1989–90_NHL_season
1989–90 NHL season
National Hockey League 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 seven seasons.
| 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 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC, TSN, SRC (Canada) SportsChannel America, NBC[lower-alpha 1] (United States) |
| 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 | |
| Playoffs MVP | Bill Ranford (Oilers) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Edmonton Oilers |
| Runners-up | Boston Bruins |
| NHL seasons | |
← 1988–89 1990–91 → | |
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 thrice more: in the 1993–94, the 2006–07, and the 2022–23 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
| 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 |
| 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 |
Clarence Campbell Conference
| 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 |
| 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 |
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
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 2020[update], 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 | |
| Award | Recipient(s) | Runner(s)-up/Finalists |
|---|---|---|
| Stanley Cup | Edmonton Oilers | Boston Bruins |
| Presidents' Trophy (Best regular-season record) | Boston Bruins | Calgary Flames |
| Prince of Wales Trophy (Wales Conference playoff champion) | Boston Bruins | Washington Capitals |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl (Campbell Conference playoff champion) | Edmonton Oilers | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Alka-Seltzer Plus-Minus Award (Best plus-minus statistic) | Paul Cavallini (St. Louis Blues) | Stéphane Richer (Montreal Canadiens) |
| Art Ross Trophy (Player with most points) | Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings) | Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers) |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication) | Gord Kluzak (Boston Bruins) | N/A |
| Calder Memorial Trophy (Best first-year player) | Sergei Makarov (Calgary Flames) | Sergei Makarov (Calgary Flames) Mike Modano (Minnesota North Stars) Jeremy Roenick (Chicago Blackhawks) |
| Conn Smythe Trophy (Most valuable player, playoffs) | Bill Ranford (Edmonton Oilers) | N/A |
| Frank J. Selke Trophy (Best defensive forward) | Rick Meagher (St. Louis Blues) | Guy Carbonneau (Montreal Canadiens) Rick Meagher (St. Louis Blues) Esa Tikkanen (Edmonton Oilers) |
| Hart Memorial Trophy (Most valuable player, regular season) | Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers) | Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers) |
| Jack Adams Award (Best coach) | Bob Murdoch (Winnipeg Jets) | Mike Milbury (Boston Bruins) Bob Murdoch (Winnipeg Jets) Roger Neilson (New York Rangers) |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best defenceman) | Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) | Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) Al MacInnis (Calgary Flames) Doug Wilson (Chicago Blackhawks) |
| King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Leadership and humanitarian contribution) | Kevin Lowe (Edmonton Oilers) | N/A |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Sportsmanship and excellence) | Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) | Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings) Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) Pat LaFontaine (New York Islanders) |
| Lester B. Pearson Award (Outstanding player) | Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers) | N/A |
| Vezina Trophy (Best goaltender) | Patrick Roy (Montreal Canadiens) | Andy Moog (Boston Bruins) Daren Puppa (Buffalo Sabres) Patrick Roy (Montreal Canadiens) |
| William M. Jennings Trophy (Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against) | Andy Moog and Réjean Lemelin (Boston Bruins) | N/A |
| Lester Patrick Trophy (Service to ice hockey in U.S.) | Len Ceglarski | N/A |
All-Star teams
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 |
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.[4]
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
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
This was the second season of the league's 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 second season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deal SportsChannel America, with up to three regular season games a week and coverage of the playoffs. Meanwhile, NBC agreed to televise the All-Star Game, reportedly wanting to test the appeal of hockey.[5]
- NBC only televised the All-Star Game.
- Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, NY: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
- 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
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153. ISBN 9781894801225.
- Dinger 2011, p. 153.
- "1989-90 Stats". Quanthockey.com. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- Jim Sarni (January 19, 1990). "NHL All-star Game Gets A Network Shot". Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2019.