within reach.
Then, an explosion. On a Sunday afternoon against Los Angeles, Gretzky unloaded for four goals, his third such game of the season, to give him 45 goals in 38 games. Now, the question wasn't whether he'd get 50 in 50, but whether he'd get it with 6 or 7 games to spare.
On December 30, 1981, the Oilers hosted the Philadelphia Flyers, who still had many of the same players from their Broad Street Bullies heyday of the mid-70s. Though not as dominant as they once had been, they were still a tough and talented defensive team.
That didn't stop Gretzky. He scored his first goal in the closing seconds of a power play, taking a pass off the boards and putting it in the net to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. Not long after, he fired a slap shot from the slot into the top corner of the net for his 47th goal of the season.
The Flyers started to chip away at the lead, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Ten seconds after Philadelphia's second goal, though, Gretzky struck again, scoring on a breakaway for the hat trick and giving him 48 for the season. For his 49th goal, he crossed the blue line and avoided three players before scoring from long distance.
The Edmonton crowd was going crazy. Gretzky had scored eight goals in two games, giving him 49 in 39 games. It was a remarkable stretch of offensive brilliance. They clamored for one more. And while they should have been upset when Philadelphia scored two quick goals in the third to cut the Edmonton lead to 7-5, the fans weren't too upset, because they knew what it meant: at some point soon, the Flyers were going to pull their goalie. Gretzky was going to have an empty net to shoot at for his 50th goal.
And so it happened. Philadelphia pulled its goalie and got a few shots off with the extra attacker. Edmonton goalie Grant Fuhr made one stop, firing ahead to Glenn Anderson. Anderson found Gretzky on the left boards, and Gretzky skated ahead, flanked by a defender, and fired, scoring his 50th goal, and 5th of the game, with 5 seconds left.
Gretzky's teammates piled on top of him in the corner in celebration, but many of them likely couldn't believe it. He had taken one of the most sacred records in hockey, something that had been done only twice, and obliterated it, getting to 50 with 11 games to spare. When Gretzky's 50th goal crossed the line, no other player in the NHL had yet reached 30 for the season.
Gretzky's first 39 games were a sign of things to come. When the Oilers played their 50th game, Gretzky had reached 61 goals, setting a still-standing mark for scoring brilliance. He kept it up, too, eventually reaching 92 for the season, a single-season mark once thought unreachable and now seen as untouchable. Adding in his 120 assists, and Gretzky earned an unthinkable 212 points in the 81-82 season, another mark people thought would be unbreakable ... until Gretzky himself broke it four years later.
Wayne Gretzky's list of NHL records is so long that it seems impossible that one man could have done all that. Since the 81-82 season, three other players have reached 50 goals in 50 games - Gretzky himself two more times, Mario Lemieux once, and Brett Hull twice. But nobody has come anywhere near Gretzky's 50 goals in 39 games. And it's likely that nobody ever will.
This video shows all 12 goals from the game. It's worth the 9:00 view time if only for the Canadian accents and the wonder that was the Flyers' full-length pants
The Islanders' Mike Bossy was the second to achieve that hallowed mark, scoring his 50th goal in the Islanders' 50th game of the 1980-81 season. Later in 1981, in a new season, a young man in Edmonton would make Bossy's mark be quickly forgotten.
Wayne Gretzky was only 20 years old when the 1981-82 NHL season began, but he had already established himself as the best player in the game. Even so, nobody could have expected the flurry he was about to unleash on the NHL. Gretzky was piling up goals faster than anybody had before him, faster than even Bossy the year before. As the final week of December rolled around, Gretzky had scored 41 goals in the Oilers' first 37 games, putting the 50 in 50 mark well within reach.
Then, an explosion. On a Sunday afternoon against Los Angeles, Gretzky unloaded for four goals, his third such game of the season, to give him 45 goals in 38 games. Now, the question wasn't whether he'd get 50 in 50, but whether he'd get it with 6 or 7 games to spare.
On December 30, 1981, the Oilers hosted the Philadelphia Flyers, who still had many of the same players from their Broad Street Bullies heyday of the mid-70s. Though not as dominant as they once had been, they were still a tough and talented defensive team.
That didn't stop Gretzky. He scored his first goal in the closing seconds of a power play, taking a pass off the boards and putting it in the net to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. Not long after, he fired a slap shot from the slot into the top corner of the net for his 47th goal of the season.
The Flyers started to chip away at the lead, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Ten seconds after Philadelphia's second goal, though, Gretzky struck again, scoring on a breakaway for the hat trick and giving him 48 for the season. For his 49th goal, he crossed the blue line and avoided three players before scoring from long distance.
The Edmonton crowd was going crazy. Gretzky had scored eight goals in two games, giving him 49 in 39 games. It was a remarkable stretch of offensive brilliance. They clamored for one more. And while they should have been upset when Philadelphia scored two quick goals in the third to cut the Edmonton lead to 7-5, the fans weren't too upset, because they knew what it meant: at some point soon, the Flyers were going to pull their goalie. Gretzky was going to have an empty net to shoot at for his 50th goal.
And so it happened. Philadelphia pulled its goalie and got a few shots off with the extra attacker. Edmonton goalie Grant Fuhr made one stop, firing ahead to Glenn Anderson. Anderson found Gretzky on the left boards, and Gretzky skated ahead, flanked by a defender, and fired, scoring his 50th goal, and 5th of the game, with 5 seconds left.
Gretzky's teammates piled on top of him in the corner in celebration, but many of them likely couldn't believe it. He had taken one of the most sacred records in hockey, something that had been done only twice, and obliterated it, getting to 50 with 11 games to spare. When Gretzky's 50th goal crossed the line, no other player in the NHL had yet reached 30 for the season.
Gretzky's first 39 games were a sign of things to come. When the Oilers played their 50th game, Gretzky had reached 61 goals, setting a still-standing mark for scoring brilliance. He kept it up, too, eventually reaching 92 for the season, a single-season mark once thought unreachable and now seen as untouchable. Adding in his 120 assists, and Gretzky earned an unthinkable 212 points in the 81-82 season, another mark people thought would be unbreakable ... until Gretzky himself broke it four years later.
Wayne Gretzky's list of NHL records is so long that it seems impossible that one man could have done all that. Since the 81-82 season, three other players have reached 50 goals in 50 games - Gretzky himself two more times, Mario Lemieux once, and Brett Hull twice. But nobody has come anywhere near Gretzky's 50 goals in 39 games. And it's likely that nobody ever will.
This video shows all 12 goals from the game. It's worth the 9:00 view time if only for the Canadian accents and the wonder that was the Flyers' full-length pants
Monday, August 9, 2010
August 9, 1988: The Trade
EDMONTON, Alberta - For Canadians, it was one of those shocking, heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping days in the nation's sporting history. It was so unexpected that it defied belief. Wayne Gretzky, the heart and soul of the Edmonton Oilers dynasty, a Canadian national treasure, had been traded to Los Angeles
Canadians were outraged. They directed their anger anywhere they could; some went to Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, some to Gretzky's wife for "forcing" the trade with her desire to enhance her acting career, and some even to Gretzky himself for "abandoning" his home province and country. Even the government expressed its shock - a Canadian Parliament member moved to try to get the government to block the trade.
Pocklington approved the trade because he didn't believe he'd be able to afford to keep Gretzky when his contract was up. He had been losing money in various other business ventures and his profits from the Oilers weren't covering those losses, despite the Oilers winning four Stanley Cups in five seasons. So Pockington traded his best asset, trading Gretzky plus two bodyguards for two players, three draft picks, and $15 million in cash.
While stunned by the trade, the Oilers weren't devestated from a competitive standpoint. Two seasons after trading their captain, they won another Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, Gretzky's presence shot life into the previously moribund Kings franchise. The Kings were suddenly one of the marquee American-based franchises in the NHL. Seemingly overnight, America's second-largest city became a hockey hotbed.
While Canadians felt betrayed by Gretzky's willingness to be traded, Edmontonians bore no grudge. In his first game back as a member of the Kings, the Oilers saw the largest crowd in their franchise's history give Gretzky a four-minute-long standing ovation. They cheered loudly when he got two assists to make him the NHL's all-time scoring leader, and they cheered just as loud when new captain Mark Messier checked Gretzky into the boards.
Gretzky never won another Stanley Cup, making the finals only once as a member of the Kings. The Oilers won one more after trading him, but haven't won one since. With the talent that was in place at the time of the trade, it's reasonable to assume the Oilers could have won two or more additional Cups had Gretzky remained.
Instead, the Oilers dynasty ended, stopped not by an up-and-coming team beating them on the ice, but by an owner looking for a way to save some money.
Canadians were outraged. They directed their anger anywhere they could; some went to Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, some to Gretzky's wife for "forcing" the trade with her desire to enhance her acting career, and some even to Gretzky himself for "abandoning" his home province and country. Even the government expressed its shock - a Canadian Parliament member moved to try to get the government to block the trade.
Pocklington approved the trade because he didn't believe he'd be able to afford to keep Gretzky when his contract was up. He had been losing money in various other business ventures and his profits from the Oilers weren't covering those losses, despite the Oilers winning four Stanley Cups in five seasons. So Pockington traded his best asset, trading Gretzky plus two bodyguards for two players, three draft picks, and $15 million in cash.
While stunned by the trade, the Oilers weren't devestated from a competitive standpoint. Two seasons after trading their captain, they won another Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, Gretzky's presence shot life into the previously moribund Kings franchise. The Kings were suddenly one of the marquee American-based franchises in the NHL. Seemingly overnight, America's second-largest city became a hockey hotbed.
While Canadians felt betrayed by Gretzky's willingness to be traded, Edmontonians bore no grudge. In his first game back as a member of the Kings, the Oilers saw the largest crowd in their franchise's history give Gretzky a four-minute-long standing ovation. They cheered loudly when he got two assists to make him the NHL's all-time scoring leader, and they cheered just as loud when new captain Mark Messier checked Gretzky into the boards.
Gretzky never won another Stanley Cup, making the finals only once as a member of the Kings. The Oilers won one more after trading him, but haven't won one since. With the talent that was in place at the time of the trade, it's reasonable to assume the Oilers could have won two or more additional Cups had Gretzky remained.
Instead, the Oilers dynasty ended, stopped not by an up-and-coming team beating them on the ice, but by an owner looking for a way to save some money.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
June 19, 1999: No Goal
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Do you see a rules violation?
If you're from Buffalo, that picture just made you either throw up a little bit in your mouth or get red with anger. I mean, how could anybody not see that Brett Hull's skate was clearly, obviously, painfully in the crease, while the puck clearly was not? It's as plain as day! That goal should not have counted, and that's that. Play on.
If you're from Dallas, you're ecstatic. That picture is a thing of beauty, the image that captured the goal that gave your franchise its only Stanley Cup. And you don't care about the skate in the crease - you point out that the rules at the time said that since Hull had control of the puck, it didn't matter that his skate was in the crease. And you point to the NHL's official stance, that Hull's two shots at Dominic Hasek comprised one single possession, so he was not in the crease illegally. So we should stop raining on your parade.
If you're from Buffalo, you're even more furious. You point out that the NHL changed that double-shot rule in the offseason, because of how badly the officials and the League butchered its interpretation on Hull's shot (you refuse to call it a goal).
If you're from Dallas, you shrug and point to the NHL official who commented that the rule was interpreted correctly, and that the NHL was planning to change that rule in the offseason anyway. Then you go celebrate again.
If you're from Buffalo, it's just another example of how your city's sports teams get screwed. I mean, the Bills are clearly cursed - four Super Bowl losses, plus being on the losing end of the Music City Miracle (and if that was a lateral, I'm a dolphin) - and now this. And it's too bad, too, because Hasek played his ass off those entire playoffs, coming as close as anybody really can to winning the Stanley Cup by himself. He was so good, Dallas had to cheat to beat him. You're going to go swimming by Niagara Falls now to clear your mind.
If you're from Dallas, you're laughing. I mean, the last two of Buffalo's Super Bowl losses were to Dallas, and now this. And most people in your city didn't care about hockey even 10 years earlier. This is just too good. And why couldn't people remember Game 6 for what it was - a truly classic 3 overtime thriller, capping an extremely memorable series? Why does it always have to be about whether the goal was legal? And wasn't it fitting that it was Hull who scored, the Hall of Famer finally getting his Stanley Cup after 13 seasons? What a great ending!
If you're from Buffalo, you're now physically attacking the person from Dallas. This could get ugly. Let's just drop it before somebody gets hurt.
HONORABLE MENTION
June 19, 1986: RIVERDALE, Md. - In an instant, it can all be taken away. Len Bias was on top of the world. He had just become the number 1 pick in the draft - going to the defending champion Celtics, no less. He was the most dominating college basketball player in years, an absolutely fearsome forward who was ready to revolutionize the game. When he was picked first on June 17, it looked like nothing could stop him. Cocaine. After returning from Boston and all the festivities afforded him as the number 1 pick - including a reported $3 million deal with Reebok - Bias returned to Maryland. He went to an on-campus party, left to go to an off-campus apartment, took cocaine, and died. The University of Maryland went into shock. More than 11,000 people went to the memorial service. The Celtics were devestated. They had just come off a dominating championship season; it took them 22 years to win another title. Bias went from the top of the world to the grave in just two days. A promising athlete, taken away in an instant.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
May 29, 1993: The Great One's greatest
TORONTO - By the spring of 1993, Wayne Gretzky had been a member of the Los Angeles Kings for five full seasons, so most hockey fans were probably over the shock of seeing him wearing the Kings' black and silver instead of the Oilers' royal blue and orange. Even still, seeing the Oilers miss the playoffs in 1993 had to have been a shock, one that was compounded by the Kings' improbable run to the Stanley Cup finals.
The Kings' opponents in the Conference finals were the Toronto Maple Leafs, who Gretzky had never played in the playoffs in his years in Edmonton. The series was brutal, with hard hits and fights all series long. After Game 1, the Kings' Marty McSorley had 97 threatening messages on his hotel phone after a vicious hit on the Maple Leafs' Doug Gilmour. The Maple Leafs emerged from the first five games with a 3-games-to-2 series lead.
Gretzky turned the series around in Game 6, but not in the way people would have expected. In overtime of Game 6, Gretzky high-sticked Gilmour in the face, cutting it open, an infraction that should have led to at least a five-minute penalty if not a game-misconduct. No penalty was called, and Gretzky scored the game-winner moments later.
That set the stage for Game 7 on May 29 in Toronto. Before the game, a Toronto newspaper columnist had written that Gretzky looked like he was playing the series with a piano on his back. That might have been all he needed to hear. Gretzky scored in all three periods, capping his hat trick by scoring after an attempted pass deflected off a defender's skate, to lead the Kings to their first Stanley Cup final.
Gretzky had many memorable games in his career, including three different instances when he had 7 assists in a game and 10 playoff games where he had a hat trick. But he said his performance in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs was the best game he played in his career.
Against Montreal in the finals, the beating the Kings took against Toronto might have cost them. After winning the first game, Los Angeles, lost the next three, all in overtime, before dropping the series in five game. It was the last time Gretzky would play in the Stanley Cup finals.
The Kings' opponents in the Conference finals were the Toronto Maple Leafs, who Gretzky had never played in the playoffs in his years in Edmonton. The series was brutal, with hard hits and fights all series long. After Game 1, the Kings' Marty McSorley had 97 threatening messages on his hotel phone after a vicious hit on the Maple Leafs' Doug Gilmour. The Maple Leafs emerged from the first five games with a 3-games-to-2 series lead.
Gretzky turned the series around in Game 6, but not in the way people would have expected. In overtime of Game 6, Gretzky high-sticked Gilmour in the face, cutting it open, an infraction that should have led to at least a five-minute penalty if not a game-misconduct. No penalty was called, and Gretzky scored the game-winner moments later.
That set the stage for Game 7 on May 29 in Toronto. Before the game, a Toronto newspaper columnist had written that Gretzky looked like he was playing the series with a piano on his back. That might have been all he needed to hear. Gretzky scored in all three periods, capping his hat trick by scoring after an attempted pass deflected off a defender's skate, to lead the Kings to their first Stanley Cup final.
Gretzky had many memorable games in his career, including three different instances when he had 7 assists in a game and 10 playoff games where he had a hat trick. But he said his performance in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs was the best game he played in his career.
Against Montreal in the finals, the beating the Kings took against Toronto might have cost them. After winning the first game, Los Angeles, lost the next three, all in overtime, before dropping the series in five game. It was the last time Gretzky would play in the Stanley Cup finals.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
May 27, 1994: Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!
NEW YORK - It had been 54 years since the New York Rangers had won the Stanley Cup. To help fix that problem, the Rangers brough in Mark Messier, former captain of the Edmonton Oilers, to lead the blueshirts back to hockey glory. The pressure was on the bald captain to perform.
The 1993-94 season was Messier's third with the Rangers, and it was the season everything finally clicked. They had the best record in hockey and eased through the first two rounds of the playoffs with only one loss. In the Eastern Conference finals, however, the Rangers ran into their rivals from across the river, the New Jersey Devils.
The Devils gave the Rangers all they could handle and then some. The Devils tied Game 1 with less than a minute to play in regulation, then went on to win in double overtime. After a Rangers shutout in Game 2, Game 3 again went to double-overtime, with a Stephane Matteau goal giving New York a 2-1 series lead. After the Devils won games 4 and 5, Messier announced to the New York media and Rangers fans that the Rangers would not lose Game 6. The captain backed up his promise, getting a natural hat trick in the third period to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 win. The stage was set for Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.
Game 7 was a showdown between goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Mark Richter. After Brian Leetch scored to put the Rangers ahead, Richter stood his ground, shutting out the Devils for the first 59 minutes. The Rangers were 7 seconds away from advancing to the Cup final when New Jersey's Valeri Zelepukin tied the game. After a first overtime, the teams went to a second overtime for the third time in that series. Then....
The 1993-94 season was Messier's third with the Rangers, and it was the season everything finally clicked. They had the best record in hockey and eased through the first two rounds of the playoffs with only one loss. In the Eastern Conference finals, however, the Rangers ran into their rivals from across the river, the New Jersey Devils.
The Devils gave the Rangers all they could handle and then some. The Devils tied Game 1 with less than a minute to play in regulation, then went on to win in double overtime. After a Rangers shutout in Game 2, Game 3 again went to double-overtime, with a Stephane Matteau goal giving New York a 2-1 series lead. After the Devils won games 4 and 5, Messier announced to the New York media and Rangers fans that the Rangers would not lose Game 6. The captain backed up his promise, getting a natural hat trick in the third period to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 win. The stage was set for Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.
Game 7 was a showdown between goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Mark Richter. After Brian Leetch scored to put the Rangers ahead, Richter stood his ground, shutting out the Devils for the first 59 minutes. The Rangers were 7 seconds away from advancing to the Cup final when New Jersey's Valeri Zelepukin tied the game. After a first overtime, the teams went to a second overtime for the third time in that series. Then....
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
May 19, 1984: The king is dead; long live the king
EDMONTON - The 1983 Stanley Cup finals were a lesson in humility for the Edmonton Oilers. After scoring goals at a breathtaking clip in a regular season which saw them tie for the best record in the NHL, the Oilers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time that spring. Their opponents were the aging three-time defending champion New York Islanders.
In that series, the old guard taught the new kids on the block what it took to be a champion. Agressively checking the much faster Oilers, the Islanders stuck to a game plan of forcing Edmonton to take long shots, allowing goalie Billy Smith to carry them. The result was a stunning four-game sweep that made the Islanders just the second franchise in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup four straight years.
The next year saw a rematch, with the Oilers - now a year older and more experienced - trying to knock off the Islanders - also a year older, but on the wrong end of the career spectrum. In the regular season, the Oilers and Islanders finished 1-2 in the league in scoring, but Edmonton scored a stunning 83 more goals than the Islanders, finishing a full goal a game ahead of the second-place team. There was some surprise, then, when the Oilers eked out a 1-0 win in Game 1 behind the stellar play of goalie Grant Fuhr.
The Game 2 loss didn't temper the hopes of the Oilers. The NHL had switched the format of the finals for this season, meaning that Edmonton would have three straight home games. If they could hold serve at home, they wouldn't have to go back to Long Island.
With Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, among others, in the primes of their careers, the rest of the series turned into a laugher. A pair of 7-2 wins put the Oilers on the cusp of the championship. Game 5 was May 19, and the Oilers started to make that one look easy, too, taking a 4-0 lead after two periods. But the Islanders showed they wouldn't go easily, scoring two quick goals to cut the lead in half. The Oilers dug in from there, getting an empty-net goal to seal their first Stanley Cup.
Game 5 marked a transition for the NHL. The Islanders, representing the tough-as-nails style of hockey, were done, while the high-flying Oilers became the dominant team. With a lineup full of Hall of Famers, Edmonton would win the Cup five times in seven years, in the process becoming, to date, the last true NHL dynasty.
HONORABLE MENTION
May 19, 1973: BALTIMORE - The move was so sudden, so breathtaking in its swiftness, that there was hardly any time to comprehend it. As the six horses crossed the finish line for the first time, Kentucky Derby winner Secretariat was in last. Twenty seconds later, he was in first. He had passed five horses on the far outside while navigating one of the toughest, tightest turns in horse racing. When he nosed in front at the top of the backstretch, the race was already over. Nobody was catching him.
Secretariat's pass seems even more impressive in this isolation shot of Secretariat. Note that during his move from last to first, his jockey was actually trying to hold him back.
In that series, the old guard taught the new kids on the block what it took to be a champion. Agressively checking the much faster Oilers, the Islanders stuck to a game plan of forcing Edmonton to take long shots, allowing goalie Billy Smith to carry them. The result was a stunning four-game sweep that made the Islanders just the second franchise in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup four straight years.
The next year saw a rematch, with the Oilers - now a year older and more experienced - trying to knock off the Islanders - also a year older, but on the wrong end of the career spectrum. In the regular season, the Oilers and Islanders finished 1-2 in the league in scoring, but Edmonton scored a stunning 83 more goals than the Islanders, finishing a full goal a game ahead of the second-place team. There was some surprise, then, when the Oilers eked out a 1-0 win in Game 1 behind the stellar play of goalie Grant Fuhr.
The Game 2 loss didn't temper the hopes of the Oilers. The NHL had switched the format of the finals for this season, meaning that Edmonton would have three straight home games. If they could hold serve at home, they wouldn't have to go back to Long Island.
With Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, among others, in the primes of their careers, the rest of the series turned into a laugher. A pair of 7-2 wins put the Oilers on the cusp of the championship. Game 5 was May 19, and the Oilers started to make that one look easy, too, taking a 4-0 lead after two periods. But the Islanders showed they wouldn't go easily, scoring two quick goals to cut the lead in half. The Oilers dug in from there, getting an empty-net goal to seal their first Stanley Cup.
Game 5 marked a transition for the NHL. The Islanders, representing the tough-as-nails style of hockey, were done, while the high-flying Oilers became the dominant team. With a lineup full of Hall of Famers, Edmonton would win the Cup five times in seven years, in the process becoming, to date, the last true NHL dynasty.
HONORABLE MENTION
May 19, 1973: BALTIMORE - The move was so sudden, so breathtaking in its swiftness, that there was hardly any time to comprehend it. As the six horses crossed the finish line for the first time, Kentucky Derby winner Secretariat was in last. Twenty seconds later, he was in first. He had passed five horses on the far outside while navigating one of the toughest, tightest turns in horse racing. When he nosed in front at the top of the backstretch, the race was already over. Nobody was catching him.
Secretariat's pass seems even more impressive in this isolation shot of Secretariat. Note that during his move from last to first, his jockey was actually trying to hold him back.
Monday, May 10, 2010
May 10, 1970: Frozen in time
BOSTON - People who have seen the photo before will instantly recognize it: the hall-of-famer soaring through the air, arms stretched above him, parallel to the ice surface. Behind him is the defenseman who had tripped him just a second too late; behind him are the fans, celebrating Boston's first Stanley Cup victory in 29 years.
It's arguably the most famous action photograph in hockey history, perhaps in sports history. It captures Bobby Orr at the absolute pinnacle of his career, having just scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal.
Normally, this series would have been nothing more than a footnote in NHL history - a four-game sweep with only the last game having any semblance of drama. In most instances, this goal would have been mentioned in bullet points among Orr's career highlights - 1970: Scored Stanley-Cup winning goal in overtime of Game 4.
But with this picture, the game and the goal become something more, something iconic. Most hockey fans recognize the picture and situation instantly; it's hard to forget it once you've seen it. But you don't have to know anything about hockey - or anything about sports, for that matter - to recognize the jubilation. It's etched in Orr's face, in his posture, in the fans' reaction. You don't have to be a sports fan to see the dejection in the face of Noel Picard, the Blues defenseman who upended Orr just a moment too late.
Helped by his Cup-winning goal, Orr was named playoff MVP in 1970. The Bruins were even better in 1971, but lost in the Stanley Cup final, marring Orr's record-setting offensive year for a defenseman. But Orr was even better in 1972, and the Bruins won the Cup again, with Orr again scoring the Cup-clinching goal. He is widely regarded as one of the best defensemen ever to play in the NHL.
But it's because of one photograph, taken 40 years ago, that Bobby Orr will be remembered forever. The subject and the cause of one of the most famous sports photos ever.
It's arguably the most famous action photograph in hockey history, perhaps in sports history. It captures Bobby Orr at the absolute pinnacle of his career, having just scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal.
Normally, this series would have been nothing more than a footnote in NHL history - a four-game sweep with only the last game having any semblance of drama. In most instances, this goal would have been mentioned in bullet points among Orr's career highlights - 1970: Scored Stanley-Cup winning goal in overtime of Game 4.
But with this picture, the game and the goal become something more, something iconic. Most hockey fans recognize the picture and situation instantly; it's hard to forget it once you've seen it. But you don't have to know anything about hockey - or anything about sports, for that matter - to recognize the jubilation. It's etched in Orr's face, in his posture, in the fans' reaction. You don't have to be a sports fan to see the dejection in the face of Noel Picard, the Blues defenseman who upended Orr just a moment too late.
Helped by his Cup-winning goal, Orr was named playoff MVP in 1970. The Bruins were even better in 1971, but lost in the Stanley Cup final, marring Orr's record-setting offensive year for a defenseman. But Orr was even better in 1972, and the Bruins won the Cup again, with Orr again scoring the Cup-clinching goal. He is widely regarded as one of the best defensemen ever to play in the NHL.
But it's because of one photograph, taken 40 years ago, that Bobby Orr will be remembered forever. The subject and the cause of one of the most famous sports photos ever.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
May 9, 1992: Three for Francis
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Down 2 games to 1 in the series, down 3-1 in the game, and without their dynamic team leader - yah, things weren't looking good for the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Trailing the New York Rangers late in the second period, the Penguins would have loved to have turned to Mario Lemieux, but he wasn't much help to them sitting in street clothes in the press box with a broken wrist, suffered just two games ago. So they turned to a different future hall-of-famer, Ron Francis, to lead them back. With five seconds left in the second period, Francis found himself in the right spot at the right time, pushing a rebound into an empty net to cut the deficit to 3-2.
In the third, the Rangers' hall-of-fame captain, Mark Messier, scored his second goal of the game to make it 4-2, but Francis answered again, this time scoring from the blue line to make it 4-3. Then a brilliant individual play from winger Jaromir Jagr led to a game-tying goal from Troy Loney, and game 4 was heading to overtime.
After Jagr drew a holding penalty, Pittsburgh had a rare overtime power play. Defenseman Larry Murphy stripped Messier of the puck right in front of the net and quickly passed to Francis, who spun and deflecte the puck past goalie Mark Richter in one motion, giving himself the hat trick and helping the Penguins tie the series.
The momentum the Penguins gained from their hard-fought win stayed with them the rest of the playoffs; they didn't lose another game, finishing on an 11-0 streak to claim their second straight Stanley Cup. The second cup was especially meaningful at the time, as the Penguins had lost their coach, Bob Johnson, to cancer earlier that year. In retrospect, it's also significant historically, as it was the last time the star-crossed Lemieux would win the Stanley Cup as a player.
After returning in time for the Finals and lifting the Cup a second time, Lemieux stepped away from the game the next year after announcing he had Hodgkins lymphoma. Between treatment for that and debilitating back injuries, Lemieux had trouble staying on the ice later in his career, denying him a chance at making a legitimate challenge to Wayne Gretzky's career scoring marks. But he stuck around long enough to win two Cups, with a big help from Francis' hat trick.
Trailing the New York Rangers late in the second period, the Penguins would have loved to have turned to Mario Lemieux, but he wasn't much help to them sitting in street clothes in the press box with a broken wrist, suffered just two games ago. So they turned to a different future hall-of-famer, Ron Francis, to lead them back. With five seconds left in the second period, Francis found himself in the right spot at the right time, pushing a rebound into an empty net to cut the deficit to 3-2.
In the third, the Rangers' hall-of-fame captain, Mark Messier, scored his second goal of the game to make it 4-2, but Francis answered again, this time scoring from the blue line to make it 4-3. Then a brilliant individual play from winger Jaromir Jagr led to a game-tying goal from Troy Loney, and game 4 was heading to overtime.
After Jagr drew a holding penalty, Pittsburgh had a rare overtime power play. Defenseman Larry Murphy stripped Messier of the puck right in front of the net and quickly passed to Francis, who spun and deflecte the puck past goalie Mark Richter in one motion, giving himself the hat trick and helping the Penguins tie the series.
The momentum the Penguins gained from their hard-fought win stayed with them the rest of the playoffs; they didn't lose another game, finishing on an 11-0 streak to claim their second straight Stanley Cup. The second cup was especially meaningful at the time, as the Penguins had lost their coach, Bob Johnson, to cancer earlier that year. In retrospect, it's also significant historically, as it was the last time the star-crossed Lemieux would win the Stanley Cup as a player.
After returning in time for the Finals and lifting the Cup a second time, Lemieux stepped away from the game the next year after announcing he had Hodgkins lymphoma. Between treatment for that and debilitating back injuries, Lemieux had trouble staying on the ice later in his career, denying him a chance at making a legitimate challenge to Wayne Gretzky's career scoring marks. But he stuck around long enough to win two Cups, with a big help from Francis' hat trick.
Friday, April 23, 2010
April 23, 1964: It's just a flesh wound
DETROIT - Bobby Baun's story began when he collapsed without contact after a faceoff in the third period of game 6 of the 1964 Stanley Cup finals. It's never a good sign when an athlete goes down with an injury that had no visible cause; it generally means something pretty serious has happened. That appeared to be the case this time, as well, when Baun was carried off the ice on a stretcher, favoring his leg.
So the Toronto Maple Leafs, in a must-win game on the road, were without their best defender, a man who was one of the hardest hitters in the league. They wouldn't miss his offense, as he only scored four goals that season and 37 for his career, but they'd miss his defense.
Just over a minute into overtime, after getting control of the puck after a face off, the Red Wings tried to clear the zone when a Maple Leaf player intercepted the clearing attempt at the blue line and shot it in one motion. The puck went in, and the Maple Leafs had a 4-3 victory. Looking to see who had scored the goal, both teams were surprised to see Baun jumping up and down. Even the announcers didn't realize he was back on the ice. But he had returned and forced a game 7.
The Maple Leafs won game 7 to win their fourth Stanley Cup in five years. After the game, x-rays showed that Baun had broken his ankle in game 6, making his return to the ice that much more remarkable.
Baun had a 17-year career in the NHL, continuing his strong defensive play throughout his career. After his career, he was remembered for beginning a fight for a higher pension for NHL players, a fight that eventually led to the arrest and conviction of Players Association rep Alan Eagleson for racketeering, fraud, and embezzlement. But he's largely remembered for one of his three career playoff goals, the one he scored on a broken ankle.
So the Toronto Maple Leafs, in a must-win game on the road, were without their best defender, a man who was one of the hardest hitters in the league. They wouldn't miss his offense, as he only scored four goals that season and 37 for his career, but they'd miss his defense.
Just over a minute into overtime, after getting control of the puck after a face off, the Red Wings tried to clear the zone when a Maple Leaf player intercepted the clearing attempt at the blue line and shot it in one motion. The puck went in, and the Maple Leafs had a 4-3 victory. Looking to see who had scored the goal, both teams were surprised to see Baun jumping up and down. Even the announcers didn't realize he was back on the ice. But he had returned and forced a game 7.
The Maple Leafs won game 7 to win their fourth Stanley Cup in five years. After the game, x-rays showed that Baun had broken his ankle in game 6, making his return to the ice that much more remarkable.
Baun had a 17-year career in the NHL, continuing his strong defensive play throughout his career. After his career, he was remembered for beginning a fight for a higher pension for NHL players, a fight that eventually led to the arrest and conviction of Players Association rep Alan Eagleson for racketeering, fraud, and embezzlement. But he's largely remembered for one of his three career playoff goals, the one he scored on a broken ankle.
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