1990 Stanley Cup Finals

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The 1990 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1989–90 season, and the culmination of the 1990 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Edmonton Oilers and the Boston Bruins. This was a rematch of the 1988 Finals, albeit with the notable absence of Wayne Gretzky who was traded from Edmonton to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1988 off-season. The Oilers once again defeated the Bruins, this time in five games, to win the Stanley Cup.

1990 Stanley Cup Finals
12345 Total
Edmonton Oilers 3***7154 4
Boston Bruins 2***2211 1
* – overtime periods
Location(s)Boston: Boston Garden (1, 2, 5)
Edmonton: Northlands Coliseum (3, 4)
CoachesEdmonton: John Muckler
Boston: Mike Milbury
CaptainsEdmonton: Mark Messier
Boston: Ray Bourque
RefereesDon Koharski (1, 4)
Andy Van Hellemond (3, 5)
Kerry Fraser (2)
DatesMay 15–24, 1990
MVPBill Ranford (Oilers)
Series-winning goalCraig Simpson (9:31, second, G5)
Hall of FamersOilers:
Glenn Anderson (2008)
Grant Fuhr (2003; did not play)
Jari Kurri (2001)
Kevin Lowe (2020)
Mark Messier (2007)
Bruins:
Ray Bourque (2004)
Cam Neely (2005)
NetworksCanada:
(English): CBC
(French): SRC
United States:
(National): SportsChannel America
(Boston area): NESN (1–2, 5), WSBK (3–4)
Announcers(CBC) Bob Cole and Harry Neale
(SRC) Richard Garneau and Gilles Tremblay
(SportsChannel America) Jiggs McDonald and Bill Clement
(NESN) Fred Cusick, Derek Sanderson, and Dave Shea
(WSBK) Fred Cusick and Derek Sanderson
← 1989 Stanley Cup Finals 1991 →

For the Oilers, it was their fifth Cup win in seven years, and the team's only championship after trading Gretzky. This was the last of eight consecutive Finals contested by a team from Alberta and nine by a team from Western Canada (the Oilers appeared in six, the Calgary Flames in two, the Vancouver Canucks in one).

This was the last appearance in the Finals for the Bruins until 2011, where they would go on to end their 39-year Stanley Cup drought.

Paths to the Finals

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Boston defeated the Hartford Whalers 4–3, the Montreal Canadiens 4–1 and the Washington Capitals 4–0 to advance to the Final.

Edmonton defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4–3, the Los Angeles Kings 4–0 and the Chicago Blackhawks 4–2.

Game summaries

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In Game 1, Petr Klima scored at 15:13 of the third overtime period to give the Oilers a 3–2 win; this game remains the longest in Stanley Cup Finals history (see Longest NHL overtime games), edging both Brett Hull's Cup-winner in 1999 and Igor Larionov's game-winner in 2002 by less than 30 seconds.

Though the Oilers ultimately won the series in five games, it was the Bruins who dominated play during the early part of the series. The Bruins had more chances to win the opener, and at one point had a 15-4 shot advantage in game two before the Oilers came back.[1]

In Game 5 at the Boston Garden on May 24, the Oilers won 4–1, the first time they had ever clinched the Cup on the road. Edmonton won all three Finals games played at Boston Garden - in each their previous Finals wins, the Oilers only won one game away from Northlands Coliseum. Craig Simpson scored the game-winning goal. Oilers goaltender Bill Ranford, originally the backup who took over from Grant Fuhr for the remainder of the regular season and the entire playoffs, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Game 5 was the last Stanley Cup Finals game ever played at the Boston Garden.

Mark Messier won his first Stanley Cup as a team captain, and his fifth overall.[2] He won his sixth Stanley Cup as the captain with the New York Rangers four years later, and scored the Cup-winning goal, making him the only player to captain two different Cup-winning teams.[3][4]

Ray Bourque did not reach the Stanley Cup Finals again until the Colorado Avalanche won in 2001. As for the Bruins, they would not return to the Stanley Cup Finals until their championship season of 2011.[5] The Oilers did not reach the Finals again until 2006, losing in seven games.

Boston Bruins vs. Edmonton Oilers

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May 15 Edmonton Oilers 3–2 3OT Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Adam Graves (4) - 09:46 First period No scoring
Glenn Anderson (7) - 13:00 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 03:43 - Ray Bourque (3)
18:31 - Ray Bourque (4)
Petr Klima (5) - 15:13 Third overtime period No scoring
Bill Ranford 50 saves / 52 shots Goalie stats Andy Moog 28 saves / 31 shots
May 18 Edmonton Oilers 7–2 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Adam Graves (5) - 08:38
Jari Kurri (8) - pp - 10:53
First period 19:07 - Ray Bourque (5)
Jari Kurri (9) - 04:21
Craig Simpson (13) - 15:28
Esa Tikkanen (11) - 17:10
Joe Murphy (5) - 19:12
Second period 02:56 - pp - Greg Hawgood (1)
Jari Kurri (10) - pp - 07:27 Third period No scoring
Bill Ranford 25 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Rejean Lemelin 14 saves / 18 shots, Andy Moog 1 saves / 4 shots
May 20 Boston Bruins 2–1 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum Recap  
John Byce (2) - 00:10
Greg Johnston (1) - 15:04
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 05:54 - pp - Esa Tikkanen (12)
Andy Moog 28 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Bill Ranford 20 saves / 22 shots
May 22 Boston Bruins 1–5 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period 02:13 - pp - Glenn Anderson (8)
16:27 - Glenn Anderson (9)
No scoring Second period 01:00 - Craig Simpson (14)
19:15 - Esa Tikkanen (13)
John Carter (6) - 15:02 Third period 18:36 - Craig Simpson (15)
Andy Moog 28 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Bill Ranford 24 saves / 25 shots
May 24 Edmonton Oilers 4–1 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Glenn Anderson (10) - 01:17
Craig Simpson (16) - 09:31
Second period No scoring
Steve Smith (5) - 06:09
Joe Murphy (6) - 14:53
Third period 16:30 - Lyndon Byers (1)
Bill Ranford 29 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Andy Moog 18 saves / 22 shots
Edmonton won series 4–1


Team rosters

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Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year.

Boston Bruins

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# Nat Player Position Hand Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
43   Bob Beers D R 1985 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania first
77   Ray BourqueC D L 1979 Saint-Laurent, Quebec second (1988)
25   Andy Brickley LW L 1988–89 Melrose, Massachusetts first
12   Randy Burridge LW L 1985 Fort Erie, Ontario second (1988)
42   John Byce C L 1985 Madison, Wisconsin first
34   Lyndon Byers RW R 1982 Nipawin, Saskatchewan second (1988)
11   Bobby Carpenter C L 1988–89 Beverly, Massachusetts first
31   John Carter LW L 1985–86 Winchester, Massachusetts first
27   Dave Christian RW R 1989–90 Warroad, Minnesota first
37   Lou Crawford LW L 1989–90 Belleville, Ontario first
16   Peter Douris RW R 1989–90 Toronto, Ontario first
28   Garry Galley D L 1988–89 Greenfield Park, Quebec first
18   Bobby Gould RW R 1989–90 Petrolia, Ontario first
38   Greg Hawgood D L 1986 Edmonton, Alberta second (1988)
23   Craig JanneyA C L 1986 Hartford, Connecticut second (1988)
39   Greg Johnston RW R 1983 Barrie, Ontario second (1988)
6   Gord Kluzak D L 1982 Climax, Saskatchewan second (1988)
1   Rejean Lemelin G L 1987–88 Quebec City, Quebec third (1986, 1988)
17   Nevin Markwart LW L 1983 Toronto, Ontario second (1988)
35   Andy Moog G L 1987–88 Penticton, British Columbia sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
8   Cam NeelyA RW R 1986–87 Comox, British Columbia second (1988)
10   Billy O'Dwyer C L 1987–88 Boston, Massachusetts second (1988)
41   Allen Pedersen D L 1983 Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta second (1988)
19   Dave Poulin C L 1989–90 Timmins, Ontario third (1985, 1987)
36   Brian Propp LW L 1989–90 Lanigan, Saskatchewan fourth (1980, 1985, 1987)
20   Bob Sweeney C R 1982 Concord, Massachusetts second (1988)
32   Don Sweeney D L 1984 St. Stephen, New Brunswick first
26   Glen Wesley D L 1987 Red Deer, Alberta second (1988)
30   Jim Wiemer D L 1989–90 Sudbury, Ontario first

Edmonton Oilers

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# Nat Player Position Hand Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
9   Glenn Anderson RW L 1979 Vancouver, British Columbia sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
6   Jeff Beukeboom D R 1983 Ajax, Ontario third (1987, 1988, did not play)
32   Dave Brown RW R 1988–89 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan third (1985, 1987, did not play)
16   Kelly Buchberger RW L 1985 Langenburg, Saskatchewan second (1987)
31   Grant Fuhr G R 1981 Spruce Grove, Alberta sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, did not play: injured)
20   Martin Gelinas LW L 1988–89 Shawinigan, Quebec first
12   Adam Graves LW L 1989–90 Toronto, Ontario first
21   Randy Gregg D L 1981–82 Edmonton, Alberta sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
22   Charlie Huddy D L 1980–81 Oshawa, Ontario sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
85   Petr Klima LW R 1989–90 Chomutov, Czechoslovakia first
17   Jari KurriA RW R 1980 Helsinki, Finland sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
7   Mark Lamb C L 1987–88 Ponteix, Saskatchewan first
4   Kevin LoweA D L 1979 Lachute, Quebec sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
14   Craig MacTavish C L 1985–86 London, Ontario third (1987, 1988)
11   Mark MessierC C L 1979 Edmonton, Alberta sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
28   Craig Muni D L 1986–87 Toronto, Ontario third (1987, 1988)
30   Bill Ranford G L 1987–88 Brandon, Manitoba second (1988)
33   Pokey Reddick G L 1989–90 Halifax, Nova Scotia first (did not play)
26   Reijo Ruotsalainen D R 1989–90 Oulu, Finland second (1987)
25   Geoff Smith D L 1987 Edmonton, Alberta first (did not play)
5   Steve Smith D L 1981 Glasgow, United Kingdom third (1987, 1988)
10   Esa Tikkanen LW L 1983 Helsinki, Finland fourth (1985, 1987, 1988)
18   Craig Simpson LW R 1987–88 London, Ontario second (1988)
8   Joe Murphy RW L 1989–90 London, Ontario first

Stanley Cup engraving

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The 1990 Stanley Cup was presented to Oilers captain Mark Messier by NHL President John Ziegler following the Oilers 4–1 win over the Bruins in game five.

The following Oilers players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup

1989–90 Edmonton Oilers

Players

Coaching and administrative staff


Stanley Cup engravings

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  • Garnet "Ace" Bailey won seven Stanley Cups. His name was engraved on the Stanley Cup five times. He was engraved as Garnet Bailey in 1972, G. Bailey in 1970, 1985, 1987, and Ace Bailey in 1990. His name was left off the Stanley Cup, but he was awarded Stanley Cup rings in 1984, 1988.
  • #29 Vladimir Ruzicka (C/LW) joined Edmonton from Europe in January. Ruzicka played 25 games, but did not dress in the playoffs.
  • #19 Anatoli Semenov (RW) joined Edmonton from Europe in May. Semenov played two games in the Conference Final.

Neither player qualified for engravement on the Cup, but both players received Stanley Cup rings. Ruzicka was also included on the team winning picture.

  • Grant Fuhr only played 21 games during the regular season due to injuries. Although he would miss the rest of the regular season and the entire playoffs, he qualified to be on the Cup by dressing for over 40 regular season games.

Members of all five Edmonton Oilers championships

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  • Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy, Jari Kurri, Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier (seven Players), Peter Pocklington, Glen Sather, John Mucker, Ted Green, Barry Fraser, Barry Stafford, Lyle Kulchisky (seven non-players)
  • Nine non-players were part of all five championships, but not all engraved each year: Garnet 'Ace' Bailey, Ed Chadwick, Lorne Davis, Matti Vaisanen, Gordon Cameron, Bill Tuele, John Backwell, Werner Baum, and Bob Freedman

Members of all five Edmonton Oilers championships and New York Rangers championship (1994)

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  • Glenn Anderson, Kevin Lowe, and Mark Messier.

Broadcasting

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In Canada, the series was televised on the CBC.

In the United States, the series aired nationally on SportsChannel America. However, SportsChannel America's national coverage was blacked out in the Boston area due to the local rights to Bruins games in that TV market. NESN televised games one, two, and five in the Boston area while WSBK had games three and four.

Aftermath

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The Oilers’ cup win marked the beginning of the end of Canada’s dominance in the Stanley Cup Finals. After the 1990 Finals, American teams would take home the Stanley Cup in 32 of the next 33 editions of the Finals, with the sole Canadian Cup victory coming in 1993. The Oilers would return to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006 and 2024, but they would lose both in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers respectively.

This was the last Finals appearance for the Bruins until 2011, where they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to end a 39-year Cup drought.

See also

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References

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Inline citations
  1. ^ Wee, K.P. (October 2015). The End of the Montreal Jinx: Boston's Short-Lived Glory in the Historic Bruins-Canadiens Rivalry, 1988-1994. pp. 90–93. ISBN 978-1517362911.
  2. ^ Cole 2004, p. 120
  3. ^ Morrison, Scott (2010). Hockey Night in Canada: Best of the Best Ranking the Greatest Players of All Time. Toronto: Key Porter Books. p. 34.
  4. ^ Cole 2004, p. 128
  5. ^ Ulman, Howard (May 28, 2011). "Bruins reach Stanley Cup finals, top Lightning 1-0". Associated Press.
Bibliography
  • Cole, Stephen (2004). The Best of Hockey Night in Canada. Toronto: McArthur & Company. pp. 120, 128. ISBN 1-55278-408-8.
  • Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp. 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7.
Preceded by Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup Champions

1990
Succeeded by