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1982 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1982 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1981–82 season, and the culmination of the 1982 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was played between the Campbell Conference champion Vancouver Canucks in their first Finals appearance and the Wales Conference and defending Cup champion New York Islanders, in their third Finals appearance. The Islanders swept the Canucks to win their third consecutive and overall Stanley Cup championship. The Islanders became the first (and still only) U.S.-based team to three-peat as Stanley Cup champions, and the third franchise overall to three-peat as Stanley Cup champions, joining the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. The 1982 Canucks are one of two Stanley Cup finalist teams without any Hall of Famers on their roster (The other being the 1996 Florida Panthers).

1982 Stanley Cup Finals
1234 Total
New York Islanders 6*633 4
Vancouver Canucks 5*401 0
* overtime periods
Location(s)Uniondale: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (1, 2)
Vancouver: Pacific Coliseum (3, 4)
CoachesNew York: Al Arbour
Vancouver: Roger Neilson
CaptainsNew York: Denis Potvin
Vancouver: Kevin McCarthy[1]
DatesMay 8–16, 1982
MVPMike Bossy (Islanders)
Series-winning goalMike Bossy (5:00, second, G4)
Hall of FamersIslanders:
Mike Bossy (1991)
Clark Gillies (2002)
Denis Potvin (1991)
Billy Smith (1993)
Bryan Trottier (1997)
Coaches:
Al Arbour (1996)
Roger Neilson (2002)
NetworksCanada:
(English): CBC
(French): SRC
United States:
(National): USA Network
(New York City area): SportsChannel New York (1–2), WOR (3–4)
Announcers(CBC) Bob Cole, Mickey Redmond, and Dick Irvin Jr. (1–2); and Jim Robson, Howie Meeker, and Gary Dornhoefer (3–4)
(SRC) Rene Lecavalier and Gilles Tremblay
(USA Network) Dan Kelly and Gary Green
(SCNY/WOR) Jiggs McDonald and Ed Westfall
← 1981 Stanley Cup Finals 1983 →

This 1982 Finals took place under a geographically revised NHL divisional alignment and playoff structure, which de facto revived the "East vs. West" format for the Finals that had been abandoned when the Western Hockey League folded in 1926. It was also the first time a team from Western Canada contested the Finals since the WHL stopped challenging for the Stanley Cup (the Victoria Cougars, who had also been the last team from British Columbia to win the Cup in 1925, played the 1926 Finals too). This would also be the first of nine consecutive Finals contested by a team from Western Canada, but it was the only one of them to feature the Vancouver Canucks; the other eight were contested by a team from Alberta (Edmonton Oilers appeared in six, Calgary Flames in two).

Starting this season home-ice advantage would alternate between conferences as opposed to going to the team with the better record. The latter change would also be of no effect for these Finals since for even years the Wales champion received that advantage and in 1982 their representative, the Islanders, had the better record.

Paths to the Finals

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See also: 1981–82 NHL season, 1981–82 New York Islanders season, and 1981–82 Vancouver Canucks season

Vancouver Canucks

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Vancouver, despite having a losing record in the regular season, reached their first Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history. In the first round they swept the Calgary Flames. In the next round they defeated the Los Angeles Kings in five games. In the conference finals, the Canucks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in five games.

New York Islanders

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The Islanders' route to the Finals was slightly harder than Vancouver's. In the first round, the Islanders edged out the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2. In the second round, they defeated their cross-town rivals in the New York Rangers in six games. In the conference finals, the Islanders swept the Quebec Nordiques to make it to the Finals for the third year in a row.

With New York having 118 points and Vancouver having 77, the 41-point difference between the two teams in a final round is the largest in Stanley Cup Finals history.[2][3]

Game summaries

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The Canucks had their best chance to win a game in the first one, as a Jim Nill short-handed marker gave them a 5–4 lead with only seven minutes to play in regulation time. However, the Islanders tied it when Mike Bossy banged home a loose puck after goaltender Richard Brodeur had collided with his own defenceman, Harold Snepsts, while trying to smother it. In the dying seconds of the first overtime period, Snepsts attempted to clear the puck up the middle, but it was intercepted by Bossy, who completed his hat trick with two seconds left on the clock to win the game for the Islanders. In game two, the Canucks led 4–3 after two periods, but the Isles came back to win again.

The series then shifted to Vancouver, where the Canucks were boosted by a boisterous, towel-waving Vancouver crowd and had a great first period, but failed to score on Billy Smith, who was brilliant. The Islanders went on to win 3–0, and then completed the sweep with a 3–1 victory on May 16 to win their third straight Cup and first on the road.

Mike Bossy scored seven goals in the four games, tying Jean Béliveau's record from 1956, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

New York Islanders vs. Vancouver Canucks

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May 8 Vancouver Canucks 5–6 OT New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
Thomas Gradin (7) - 1:29
Thomas Gradin (8) - pp - 17:40 		First period 11:35 - pp - Clark Gillies (7)
15:52 - Mike Bossy (11)
19:51 - pp - Denis Potvin (4)
Stan Smyl (8) - pp - 05:06
Ivan Boldirev (7) - 09:27 		Second period 03:15 - pp - Denis Potvin (5)
James Nill (4) - 13:06 Third period 15:14 - Mike Bossy (12)
No scoring First overtime period 19:58 - Mike Bossy (13)
Richard Brodeur 30 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 30 saves / 35 shots
May 11 Vancouver Canucks 4–6 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period 15:55 - sh - Billy Carroll (2)
Thomas Gradin (9) - pp - 08:28
Ivan Boldirev (8) - pp - 13:12
Lars Lindgren (2) - 19:42 		Second period 17:06 - pp - Mike Bossy (14)
Gerry Minor (1) - 02:27 Third period 00:32 - pp - Bob Bourne (9)
01:19 - Duane Sutter (5)
07:18 - pp - Bryan Trottier (6)
14:10 - Bobby Nystrom (4)
Richard Brodeur 30 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 26 saves / 30 shots
May 13 New York Islanders 3–0 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Clark Gillies (8) - 02:56
Mike Bossy (15) - 12:30 		Second period No scoring
Bobby Nystrom (5) - 18:40 Third period No scoring
Billy Smith 23 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Richard Brodeur 29 saves / 31 shots
May 16 New York Islanders 3–1 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum Recap  
Butch Goring (6) - 11:38 First period 18:09 - Stan Smyl (9)
Mike Bossy (16) - pp - 05:00
Mike Bossy (17) - pp - 08:00 		Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Billy Smith 23 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Richard Brodeur 25 saves / 28 shots
New York won series 4–0


Mike Bossy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Broadcasting

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The series aired on CBC in Canada and on the USA Network in the United States. However, USA's national coverage was blacked out in the New York area due to the local rights to Islanders games in that TV market, with SportsChannel New York airing games one and two, and WOR televising games three and four.

Technical Difficulties

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During the first period of the fourth game, WOR's broadcast experienced technical difficulties due to videotaping and editing issues causing an estimated 4 minutes and 30 seconds delay on their broadcast with a WOR identification card with text reading "Please Stand By" on the center of the screen. After a minute of silence, music by Alan Hawkshaw began playing with an announcer saying "Please stand by, we're experiencing technical difficulties. As soon as they have been corrected, we shall return to our scheduled programs". This occurred before a commercial break.

Team rosters

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New York Islanders

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No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
1   Roland Melanson G L 21 1979 Moncton, New Brunswick
2   Mike McEwen D L 25 1981 Hornepayne, Ontario
5   Denis Potvin (C) D L 28 1973 Vanier, Ontario
6   Ken Morrow D R 25 1976 Davison, Michigan
7   Stefan Persson D L 27 1974 Bjurholm, Sweden
9   Clark Gillies LW L 28 1974 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
11   Wayne Merrick C L 30 1977 Sarnia, Ontario
12   Duane Sutter RW R 22 1979 Viking, Alberta
14   Bob Bourne LW L 27 1974 Kindersley, Saskatchewan
17   Greg Gilbert LW L 20 1980 Mississauga, Ontario
19   Bryan Trottier C L 25 1974 Val Marie, Saskatchewan
21   Brent Sutter C R 19 1980 Viking, Alberta
22   Mike Bossy RW R 25 1977 Montreal, Quebec
23   Bob Nystrom RW R 29 1972 Stockholm, Sweden
24   Gord Lane D L 29 1979 Brandon, Manitoba
25   Billy Carroll C L 23 1979 Toronto, Ontario
26   Dave Langevin D L 27 1974 Saint Paul, Minnesota
27   John Tonelli LW L 25 1977 Hamilton, Ontario
28   Anders Kallur RW L 29 1979 Ludvika, Sweden
29   Hector Marini RW R 25 1977 Timmins, Ontario
31   Billy Smith G L 31 1972 Perth, Ontario
91   Butch Goring C L 32 1980 St. Boniface, Manitoba

Vancouver Canucks

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No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
2   Doug Halward D L 26 1981 Toronto, Ontario
3   Garth Butcher D R 19 1981 Regina, Saskatchewan
5   Colin Campbell D L 29 1980 London, Ontario
6   Andy Schliebener D L 19 1980 Ottawa, Ontario
7   Gary Lupul C L 23 1979 Powell River, British Columbia
8   Jim Nill RW R 24 1982 Hanna, Alberta
9   Ivan Boldirev C L 32 1980 Zrenjanin, Yugoslavia
10   Anders Eldebrink D R 21 1981 Morjärv, Sweden
12   Stan Smyl RW R 24 1978 Glendon, Alberta
13   Lars Lindgren D L 29 1978 Piteå, Sweden
14   Blair MacDonald RW R 28 1981 Cornwall, Ontario
15   Neil Belland D L 21 1981 Parry Sound, Ontario
16   Per-Olov Brasar LW L 31 1979 Falun, Sweden
17   Tony Currie RW R 24 1982 Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia
18   Darcy Rota LW L 29 1980 Vancouver, British Columbia
19   Ron Delorme RW R 26 1981 North Battleford, Saskatchewan
20   Gerry Minor C L 23 1978 Regina, Saskatchewan
21   Ivan Hlinka C L 32 1981 Most, Czechoslovakia
22   Tiger Williams LW L 28 1980 Weyburn, Saskatchewan
23   Thomas Gradin C L 26 1980 Sollefteå, Sweden
24   Curt Fraser LW L 24 1978 Cincinnati, Ohio
25   Kevin McCarthy (C) D R 24 1979 Winnipeg, Manitoba
26   Lars Molin LW L 26 1981 Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
27   Harold Snepsts D L 27 1974 Edmonton, Alberta
28   Marc Crawford LW L 21 1980 Belleville, Ontario
31   Rick Heinz G L 26 1982 Essex, Ontario
35   Richard Brodeur G L 29 1980 Longueuil, Quebec

Note: Stan Smyl served as the Canucks acting team captain during the 1982 Stanley Cup playoffs. Kevin McCarthy was injured late in the season and did not play in the playoffs and is listed as the official team captain.

Stanley Cup engraving

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The 1982 Stanley Cup was presented to Islanders captain Denis Potvin by NHL President John Ziegler following the Islanders 3–1 win over the Canucks in game four

The following Islanders players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup

1981–82 New York Islanders

Players

Coaching and administrative staff

Stanley Cup engraving

  • Harry Boyd, Mario Saraceno (Scouts) were included on the Stanley Cup in 1980, 1981. They were still part of the 1982, 1983 New York Islanders, but names were not put on the cup those years.
  • †Greg Gilbert played 1 regular season, and 4 playoff games (did not play in the finals). †Hector Marini played 30 regular season games, but was not dressed in the playoffs. Both names were included on the Stanley Cup, even though they did not officially qualify.

††- Also played Centre

Aftermath

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The Islanders successfully returned to the Finals the following year. This time, they played the Edmonton Oilers and swept them to capture their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

The Canucks, however, lost in the first round to the Calgary Flames, 3–1. The Canucks would not return to the Stanley Cup Finals until 1994, when they were defeated by the Islanders’ crosstown rivals, the New York Rangers, in seven games. The Canucks would also return to the Cup Finals in 2011, but they lost to the Boston Bruins, also in seven games after blowing a two games to none series lead.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Due to injury, McCarthy didn't play in any playoff games. Stan Smyl served as acting captain.
  2. ^ Rosa, Francis (May 8, 1982). "CANUCKS STRANGERS, BUT FEEL THEY BELONG". Boston Globe. p. 1.
  3. ^ Edes, Gordon (May 9, 1982). "Islanders Win Opener on Late Overtime Goal; STANLEY CUP: Islanders Win". Los Angeles Times. p. C1.

References

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  • Diamond, Dan (2000). Total Stanley Cup. Dan Diamond & Associates, Inc.
  • Diamond, Dan (2008). Total Stanley Cup (PDF). Dan Diamond & Associates, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
  • Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7.
Preceded by New York Islanders
Stanley Cup Champions
1982 		Succeeded by
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