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The 1988–89 NHL season was the 72nd season of the National Hockey League. The Calgary Flames won an all-Canadian Stanley Cup Finals against the Montreal Canadiens four games to two. This remains the last time two Canadian teams faced each other for the Stanley Cup. Template:TOC limit

Regular season[]

This year saw the start of Wayne Gretzky's tenure with the Los Angeles Kings, having been traded in the off-season after leading the Edmonton Oilers to the 1988 Stanley Cup. Coinciding with Gretzky's acquisition, the team also changed its uniforms and colours for 1988–89, scrapping the purple and gold associated with its co-tenant at the Great Western Forum, the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, in favour of black and silver. Gretzky's presence signaled a dramatic on-ice turnaround for the Kings. Prior to his arrival via trade with the Edmonton Oilers on August 9, 1988, Los Angeles had the fourth-worst record in the NHL at 30 wins, 42 losses, and 8 ties. After Gretzky's first season with the Kings, however, they moved all the way up to fourth-best in the NHL, with a record of 42 wins, 31 losses, and 7 ties for 91 points. They also managed to defeat Gretzky's former team, the Oilers, in seven games in the Smythe Division semifinals before falling victim to a four-game sweep at the hands of the eventual Cup champion Flames in the division finals.

Four years after Andy Van Hellemond became the first on-ice official to wear a helmet, the NHL also made helmets mandatory for its officials like it did with its players in 1979; like the ruling for players, any official that was not wearing a helmet before the ruling could also go helmetless if they so desired.[1]

Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Art Ross Trophy for the second consecutive season, leading the league with 199 points and recording all three of his eight point games in his career, with one of them happening during the playoffs. Lemieux remains the only player other than Gretzky to approach the 200 point plateau (Gretzky surpassed the 200 point mark four times in five years during the 1980s). This was the only season that there were four players that scored 150 or more points; Gretzky tallied 168, while Steve Yzerman and Bernie Nicholls totalled 155 and 150 points, respectively. This was also the only time that two teammates, Gretzky and Nicholls of the Los Angeles Kings, had hit the 150 point mark. Narrowly edging out Lemieux, Gretzky won his ninth Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP, while Yzerman finished third in the balloting. Yzerman was voted by his fellow players as the NHLPA MVP, taking the Lester B. Pearson Award.

New York Rangers rookie Brian Leetch broke the record for goals by a rookie defenceman with 23. He finished that season with 71 points and easily captured the Calder Memorial Trophy.

On March 22, an incident took place in Buffalo during a game between the Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blues. During a goalmouth collision between the Blues' Steve Tuttle and the Sabres' Uwe Krupp, Tuttle's skate blade slashed the throat of Buffalo goaltender Clint Malarchuk, severing the latter's jugular vein. Thanks to some timely action by Sabres trainer and former US Army Vietnam War veteran Jim Pizzutelli, Malarchuk quickly received treatment and was released from the hospital the next day. He returned to action 10 days later.

This was the first season that every NHL arena had full rink board advertisements.

Playoffs[]

Main article: 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs
File:Hhof stanley cup.jpg

The Stanley Cup

The 1989 Stanley Cup Finals featured two Canadian hockey teams, the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames. Montreal finished the regular season with 115 points, only two behind the league leader Calgary. They had last faced each other only three years earlier, with Montreal winning a five-game series in 1986. Calgary was only the second opposing team in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup at the Montreal Forum (the New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Maroons in 1928) and the first to do so against the Canadiens, marking the first time since 1983 that the Stanley Cup wasn't awarded in the province of Alberta.

Playoff bracket[]

1989 Stanley Cup playoffs

Stanley Cup Finals[]

Main article: 1989 Stanley Cup Finals

The Stanley Cup Finals was decided between the top two teams during the 1988–89 NHL regular season. Co-captain Lanny McDonald scored the second Flames goal in Game 6. This turned out to be the last goal in his Hockey Hall of Fame career as he retired during the following off-season. Doug Gilmour scored two goals in the third period, including the eventual game and Cup winner to cement the victory for the Flames.

Awards[]

Presidents' Trophy: Calgary Flames
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(Wales Conference playoff champion)
Montreal Canadiens
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:
(Campbell Conference playoff champion)
Calgary Flames
Art Ross Trophy: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Tim Kerr, Philadelphia Flyers
Calder Memorial Trophy: Brian Leetch, New York Rangers
Conn Smythe Trophy: Al MacInnis, Calgary Flames
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Guy Carbonneau, Montreal Canadiens
Hart Memorial Trophy: Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
Jack Adams Award: Pat Burns, Montreal Canadiens
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Chris Chelios, Montreal Canadiens
King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Joe Mullen, Calgary Flames
Lester B. Pearson Award: Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings
NHL Plus/Minus Award: Joe Mullen, Calgary Flames,
William M. Jennings Trophy: Patrick Roy/Brian Hayward, Montreal Canadiens
Vezina Trophy: Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens
Lester Patrick Trophy: Dan Kelly, Lou Nanne, Lynn Patrick, Bud Poile

All-Star teams[]

First team   Position   Second team
Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens G Mike Vernon, Calgary Flames
Chris Chelios, Montreal Canadiens D Al MacInnis, Calgary Flames
Paul Coffey, Pittsburgh Penguins D Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins C Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
Joe Mullen, Calgary Flames RW Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers
Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings LW Gerard Gallant, Detroit Red Wings

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
Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins 76 85 114 199 100 +41 31 13 8
Wayne Gretzky Los Angeles Kings 78 54 114 168 26 +15 11 5 5
Steve Yzerman Detroit Red Wings 80 65 90 155 61 +17 17 3 7
Bernie Nicholls Los Angeles Kings 79 70 80 150 96 +30 21 8 6
Rob Brown Pittsburgh Penguins 68 49 66 115 118 +27 24 0 6
Paul Coffey Pittsburgh Penguins 75 30 83 113 195 −10 11 0 2
Joe Mullen Calgary Flames 79 51 59 110 16 +51 13 1 7
Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers 76 44 58 102 69 +19 10 5 8
Jimmy Carson Edmonton Oilers 80 49 51 100 36 +3 19 0 5
Luc Robitaille Los Angeles Kings 78 46 52 98 65 +5 10 0 4

Source: NHL.Template:Sfn

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%
Patrick Roy Montreal Canadiens 48 2743 33 5 6 4 2.47 .908
Mike Vernon Calgary Flames 52 2938 37 6 5 0 2.65 .897
Reggie Lemelin Boston Bruins 40 2392 19 15 6 0 3.01 .887
Peter Sidorkiewicz Hartford Whalers 44 2635 22 18 4 4 3.03 .890
Jon Casey Minnesota North Stars 55 2961 18 17 12 1 3.06 .900
Kirk McLean Vancouver Canucks 42 2477 20 17 3 4 3.08 .891
Andy Moog Boston Bruins 41 2482 18 14 8 1 3.22 .877
Ron Hextall Philadelphia Flyers 64 3756 30 28 6 0 3.23 .891
Clint Malarchuk Washington Capitals/Buffalo Sabres 49 2754 19 19 8 2 3.36 .880
Greg Millen St. Louis Blues 52 3019 22 20 7 6 3.38 .880

Source: Quanthockey.com.[2]

Coaches[]

Patrick Division[]

  • New Jersey Devils: Jim Schoenfeld
  • New York Islanders: Al Arbour
  • New York Rangers: Michel Bergeron and Phil Esposito
  • Philadelphia Flyers: Paul Holmgren
  • Pittsburgh Penguins: Gene Ubriaco
  • Washington Capitals: Bryan Murray

Adams Division[]

  • Boston Bruins: Terry O'Reilly
  • Buffalo Sabres: Ted Sator
  • Hartford Whalers: Larry Pleau
  • Montreal Canadiens: Pat Burns
  • Quebec Nordiques: Ron Lapointe and Jean Perron

Norris Division[]

  • Chicago Blackhawks: Mike Keenan
  • Detroit Red Wings: Jacques Demers
  • Minnesota North Stars: Pierre Page
  • St. Louis Blues: Brian Sutter
  • Toronto Maple Leafs: John Brophy and George Armstrong

Smythe Division[]

  • Calgary Flames: Terry Crisp
  • Edmonton Oilers: Glen Sather
  • Los Angeles Kings: Robbie Ftorek
  • Vancouver Canucks: Bob McCammon
  • Winnipeg Jets: Dan Maloney

Milestones[]

Debuts[]

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1988–89 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

  • Don Sweeney, Boston Bruins
  • Stephane Quintal, Boston Bruins
  • Sergei Pryakhin, Calgary Flames
  • Paul Ranheim, Calgary Flames
  • Theoren Fleury, Calgary Flames
  • Ed Belfour, Chicago Blackhawks
  • Jeremy Roenick, Chicago Blackhawks
  • Randy McKay, Detroit Red Wings
  • Tim Cheveldae, Detroit Red Wings
  • Martin Gelinas, Edmonton Oilers
  • Mike Modano*, Minnesota North Stars
  • Eric Desjardins, Montreal Canadiens
  • Jyrki Lumme, Montreal Canadiens
  • Mike Keane, Montreal Canadiens
  • Eric Weinrich, New Jersey Devils
  • Paul Ysebaert, New Jersey Devils
  • Tom Fitzgerald, New York Islanders
  • Tony Granato, New York Rangers
  • Mike Richter*, New York Rangers
  • John Cullen, Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Mark Recchi, Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Curtis Leschyshyn, Quebec Nordiques
  • Joe Sakic, Quebec Nordiques
  • Rod Brind'Amour*, St. Louis Blues
  • Trevor Linden, Vancouver Canucks
  • Bob Essensa, Winnipeg Jets

Last games[]

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1988–89 (listed with their last team):

  • Mark Napier, Buffalo Sabres
  • Hakan Loob, Calgary Flames
  • Lanny McDonald, Calgary Flames
  • Doug Halward, Edmonton Oilers
  • Tomas Jonsson, Edmonton Oilers
  • John Anderson, Hartford Whalers
  • Ron Duguay, Los Angeles Kings
  • Craig Hartsburg, Minnesota North Stars
  • Dennis Maruk, Minnesota North Stars (The last active player to have been a member of the California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons franchise.)
  • Bob Gainey, Montreal Canadiens
  • Billy Smith, New York Islanders
  • Marcel Dionne, New York Rangers
  • Anton Stastny, Quebec Nordiques
  • Mel Bridgman, Vancouver Canucks
  • Bengt Gustafsson, Washington Capitals

Firsts[]

Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers, First goaltender to score a goal in post-season.

Broadcasting[]

This was the first season of the league's new Canadian national broadcast rights deals with TSN and Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. Saturday night regular season games continued to air on CBC, while TSN televised selected weeknight games. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs was primarily on CBC, with TSN airing first round all-U.S. series.

This was also the first season of the league's new U.S. national broadcast rights deal SportsChannel America. While SportsChannel America agreed to pay more than double what previous rightsholder ESPN paid for the previous three years,[3] SportsChannel America was only available in a few major markets.[4][5][6][7] Notably absent though were the Detroit, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis markets.[8] In this first year of the deal alone, SportsChannel America was available in only 7 million homes when compared to ESPN's reach of 50 million.[9] Whereas the previous deal with ESPN called for up to 33 games per regular season and only one nationally televised game a week, SportsChannel America televised 80–100 games and up to three nights a week.[10][11]

See also[]

  • List of Stanley Cup champions
  • 1988 NHL Entry Draft
  • 1988 NHL Supplemental Draft
  • 1988–89 NHL transactions
  • 40th National Hockey League All-Star Game
  • National Hockey League All-Star Game
  • NHL All-Rookie Team
  • 1988 in sports
  • 1989 in sports

References[]

Notes
  1. Shoalts, David (April 28, 2000). "Ex ref supports mandatory helmets". https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/ex-ref-supports-mandatory-helmets/article767440/. "The NHL has 60 referees and linesmen under contract and among them are 11 men who do not wear helmets. This is allowed through a grandfather clause in the collective agreement between the NHL Officials' Association and the league, which made wearing helmets mandatory beginning with the 1988–89 season. However, just as the NHL did with its players when helmets became compulsory for them in 1979, a grandfather clause was inserted in the agreement. All referees and linesmen who were employed on or before Sept. 1, 1988 did not have to wear a helmet." 
  2. 1988–89 NHL Goalie Leaders | QuantHockey.com
  3. Chad, Norman (November 26, 1988). "NHL AND SPORTSCHANNEL MORE IS LESS". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1988/11/26/nhl-and-sportschannel-more-is-less/f82b8589-b0e8-47fb-919f-832aca20dc7b/. 
  4. Moncour, Gilles (October 29, 2018). "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of John Ziegler's NHL reign". https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Guest-Writer/The-Good-the-Bad-and-the-Ugly-of-John-Zieglers-NHL-reign/163/95608. 
  5. Template:Cite magazine
  6. Martzke, Rudy (May 2, 1989). "NHL broadcast boss pleased with cable move". USA Today: p. 3C. 
  7. Staudohar, Paul D. (31 May 2018). Playing for Dollars: Labor Relations and the Sports Business. Cornell University Press. p. 138. ISBN 9781501717857. https://books.google.com/books?id=XLdcDwAAQBAJ&q=1990+nhl+all+star+game+on+nbc&pg=PA138. 
  8. Strachan, Al (March 15, 2005). "NHL needs a TV partner". Toronto Sun. http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Columnists/Strachan/2005/03/15/961494.html. 
  9. Template:Cite magazine
  10. "USA NETWORK MAKING SOME MAJOR-LEAGUE CUTS". Miami Herald: p. 7F. February 10, 1984. 
  11. FCC Record: A Comprehensive Compilation of Decisions ..., Volume 8, Issue 5. 1993. p. 4900. https://books.google.com/books?id=DUqvJBWqgfsC&dq=1982+Stanley+Cup+Finals+USA+Network&pg=PA4900. 

External links[]

Template:NHL seasons Template:1988–89 NHL season by team

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