1982–83_NHL_season
1982–83 NHL season
National Hockey League season
The 1982–83 NHL season was the 66th season of the National Hockey League. The New York Islanders won their fourth Stanley Cup in a row with their second consecutive finals sweep by beating the Edmonton Oilers four games to none. No team in any major professional North American sport has won four consecutive playoff championships since.
| 1982–83 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 5, 1982 – May 17, 1983 |
| Number of games | 80 |
| Number of teams | 21 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC, SRC (Canada) USA (United States) |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Gord Kluzak |
| Picked by | Boston Bruins |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Boston Bruins |
| Season MVP | Wayne Gretzky (Oilers) |
| Top scorer | Wayne Gretzky (Oilers) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Billy Smith (Islanders) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | New York Islanders |
| Runners-up | Edmonton Oilers |
| NHL seasons | |
← 1981–82 1983–84 → | |
Prior the start of the season, the Colorado Rockies moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey where they were renamed New Jersey Devils, leaving Denver without an NHL franchise until 1995. They were also moved to the Patrick Division, forcing the reluctant Winnipeg Jets to leave the Norris Division and take Colorado's place in the Smythe Division. This would be the last relocation of an NHL team and the last time a team would be transferred to a new division, until 1993. After the season, the St. Louis Blues were sold to Harry Ornest after the NHL prevented Wild Bill Hunter from purchasing that team and moving it to Saskatoon.
The Calgary Flames played their final season at the 7,000-plus seat Stampede Corral before moving into the Olympic Saddledome, which had a capacity of 16,605.
At the end of the season, the long pants worn by the Philadelphia Flyers and Hartford Whalers were banned, due to player safety concerns.[1]
The last remaining players from the Original Six era (prior to the Expansion Era)–Carol Vadnais, Serge Savard and Wayne Cashman–all retired after this season. Cashman was the last to play, losing in the Wales Conference Finals as a member of the Bruins.
The Boston Bruins led the league in overall points with 110. The defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders fell from first overall and finished tied for 6th overall and the high-powered, high offence, Edmonton Oilers tied for second overall. The Oilers set a new record, which they had set the previous year, for most goals in a season with 424 and were led by Wayne Gretzky's 196 points. The Oilers also tied the Boston Bruins' 1970–71 record for most 100-point players in one season as Wayne Gretzky, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, and Mark Messier all scored more than 100 points.
The Washington Capitals qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
Final standings
Prince of Wales Conference
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 50 | 20 | 10 | 327 | 228 | 110 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 42 | 24 | 14 | 350 | 286 | 98 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 38 | 29 | 13 | 318 | 285 | 89 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 34 | 34 | 12 | 343 | 336 | 80 |
| Hartford Whalers | 80 | 19 | 54 | 7 | 261 | 403 | 45 |
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 49 | 23 | 8 | 326 | 240 | 106 |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 42 | 26 | 12 | 302 | 226 | 96 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 39 | 25 | 16 | 306 | 283 | 94 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 35 | 35 | 10 | 306 | 287 | 80 |
| New Jersey Devils | 80 | 17 | 49 | 14 | 230 | 338 | 48 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 18 | 53 | 9 | 250 | 394 | 45 |
Clarence Campbell Conference
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 47 | 23 | 10 | 338 | 268 | 104 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 40 | 24 | 16 | 321 | 290 | 96 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 28 | 40 | 12 | 293 | 330 | 68 |
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 25 | 40 | 15 | 285 | 316 | 65 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 21 | 44 | 15 | 263 | 344 | 57 |
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 47 | 21 | 12 | 424 | 315 | 106 |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 32 | 34 | 14 | 321 | 316 | 78 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 30 | 35 | 15 | 303 | 309 | 75 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 33 | 39 | 8 | 311 | 333 | 74 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 27 | 41 | 12 | 308 | 365 | 66 |
The 1983 Playoffs marked the first time that seven NHL teams based in Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Quebec, Winnipeg, and Calgary) had qualified. Since the 1967–68 expansion, all the Canadian teams qualified for the playoffs on five other occasions – 1969 (Montreal and Toronto), 1975, 1976 and 1979 (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver), and 1986 (the same seven as in 1983), the last time to date (as of 2022[update]) that all active Canadian teams qualified.
Playoff bracket
| Division semifinals | Division finals | Conference finals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Boston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Quebec | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Boston | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Buffalo | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Montreal | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Buffalo | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Boston | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Prince of Wales Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| P2 | NY Islanders | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| P1 | Philadelphia | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| P4 | NY Rangers | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| P4 | NY Rangers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| P2 | NY Islanders | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| P2 | NY Islanders | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| P3 | Washington | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| P2 | NY Islanders | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Chicago | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| N4 | St. Louis | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Chicago | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Minnesota | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Minnesota | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Toronto | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Chicago | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Clarence Campbell Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Winnipeg | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Calgary | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Calgary | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| S3 | Vancouver | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Stanley Cup Finals
| May 10 | New York Islanders | 2–0 | Edmonton Oilers | Northlands Coliseum | ||||
| May 12 | New York Islanders | 6–3 | Edmonton Oilers | Northlands Coliseum | ||||
| May 14 | Edmonton Oilers | 1–5 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | ||||
| May 17 | Edmonton Oilers | 2–4 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | ||||
| New York won series 4–0 | |
| 1983 NHL awards | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (Wales Conference playoff champion) | New York Islanders |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (Campbell Conference playoff champion) | Edmonton Oilers |
| Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer, regular season) | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: (Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication) | Lanny McDonald, Calgary Flames |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: (Best first-year player) | Steve Larmer, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: (Most valuable player, playoffs) | Billy Smith, New York Islanders |
| Frank J. Selke Trophy: (Best defensive forward) | Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: (Most valuable player, regular season) | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers |
| Jack Adams Award: (Best coach) | Orval Tessier, Chicago Black Hawks |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman) | Rod Langway, Washington Capitals |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) | Mike Bossy, New York Islanders |
| Lester B. Pearson Award: (Outstanding player, regular season) | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers |
| NHL Plus/minus Award: (Player with best plus/minus record) | Charlie Huddy, Edmonton Oilers |
| William M. Jennings Trophy: (Goaltender(s) of team(s) with best goaltending record) | Roland Melanson/Billy Smith, New York Islanders |
| Vezina Trophy: (Best goaltender) | Pete Peeters, Boston Bruins |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: (Service to hockey in the U.S.) | Bill Torrey |
All-Star teams
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pete Peeters, Boston Bruins | G | Roland Melanson, New York Islanders |
| Mark Howe, Philadelphia Flyers | D | Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins |
| Rod Langway, Washington Capitals | D | Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers |
| Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers | C | Denis Savard, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Mike Bossy, New York Islanders | RW | Lanny McDonald, Calgary Flames |
| Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers | LW | Michel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques |
Source: NHL.[3]
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 71 | 125 | 196 | 59 |
| Peter Stastny | Quebec Nordiques | 75 | 47 | 77 | 124 | 78 |
| Denis Savard | Chicago Black Hawks | 78 | 35 | 86 | 121 | 99 |
| Mike Bossy | New York Islanders | 79 | 60 | 58 | 118 | 20 |
| Marcel Dionne | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 56 | 51 | 107 | 22 |
| Barry Pederson | Boston Bruins | 77 | 46 | 61 | 107 | 47 |
| Mark Messier | Edmonton Oilers | 77 | 48 | 58 | 106 | 72 |
| Michel Goulet | Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 57 | 48 | 105 | 51 |
| Glenn Anderson | Edmonton Oilers | 72 | 48 | 56 | 104 | 70 |
| Kent Nilsson | Calgary Flames | 80 | 46 | 58 | 104 | 10 |
| Jari Kurri | Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 45 | 59 | 104 | 22 |
Source: NHL.[4]
Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage
| Player | Team | GP | MIN | GA | GAA | W | L | T | SO | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pete Peeters | Boston Bruins | 62 | 3611 | 142 | 2.36 | 40 | 11 | 9 | 8 | .904 |
| Bob Froese | Philadelphia Flyers | 25 | 1407 | 59 | 2.52 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 4 | .896 |
| Rollie Melanson | N.Y. Islanders | 44 | 2460 | 109 | 2.66 | 24 | 12 | 5 | 1 | .910 |
| Billy Smith | N.Y. Islanders | 41 | 2340 | 112 | 2.87 | 18 | 14 | 7 | 1 | .906 |
| Pelle Lindbergh | Philadelphia Flyers | 40 | 2333 | 116 | 2.98 | 23 | 13 | 3 | 3 | .891 |
| Murray Bannerman | Chicago Black Hawks | 41 | 2460 | 127 | 3.10 | 24 | 12 | 5 | 4 | .901 |
| Richard Sevigny | Montreal Canadiens | 38 | 2130 | 122 | 3.44 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 1 | .883 |
| Bob Sauve | Buffalo Sabres | 52 | 3110 | 179 | 3.45 | 25 | 20 | 7 | 1 | .872 |
| Eddie Mio | N.Y. Rangers | 41 | 2365 | 136 | 3.45 | 16 | 18 | 6 | 2 | .883 |
| Tony Esposito | Chicago Black Hawks | 39 | 2340 | 135 | 3.46 | 23 | 11 | 5 | 1 | .888 |
Patrick Division
- New Jersey Devils: Bill MacMillan
- New York Islanders: Al Arbour
- New York Rangers: Herb Brooks
- Philadelphia Flyers: Pat Quinn
- Pittsburgh Penguins: Eddie Johnston
- Washington Capitals: Bryan Murray
Adams Division
- Boston Bruins: Gerry Cheevers
- Buffalo Sabres: Scotty Bowman
- Hartford Whalers: Larry Kish, John Cunniff and Larry Pleau
- Montreal Canadiens: Bob Berry
- Quebec Nordiques: Michel Bergeron
Norris Division
- Chicago Black Hawks: Orval Tessier
- Detroit Red Wings: Nick Polano
- Minnesota North Stars: Glen Sonmor
- St. Louis Blues: Emile Francis and Barclay Plager
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Mike Nykoluk
Smythe Division
- Calgary Flames: Bob Johnson
- Edmonton Oilers: Glen Sather
- Los Angeles Kings: Don Perry
- Vancouver Canucks: Roger Neilson
- Winnipeg Jets: Tom Watt
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1982–83 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Gord Kluzak, Boston Bruins
- Dave Andreychuk, Buffalo Sabres
- Phil Housley, Buffalo Sabres
- Jamie Macoun, Calgary Flames
- Murray Craven, Detroit Red Wings
- Brian Bellows, Minnesota North Stars
- Craig Ludwig, Montreal Canadiens
- Mats Naslund, Montreal Canadiens
- Pat Verbeek, New Jersey Devils
- Bob Froese, Philadelphia Flyers
- Dave Poulin, Philadelphia Flyers
- Ron Sutter, Philadelphia Flyers
- Rich Sutter, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Gary Leeman*, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Michel Petit, Vancouver Canucks
- Patrik Sundstrom, Vancouver Canucks
- Scott Stevens, Washington Capitals
- Brian Hayward, Winnipeg Jets
- Brian Mullen, Winnipeg Jets
Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1982–83 (listed with their last team):
- Wayne Cashman, Boston Bruins (Last player from the Original Six Era)
- Gilles Gilbert, Detroit Red Wings
- Reggie Leach, Detroit Red Wings
- Garry Unger, Edmonton Oilers
- Mike Murphy, Los Angeles Kings
- Rejean Houle, Montreal Canadiens
- Carol Vadnais, New Jersey Devils
- John Davidson, New York Rangers
- Ulf Nilsson, New York Rangers
- Ian Turnbull, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Jacques Richard, Quebec Nordiques
- Marc Tardif, Quebec Nordiques
- Vaclav Nedomansky, St. Louis Blues
- Serge Savard, Winnipeg Jets
Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games.
This was the first season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deal with USA, covering a slate of regular season games and selected playoff games.
- Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, New York: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
- Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto: 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, Illinois: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
- Notes
- Weekes, Don (2003). The Best and Worst of Hockey's Firsts: The Unofficial Guide. Canada: Greystone Books. pp. 240. ISBN 9781550548600.
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
- Dinger 2011, p. 229.
- Dinger 2011, p. 152.