The1988–89 NHL seasonwas the72ndseasonof theNational Hockey League.TheCalgary Flameswon an all-CanadianStanley Cup Finalsagainst theMontreal Canadiensfour games to two. This remains the last time two Canadian teams faced each other for the Stanley Cup.
1988–89 NHL season | |
---|---|
League | National Hockey League |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Duration | October 6, 1988 – May 25, 1989 |
Number of games | 80 |
Number of teams | 21 |
TV partner(s) | CBC,TSN,SRC(Canada) SportsChannel America(United States) |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Mike Modano |
Picked by | Minnesota North Stars |
Regular season | |
Presidents' Trophy | Calgary Flames |
SeasonMVP | Wayne Gretzky(Kings) |
Top scorer | Mario Lemieux(Penguins) |
Playoffs | |
PlayoffsMVP | Al MacInnis(Flames) |
Stanley Cup | |
Champions | Calgary Flames |
Runners-up | Montreal Canadiens |
Entry draft
editThe1988 NHL entry draftwas held on June 11, at theMontreal ForuminMontreal,Quebec.Mike Modanowas selected first overall by theMinnesota North Stars.
Arena changes
editTheLos Angeles Kings' home arena, The Forum, became the first NHL arena to sell its naming rights, becoming theGreat Western Forumas part of a deal withGreat Western Savings & Loanthat the team announced on December 5, 1988. Although theSt. Louis Blues' home arena was named theCheckerdomefrom 1977 to 1983,Ralston Purinaowned both the Blues and their arena during that time.
Regular season
editThis year saw the start ofWayne Gretzky's tenure with theLos Angeles Kings,having been traded in the off-season after leading theEdmonton Oilersto the 1988 Stanley Cup. Coinciding with Gretzky's acquisition, the team also changed its uniforms and colours for 1988–89, scrapping the purple and gold associated with its co-tenant at theGreat Western Forum,theNBA'sLos Angeles Lakers,in favour of black and silver. Gretzky's presence signaled a dramatic on-ice turnaround for the Kings. Prior to his arrival via trade with theEdmonton Oilerson August 9, 1988, Los Angeles had the fourth-worst record in the NHL at 30 wins, 42 losses, and 8 ties. After Gretzky's first season with the Kings, however, they moved all the way up to fourth-best in the NHL, with a record of 42 wins, 31 losses, and 7 ties for 91 points. They also managed to defeat Gretzky's former team, the Oilers, in seven games in the Smythe Division semifinals before falling victim to a four-game sweep at the hands of the eventual Cup champion Flames in the division finals.
Four years afterAndy Van Hellemondbecame the first on-ice official to wear a helmet, the NHL also made helmets mandatory for its officials like it did with its players in 1979; like the ruling for players, any official that was not wearing a helmet before the ruling could also go helmetless if they so desired.[1]
Mario Lemieuxof thePittsburgh Penguinswon theArt Ross Trophyfor the second consecutive season, leading the league with 199 points and recording all three of hiseight point gamesin his career, with one of them happening during the playoffs. Lemieux remains the only player other than Gretzky to approach the 200 point plateau (Gretzky surpassed the 200 point mark four times in five years during the 1980s). This was the only season that there were four players that scored 150 or more points; Gretzky tallied 168, whileSteve YzermanandBernie Nichollstotalled 155 and 150 points, respectively. This was also the only time that two teammates, Gretzky and Nicholls of theLos Angeles Kings,had hit the 150 point mark. Narrowly edging out Lemieux, Gretzky won his ninthHart Memorial Trophyas the league's MVP, while Yzerman finished third in the balloting. Yzerman was voted by his fellow players as the NHLPA MVP, taking theLester B. Pearson Award.
New York RangersrookieBrian Leetchbroke the record for goals by a rookie defenceman with 23. He finished that season with 71 points and easily captured theCalder Memorial Trophy.
On March 22, an incident took place inBuffaloduring a game between theBuffalo Sabresand theSt. Louis Blues.During a goalmouth collision between the Blues'Steve Tuttleand the Sabres'Uwe Krupp,Tuttle's skate blade slashed the throat of Buffalo goaltenderClint Malarchuk,severing the latter'sjugular vein.Thanks to some timely action by Sabres trainer and formerUS ArmyVietnam WarveteranJim Pizzutelli, Malarchuk quickly received treatment and was released from the hospital the next day. He returned to action 10 days later.
This was the first season that every NHL arena had full rink board advertisements.
Final standings
editNote:W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Prince of Wales Conference
editGP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 53 | 18 | 9 | 315 | 218 | 115 |
Boston Bruins | 80 | 37 | 29 | 14 | 289 | 256 | 88 |
Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 38 | 35 | 7 | 291 | 299 | 83 |
Hartford Whalers | 80 | 37 | 38 | 5 | 299 | 290 | 79 |
Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 27 | 46 | 7 | 269 | 342 | 61 |
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington Capitals | 80 | 41 | 29 | 10 | 305 | 259 | 92 |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 40 | 33 | 7 | 347 | 349 | 87 |
New York Rangers | 80 | 37 | 35 | 8 | 310 | 307 | 82 |
Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 36 | 36 | 8 | 307 | 285 | 80 |
New Jersey Devils | 80 | 27 | 41 | 12 | 281 | 325 | 66 |
New York Islanders | 80 | 28 | 47 | 5 | 265 | 325 | 61 |
Clarence Campbell Conference
editGP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 34 | 34 | 12 | 313 | 316 | 80 |
St. Louis Blues | 80 | 33 | 35 | 12 | 275 | 285 | 78 |
Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 27 | 37 | 16 | 258 | 278 | 70 |
Chicago Blackhawks | 80 | 27 | 41 | 12 | 297 | 335 | 66 |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 28 | 46 | 6 | 259 | 342 | 62 |
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Calgary Flames | 80 | 54 | 17 | 9 | 354 | 226 | 117 |
Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 42 | 31 | 7 | 376 | 335 | 91 |
Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 38 | 34 | 8 | 325 | 306 | 84 |
Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 33 | 39 | 8 | 251 | 253 | 74 |
Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 26 | 42 | 12 | 300 | 355 | 64 |
Playoffs
editBracket
editThe top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. In each round, teams competed in abest-of-sevenseries (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). In the division semifinals, the fourthseededteam in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's semifinals then met in the division finals. The two division winners of each conference then played in the conference finals. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Division semifinals | Division finals | Conference finals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||
A1 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
A4 | Hartford | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
A1 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
A2 | Boston | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
A2 | Boston | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
A3 | Buffalo | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
A1 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Prince of Wales Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
P4 | Philadelphia | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
P1 | Washington | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
P4 | Philadelphia | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
P4 | Philadelphia | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
P2 | Pittsburgh | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
P2 | Pittsburgh | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
P3 | NY Rangers | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
A1 | Montreal | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
S1 | Calgary | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
N1 | Detroit | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
N4 | Chicago | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
N4 | Chicago | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
N2 | St. Louis | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
N2 | St. Louis | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
N3 | Minnesota | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
N4 | Chicago | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Clarence Campbell Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
S1 | Calgary | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
S1 | Calgary | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
S4 | Vancouver | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
S1 | Calgary | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
S2 | Los Angeles | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
S2 | Los Angeles | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
S3 | Edmonton | 3 |
Awards
editAll-Star teams
editPlayer statistics
editScoring leaders
editNote: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes, PPG = Powerplay Goals, SHG = Shorthanded Goals, GWG = Game Winning Goals
Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins | 76 | 85 | 114 | 199 | 100 | +41 | 31 | 13 | 8 |
Wayne Gretzky | Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 54 | 114 | 168 | 26 | +15 | 11 | 5 | 5 |
Steve Yzerman | Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 65 | 90 | 155 | 61 | +17 | 17 | 3 | 7 |
Bernie Nicholls | Los Angeles Kings | 79 | 70 | 80 | 150 | 96 | +30 | 21 | 8 | 6 |
Rob Brown | Pittsburgh Penguins | 68 | 49 | 66 | 115 | 118 | +27 | 24 | 0 | 6 |
Paul Coffey | Pittsburgh Penguins | 75 | 30 | 83 | 113 | 195 | −10 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
Joe Mullen | Calgary Flames | 79 | 51 | 59 | 110 | 16 | +51 | 13 | 1 | 7 |
Jari Kurri | Edmonton Oilers | 76 | 44 | 58 | 102 | 69 | +19 | 10 | 5 | 8 |
Jimmy Carson | Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 49 | 51 | 100 | 36 | +3 | 19 | 0 | 5 |
Luc Robitaille | Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 46 | 52 | 98 | 65 | +5 | 10 | 0 | 4 |
Source:NHL.[3]
Leading goaltenders
editGP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA =Goals against average;Sv% = Save percentage
Player | Team | GP | Min | W | L | T | SO | GAA | Sv% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patrick Roy | Montreal Canadiens | 48 | 2743 | 33 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2.47 | .908 |
Mike Vernon | Calgary Flames | 52 | 2938 | 37 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2.65 | .897 |
Reggie Lemelin | Boston Bruins | 40 | 2392 | 19 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 3.01 | .887 |
Peter Sidorkiewicz | Hartford Whalers | 44 | 2635 | 22 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 3.03 | .890 |
Jon Casey | Minnesota North Stars | 55 | 2961 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 1 | 3.06 | .900 |
Kirk McLean | Vancouver Canucks | 42 | 2477 | 20 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 3.08 | .891 |
Andy Moog | Boston Bruins | 41 | 2482 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 3.22 | .877 |
Ron Hextall | Philadelphia Flyers | 64 | 3756 | 30 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 3.23 | .891 |
Clint Malarchuk | Washington Capitals/Buffalo Sabres | 49 | 2754 | 19 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 3.36 | .880 |
Greg Millen | St. Louis Blues | 52 | 3019 | 22 | 20 | 7 | 6 | 3.38 | .880 |
Source:Quanthockey.com.[4]
Coaches
editPatrick Division
edit- New Jersey Devils:Jim Schoenfeld
- New York Islanders:Al Arbour
- New York Rangers:Michel BergeronandPhil Esposito
- Philadelphia Flyers:Paul Holmgren
- Pittsburgh Penguins:Gene Ubriaco
- Washington Capitals:Bryan Murray
Adams Division
edit- Boston Bruins:Terry O'Reilly
- Buffalo Sabres:Ted Sator
- Hartford Whalers:Larry Pleau
- Montreal Canadiens:Pat Burns
- Quebec Nordiques:Ron LapointeandJean Perron
Norris Division
edit- Chicago Blackhawks:Mike Keenan
- Detroit Red Wings:Jacques Demers
- Minnesota North Stars:Pierre Page
- St. Louis Blues:Brian Sutter
- Toronto Maple Leafs:John BrophyandGeorge Armstrong
Smythe Division
edit- Calgary Flames:Terry Crisp
- Edmonton Oilers:Glen Sather
- Los Angeles Kings:Robbie Ftorek
- Vancouver Canucks:Bob McCammon
- Winnipeg Jets:Dan Maloney
Milestones
editDebuts
editThe following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1988–89 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Don Sweeney,Boston Bruins
- Stephane Quintal,Boston Bruins
- Sergei Pryakhin,Calgary Flames
- Paul Ranheim,Calgary Flames
- Theoren Fleury,Calgary Flames
- Ed Belfour,Chicago Blackhawks
- Jeremy Roenick,Chicago Blackhawks
- Randy McKay,Detroit Red Wings
- Tim Cheveldae,Detroit Red Wings
- Martin Gelinas,Edmonton Oilers
- Mike Modano*, Minnesota North Stars
- Eric Desjardins,Montreal Canadiens
- Jyrki Lumme,Montreal Canadiens
- Mike Keane,Montreal Canadiens
- Eric Weinrich,New Jersey Devils
- Paul Ysebaert,New Jersey Devils
- Tom Fitzgerald,New York Islanders
- Tony Granato,New York Rangers
- Mike Richter*, New York Rangers
- John Cullen,Pittsburgh Penguins
- Mark Recchi,Pittsburgh Penguins
- Curtis Leschyshyn,Quebec Nordiques
- Joe Sakic,Quebec Nordiques
- Rod Brind'Amour*, St. Louis Blues
- Trevor Linden,Vancouver Canucks
- Bob Essensa,Winnipeg Jets
Last games
editThe following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1988–89 (listed with their last team):
- Mark Napier,Buffalo Sabres
- Hakan Loob,Calgary Flames
- Lanny McDonald,Calgary Flames
- Doug Halward,Edmonton Oilers
- Tomas Jonsson,Edmonton Oilers
- John Anderson,Hartford Whalers
- Ron Duguay,Los Angeles Kings
- Craig Hartsburg,Minnesota North Stars
- Dennis Maruk,Minnesota North Stars (The last active player to have been a member of theCalifornia Golden Seals/Cleveland Baronsfranchise.)
- Bob Gainey,Montreal Canadiens
- Billy Smith,New York Islanders
- Marcel Dionne,New York Rangers
- Anton Stastny,Quebec Nordiques
- Mel Bridgman,Vancouver Canucks
- Bengt Gustafsson,Washington Capitals
Firsts
editRon Hextall,Philadelphia Flyers, First goaltender to score a goal in post-season.
Broadcasting
editThis was the first season of the league's new Canadian national broadcast rights deals withTSNandHockey Night in CanadaonCBC.Saturday night regular season games continued to air on CBC, while TSN televised selected weeknight games. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs was primarily on CBC, with TSN airing first round all-U.S. series.
This was also the first season of the league's new U.S. national broadcast rights dealSportsChannel America.While SportsChannel America agreed to pay more than double what previous rightsholderESPNpaid for the previous three years,[5]SportsChannel America was only available in a few major markets.[6][7][8][9]Notably absent though were theDetroit,Pittsburgh,andSt. Louismarkets.[10]In this first year of the deal alone, SportsChannel America was available in only 7 million homes when compared to ESPN's reach of 50 million.[11]Whereas the previous deal with ESPN called for up to 33 games per regular season and only one nationally televised game a week, SportsChannel America televised 80–100 games and up to three nights a week.[12][13]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^Shoalts, David (April 28, 2000)."Ex ref supports mandatory helmets".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedSeptember 29,2019.
The NHL has 60 referees and linesmen under contract and among them are 11 men who do not wear helmets. This is allowed through a grandfather clause in the collective agreement between the NHL Officials' Association and the league, which made wearing helmets mandatory beginning with the 1988–89 season. However, just as the NHL did with its players when helmets became compulsory for them in 1979, a grandfather clause was inserted in the agreement. All referees and linesmen who were employed on or before Sept. 1, 1988 did not have to wear a helmet.
- ^abcdDinger, Ralph, ed. (2011).The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012.Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153.ISBN9781894801225.
- ^Dinger 2011,p. 153.
- ^1988–89 NHL Goalie Leaders | QuantHockey.com
- ^Chad, Norman (November 26, 1988)."NHL AND SPORTSCHANNEL MORE IS LESS".Washington Post.RetrievedFebruary 9,2016.
- ^Moncour, Gilles (October 29, 2018)."The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of John Ziegler's NHL reign".HockeyBuzz.com.
- ^Swift, E.M. (August 22, 1988)."WOE, CANADA".Sports Illustrated.
- ^Martzke, Rudy (May 2, 1989). "NHL broadcast boss pleased with cable move".USA Today.p. 3C.
- ^Staudohar, Paul D. (May 31, 2018).Playing for Dollars: Labor Relations and the Sports Business.Cornell University Press. p. 138.ISBN9781501717857.
- ^Strachan, Al (March 15, 2005)."NHL needs a TV partner".Toronto Sun.Archived fromthe originalon November 3, 2019.
- ^Greenberg, Jay (October 7, 1991)."GREED, INDEED".Sports Illustrated.
- ^"USA NETWORK MAKING SOME MAJOR-LEAGUE CUTS".Miami Herald.February 10, 1984. p. 7F.
- ^ FCC Record: A Comprehensive Compilation of Decisions..., Volume 8, Issue 5.1993. p. 4900.
References
edit- Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000).Total Hockey.Kingston, New York: Total Sports.ISBN1-892129-85-X.
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011).The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012.Toronto: Dan Diamond & Associates.ISBN978-1-894801-22-5.
- Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000).Century of hockey.Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.ISBN0-7710-4179-9.
- Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003).The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League.Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International Inc.ISBN0-7853-9624-1.