1992-93
OFFSEASON
Hard to beat this Hall of Fame class as Guy Lafleur, Gilbert Perreault and Denis Potvin are admitted. Lafleur had 813 career goals, third all-time, and 1983 points, also third most in history, in his 19 seasons with Montreal, winning 3 Stanley Cups. Perreault played 19 seasons with Buffalo and scored 524 goals and 1731 career points, hanging around just long enough to get his name on the Cup in the Sabres first win. Potvin won 1 Cup in his 18 seasons with the Islanders, playing 1238 games and notching 1337 career points.
Not a lot of big names retire but several good players like Buffalo's Bill Hajt calls it quits after 21 years and 1412 games for the Sabres. He had 699 career points but was best known for being a steady defensive presence on the Buffalo blueline and helped the club win 2 Stanley Cups.
The big news this off-season is more expansion as the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning enter the league. After the expansion draft neither club looks like it will inspire fear in it's opponents. Of the two I would say Ottawa is a little better off thanks to the Sens selection of 25 year old rookie goaltender Mike Richter, who failed to crack the Rangers roster, in the expansion draft. Other Ottawa players include Charlie Huddy and Tom Kurvers on defense with Joey Kocur, Tom Chorkse and Sergei Nemchinov as the big names up front but also keep an eye on rookie Alexei Yashin.
Tampa Bay gets veteran goaltender Mike Liut from Boston in the expansion draft. On defense the Lightning have Neil Wilkinson, Randy Moller and Dmitri Mironov with the forward core led by Christian Ruuttu, Wayne Presley, Gary Valk and Phil Bourque. 18 year old Roman Hamrlik represents the future of the organization and they also have Wayne Gretzky's brother Brent.
REGULAR SEASON
Mario Lemieux played the entire season for just the second time in his career and the result was his second Art Ross Trophy as Lemieux led the NHL with 175 points, which is the third most every record. Lemieux was only surpassed by Wayne Gretzky's 181 in 1987-88 and 179 in 1983-84. As for Gretzky, he played in 76 of the 84 games and recorded 135 points. That total is a dream season for 99% of the players in the league but for Gretzky it represented the lowest total of his career since getting 51 points in an injury riddled rookie season that saw him only play 29 games. At the age of 31 and with the Oilers team on the decline there are rumblings that Gretzky himself maybe dropping from God-like status to being just a mere superstar.
Lemieux's Penguins led the Eastern Conference with 126 points, 4 more than Adams Division champion Buffalo. In the West the Calgary Flames once more dominated the Smythe Division with 136 points, finishing 49 points ahead of second place Edmonton. The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings waged battle all season in the Norris Division with the Hawks eventually claiming top spot thanks to the league's best goaltender in Dominik Hasek.
MILESTONES
Mark Messier of Edmonton earned his 1200th point
Ray Bourque of Boston earned his 1200th point and 300th goal
Mario Lemieux of Pittsburgh scored his 500th goal
Steve Larmer of Chicago scored his 400th goal
Steve Yzerman of Detroit scored his 400th goal
Denis Savard of Chicago scored his 400th goal
Dave Taylor of Los Angeles scored his 400th goal
Kevin Stevens of Pittsburgh scored his 300th goal
Neal Broten of Minnesota scored his 300th goal and 750th assist
Pat LaFontaine of NY Islanders scored his 300th goal
Stan Smyl of Buffalo scored his 300th goal
Gaetan Duchesne of Washington scored his 300th goal
Dale Hunter of Quebec scored his 300th goal
Doug Gilmour of St Louis scored his 300th goal
Paul Coffey of Edmonton scored his 300th goal
Ron Francis of Hartford earned his 750th assist
Dirk Graham of Hartford earned his 500th assist
Brett Hull of Calgary earned his 500th assist
Guy Carbonneau of Montreal earned his 500th assist
Michel Goulet of Quebec earned his 500th assist
Glenn Anderson of Toronto earned his 500th assist
Brian Sutter of St Louis earned his 500th assist
1000 GAMES
Mark Howe Hartford
Dale Hunter Quebec
Stan Smyl Buffalo
Ray Bourque Boston
Jim Peplinski Washington
Brad McCrimmon Boston
Glenn Anderson Toronto
Dino Ciccarelli Minnesota
Dave Christian Winnipeg
Michel Goulet Quebec
Rob Ramage New Jersey
Troy Murray Chicago
Kevin Lowe Edmonton
Dirk Graham Hartford
Dave Babych Winnipeg
Mike Ramsay Detroit
Mark Messier Edmonton
Joe Mullen St Louis
Brent Sutter Los Angeles
Ken Linseman Philadelphia
Paul Coffey Edmonton
Mikael Renberg had a 6 goal game for the Flyers in a 9-5 win over Tampa on April 2nd. Renberg also had an assist in the same game. The single game record is 8 goals in a game set by former Flyer Bill Barber in 1975.
Brett Hull of Calgary had a 7 point night (5G 2A) in a 12-2 win over Hartford on November 10th. Boston's Craig Janney had 7 points (2G 5A) in an 8-1 win over Ottawa on December 9th. Vince Damphousse of Toronto had a 5 goal game in the Leafs 6-1 win over St Louis on January 18th.
Greg Adams of St Louis had a 7 point game (1G 6A) in the Blues 8-1 win over Los Angeles on February 24th. Gary Suter of the Flames had a 7 point night (2G 5A) in an 8-2 win over St Louis on March 23rd.
Kevin Stevens of Pittsburgh had a 31 game point streak, longest of the season and 6th longest all time. Wayne Gretzky had a 26 game streak, Brett Hull a streak of 23 games and Mario Lemieux had a 22 gamer.
Code:
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
ADAMS DIVISION GP W L T PTS
Buffalo Sabres 84 57 19 8 122
Quebec Nordiques 84 55 25 4 113
Boston Bruins 84 50 28 6 106
Montreal Canadiens 84 33 42 9 75
Hartford Whalers 84 32 42 10 74
Ottawa Senators 84 12 69 3 27
PATRICK DIVISION GP W L T PTS
Pittsburgh Penguins 84 58 16 10 126
New York Rangers 84 42 39 3 87
Philadelphia Flyers 84 37 39 8 82
New York Islanders 84 34 41 9 77
Washington Capitals 84 33 43 8 74
New Jersey Devils 84 27 49 8 62
NORRIS DIVISION GP W L T PTS
Chicago Black Hawks 84 62 16 6 130
Detroit Red Wings 84 61 21 2 124
Minnesota North Stars 84 49 27 8 106
Toronto Maple Leafs 84 19 61 4 68
St Louis Blues 84 19 61 4 42
Tampa Bay Lightning 84 6 75 3 15
SMYTHE DIVISION GP W L T PTS
Calgary Flames 84 64 12 8 136
Edmonton Oilers 84 39 36 9 87
Los Angeles Kings 84 39 41 4 82
Vancouver Canucks 84 35 45 4 74
San Jose Sharks 84 32 47 5 69
Winnipeg Jets 84 25 52 7 57
SCORING LEADERS TEAM GP G A PTS
Mario Lemieux PIT 84 69 106 175
Steve Yzerman DET 84 68 99 167
Joe Sakic QUE 84 57 102 159
Brett Hull CGY 83 75 80 155
Theo Fleury CGY 84 60 94 154
Jeremy Roenick CHI 81 65 88 153
Mike Modano MIN 84 56 90 146
Luc Robitaille LA 84 67 72 139
Wayne Gretzky EDM 76 32 103 135
Sergei Federov DET 84 44 88 132
Craig Janney BOS 83 50 78 128
Jaromir Jagr PIT 84 43 82 125
Al MacInnis CGY 76 36 89 125
Mark Messier EDM 84 58 66 124
Dino Ciccarelli MIN 84 50 74 124
Petr Klima DET 83 61 62 123
Jeff Brown QUE 84 33 86 119
Trevor Linden VAN 84 49 67 116
Brendan Shanahan NJ 84 60 54 114
Brian Bellows MIN 84 54 60 114
GOALIE WIN LEADERS TM W-L-T GAA SAVE%
Greg Millen CGY 49-8-4 2.69 .872
Andy Moog BUF 46-15-6 2.69 .877
Dominik Hasek CHI 45-13-5 2.33 .904
Peter Sidorkiewicz DET 45-17-2 2.98 .881
Jon Casey PIY 44-13-10 2.88 .882
Don Beaupre MIN 42-17-8 3.30 .877
Ron Tugnutt QUE 42-17-7 2.71 .889
Tom Barrasso BOS 37-21-6 3.31 .880
John Vanbiesbrouck NYR 31-28-2 3.65 .864
PLAYOFFS
Entering the playoffs the Calgary Flames were heavy favourites to repeat as Stanley Cup champions but that changed in Game 3 of their opening round series with Vancouver when Brett Hull broke his elbow. Hull, who scored a league leading 75 goals this season and has 36 goals in 40 playoff games over the past two seasons, would not be missed in the opening round as the Flames breezed past Vancouver in 4 straight games but the same could not be said for the second round. The Edmonton Oilers, who had repeatedly been stymied by the Flames over the past half a dozen seasons, got their revenge by upsetting the Cup champs in 5 games. Wayne Gretzky led the way with 8 points in the series while Mark Messier had goals in each of the 4 Edmonton victories while veteran goaltender Grant Fuhr was terrific through the first two rounds, leading the playoffs with a .913 save percentage.
The Oilers will face the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Finals after Chicago beat Detroit in a 7 game series. The Hawks swept Toronto in the opening round while Detroit ousted Minnesota in 6 games. Jeremey Roenick was the star of the first two rounds for Chicago, picking up 23 points in 11 games.
Buffalo needed just 8 games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals as the Sabres swept first Montreal and then Boston. Phil Housley was his usual dominant self in the opening two rounds, leading the team with 21 points in 8 games while winger Ray Sheppard had 9 goals.
Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux was the leading scorer in the post-season through two rounds with 25 points, including 12 goals through 11 games. The Penguins advanced to face Buffalo by beating the Islanders 4 straight and then topping Philadelphia in a 7 game series.
CONFERENCE FINALS
Any hopes of a Lemieux-Gretzky Stanly Cup Final, which happened once before in 1987 when the Oilers won, were dashed quickly by the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres built a 3-0 series lead on Pittsburgh and eventually prevailed in 5 games. The loss was certainly not Mario's fault as he had 6 goals and 12 points in the five game series.
Edmonton did it's part beating Chicago in 6 games as Mark Messier had 13 points in the series and Wayne Gretzky added 12 while Grant Fuhr outduelled Dominik Hasek in net.
STANLEY CUP FINALS
Wayne Gretzky's gang made it's 4th trip to the Stanley Cup Finals but it's first in 6 years. Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey and Mark Messier were all still stars but were beginning to age so this just might be their last shot at a 4th Cup.
For the Buffalo Sabres it would be their fourth trip in 5 years to the Finals but there first meeting with the Oilers. Edmonton cast-off Andy Moog was having a strong playoff in the Buffalo net and defenseman Phil Housley, with 28 points in 13 games, seemed to be poised to win his third Conn Smythe Trophy. Ray Sheppard (13-10-23), Pierre Turgeon (7-16-23) and Dave Andreychuk (5-16-21) were all healthy and could rival any trio the Oilers could put on the ice.
The series opened in Buffalo but it was the visiting Oilers who struck first with a 4-1 victory. Wayne Gretzky scored twice and assisted on Geoff Smith's goal with Esa Tikkanen getting the final Edmonton tally. Dave Reid was the lone Sabre to score.
Game Two went to overtime but the Oilers won 5-4 thanks to a shorthanded goal from Jari Kurri just over 3 minutes into the extra session. Messier had 2 assists in the game. Gretzky, Tikkanen, Jason Lafreniere and rookie Keith Tkachuk had the other Oilers goals. Mogilny, Andreychuk, Dave Reid and Calle Johansson replied for Buffalo.
The series shifted to Edmonton but again the visiting team as the Sabres cut the Oilers lead to 2 games to one with a 5-4 win in Game Three. Mikael Andersson scored twice for Buffalo with Sheppard, Turgeon and Dave Reid scoring the others. Coffey, Brent Fedyk, Messier and Geoff Smith has the Edmonton goals.
Buffalo gets three third period goals including a pair from defenseman Rob Zettler and rallies for a 6-4 victory in Game Four to even the series. Phil Housley had 3 assists. Mogilny, Sheppard, Adam Creighton and Benoit Hogue also scored for Buffalo while Messier, Tikkanen, Martin Gelinas and John Kordic were the Edmonton goal scorers.
Just an amazing show from Phil Housley in Game Five as the Sabres defenseman had 6 assists to lead Buffalo to a 7-3 victory in Game Five, the first win of the series for the home team. Ray Sheppard, Dave Andreychuk, Pierre Turgeon, Calle Johansson, Benoit Hogue, Alexander Mogilny and Mikael Andersson were the Buffalo scorers. Edmonton got goals from Jari Kurri, Brent Fedyk and Mark Messier.
Game Six goes to overtime and guess who the hero is???- Phil Housley, who gets the series winner on an assist from Dave Reid. Housley also had 3 assists in the game. Adam Creighton, Dave Reid, Ray Sheppard and Pierre Turgeon also scored for Buffalo as the Sabres rallied from a 2 games to none deficit to win their third Stanley Cup in franchise history.
3 Cups for the Sabres and 3 Conn Smythe Trophy's for Housley as the Buffalo defenseman had a goal and 14 assists in the 6 game series to give him a playoff leading 43 points.
Code:
PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS GP G A PTS
Phil Housley BUF 19 8 35 43
Mark Messier EDM 22 21 18 39
Mario Lemieux PIT 16 18 19 37
Wayne Gretzky EDM 22 11 26 37
Jeremy Roenick CHI 17 13 19 32
Ray Sheppard BUF 19 17 13 30
Pierre Turgeon BUF 19 10 20 30
Paul Coffey EDM 22 5 24 29
Dave Reid BUF 19 11 15 26
Jari Kurri EDM 22 8 18 26
Dave Andreychuk BUF 19 7 19 26
Jaromir Jagr PIT 16 10 14 24
Other award winners are:
HART TROPHY: Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh (84GP 69-106-175)
VEZINA TROPHY: Dominik Hasek Chicago (45-13-5, 2.33)
NORRIS TROPHY: Al MacInnis Calgary (76GP 36-89-125)
ART ROSS TROPHY: Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh (84GP 69-106-175)
CALDER TROPHY: John LeClair Montreal (84GP 38-41-79)
The game does not select the all-star team but I will start naming first and second team all-stars
Code:
POS FIRST TEAM SECOND TEAM
G Dominik Hasek Chicago Andy Moog Buffalo
D Phil Housley Buffalo Jeff Brown Quebec
D Al MacInnis Calgary Brian Leetch NY Rangers
C Mario Lemieux Pittsbugh Steve Yzerman Detroit
LW Luc Robitaille Los Angeles Mark Messier Edmonton
RW Brett Hull Calgary Sergei Federov Detroit