The 1982 Stanley Cup Finals was played between the Vancouver Canucks in their first Finals appearance and the defending champion New York Islanders, in their third Finals appearance.
The Islanders won the best-of-seven series four games to none, to win their third straight and third overall Stanley Cup.
This is also the most recent time that a Stanley Cup Champion has won three in a row and the first, and so far only, time that a U.S.-based team has won three straight Stanley Cups.
This 1982 Finals took place under a 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).
Path to the Final[]
Despite having a losing record in the regular season, the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Calgary Flames 3–0, the Los Angeles Kings 4–1 and the Chicago Blackhawks 4–1 to advance to the finals. This was their first Finals appearance.
The New York Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2, the New York Rangers 4–2, and the Quebec Nordiques 4–0 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.
The Series[]
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 he 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, 1982 to win their third straight Cup and first on the road.
Mike Bossy scored seven goals in the four games (tying Jean Beliveau's record from 1956) and won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
| Date | Visitors | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, May 8 | Vancouver | 5 | New York | 6 | OT |
| Tue, May 11 | Vancouver | 4 | New York | 6 | |
| Thu, May 13 | New York | 3 | Vancouver | 0 | |
| Sun, May 16 | New York | 3 | Vancouver | 1 |
New York wins the series 4–0.
Mike Bossy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
New York wins the one-hundredth official Stanley Cup.
Stanley Cup Engraving[]
Centers
- 14 Bob Bourne
- 19 Bryan Trottier
- 21 Brent Sutter
- 91 Robert Butch Goring
Defensemen
- 5 Denis Potvin (Captain)
- 2 Mike McEwen
- 3 Tomas Jonsson
- 6 Ken Morrow
- 7 Stefan Persson
- 24 Gord Lane
- 26 Dave Langevin
Goaltenders
- 31 Billy Smith
- 1 Roland Melanson
Wingers
- 9 Clark Gillies
- 11 Wayne Merrick
- 12 Duane Sutter
- 17 Greg Gilbert
- 22 Mike Bossy
- 23 Bob Nystrom
- 25 Billy Carroll
- 27 John Tonelli
- 28 Anders Kallur
- 29 Hector Marini
Non-Players[]
- John Pickett (Chairman/Owner)
- Bill Torrey (President/General Manager)
- Jim Devellano (Asst. General Manager/Director of Scouting)
- Al Arbour (Head Coach), Lorne Henning (Asst. Coach)
- Gerry Ehman (Head Scout)
- Ron Waske (Trainer), Jim Pickard (Asst. Trainer)
- Steve Corais (Director of Public Relations)
Engraving Notes[]
- Steve Corais was included on the team, but name was left off the Stanley Cup.
- Harry Boyd & Maurice Sabageno (Scouts) were included on the Stanley Cup in 1980 & 1981. They were still part of the 1982 & 1983 New York Islanders, but their 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.