1989–90 NHL season

The 1989–90 NHL season was the 73rd season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup winners were the Edmonton Oilers, who won the best of seven series 4–1 against the Boston Bruins. The championship was the Oilers' fifth Stanley Cup in the past seven years.

1989–90 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 5, 1989 – May 24, 1990
Number of games	80
Number of teams	21
Draft
Top draft pick	Mats Sundin
Picked by	Quebec Nordiques
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy	Boston Bruins
Season MVP	Mark Messier (Oilers)
Top scorer	Wayne Gretzky (Kings)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	Boston Bruins
Eastern runners-up	Washington Capitals
Western champions	Edmonton Oilers
Western runners-up	Chicago Blackhawks
Playoffs MVP	Bill Ranford (Oilers)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Edmonton Oilers
Runners-up	Boston Bruins

Regular season

This season marked the first time that all three New York City area NHL teams, including the New Jersey Devils made the playoffs in the same season, a feat which has since been repeated twice more: in the 1993–94 and the 2006–07 seasons.

Until 2017, this was last time the Detroit Red Wings missed the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Sam St. Laurent of the Red Wings became the last goalie to wear a full fiberglass mask during an NHL game.

Final standings

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Prince of Wales Conference

Adams Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
Boston Bruins	80	46	25	9	289	232	101
Buffalo Sabres	80	45	27	8	286	248	98
Montreal Canadiens	80	41	28	11	288	234	93
Hartford Whalers	80	38	33	9	275	268	85
Quebec Nordiques	80	12	61	7	240	407	31

[1]

Patrick Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
New York Rangers	80	36	31	13	279	267	85
New Jersey Devils	80	37	34	9	295	288	83
Washington Capitals	80	36	38	6	284	275	78
New York Islanders	80	31	38	11	281	288	73
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	32	40	8	318	359	72
Philadelphia Flyers	80	30	39	11	290	297	71

[1]

Wales Conference[2]

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	p – Boston Bruins	ADM	80	46	25	9	289	232	101
2	Buffalo Sabres	ADM	80	45	27	8	286	248	98
3	Montreal Canadiens	ADM	80	41	28	11	288	234	93
4	Hartford Whalers	ADM	80	38	33	9	275	268	85
5	New York Rangers	PTK	80	36	31	13	279	267	85
6	New Jersey Devils	PTK	80	37	34	9	295	288	83
7	Washington Capitals	PTK	80	36	38	6	284	275	78
8	New York Islanders	PTK	80	31	38	11	281	288	73
9	Pittsburgh Penguins	PTK	80	32	40	8	318	359	72
10	Philadelphia Flyers	PTK	80	30	39	11	290	297	71
11	Quebec Nordiques	ADM	80	12	61	7	240	407	31

Divisions: PTK – Patrick, ADM – Adams

bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy

Clarence Campbell Conference

Norris Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Chicago Blackhawks	80	41	33	6	315	294	88
St. Louis Blues	80	37	34	9	295	279	83
Toronto Maple Leafs	80	38	38	4	337	358	80
Minnesota North Stars	80	36	40	4	284	291	76
Detroit Red Wings	80	28	38	14	288	323	70

[1]

Smythe Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Calgary Flames	80	42	23	15	348	265	99
Edmonton Oilers	80	38	28	14	315	283	90
Winnipeg Jets	80	37	32	11	298	290	85
Los Angeles Kings	80	34	39	7	338	337	75
Vancouver Canucks	80	25	41	14	245	306	64

[1]

Campbell Conference[3]

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	Calgary Flames	SMY	80	42	23	15	348	265	99
2	Edmonton Oilers	SMY	80	38	28	14	315	283	90
3	Chicago Blackhawks	NRS	80	41	33	6	316	294	88
4	Winnipeg Jets	SMY	80	37	32	11	298	290	85
5	St. Louis Blues	NRS	80	37	34	9	295	279	83
6	Toronto Maple Leafs	NRS	80	38	38	4	337	358	80
7	Minnesota North Stars	NRS	80	36	40	4	284	291	76
8	Los Angeles Kings	SMY	80	34	39	7	338	337	75
9	Detroit Red Wings	NRS	80	28	38	14	288	323	70
10	Vancouver Canucks	SMY	80	25	41	14	245	306	64

Divisions: NRS – Norris, SMY – Smythe

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Playoffs

Main article: 1990 Stanley Cup playoffs

Playoff bracket

Division Semifinals

Division Finals

Conference Finals

Stanley Cup Finals

A1

Boston

4

A4

Hartford

3

A1

Boston

4

A3

Montreal

1

A2

Buffalo

2

A3

Montreal

4

A1

Boston

4

Prince of Wales Conference

P3

Washington

0

P1

NY Rangers

4

P4

NY Islanders

1

P1

NY Rangers

1

P3

Washington

4

P2

New Jersey

2

P3

Washington

4

A1

Boston

1

S2

Edmonton

4

N1

Chicago

4

N4

Minnesota

3

N1

Chicago

4

N2

St. Louis

3

N2

St. Louis

4

N3

Toronto

1

N1

Chicago

2

Clarence Campbell Conference

S2

Edmonton

4

S1

Calgary

2

S4

Los Angeles

4

S4

Los Angeles

0

S2

Edmonton

4

S2

Edmonton

4

S3

Winnipeg

3

Stanley Cup Finals

Main article: 1990 Stanley Cup Finals

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Boston Bruins in the Final series, four games to one. For the Oilers, it was their fifth Cup win in seven years, and their only one without Wayne Gretzky (in fact, they defeated Gretzky's Kings in the second round). In game one, Petr Klima scored at 15:13 of the third overtime period to give the Oilers a 3–2 win. As of 2019, this game remains the longest in Stanley Cup Finals history (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. In game five at the Boston Garden on May 24, the Oilers won 4–1. Craig Simpson scored the game-winning goal.

May 15

Edmonton Oilers

3–2

3OT

Boston Bruins

Boston Garden

May 18

Edmonton Oilers

7–2

Boston Bruins

Boston Garden

May 20

Boston Bruins

2–1

Edmonton Oilers

Northlands Coliseum

May 22

Boston Bruins

1–5

Edmonton Oilers

Northlands Coliseum

May 24

Edmonton Oilers

4–1

Boston Bruins

Boston Garden

Edmonton won series 4–1

Awards

Presidents' Trophy:	Boston Bruins
Prince of Wales Trophy: (Wales Conference playoff champion)	Boston Bruins
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (Campbell Conference playoff champion)	Edmonton Oilers
Art Ross Trophy:	Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:	Gord Kluzak, Boston Bruins
Calder Memorial Trophy:	Sergei Makarov, Calgary Flames
Conn Smythe Trophy:	Bill Ranford, Edmonton Oilers
Frank J. Selke Trophy:	Rick Meagher, St. Louis Blues
Hart Memorial Trophy:	Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers
Jack Adams Award:	Bob Murdoch, Winnipeg Jets
James Norris Memorial Trophy:	Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins
King Clancy Memorial Trophy:	Kevin Lowe, Edmonton Oilers
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:	Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues
Lester B. Pearson Award:	Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers
NHL Plus/Minus Award:	Paul Cavallini, St. Louis Blues
Vezina Trophy:	Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens
William M. Jennings Trophy:	Reggie Lemelin/Andy Moog, Boston Bruins
Lester Patrick Trophy:	Len Ceglarski

All-Star teams

First team	Position	Second team
Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens	G	Daren Puppa, Buffalo Sabres
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins	D	Paul Coffey, Pittsburgh Penguins
Al MacInnis, Calgary Flames	D	Doug Wilson, Chicago Blackhawks
Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers	C	Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues	RW	Cam Neely, Boston Bruins
Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings	LW	Brian Bellows, Minnesota North Stars

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes, PPG = Powerplay Goals, SHG = Shorthanded Goals, GWG = Game Winning Goals

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
Wayne Gretzky	Los Angeles Kings	73	40	102	142	42	+8	10	4	4
Mark Messier	Edmonton Oilers	79	45	84	129	79	+19	13	6	3
Steve Yzerman	Detroit Red Wings	79	62	65	127	79	-6	16	7	8
Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh Penguins	59	45	78	123	78	-18	14	3	4
Brett Hull	St. Louis Blues	80	72	41	113	24	-1	27	0	12
Bernie Nicholls	Los Angeles Kings/ New York Rangers	79	39	73	112	86	-9	15	0	1
Pierre Turgeon	Buffalo Sabres	80	40	66	106	29	+10	17	1	10
Pat LaFontaine	New York Islanders	74	54	51	105	38	-13	13	2	8
Paul Coffey	Pittsburgh Penguins	80	29	74	103	95	-25	10	0	3
Joe Sakic	Quebec Nordiques	80	39	63	102	27	-40	8	1	2
Adam Oates	St. Louis Blues	80	23	79	102	30	9	6	2	3

Sources: NHL,[4] Quanthockey.com.[5]

Leading goaltenders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage

Player	Team	GP	Min	W	L	T	SO	GAA	Sv%
Kirk McLean	Vancouver Canucks	63	3739	21	30	10	0	3.47	88.0
Jon Casey	Minnesota North Stars	61	3407	31	22	4	3	3.22	89.6
Daren Puppa	Buffalo Sabres	56	3241	31	16	6	1	2.89	90.3
Bill Ranford	Edmonton Oilers	56	3107	24	16	9	1	3.19	88.7
Patrick Roy	Montreal Canadiens	54	3173	31	16	5	3	2.53	91.2
Sean Burke	New Jersey Devils	52	2914	22	22	6	0	3.60	88.0
Kelly Hrudey	Los Angeles Kings	52	2860	22	21	6	2	4.07	87.3
Ken Wregget	Philadelphia Flyers	51	2961	22	24	3	0	3.42	89.2
Greg Millen	Quebec Nordiques	49	2900	19	25	5	1	3.89	87.2
Don Beaupre	Washington Capitals	48	2793	23	18	5	2	3.22	89.0

Source: Quanthockey.com.[6]

Coaches

Patrick Division

• New Jersey Devils: Jim Schoenfeld and John Cunniff
• New York Islanders: Al Arbour
• New York Rangers: Roger Neilson
• Philadelphia Flyers: Paul Holmgren
• Pittsburgh Penguins: Gene Ubriaco and Craig Patrick
• Washington Capitals: Bryan Murray and Terry Murray

Adams Division

• Boston Bruins: Mike Milbury
• Buffalo Sabres: Rick Dudley
• Hartford Whalers: Rick Ley
• Montreal Canadiens: Pat Burns
• Quebec Nordiques: Michel Bergeron

Norris Division

• Chicago Blackhawks: Mike Keenan
• Detroit Red Wings: Jacques Demers
• Minnesota North Stars: Pierre Page
• St. Louis Blues: Brian Sutter
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Doug Carpenter

Smythe Division

• Calgary Flames: Terry Crisp
• Edmonton Oilers: John Muckler
• Los Angeles Kings: Tom Webster
• Vancouver Canucks: Bob McCammon
• Winnipeg Jets: Bob Murdoch

Milestones

This season would be the last the Toronto Maple Leafs would play under the 29 year ownership of Harold Ballard as a result of his death in April 1990 and the subsequent sale of the franchise.

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1989–90 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Wes Walz, Boston Bruins
• Alexander Mogilny, Buffalo Sabres
• Rob Ray, Buffalo Sabres
• Donald Audette*, Buffalo Sabres
• Sergei Makarov, Calgary Flames
• Rob Blake, Los Angeles Kings
• Helmut Balderis, Minnesota North Stars
• Mike Modano, Minnesota North Stars
• Andrew Cassels, Montreal Canadiens
• Lyle Odelein, Montreal Canadiens
• Vyacheslav Fetisov, New Jersey Devils
• Alexei Kasatonov, New Jersey Devils
• Murray Baron, Philadelphia Flyers
• Curtis Joseph, St. Louis Blues
• Tie Domi, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Vladimir Krutov, Vancouver Canucks
• Igor Larionov, Vancouver Canucks
• Olaf Kolzig, Washington Capitals

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1989–90 (listed with their last team):

• Reed Larson, Buffalo Sabres
• Al Secord, Chicago Blackhawks
• Bob Murray, Chicago Blackhawks
• Duane Sutter, Chicago Blackhawks
• Bernie Federko, Detroit Red Wings
• Borje Salming, Detroit Red Wings
• Reijo Ruotsalainen, Edmonton Oilers
• Barry Beck, Los Angeles Kings
• Helmut Balderis, Minnesota North Stars
• Curt Fraser, Minnesota North Stars
• Mark Johnson, New Jersey Devils
• Ron Greschner, New York Rangers
• Doug Smith, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Vladimir Krutov, Vancouver Canucks
• Paul Reinhart, Vancouver Canucks
• Doug Wickenheiser, Washington Capitals

Trading deadline

Trading deadline: March 6, 1990.[7]

• March 6, 1990: Adrien Plavsic, St. Louis' first round pick in 1990 Entry Draft and second round pick in 1991 Entry Draft traded from St. Louis to Vancouver for Rich Sutter, Harold Snepsts and St. Louis' second round pick in 1990 Entry Draft (acquired previously).
• March 6, 1990: Mike Gartner traded from Minnesota to NY Rangers for Ulf Dahlen, NY Rangers' fourth round pick in 1990 Entry Draft and future considerations.
• March 6, 1990: Alain Chevrier traded from Chicago to Pittsburgh for future considerations.
• March 6, 1990: Jack Capuano traded from NY Islanders to Vancouver for Jeff Rohlicek.
• March 6, 1990: Jyrki Lumme traded from Montreal to Vancouver for St. Louis' second round pick in 1991 Entry Draft (acquired previously).
• March 6, 1990: Jim Korn traded from New Jersey to Calgary for Calgary's fifth round pick in 1990 Entry Draft.
• March 6, 1990: Peter Stastny traded from Quebec to New Jersey for Craig Wolanin and future considerations.
• March 6, 1990: Jeff Sharples traded from Edmonton to New Jersey for Reijo Ruotsalainen.
• March 6, 1990: Brian Wilks traded from Edmonton to Pittsburgh for future considerations.
• March 6, 1990: The rights to Cam Brauer traded from Edmonton to Hartford for Marc Laforge.

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1989 NHL Entry Draft
• 41st National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• NHL All-Rookie Team
• 1989 in sports
• 1990 in sports

References

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, NY: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
• Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
• Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.

Notes

1. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153. ISBN 9781894801225.
2. "1989–1990 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
3. "1989-1990 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
4. Dinger 2011, p. 153.
5. "1989-90 Stats". Quanthockey.com. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
6. 1989-90 NHL Goalie Leaders | QuantHockey.com
7. NHL trade deadline: Deals since 1980 | Habs Inside/Out Archived 2009-02-16 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Hockey Database