The Greatest Playoff Series of the Modern Era

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by Shakes

I was wondering where on the list you were going to put this series as I kind of figured this one was going to be there. I always thought that this series was a bit overrated personally because I saw this in 87 (and because I just really hate the team that won).

I certainly wouldn't object to a list that ranked the '87 SCF over its '94 counterpart. My reasoning (beyond the obvious):

- the stakes were higher (New York hadn't won in 54 years; Vancouver hadn't won in its then-24 year history) than EDM/PHI
- the quality of hockey was higher in '94 than '87
- more iconic moments (McLean's 52 saves in G1; Rangers hitting crossbar in OT leading directly to Canucks' GWG; Bure vs Richter penalty shot; Messier hoisting Cup)

Quote: Originally Posted by Shakes

Kind of hard to say 1994 in this years finals.

You're telling me.

[DrJones]

#5 - Islanders def. Penguins 4-3 (1993 Patrick Final)

"I don't think any team can beat us four times in a seven-game series. We're not going to let that happen. We aren't going to lose." - Kevin Stevens, April 1993

The '93 Penguins were the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions... just like the '86 Oilers.
The '93 Penguins easily won the Presidents' Trophy with 119 points... just like the '86 Oilers.
The '93 Penguins were a ridiculous offensive juggernaut that had 4 players w/ 100+ points... just like the '86 Oilers.
The '93 Penguins had arguably the greatest player ever in his absolute prime, who would win the Hart & Art Ross trophies that year... just like the '86 Oilers.
The '93 Penguins had one of the top 10 forwards of all time as their fifth leading scorer that year (Jagr w/ 94 pts)... just like the '86 Oilers (Messier w/ 84 pts).
If by some miracle the '93 Penguins lost, it might allow an underdog Canadiens team led by Patrick Roy to sneak away with the Cup... just like the '86 Oilers.

Hmmm... the '93 Penguins sure had a lot in common with the '86 Oilers. Any differences?

Well, with 18 games to go in the regular season, the Pens won 17 straight games (still an NHL record) with only 2 going to OT. In their final regular season game, Pittsburgh and New Jersey played to a 6-6 tie (no shootouts back then, folks!). The Pens then won the first 3 games of their first-round series with Devils before (gasp) losing Game 4 and closing out the series in 5. Going into their second round matchup, the '93 Penguins were 21-1-1 in their last 23 games. So they had that going for them, which is nice.

What about their respective opponents? Though not in the Oilers' league, the '86 Flames were pretty good by most standards, #2 in the NHL in scoring, with 3 future Hall of Famers and a handful of All-Star quality players. The '93 Islanders... well, they were okay. Steve Thomas and Ray Ferraro were decent enough. Derek King and Benoit Hogue had 75-point seasons because, well... 69 players had 75+ points in 92/93. Malakhov and Kasparaitis were an intriguing defensive pairing.

But the Islanders had one superstar, and his name was Pierre Turgeon. He led the Isles with 132 points (good for only 6th in NHL scoring, because 1993). Their next-leading scorer was Steve Thomas with 87 points, so if the Isles were to have any chance, the 23-year-old Turgeon needed to shine. And he was pretty good in New York's mild upset of Washington in the first round. In fact, here he is, intercepting a bad Dale Hunter pass and scoring the dagger to give the Isles a 5-1 lead late in Game 6:



Oh. Seems Dale Hunter was a bit of a sore loser. Good thing his cowardly cheap shot didn't injure Turgeon or anythi --

Oh. Turgeon separated his shoulder, and would miss the Pens series? (Except for a brief Willis Reed cameo in G7.) Well, that's unfortunate. Maybe stellar goaltending could give the Isles a chance. Mike Vernon was a rookie for the Flames in '86, and he'd go on to a Vezina and a couple Cups. Perhaps New York had a young star of their own in net, someone who might be able to shut down --

OH JESUS, THE ISLANDERS GOALIE WAS GLENN HEALY.

Yes kids, this ridiculous, ridiculously entertaining series, one that featured 6-5 and 7-5 Isles wins in Games 4 and 6 in front of raucous Long Island crowds, a 20-year-old Kasparaitis absolutely terrorizing Super Mario, a broken face, a furious Pittsburgh comeback in the last 5 minutes of Game 7 which caused me to declare "F*** this s***!" and drive off to play softball without watching the end of the game (I recorded it, but those bastard Pens were going to win anyway, right? So infuriating!)...

...this series was the greatest upset in NHL history.



The Islanders haven't won a playoff series since.

[DrJones]

#4 - Kings def. Blackhawks 4-3 (2014 West Final)

Thankfully, no real writeup needed here. The last three games of the series were simply spellbinding, hockey being played at its highest level. It's gonna take a few years to determine where this series really fits in the "greatest ever" rankings, but it's up there. Slight deduction for the lack of bad blood or rivalry (at least compared to others on this list). Stakes were high, but not end-of-the-world material; neither team's legacy was going to be significantly diminished with a loss.







NOTE: This was only the 4th time since 1967 expansion that the winners of the two previous Stanley Cups faced each other in the postseason. The others were in 1971 (Habs over Bruins in Ken Dryden's debut), 2009 (Wings over Ducks in a series that probably should've been an HM on this list), and...

[Psyblast]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

2009 (Wings over Ducks in a series that probably should've been an HM on this list)

A stunning omission.

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by Psyblast

A stunning omission.

I'll probably look back at this list in a month and completely agree.

Can't win 'em all, I suppose.

[DrJones]

#3 - Oilers def. Flames 4-3 (1991 Smythe Semifinal)

As previously mentioned, the 1986 Flames finally bested their provincial rivals, but couldn't seal the deal with a Stanley Cup that year. The Oilers regained the Cup in '87 and humiliated the Presidents' Trophy winning Flames with a 4-game sweep in '88 en route to their 4th championship in 5 years. Calgary broke through with their first Cup in '89, but thanks to Gretzky's LA Kings, didn't have to go through Edmonton to do it. The situation was reversed in 1990, as the Oilers won their 5th Cup after watching Gretzky & co. douse the Flames.

And so now we move on to 1991, and the first round matched up the last two Stanley Cup champions. The 1980s were over, but its biggest rivalry demanded a fitting finale. One last kick at the can for two elite teams who hated each other's guts. One final Battle of Alberta.

[DrJones]

Random Aside: Everyone knows that the NHL is extremely conservative when it comes to rule changes. When it comes to safety issues, death or extreme injury is required to make common sense changes. When it comes to dumb rules, something embarrassing has to happen in a big spot. Ahem.



Someone among you might have wondered what happened to make the NHL finally adopt video review? The answer: Game 1 of the above CGY/EDM series. Joe Nieuwendyk's tying goal was disallowed because it hit the padding inside the post and then came out quickly. Although you can't really tell on the footage above, the puck did indeed cross the goal line. The front page of the Calgary papers the next day had a close up shot of the puck clearly across the goal line with "ROBBED" in 3-inch font.

So video review was introduced in the 91/92 season. A few Detroit and Minnesota fans on the boards might be old enough to remember its first important test case:

[jvalverde88]

I had a teacher in Middle School who would wear a "No Goal" shirt and would always remind people that goal should've not counted and the Sabres should've been in the SCF.