NHL Historical Replay

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by enf91

Barber and Parent on the Sabres? What sorcery is this?

hahaha, atleast the Flyers have a cup!!

[George_Bell]

1977-78 NHL Regular Season

Bill Barber starts the season on fire. He gets 8 goals and 12 assists in the first 8 games, leading the Sabres to the best record in hockey. The Sabres are for real!!


Barber dominating early!

26 year old Marcel Dionne just reached 300 goals!! That’s insanely quick. Dionne has 4 straight 50 goal seasons, which accounts for 200 of his goals right there! He accomplished the feat in just 502 games! That is the fastest pace ever.


300 goals in 502 games!

How about a LA Kings/Buffalo Sabres cup final! Those two teams are just dominating by new years. The Kings lead the NHL with a 25-7-2 mark, and lead the Sabres by a single point. Buffalo’s Bill Barber leads the NHL scoring race by 16 points, while LA’s top line of Robbie Ftorek, Burch Goring and Guy Lafleur is the most dominant thing in hockey. They all have 75 game ratings!


Ftorek, Goring and Lafleur

Kings goalie, Billy Smith, just signed a 6 year contract extension worth 2.1 million dollars. That’s 335,000 a year, which is will make him hockey’s highest paid player. That has me curious! Lets take a look at the top 10 paid players in the NHL this season.



Milan Novy’s addition to St. Louis has worked out well for the player. Novy is driving the St. Louis offense with 58 points in 46 games. He’s a +13 and has a 76 game ratings. St. Louis though, is still 2 games under .500. Adding a top line center did not fix all their problems.


Novy has adjusted well to North American hockey!

The great Stan Mikita has hit the 1500 point plateau!! In 1293 games, the 37 year old has 560 goals and 940 assists. He is 4th all time in goals, 2nd in points, and 9 assists from passing Gordie Howe for first in assists! What a career from Mikita. He’s still going strong too, with 55 points in 60 games so far this season! Here are the season ending top 10 scorers of all time!



Final Standings



Washington almost gets into the playoffs after finishing dead last. The teams penalty killings was top 5 in the league. I’m gonna guess that Randy Caryle’s addition really helped in that aspect and is why they improved so much. They still aren’t good though!!

The Sabres win one less game then the Kings, but still take the Presidents trophy on the strength of 21 TIES!!! Wow, that’s a lot. I’m not even checking, I'm declaring that a league record!



Bill Barber fell off in the 2nd half, and he was caught by Marcel Dionne, who just keeps on scoring a lot of points! Dionne has now scored 50 goals in 5 straight seasons. In his 7 seasons, Dionne has not missed a single game!

Mark Howe did have a breakout season for the Rockies. He couldn’t get them into the playoffs, but he did finish the year with 64 points in 68 games! He looks like he played LW this year.

Milan Novy has a great rookie year, making the playoffs and getting 97 points. He’s not a typical rookie, being 26, but he still qualifies for the Calder trophy for rookie of the year!

In the WHA, Rick Middleton scores 75 goals, 4 behind Lanny McDonald’s record 79! Middleton, now 24 years old, is the WHA’s career leader in goals with 279! Mike Bossy missed a few games with injuries, but finished his season with 39 goals and 82 points. A nice debut! Washington could have used him!

[enf91]

Line nickname time! Hmm... it's a bit too early for "RGB Line" (Robbie, Guy, Butch resembling Red, Green, Blue for computer monitors). The Kings wear purple at this point, right? We could have "The Purple Gang".

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by enf91

Line nickname time! Hmm... it's a bit too early for "RGB Line" (Robbie, Guy, Butch resembling Red, Green, Blue for computer monitors). The Kings wear purple at this point, right? We could have "The Purple Gang".

Yep, the Kings are gold and purple. I'm good with the Purple Gang. They should be together for a while, they are all in their prime. They gotta win a cup though, or else, they will be forgotten!

[George_Bell]

1978 NHL Playoffs



1st Round



Yes, 11th seed Montreal gets home ice advantage over 8th seed Chicago. I have to think that did have an effect. Those teams played an insanely entertaining elimination game, won by Montreal in overtime, from the Montreal Forum, not Chicago Stadium. The top 4 scorers in the first round all came from the Blackhawks, despite losing. Phil Esposito needs a new team if he’s gonna win a cup! All 4 teams with home ice advance to round 2!

Round 2


Two exciting 7 game series sees the North Stars end the Cleveland Barons run at a third straight trip to the cup(and their existence), and the Penguins upset co favourite Los Angeles. The defending champs, the New York Rangers, still cannot beat the Leafs, and the Canadiens made it tough on Buffalo, but eventually went down.

Round 3

#1 Buffalo Sabres vs #6 Toronto Maple Leafs

A lot of the star power is gone, but this Toronto team has a lot of experience, and a lot of cup wins on their roster. They still know how to defend. Toronto holds Buffalo to just 18 shots in the opener, allowing only a Bill Barber goal. Ralph Classen scores shorthanded, and Frank Cernik pots the winner. Toronto wins game one, 3-1. The Leafs keep up the defense in game two, allowing only 20 shots. The guys with 5 rings are the stars today. JP Parise and Garry Unger score 2 goals apiece, while Don Marcotte collects 2 assists. 5-0 Toronto takes game two.


Unger comes through with a big game two for Toronto!

Buffalo must feel shell shocked. After such a great season, they are in real trouble against the Leafs. JP Parise and Ken Hodge score a minute apart, giving Toronto a 2-0 first period lead. It’s 3-0 before the Sabres get on the board, just their 2nd goal of the series. The Leaf would score again soon after, and end up with a 5-1 lead midway through the 3rd. The Sabres add some meaningless goals, and lose 5-3. Facing the sweep, Bill Hajt gets Buffalo a lead 4 minutes into game 4. That lead holds up until Jorgen Pettersson ties it in the periods dying seconds. Real Cloutier gives Buffalo another lead, but this one only lasts 54 seconds. Toronto takes the lead for good at the end of the 2nd, and adds a Don Marcotte insurance marker in the third. 4-2 Leafs, they sweep the series!! I’m shocked! Bill Barber had 11 points in Buffalo’s series win over Montreal. He’s held to 1 goal and 2 assists in this loss.



#4 Minnesota North Stars vs #7 Pittsburgh Penguins

After falling down 1-0, Pittsburgh gets 3 goals in the 2nd, two off the stick of Bobby Clarke. Lanny McDonald gets his 2nd of the game in the third, but that 3 goal period is too much for the North Stars. Penguins win game one, 3-2. Bobby Clarke gets his third goal of the series early in the first, giving Pittsburgh the lead. Minnesota can’t get any offense going. The Pens score 3 more goals, but only allow 14 shots. A dominating 4-0 win for the Penguins, as they head home!


Clarke has 3 goals in the first two games!

Trailing 2-0, Pittsburgh again turns in a 3 goal second period! This time though, the North Stars have a response. Darryl Sittler ties it in the dying seconds of the 2nd. Jim Harrison and Dave Taylor score in the third giving Minnesota a 2 goal lead. Pittsburgh cuts the lead to one, but that’s as close as they get. 5-4 Minnesota gets back in the series. Pittsburgh goes down early again, and ends up trailing 3-2 in the third period of game four. Marcel Dionne would score to tie it, and he would assist on Bobby Clarke’s go ahead goal a minute later. Errol Thompson adds insurance, and a three goal third period gives the Pens a 5-3 win!


Dave Taylor's game three winning goal keeps Minnesota in the series!

Facing elimination, Rick Smith gives the North Stars a first period lead. The teams exchange goals in the 2nd, making it 2-1 Minny. Lanny McDonald makes it 3-1 only to see Ron Plumb respond 2 minutes later. It’s 3-2 late in the game, when Errol Thompson forces overtime with his 5th of the playoffs. No scoring in the first overtime. Halfway through the 2nd extra period, Marcel Dionne finds Bobby Clarke on a 2 on 1. Clarke in turn, finds the back of the net! Penguins win 4-3, and take the series in 5!!

[George_Bell]

The Penguins are the better offensive team, the Leafs are the better defensive team. That’s what this series will come down to. Pretty simple. The Penguins have a dynamic offense led by Marcel Dionne and Bobby Clarke. Toronto has a strong and steady defense led by Carol Vadnais and former WHA star Bob Murray. Toronto has the experience edge, the Penguins are playing where they have never been. The old adage in sports is a good defense beats a good offense. Lets see…

[George_Bell]

After a scoreless first period, Ken Hodge and Jorgen Pettersson score at the end of the 2nd to give the Leafs the lead. 19 seconds into the third, Norm Barnes cuts the lead to one. 20 seconds after that, Peter McNab restores the 2 goal lead. Toronto holds Pittsburgh to 16 shots, taking game one, 3-1. The Penguins grab a 2-0 lead during the first period of game two. Toronto responds with 4 straight goals. Ken Hodge gets 2 assists, and the Leafs outshoot Pittsburgh by 20! Toronto wins 4-2. Their defense is winning so far.


Ken Hodge has 3 points in the first two games!

Game three in Pittsburgh looks like a replica of game two. Pittsburgh leads 2-0 after a period, with Bobby Clark scoring his 15th. Toronto responds with goals from Garry Unger and Frank Cernik to tie it after two. In the third, the Leafs keep coming. Unger gets his 2nd of the game, and Ron Delorme scores into the empty net. The Leafs outshoot Pittsburgh 42-15, and win 4-2. Facing elimination, Pittsburgh again leads after a period, going up 2-1 when Errol Thompson scored with 3 seconds left. The 2nd period is also kind to the Pens, as they stretch their lead to 4-2, but they can’t hold it. After JP Parise scores early in the third, Jorgen Pettersson ties it with 2 mins remaining, forcing overtime. Just over 2 minutes into overtime, Don Luce gets a power play goal, winning it, 5-4 for the Penguins, extending the series!


Luce's OT goal forces a game 5!

Toronto’s defense came to play in game 5. They grabbed the lead and played shutdown hockey from there. Peter McNab scores in the first. Bob Murray and Jean Lemieux score in the 2nd, making it 3-0, and McNab adds another. At that point, it was pretty much over. Toronto smothers the Pens 4-1, and takes the series in 5! The Leafs win the Stanley Cup! Toronto held Marcel Dionne goalless until he scored the final goal of the series!

[George_Bell]

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

Booooo! Leafs AGAIN? If this is life without Ballard, I think the fans of all the other teams are glad he was around to hold them back.

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by ThatSeventiesGuy

Booooo! Leafs AGAIN? If this is life without Ballard, I think the fans of all the other teams are glad he was around to hold them back.

You know what though, this is a different Leaf team that won. This team did not dominate the regular season. They weren't driven by Bobby Hull and Jean Ratelle. They upset two teams to play in the finals, and won with defense!

I am too young to remember and comprehend what Harold Ballard did to the Leafs at the time. I do remember the day he died though. That was big news. I think that question you ask thought, what is Toronto without Ballard, is very fascinating! I don't know!

[George_Bell]

1978 NHL Offseason News and Notes

Here are the skating leaders from the regular season.



Here are the goaltending leaders.



Here are the playoff scoring leaders.



Marcel Dionne wins another Hart Trophy. For those counting, that’s the fifth one he can add to his mantle! Dionne’s teammate wins the Conn Smythe trophy. Bobby Clarke did score 15 goals in 19 playoff games. I don’t love giving this award to someone who didn’t win the cup, but I see Toronto’s victory as more of a team effort, meaning they didn’t have any WOW standout performances. Clarke’s stats are wow!



Milan Novy is a 26 year old rookie of the year. He had a wonderful rookie season, and was also awarded the Lady Byng Trophy! Dennis Maruk, Washington's ONLY forward, impresses me with a 2nd team all star team selection. The Caps are really bad. For him to have a 40 goal season is great. He had no help!



Montreal’s Dave Keon has retired at the age of 38. Keon is probably the best Canadien of all time, and that’s saying a lot. They have won 14 titles!


Keon's career. Click to expand.

Keon is the franchise leader in every offensive category except hits and PIM’s. He won 6 cups, and 3 Conn Smythe Trophys! His number 24 is being retired by the Habs.



The Cleveland Barons, formally the California Golden Seals have folded. Hockey in Cleveland did not work. In real life, the Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars, who were also close to folding. The new North Stars were allowed to protect players, and a dispersal draft took place for the 5 poorest teams in the NHL. It doesn’t look like that is happening here. The Barons players in our story seem to be free agents, infact, one has already signed a significant deal. More on that later. The North Stars have joined the Adams division. There are now 17 teams in the NHL.


Goodbye Cleveland!

The Houston Aeros have folded from the WHA. They were a horrible team last year, winning just 14 games. The biggest NHL ramification of this is Joe Mullen, last years 5th overall selection, will be joining the Boston Bruins this year. Mullen had 62 points in his only WHA season.


Mullen is a Bruin! They need him!

The WHA is now down to seven teams. Instead of a draft, they have instituted an underage signing period. I guess teams have claimed players, like a draft, and now can sign them. Total guess. The game doesn't explain any of this. I’m not sure how this will effect things going forward, but here are the results.




Wrong jersey Wayne!

Oh, and speaking of the WHA, I forgot to recap the Avco cup. Edmonton won their 2nd title, beating the Birmingham Bulls in 7 games! It's Edmonton's 2nd championship!

The Bruins make a move to shore up their goaltending.



Boston, one of hockey's worst teams over the last few years, have a brand new starting goalie. They pick up Ken Dryden, only 30, from the Blackhawks. Dryden was the on again, off again starter, battling with Tony Esposito in Chicago. Both are excellent goalies, but Dryden has seen his skillset decline a bit over the years. He played 414 games over the last decade, putting up a 2.64 GAA and a .899 SP. Not bad in today’s NHL. He’s easily the best goalie in the Bruins organization. The Blackhawks receive the 3rd pick in this years draft!


The Bruins add another impact player in their quest to get out of the cellar!

Yep, as I simmed longer into the offseason, it’s evident there is no merger or dispersal draft for the former Cleveland Barons players. They are signing with NHL teams. Rick Kehoe, who has 2 straight 75 point seasons, signs in Vancouver. Dale Hoganson, just named a 2nd team all-star, joins Montreal. Mel Bridgman, one of the NHL's best two way players and just 23 years old, is now a Blue. Toronto signs 5 star goalie, Curt Ridley. They don't really need him, but they got him!


Kehoe give's last place Vancouver a scoring threat to play with Gilbert Perreault!

With the first pick in the NHL draft, the Vancouver Canucks select Al Secord. This is not the year to have a high pick. Secord is a good player, but the draft is very deep. There is a lot of good available this year. Too many good players to name.



At the end of the draft, Russians Slava Fetisov and Sergei Makarov were selected. They won't be playing in the NHL, atleast this year anyway. They are lottery tickets, and sometimes, those pay off !! Here is a look at Secord.



Bob Nevin was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Nevin played in Montreal and Minnesota during his 18 year career. He is 2nd all time in goals for the Habs, and was a key part of their great teams of the 60’s. Nevin retired with 982 points in 1157 games. Welcome to the Hall of Fame!!



24 year old, reigning Pilote trophy winner, Denis Potvin, has signed with the LA Kings. The Kings were one of the best teams in the NHL last year. They got upset in the playoffs but have some dynamic young talent. Denis Potvin’s addition makes them look that much better. Their one weakness was the defense. Potvin sure fixes that.


Potvin to LA is a perfect fit!

With that move, the Buffalo Sabres respond, by inking Potvin’s old partner, Borje Salming. Salming was regularly breaking the 60 point plateau in Cleveland, and becomes the Sabres best defenseman. The Kings and Sabres again look like the best teams in hockey to me.

Salming heads to Buffalo!

Time for the iron curtain lottery. The first random number is 10. The New York Islanders could sure use some help, but they have no one eligible. Number 16 means the Vancouver Canucks. That means they are signing Sergei Mylnikov, a 19 year old Russian goalie. This isn’t a big deal. Mylnikov is a 1.5 star potential goalie, who will need some time to grow. He’s the best player who meets the criteria in the system though.


Mylnikov needs to grow to be an NHL goalie.

After several tries, the next team with a player eligible are the Minnesota North Stars. They drafted Slava Fetisov this year, but he isn’t the man coming over to play. Jiri Bubla, a 28 year old Czech defenseman will defect to North America to play in the NHL. Bubla is now a 4.5 star player, who has drafted 8 years ago! He’s a big name overseas, and has the talent to be an impact player. Big day for the North Stars!


Bubla to Minnesota!

[George_Bell]

1978-79 NHL Season Preview





So last season was the 60th anniversary of the NHL. I wanted to do a original 6 franchise review for the 50th anniversary, but with the league changing so much after the 67 season, i just got wrapped up in that, and put it off a few season. Anyway, why not share now after 60 seasons! I'll show two teams during the season preview for the next 3 season's, with a small review of each original 6 team. Nothing special, just something else to add some content to the dynasty here.





Player Spotlight

The only player from that underage signing list that actually signed with a WHA team, was Wayne Gretzky. The 17 year old has better skills then anyone we have ever seen. Here is a look at him, in a Cincinnati Stingers jersey, as he begins his first professional season!



Dennis Maruk was a 2nd team all star last year, playing on a team that very little talent around him. I didn’t think Maruk would ever be this good, but he’s developed into a 22 year old, 5 star, franchise center! Washington’s depth chart is red at the top. That means players are coloured red if they aren’t playing for Washington. All the talent that should make up Washington’s core is somewhere else, other then Maruk. Here’s a look at Dennis Maruk, whose doing it all by himself!

[George_Bell]

1978-79 NHL Regular Season

The additions of Ken Dryden and Joe Mullen have not helped the Bruins. They begin the season 1-10-2. Ken Dryden has fallen to a 2.5 star player, and is allowing 3.92 GAA. Joe Mullen has 8 points in 13 games, and is a -10. This Bruins teams is old, without depth, and not getting better with just 2 additions. They need a complete overhaul.


The Bruins need more then just a goalie!

With Buffalo off to a 11-1-2 start, star forward Bill Barber tears an abdominal muscle. He will miss the next 3 months. That’s a huge blow to a team looking to make the next step from contender to champion. Buffalo will be tested without their star. The Adams division, with Toronto and Minnesota, is pretty talented.


Barber is out for a few months!

Well, at new years, Buffalo has fallen off a little. They are 23-9-4, which isn’t the same pace as they had with Barber, but its good enough. They are over .500 without him. The Sabres are benefiting from a breakout season. 22 year old center, Garth MacGuigan played 80 games last year, putting up 4 goals and 16 assists. He looks exactly like that kind of player. This year, without Barber, MacGuigan has exploded. He’s already got 14 goals and 29 assists!! 43 points in 36 games!! Where the hell did this come from!! MacGuigan reminds me of the way Nick Libbett just exploded one year. I’ll keep an eye on him.




MacGuigan is turning heads!

I just wrote up a story about Guy Lafleur having a 28 game point streak. Who knows where it will end. Well, it ended the next game! JINX! Even though that streak ended, Lafleur looks like he’s going to set records this year. He’s got 41 goals and 55 assists. He’s played 50 games!! The addition of Denis Potvin has helped Lafleur and the Kings PP immensely. L.A. is 43-6-1, and without a doubt the best team in hockey! LA's powerplay is firing close to 30% efficiency!


Lafleur has been nothing short of dominant!

Bill Barber returns to the Sabres lineup on January 25th. He proceeds to get 5 assists as Buffalo destroys the Rangers 8-1! The Sabres then only lose twice in Barbers first month back. Buffalo lost first place without their star, being 2 points behind Toronto. Today, Mach 1st, they lead the Leafs by 8 points!


Welcome back Barber!

The LA Kings have a chance at setting NHL records for wins and points. The 1969 Maple Leafs won 61 games, and the 1975 Maple Leafs had 128 points. With 19 games left, Captain Guy Lafleur’s Kings have 53 wins and 109 points. Both marks are reasonably within reach!! Billy Smith also has 50 wins, just 4 behind Bernie Parent’s 50 wins in 1973. This Kings team might be setting records!!


Billy Smith is close to setting the single season goalie wins mark!

Midway through March, Guy Lafleur scored his 60th goal, and his 137th point, setting single season records!! The Kings have also past Toronto’s 61 wins and 128 points to set league records. If they don’t win the Cup this year, with this level of dominance, then it’s a huge upset and disaster. Here are the end of season, top 10 goals and points in a single season.



Final Standings



The Kings win 68 times, with 140 points! They finish 44 points ahead of 2nd place Montreal, who had a strong year! Only 8 losses is incredible. 229 goal differential! The Kings better win the cup!

In the worst playoff race of all time, the 16 win Flyers edge out the 17 win Islanders! Both teams finish 30 games under 500, but Philly makes the playoffs with less losses and more ties!

I have no idea if Wayne Gretzky will be available in this seasons draft, but the Islanders have the worst record in hockey, and have the first overall pick….



Guy Lafleur finishes with 71 goals!! 12 more then the previous record! He also hits 157 points, which is crazy!! His linemate, Burch Goring has 131 points, while Robbie Ftorek finished the season with pedestrian 85 points in 72 games!

Denis Potvin’s signing with the Kings obviously worked well. Potvin finished with career high’s of 23 goals, 60 assists, 83 points, and a +86!!

Garth MacGuigan’s breakout season slowed down a bit, but he still finished with 70 points in 68 games!

Marcel Dionne gets 51 goals, his 6th straight 50 goal season!! Lanny McDonald and Wilf Paiement also join the 50 goal club this year.

Wayne Gretzky played every game for the last place Cincinnati Stingers. He finished the season with 36 goals and 54 assists. It’s a pretty good year for a teenager playing with men. Gretzky also had 100 penalty minutes. This isn’t the Wayne we remember from real life!!

[enf91]

Yeah, FHM seems to give ridiculous PIMs for non-playable leagues. In my historical challenges, it seems every AHL player has 300 PIMs by February.

Garth MacGuigan is doing well for a guy who played FIVE games in his IRL NHL career.

Lafleur and Dionne combine for 6 of the top 10 (not counting ties for 10th place) goal-scoring seasons. And they play at the same time. This is a good era for hockey. Of course, we're about to enter the absurdly point-inflated '80s, so that will probably change. The two-man dominance, not the "good era for hockey".

[George_Bell]

Originally Posted by enf91

Yeah, FHM seems to give ridiculous PIMs for non-playable leagues. In my historical challenges, it seems every AHL player has 300 PIMs by February.

Garth MacGuigan is doing well for a guy who played FIVE games in his IRL NHL career.

Lafleur and Dionne combine for 6 of the top 10 (not counting ties for 10th place) goal-scoring seasons. And they play at the same time. This is a good era for hockey. Of course, we're about to enter the absurdly point-inflated '80s, so that will probably change. The two-man dominance, not the "good era for hockey".

My worry about this is the game will get comical with the amount of scoring in the 80s. I haven't done this before, i have no idea what will happen, but that's my big worry!

[George_Bell]

1979 NHL Playoffs


The playoff seedings are correct!!!

1st Round



The lower seeds have a strong showing. Philly almost pulls an upset over Montreal, but it’s Vancouver eliminating defending champion Toronto that stands out! The Canucks had the leagues worst record a year ago!

2nd Round



The Kings have no problem with the upstart Canucks, but division winner St. Louis loses to Montreal. The big upset is Atlanta, who finished 11 games under 500, beating the Sabres in 6 games! Bryan Trottier had 4 goals and 4 assists in the series. Atlanta makes the semi’s for the first time.

3rd Round

All the playoff matchups were right until the semi finals.


Los Angeles Kings vs New York Rangers

NY grabs the series first lead early in the first, but the Kings use a 3 goal second period to win the opener 3-2. Guy Lafleur scores twice! In game two, goalies Billy Smith and Gary Edwards put on a bit of a show, not allowing a goal in the first two frames. Denis Potvin breaks the goose egg early in the third. It’s 1-0 LA until the final few minutes, when Ulf Nilsson and Butch Goring add some insurance 60 seconds apart. Billy Smith gets the 3-0 shutout win. Kings lead the series 2-0.


Smith posts the game two shutout!

MSG hosts game three, and the Rangers give their fans something to cheer about early. Bill Fairbairn gives NY a short lived 1-0 lead. Dave Silk ties it 2 mins later for the Kings. Then, in the 2nd, LA explodes. 5 different players combine to score 6 times in the final 10 minutes of the period. Ranger fans boo the home side off the ice at intermission. LA wins an embarrassing game for NY, 8-1! A motivated Rangers team comes out on fire in game two. Terry O’Reilly scores twice in the first, giving the Rangers their largest lead of the series. Terry Ruskowski makes it 3-0 after the 2nd. The Rangers make it 4-0 early in the third. After getting on the board, LA’s Robbie Ftorek and Mark Pavelich scores 12 seconds apart to cut the lead to just one. Is it happening again? No, NY stops the damage right there, and hold on to win it 4-3!


O'Reilly's 2 goals extend the series!

The Kings fall down again, 1-0 in the first. They aren’t a first period team I guess. Denis Potvin ties it in the 2nd on the PP, and Dave Silk gives the Kings the lead early in the third. Facing elimination, the Rangers manage just 3 more shots on net, and only 12 for the entire game. LA doesn’t score, but they dominate this one. 2-1 Kings win to advance to their first Stanley Cup finals!




Montreal Canadiens vs Atlanta Flames

The Flames enter the series completely unprepared for the level of hockey they are about to play. Dale Hoganson gives Montreal a lead 3 minutes into the game, and when the first period buzzer sounds, it’s 5-0 Montreal. Wilf Paiment ends up with 3 points, as “everyone” scores for Montreal! 9-1 Habs win. Much more prepared for game two, Atlanta leads 2-0 3:16 in! A great response from the Flames. The lead disappears in the 2nd period though. Rich LeDuc ties it, and Willi Plett gives Montreal a lead they won’t relinquish. Montreal wins 4-3 to take a 2-0 series lead.


Paiment is game one's first star!

Despite losing game two, Atlanta might have gained some real confidence. They show it jumping out to another 2-0 first period lead in game three. Bryan Trottier extends that lead in the 2nd, and it’s 4-0 before Montreal can score. Trottier would score twice in the third to complete the hat trick. Atlanta wins it 6-2! A back and forth first period highlights game four. The teams exchange goals for the first 20 minutes, resulting in a 3-3 tie. After that, its’ all Montreal. Dale Hoganson scores the eventual game winner in the 2nd, and would assist on 2 insurance markers in the 3rd. 7-3 Habs.


Trottier gets a hat trick in game 3!

Trailing 2-0 heading into the third period of game 5, Atlanta, facing elimination, explodes. Bryan Trottier, Kevin Morrison, Veli-Pekka Ketola and Darryl Mags score. 4 straight goals is enough to make Montreal’s late snipe not matter. 4-3 Flames survive game five. Tim Young scores twice in game 6, giving the Montreal sniper 6 goals in the playoffs. John Marks’ 2nd period goal cuts the Atlanta deficit to one. Trailing into the 3rd, the Flames had no answer today. Al Smith would make 27 saves, giving the Habs a 2-1 win, and a trip back to the Stanley Cup!

[George_Bell]

The 70’s have been the worst decade of hockey from the Montreal Canadiens. They had a last place finish, and haven't played for a Stanley Cup in 9 years. The Habs will get a chance to lift the Cup during this decade before it ends. The 70’s started with Montreal being victims to one of the biggest upsets in league history. Now they have a chance to do the same.

Montreal finished 44 points behind the Kings.They do have some good offense in Don Lever, Wilf Paiement and Dale Hoganson. They just don't have what the Kings have. Guy Lafleur is dominant. Butch Goring, an afterthought has one of the best seasons in NHL History. They have a superstar defenseman in Denis Potvin, and Billy Smith outclasses Al Smith. Kings in 5 is my prediction.

[George_Bell]

Guy Lafleur gets the Kings first ever Stanley cup goal, then he gets their 2nd, giving the Kings a two goal lead. Montreal cuts the lead to one, but in the third, the purple gang strike for the third time. Lafleur and Butch Goring each finish with 3 points. LA wins 3-2. Game two is scoreless for 35 minutes, until Butch Goring converts a Guy Lafleur pass making it 1-0 after two periods. In the third, Denis Potvin strikes 28 seconds in. Montreal eventually pulls the goalie, which gets Don Lever his 9th, but it’s not enough. 2-1 Kings win.


Lafleur with 4 points in the first two games!

At home in the Montreal Forum, the Habs get their first lead of the series off the stick of Ed Kea. LA scores twice in a 35 second span to take that lead away, but Cam Connor would tie it before the end of the period. A scoreless 2nd period is followed by the better team taking ownership of the third. Guy Lafleur would score twice in the frame, and Darryl Edestrand added the dagger late. 5-2 Kings win to go up 3 games to 0. A rough first period highlights game four. Three different fights, a 10 minute misconduct, but no goals. Denis Potvin gets the first one 3 minutes into the 2nd, but the Habs equalize a minute later on the PP. The third period again belongs to the Kings. Robbie Ftorek gives the Kings back the lead and Lee Fogolin adds some insurance. Montreal played the Kings tough, and limited their output, but the LA Kings win their first Stanley cup with a 3-1 win!

[George_Bell]

[batted balls]

Kings win title on 30th anniversary of The Trade (an event that hasn’t happened in your world)