NHL Historical Replay

[George_Bell]

1989-90 NHL Regular Season

The Mark Recchi era in Hartford has gotten off to a good start. The 21 year old has 36 points in his first 25 games with the Whalers. The team now has a third scoring option behind Gretzky and Messier, which has resulted in a 17-8 record. Obvious improvement!


Picking up Recchi was a smart move for Hartford.

Craig MacTavish just recorded his 300th goal! For a player so good defensively to be able to contribute as much as he does on offense, is rare. MacTavish probably should be traded though. The Leafs look like they are about to hit rock bottom. They are 10-30-1, which is the worst record in the league. MacTavish is 31 years old. He’s got a lot of value. Deal him now, get some good youth and rebuild with a top draft pick this year. It would be the smart thing to do!


MacTavish should be traded, but probably won't!

Here’s a page I never look at. The single game records in NHL history. Reg Noble still holds the record for most points in a game. Hap Holmes made 78 saves in a game once!! I’m not sure how it’s possible that Cy Wentworth had 176 shifts in a single game!!!



Guy Lafleur just scored his 1900th point, but he’s really slowed down. It’s now appearing that Gordie Howe’s goal record is safe. Lafleur has just 4 goals and 15 points at the halfway mark of the season. His icetime has gone down. This maybe the end of the Flower’s career!!! The regression can strike quickly!


1900 points!

Doug Gilmour has the Nordiques running away with the President’s trophy. 50 something games in, Quebec has a 10 point lead on Philadelphia with a 37-11-3 record. They are on pace to set a franchise record in wins and points. The team’s defense core is no longer just Paul Coffey. Shawn Chambers and Mark Tinordi have developed into top level players. New starting goalie Bob Essensa is 24-6, with a 2.27 GAA and a .909 SP. Cam Neely leads the league in goals. All that, plus of course, Doug Gilmour has 100 points in 51 games!!!


Gilmour and the Noriques are looking for Cup #2.

Just has Hartford has gotten significantly above .500, playing well and looking dangerous, Wayne Gretzky’s season ends prematurely. Wayne breaks his leg in early March. There’s no chance he will return this year. Through 65 games, Gretzky had 49 goals and 55 assists. He was leading the league in goals and 2nd in points. Huge blow to the Whalers.


Gretzky suffers his most significant injury in years!

Final Standings



Quebec does win the Presidents Trophy, but Philly comes close to catching them, finishing a single point behind. Detroit was right there as well, three points shy.

Toronto does not finish last. The Islanders, Sabres, and Kings all have worse records. The Leafs had a .500 2nd half of the season. They kept MacTavish. Every year he gets older, his value goes down. TRADE HIM!!

Hartford goes 6-9-1 with Wayne Gretzky. Mark Recchi ends up leading the team in scoring with 107 points, while Messier gets 96. They aren’t the same team for this playoffs. I expected a dynasty out of Hartford at one time. That clearly did not happen!



Doug Gilmour hits for the 140 point mark for the 2nd time in his career, and also reaches 90 assists. He joins a small group that includes Wayne Gretzly, Bryan Trottier, and Denis Maruk as the only players to accomplish that twice!

Steve Yzerman leads the league with 61 goals, the 2nd time he’s reached 60! Cam Neely fell off in the 2nd half of the season…well, he didn’t fall off, he got hurt. Dislocated shoulder. His season is over. He played 61 games and scored 47 goals!

Michel Goulet was a much better fit in Winnipeg then Joe Mullen. He plays all 80 games and leads the team with 96 points. Joe Mullen has a better year in Washington, but is still at 54 points. He’s becoming everyone’s disappointment!

[George_Bell]

1990 NHL Playoffs



Adams Division

Quebec and Montreal meet for the fifth straight year. Montreal won 3 of those series, but lose for the 2nd time this year. Paul Coffey led the way with 8 points for the first place Nordiques. Boston and Hartford have met 4 times in the last 5 years. Each coming away with 2 series victories. Lets call this year the tiebreaker. After a big game one win, the Whalers could not stay with Boston in any game. Bruins dispose of Hartford in 5. Quebec is just a little bit better then Boston in every game of their Adams division final series. The Nords win three 1 goal games, sweeping the Bruins out of the playoffs.



Patrick Division

Last year, the Pens provided the first round’s biggest upset, beating the presidents trophy winners. This year, the Flyers had revenge on their minds, and make no mistakes. They sweep Pittsburgh. The Rangers eliminated the Devils in each of the last two years. That doesn’t happen this year. New Jersey wins the first two on MSG ice, and takes the series in 5. The Flyers continue to try and shed the playoff choking moniker I gave them last year, by beating the Devils in 5. They are 8-1 so far in the playoffs, and off to take on Quebec in the semi finals!



Norris Division

Detroit and Chicago is the 5th rematch from last year so far. Unlike last year’s 7 game series, this one is not that close. Mario Lemieux had 14 points in the Red Wings 5 game win, dominating the Blackhawks again. Game two of the Minnesota St. Louis series results in one of the most lopsided playoff games in NHL history. Minnesota wins that one, 11-1, and eventually takes the series in 6. After a big first round, Lemieux runs out of gas again in the 2nd round, to a point. In Detroit’s 2 wins, Lemieux scores 5 goals. In their 4 losses, Lemieux gets 2 points. North Stars upset Detroit in 6!



Smythe Division

The Battle of Alberta has Edmonton looking for just their 2nd series win in franchise history. The Oilers shut down the Flames scoring, until game 6, when Calgary scores a series high 5 goals. The thing is Edmonton got 7. Oilers upset the Flames in 6! The Canucks and Jets battle it out in the only seven game series of round one. The full seven games wasn’t enough, as overtime was needed. Greg Gilbert scored the OT winner for Winnipeg after almost a full period of extra action. In the division final, the Oilers use two, 1-0 wins, plus a broken game that gave them home ice advantage, to win the series in 7, advancing to their first ever conference finals!



Wales Conference Finals


Quebec’s Paul Maclean is kicked out of game one in the first period after a delay of game penalty, that led to a game misconduct. He must have really hated that call! The two teams exchanged goals in the first and second periods, leading to overtime. At 2:59 of OT, Bob Kudelski scores on a Bill Berg rebound. 3-2 Flyers! Steve Yzerman’s first of the series gives the Flyers a 2-1 lead after the first period of game two. Bob Kudelski makes it 3-1, but Doug Gilmour and Yuri Khmylev tie it before the end of the 2nd. In the third, Geoff Courtnall scores with 3 minutes left, the winning goal! 4-3 Flyers!


Kudelski scores the overtime goal to in game one!

Back at home, with a chance to put a strangle hold on Quebec, the Flyers step up to the challenge. Kudelski gets his third of the series 44 seconds in. Then Dave Barr and Gino Cavallini score 7 seconds apart. It’s 4-1 after a period, and 5-2 is the final. Flyers lead the series 3-0! Doug Gilmour, who seems like the only Nordique to show up in this series, gets his 4th goal, and 5th point to open the scoring in game four. That was it for Quebec’s scoring though. Steve Yzerman scores twice in the third, and the Flyers cruise to an easy 4-1 win. Philly sweeps!



Campbell Conference Finals


Many of these North Stars won two cups earlier in the decade, so they have experience playing this far into the season. The Oilers don’t. It showed early, Minnesota scores 4 goals in a 4:03 span of the first period. Edmonton gets two back in the 2nd, but Dino Ciccarelli scores late to end any Oiler comeback bid. Minnesota wins game one, 6-2. Dino Ciccarelli and Doug Crossman each score twice, helping the Stars build a 4-0 lead halfway through the third period of game two. The Oilers then started a comeback. Claude Lemieux gets them on the board. Dale Hawerchuk scores 10 seconds later. Steve Konroyd makes it a one goal game 2 mins after that, and we have a game! The Oilers get a few more chances in the dying seconds, but can’t tie it! Minny holds on to win it 4-3, but is this a momentum boost for Edmonton?


Ciccarelli scores three times in the first two games!

Joe Nieuwendyk scores in the first, giving the Oilers their first lead of the series in game three. That goal holds up for two periods, until Jeremy Roenick ties it. Dino Ciccarelli and John Cullen then get goals quickly in the middle of the third, dashing Edmonton hopes. 3-1 North Stars win. Game four sees Brian Leetch open the scoring, giving the Oilers another lead, but with 7 seconds left in the 2nd, Dave Hindmarch ties it. Backbreaking goal. The two teams remained tied until the final moments of the third. Troy Loney scores the winning goal for Edmonton, getting them on the board. To little, to late? Edmonton wins 2-1 to stay alive.


Troy Loney's late goal in game 4 keeps Edmonton alive.

Edmonton jumps out to a 2-0 lead very early, but the period doesn’t finish well for them. Randy Wood scores twice, and Dave Taylor adds one just before the buzzer, giving Minnesota a 3-2 lead. Joel Otto adds a fourth Minnesota goal early in the 2nd, but Nick Lidstrom gets it back early in the third, keeping Edmonton within one. After some pressure, Dave Taylor adds the all important insurance goal late, sealing it for Minny. 5-3 North Stars. They win the series in 5!

[George_Bell]

It’s a matchup of the two top scoring teams in hockey. It’s Steve Yzerman vs Dino Ciccarelli, the two franchise players on each team. Philly has been a top regular season team for a few years now, but I labeled them a playoff failure last year. So ofcourse, they go about reversing that making me look dumb. Minnesota has hit rock bottom since their back to back titles in the mid 80’s, and rebounded to get right back here. Philly has the advantage in goal. Young Curtis Joseph, who the Flyers stole from Edmonton in the offseason, has succeeded in his first real opportunity in the playoffs. Minnesota has old man Dan Bouchard, who played more games in the WHA then he has in the NHL! This has the makings of a long series!

[enf91]

Man, these playoffs seem to hit every major rivalry. Quebec, New England, Pennsylvania, Alberta, Detroit/Chicago... I wonder if this game has a home-ice-advantage factor in its simulations and if it changes based on things like this.

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by enf91

Man, these playoffs seem to hit every major rivalry. Quebec, New England, Pennsylvania, Alberta, Detroit/Chicago... I wonder if this game has a home-ice-advantage factor in its simulations and if it changes based on things like this.

haha ya!! Divisional hockey is the best. The rivalries it creates crush today's crap. Well, they did kind of fix it with divisions again....

[George_Bell]

The Philadelphia crowd was ready to go for their teams first final appearance in 20 years! Minnesota’s John Cullen quieted the crowd down with a goal 3:27 in. Doug Crossman made it 2-0. Dave Taylor then scored two in a row, followed by a Ciccarelli goal. After a period, the crowd was dead silent. With that start, the North Stars were on easy street for the rest of game one. 9-3 Minny takes the opener. Game two was more to the home crowds liking. Dave Barr opened the scoring. Steve Yzerman then got a short handed marker, followed by a power play goal. Flyers lead 3-0 after one! They keep coming in the 2nd. Yzerman gets another to complete the hattrick, and assists on two others. Stevie Y finishes with 5 points. Philly wins 6-1!! Two games, two blowouts.


Yzerman dominates game two!

Game three starts with Philly’s Mike Ramsey scoring shorthanded. That’s’ two straight games with a shorty. Chris Chelios ties it before the end of the period, and it stays that way until the third. Steve Yzerman scores the first of 3 straight Flyers goals. The North Stars would get a late one, but it’s far too little. 4-2 Flyers! Steve Yzerman scores to open game four. The North Stars seem to have no answer for him. Bill Berg scores shorthanded, the third straight game for Philly and it’s 2-0. With a 2-1 lead in the third, the Flyers put the game away when Dave Barr scores late. It ends up 4-1 Flyers!


Bill Berg's shorthanded goal in game 4 marks the third straight game the Flyers have scored shorthanded, all Philly wins!

Game 5 is a chance to clinch in front of the home fans for Philly. After no scoring in the first, Steve Yzerman gets it started again in the 2nd. He adds his 2nd in the third period, which makes it 3-0. Brent Ashton gets the North Stars on the board, but James Patrick scores 17 seconds later. That will do it. 4-1 Flyers! Philly wins the Stanley Cup!!

[George_Bell]

[George_Bell]

1990 NHL Offseason News and Notes

Here are the skating leaders for the season.



Here are the goalie leaders.



Here are the playoff leaders.



Doug Gilmour was robbed of the Hart Trophy, which goes to Mario Lemieux. Robbed. Chris Chelios win’s his first Pilote Trophy. Teemu Selanne puts up 31 goals and 60 points to win the rookie of the year at 19! Craig MacTavish does not win the Selke, ending his amazing run. Guy Carbonneau gets that silverware this year.





Marcel Dionne has retired from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He spent 19 years, and 1502 games there. He won 9 Hart Trophies, 2 Art Ross’, scored 668 goals, but never won a Stanley Cup! Dionne will obviously have his number 11 retired. Here is a look at his career.



The great Guy Lafleur has retired from the LA Kings. It’s odd though, as it never came across as a news item. I only noticed it when looking at the career leaders stats, and clicking on his name. That link brought me to some older retired player. I then checked the Kings roster, and he wasn’t there. I checked the Kings transaction page, and did not see any news of him retiring. I did find his contract extension, signed in April, and that link brought me to his actual player page, which says he’s retired. So it’s official. Guy Lafleur is retired. The Kings will retire his number 71. Here is a look at his career.



Calgary’s Rick Middleton and Brian Sutter have both retired. 2/3’s of Calgary’s top line are now gone. Only Bryan Trottier remains. Middleton was the best player in WHA history, and came over to Calgary as an established star who did not disappoint. Middleton scored 378 goals as a Flame, In 1982, he helped the Flames win the cup with 20 goals and 38 points in just 19 playoff games. Middleton scored 128 points in 115 playoff games. A big game player. Sutter joined the Flames in the same year after a 3 year WHA stint. He played next to Middleton and Trottier his whole career, scoring 873 points in 745 games. Sutter scored 70 goals in 1981, a single season franchise record. Middleton’s number 9 and Sutter’s number 81 will be honoured by Calgary. Sometime in the future, their center, Bryan Trottier will join them.



So, on July 2nd, the Washington Capitals announced the signing of Igor Larionov to a 4 year contract, worth 3.98 million. Larionov has no transaction history, which I guess means he was never drafted and had no NHL affiliation. He’s 29 years old, so I find it odd he was never taken at some point in the last decade, but I guess not. He’s a 5 star player. He’s easily one of the best players in the world. This is quite a coupe for the Caps. He has wonderful vision, and his defensive skill set is as good as a forward can get. Adding a player of this caliber could make a difference for a Capitals team that hasn't made the playoffs recently.


Larionov signs in Washington!

A bunch of Russians have signed contracts in the NHL. I guess it is time to bring an end to the Iron Curtain draft. Here is a list of guys who are joining the NHL.



The Red Wings really took advantage of this. They have a new #1 defenseman in Vladimir Konstantinov, and Mario Lemieux has a new linemate in Dmitri Khristich! BTW, Mario’s right winger is Bob Probert!


Detroit's new top defenseman.

It’s a very deep draft. Very good players are scattered all through the first round. Goalie Martin Brodeur, the only 5 star player available goes to the Kings. I’m very intrigued by the Islanders. They select Jaromir Jagr, who joins Pavel Bure in their prospect pool. The thought of them to playing together is scary for opposing goalies, and well, their own goalies!! The potential center for those two, is Mats Sundin!





2 of the best offensive defenseman of all time will enter into the Hall of Fame together. Bobby Orr set all kinds of records, including being the highest scoring defenseman of all time. He’s an easy and obvious induction into the Hall! Minnesota’s Jiri Bubla is also being inducted. Despite only playing 8 seasons, Bubla made his mark. He scored 70 points as a rookie at the age of 28, and put up seasons of 70, 84,83 and 72 points, all in a row. Injuries then hit, and his production fell off because he just couldn’t play. He retired at age 35, but his career will be remembered!



The Winnipeg Jets are the only team to change their look. Here is their new logo and uniforms for the upcoming season.

[JaytheGreat]

Good to see Vladdy ending up on the Red Wings, hopefully his career isn't shortened by a car crash in this world. Nice signing by Washington, and in 2 or 3 years the Islanders will have the best line in hockey.

[Rayzor]

Did Vladislav Tretiak make it in your save?

[Cygnusx1018]

Any word on Bure or Jagr coming over for the Isles? Also what is their roster looking like? What caused their sudden collapse

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by Rayzor

Did Vladislav Tretiak make it in your save?

He's not in the game. I assume only player's with at least one game of NHL experience minimum made it in. Would have been great to see him in there though!

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by Cygnusx1018

Any word on Bure or Jagr coming over for the Isles? Also what is their roster looking like? What caused their sudden collapse

Bure signed last year and is in the NHL now. Jagr hasn't signed yet, but probably will before next season.

They got old, while other teams got younger, dynamic players. The Islanders best forwards, Bernie Federko and Tim Kerr are 34 and 31 now. Federko is listed as the teams 8th best center. Kerr isn't the 100 point man he once was. Ray Bourque is 30. He's still great, but he's playing in his own end alot now. Goalie Phil Myre retired a few years ago, and they haven't received quality goaltending since. There is no secondary scoring or real depth. They need a rebuild bad. Well, they now have 3 extremely talented players that should take over in the coming years.

[George_Bell]

1990-91 NHL Season Preview


Pittsburgh and Montreal are contenders!! Ya, I don't think so!



Sergei Fedorov has been in the league for two years now. The Kings have not been good, but he looks like the kind of player great teams build around. Here is a look at him as he enters his third season in the league.



The Blues were able to bring in 22 year old Czech winger(Slovakia didn’t exist yet I don’t think) Peter Bondra this year. They drafted him in 1986, and with the influx in European players, they get one of the best. Bondra will play on the top line, for a team that is a year removed from a championship. Here is a look at the rookie.

[Rayzor]

Originally Posted by George_Bell

He's not in the game. I assume only player's with at least one game of NHL experience minimum made it in. Would have been great to see him in there though!

Strange, Tony Hand was drafted by Chicago in your save but never played in the NHL IRL, but one of the hockey's greatest goalies is not.

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by Rayzor

Strange, Tony Hand was drafted by Chicago in your save but never played in the NHL IRL, but one of the hockey's greatest goalies is not.

Damn, you are right. Excellent example. Valeri Kharlamov isn't in the game either!! I'm fairly disappointed now.

[George_Bell]

1990-91 NHL Regular Season

Wayne Gretzky scores twice in the first two games of the season, then tears his bicep! Gretzky, who got injured a lot at the beginning of his career, had a 7 year span of missing just 10 games. It looked like his injury days were over, but last year and now this year, they are back. Gretzky will miss atleast half the season recovering.


Gretzky will miss half the season!

Al MacInnis suffered an unusual injury.



The team was at home in Winnipeg when this happened, so I guess Al has pet snakes, and for him to be out 4 days, they have to be poisonous, or bite something hard!! Interesting.


MacInnis needs to be more careful!

Mario Lemieux is on pace for 50 goals in 50 games. It’s a record I’m very interested in, since it’s such a rare accomplishment. He’s got 31 goals in 31 games this year. There’s a long way to go, but so far, so good!


Will Lemieux be the first 50 in 50?

Igor Larionov has just turned 30, and has pretty much done what everyone in Washington was hoping he would. After 5 straight 5th place finishes, Larionov has the Capitals comfortably into the playoff picture. Washington sits 29-19-6, with a 10 points cushion on 3rd place in the Patrick. Larionov has 64 points and has given the Caps 2 dangerous scoring lines! A top center is a game changer!


Larionov has made an immediate impact

Mario Lemieux suffers two separate injuries. A sprained finger and a bruised shoulder. All told, it forces him to miss 12 games. He now has 40 goals in 43 games. If he were to get 50 in 50, I’m not sure if that will count. Is it 50 goals in your teams first 50 games, or your first 50 games. The point might be mute, as he still needs 10 goals in 7 games….

Lemieux doesn’t get it done. He scores 3 goals in the next 7, giving him 43 goals in his first 50 games. Still pretty good though…..


Click to view an amazing goal Lemieux scored in the real Stanley Cup final this season.

Without Rick Middleton and Brian Sutter, the Smythe Division power that was the Calgary Flames is no more. Having never missed the playoffs since moving from Atlanta, Calgary is on pace for their worst record in 15 years! They aren’t gonna make the playoffs, they are closer to the first draft pick then 4th place in the Smythe. Bryan Trottier’s production has fallen off to a career low without his long time linemates. Trottier has 49 points in 67 games. His career low has 67 points in 66 games back in 1978. This looks like another team that needs to rebuild.


Trottier is struggling without his linemates.

The Toronto Maple Leafs offered me a job at the end of the season. My dream job, to rebuild the Leafs, during the era I grew up in!!!! That’s a really tough job to turn down, but, that’s not what I’m doing here. I’ll remain commissioner and reach current times!


I'd be like John Brophy, yelling and screaming all the time!!

Final Standings



The Flyers look ready to defend their title, by winning another President’s trophy. Them and Quebec are the two best teams in the league. If they aren’t playing in the Wales conference finals, then their was a huge upset.

The Islanders finish dead last. They will be adding another highly touted prospect to the most exciting pool of young players in the league. Mats Sundin finished his 2nd season with 27 points in 63 games, he’s fairly raw still. Pavel Bure had 33 goals in his rookie year.

Calgary makes a run at the final playoff spot, but falls short. I really think the Canucks have a good shot at reaching their first cup. The Blues looks like their toughest opponent, but never count out the North Stars or Detroit!



Doug Gilmour leads the league in scoring for the 3rd time. Gilmour’s linemate, Cam Neely leads the league in goals for the first time.

Mario Lemieux really cooled off in the 2nd half of the season, finishing with 53 goals. He had a stretch of 16 games with just 2 goals. 53 is still pretty good though!!

Wayne Gretzky returned right around his 30th birthday, and plays 41 games on the year. He finishes the season with 70 points, and his Whalers, deeper then they have been in years, went from under .500 without the Great one, to well over .500 with him.

Igor Larionov finishes the year with 98 points, and gets the Capitals into the playoffs!!

[enf91]

Gretzky's career here is resembling Orr's and Lemieux's IRL.

Looks like the Islanders won the Lindros Sweepstakes. Seems playing in the Patrick/Atlantic is his inevitable destiny. Lindros, Sundin, Jagr, Bure... *shivers*. Do they have decent defensemen and goalies?

Buffalo will likely take Forsberg. What's the rest of the team look like?

[Cygnusx1018]

Originally Posted by enf91

Gretzky's career here is resembling Orr's and Lemieux's IRL.

Looks like the Islanders won the Lindros Sweepstakes. Seems playing in the Patrick/Atlantic is his inevitable destiny. Lindros, Sundin, Jagr, Bure... *shivers*. Do they have decent defensemen and goalies?

Buffalo will likely take Forsberg. What's the rest of the team look like?

Well, either Lindros or Niedermayer for the Isles.

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by enf91

Gretzky's career here is resembling Orr's and Lemieux's IRL.

Looks like the Islanders won the Lindros Sweepstakes. Seems playing in the Patrick/Atlantic is his inevitable destiny. Lindros, Sundin, Jagr, Bure... *shivers*. Do they have decent defensemen and goalies?

Buffalo will likely take Forsberg. What's the rest of the team look like?

The Islanders at this point have Ray Bourque, and that's about it. They are old and shallow. Easily one of the oldest teams in the league. Ofcourse, that prospect pool is elite!

Buffalo's top line consists of Vinny Damphousse, Pierre Turgeon and Teemu Selanne. Damphousse is the oldest of that group, at 23. That's pretty legit. They also have Patrick Roy in net, but's he's not played to his abilities. The D is old and meh. The forward depth is non existent.