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The 1992-93 NHL season was the 76th regular season of the National Hockey League. Each player wore a patch on their jersey throughout the 1992-93 regular season and playoffs to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the Stanley Cup. Twenty-four teams played 84 games each.

This was the first season of play for expansion teams the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Regular season

Standings

Wales Conference

Adams Division GP W L T Pts GF GA
Boston Bruins 84 51 26 7 109 332 268
Quebec Nordiques 84 47 27 10 104 351 300
Montreal Canadiens 84 48 30 6 102 326 280
Buffalo Sabres 84 38 36 10 86 335 297
Hartford Whalers 84 26 52 6 58 284 369
Ottawa Senators 84 10 70 4 24 202 395
Patrick Division GP W L T Pts GF GA
Pittsburgh Penguins 84 56 21 7 119 367 268
Washington Capitals 84 43 34 7 93 325 286
New York Islanders 84 40 37 7 87 335 297
New Jersey Devils 84 40 37 7 87 308 299
Philadelphia Flyers 84 36 37 11 83 319 319
New York Rangers 84 34 39 11 79 304 308

Campbell Conference
Norris Division GP W L T Pts GF GA
Chicago Blackhawks 84 47 25 12 106 279 230
Detroit Red Wings 84 47 28 9 103 369 280
Toronto Maple Leafs 84 44 29 11 99 288 241
St. Louis Blues 84 37 36 11 85 282 278
Minnesota North Stars 84 36 38 10 82 272 293
Tampa Bay Lightning 84 23 54 7 53 245 332

Smythe Division GP W L T Pts GF GA
Vancouver Canucks 84 46 29 9 101 346 278
Calgary Flames 84 43 30 11 97 322 282
Los Angeles Kings 84 39 35 10 88 338 340
Winnipeg Jets 84 40 37 7 87 322 320
Edmonton Oilers 84 26 50 8 60 242 337
San Jose Sharks 84 11 71 2 24 218 414

Leading Scorers

Player Team GP G A PTS
Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh 60 69 91 160
Pat LaFontaine Buffalo 84 53 95 148
Adam Oates Boston 84 45 97 142
Steve Yzerman Detroit 84 58 79 137
Teemu Selanne Winnipeg 84 76 56 132
Pierre Turgeon NY Islanders 83 58 74 132
Alexander Mogilny Buffalo 77 76 51 127
Doug Gilmour Toronto 83 32 95 127
Luc Robitaille Los Angeles 84 63 62 125
Mark Recchi Philadelphia 84 53 70 123

Leading Goaltenders

Player Team GP MIN GA SO GAA
Felix Potvin Toronto 48 2781 116 2 2.50
Ed Belfour Chicago 71 4106 177 7 2.59
Tom Barrasso Pittsburgh 63 3702 186 4 3.01
Curtis Joseph St. Louis 68 3890 196 1 3.02
Kay Whitmore Vancouver 31 1817 94 1 3.10
Dominik Hasek Buffalo 28 1429 75 0 3.15
Andy Moog Boston 55 3194 168 3 3.16
Jeff Reese Calgary 26 1311 70 1 3.20
Patrick Roy Montreal 62 3595 192 2 3.20
Daren Puppa Buffalo/Toronto 32 1785 96 2 3.23

Stanley Cup playoffs

The 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs started on April 18, and ended on June 9. The Presidents' Trophy-winning Pittsburgh Penguins, who had won the cup the two previous years, were the favourite to repeat.

Playoff bracket

Division Semifinals

Boston vs. Buffalo
Buffalo's 4-0 sweep of the Bruins ended with a memorable overtime goal by Brad May at Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium in the 4th game, leading to Rick Jeanneret's famous call "May Day! May Day! May Day!"

Buffalo wins best-of-seven series 4-0

Quebec vs. Montreal
Canadiens coach Jacques Demers held himself to a promise he made to goaltender Patrick Roy earlier in the season and kept him as the starting goalie despite a couple of weak goals allowed in the first two games of the series. With the Canadiens staring a potential 3-0 series deficit in the face, overtime in game three was marked by two disputed goals that were reviewed by the video goal judge. The first review ruled that Stephan Lebeau had knocked the puck in with a high stick, but the second upheld Montreal's winning goal, as it was directed in by the skate of Quebec defenceman Alexei Gusarov and not that of a Montreal player.

Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4-2

Pittsburgh vs. New Jersey

Pittsburgh wins best-of-seven series 4-1

Washington vs. New York Islanders
Game six of the series was marred by an illegal hit on the New York Islanders leading scorer Pierre Turgeon. Washington's Dale Hunter attacked Turgeon after he scored a goal in the third period to put the game and the series out of reach for the Capitals. Hunter received a 21 game suspension as a result of the incident and it carried over to the start of the 1993-94 season.

  • April 18 - New York Islanders 1 Washington 3
  • April 20 - New York Islanders 5 Washington 4 (2OT)
  • April 22 - Washington 3 New York Islanders 4 (OT)
  • April 24 - Washington 3 New York Islanders 4 (2OT)
  • April 26 - New York Islanders 4 Washington 6
  • April 28 - Washington 3 New York Islanders 5

New York Islanders wins best-of-seven series 4-2

Chicago vs. St. Louis
The Blackhawks, on an overtime goal in game 4, were the second Division winning team to be swept in the first round of the playoffs. Chicago goalie Ed Belfour claimed he had been interfered with by St. Louis Blues star Brett Hull on the play but to no avail as the tally stood as the series winner.

St. Louis wins best-of-seven series 4-0'

Detroit vs. Toronto
In a revival of the heated rivalry, Nikolai Borschevsky's game seven overtime goal gave Toronto the series and made them the sixth club to eliminate a team with a better regular season record in the first round of the 1993 playoffs. This was also Toronto's first win over Detroit since 1964.

Toronto wins best-of-seven series 4-3

Vancouver vs. Winnipeg

Vancouver wins best-of-seven series 4-2

Calgary vs. Los Angeles

Los Angeles wins best-of-seven series 4-2

Division Finals

Montreal vs. Buffalo
  • May 2 - Buffalo 3 Montreal 4
  • May 4 - Buffalo 3 Montreal 4 (OT)
  • May 6 - Montreal 4 Buffalo 3 (OT)
  • May 8 - Montreal 4 Buffalo 3 (OT)

Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4-0

Pittsburgh vs. New York Islanders
The improbable upset of the Islanders over the Penguins was capped off by David Volek's series-winning goal at 5:16 of overtime in game seven.

  • May 2 - New York Islanders 3 Pittsburgh 2
  • May 4 - New York Islanders 0 Pittsburgh 3
  • May 6 - Pittsburgh 3 New York Islanders 1
  • May 8 - Pittsburgh 5 New York Islanders 6
  • May 10 - New York Islanders 3 Pittsburgh 6
  • May 12 - Pittsburgh 5 New York Islanders 7
  • May 14 - New York Islanders 4 Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

New York Islanders win best-of-seven series 4-3

Toronto vs. St. Louis
  • May 3 - St. Louis 1 Toronto 2 (2OT)
  • May 5 - St. Louis 2 Toronto 1 (2OT)
  • May 7 - Toronto 3 St. Louis 4
  • May 9 - Toronto 3 St. Louis 1
  • May 11 - St. Louis 1 Toronto 5
  • May 13 - Toronto 1 St. Louis 2
  • May 15 - St. Louis 0 Toronto 6

Toronto wins best-of-seven series 4-3

Vancouver vs. Los Angeles
  • May 2 - Los Angeles 2 Vancouver 5
  • May 5 - Los Angeles 6 Vancouver 3
  • May 7 - Vancouver 4 Los Angeles 7
  • May 9 - Vancouver 7 Los Angeles 2
  • May 11 - Los Angeles 4 Vancouver 3 (2OT)
  • May 13 - Vancouver 3 Los Angeles 5

Los Angeles wins best-of-seven series 4-2

Conference Finals

Montreal vs. New York Islanders
Montreal's win in game three was their eleventh straight, tying the single-playoff record set a year earlier by Pittsburgh and Chicago.

  • May 16 - New York Islanders 1 Montreal 4
  • May 18 - New York Islanders 3 Montreal 4 (2OT)
  • May 20 - Montreal 2 New York Islanders 1 (OT)
  • May 22 - Montreal 1 New York Islanders 4
  • May 24 - New York Islanders 2 Montreal 5

Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4-1

Toronto vs. Los Angeles
This exciting and very heated seven game series has long been remembered by hockey fans. The Toronto Maple Leafs iced a highly competitive team for the first time in years and were hoping to break their 25 year Stanley Cup drought. The Los Angeles Kings, led by Captain Wayne Gretzky, also had high ambitions. With the series tied 2-2, Game 5 was played in Toronto. During the game Los Angeles Kings defenceman, Marty McSorley delivered a serious open ice hit on Toronto's Doug Gilmour. Maple Leafs Captain Wendel Clark took exception to the hit and went after McSorley for striking their star player. Toronto Coach Pat Burns tried scaling the bench to get at Los Angeles Kings Coach Barry Melrose because he thought he ordered the hit on Gilmour. Toronto eventually won Game 5 in overtime to take a 3-2 series lead. Game six went back west to the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles. Game 6 was not without controversy either and it too was decided on an overtime goal. In the 1992-93 NHL season there was a league wide crackdown on high sticking infractions, whether they were accidental or not. In overtime Gilmour was part of controversy once again as Gretzky accidentally clipped him in the face with the blade of his stick. Many thought that referee Kerry Fraser should have called a penalty on the play but Gretzky was not penalized and he went on to score the overtime goal moments later and to even the series at 3-3. It was classic Gretzky in Game 7 at Toronto. He would score three goals in the deciding game to give Los Angeles a berth in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. Gretzky has been quoted as saying that his performance in Game seven was the best game of his career.

  • May 17 - Los Angeles 1 Toronto 4
  • May 19 - Los Angeles 3 Toronto 2
  • May 21 - Toronto 2 Los Angeles 4
  • May 23 - Toronto 4 Los Angeles 2
  • May 25 - Los Angeles 2 Toronto 3 (OT)
  • May 27 - Toronto 4 Los Angeles 5 (OT)
  • May 29 - Los Angeles 5 Toronto 4

Los Angeles wins best-of-seven series 4-3

Stanley Cup Final

The 1993 Stanley Cup Finals were set and on the 100th anniversary of the Stanley Cup, it seemed right that the NHL's greatest franchise the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL's greatest player Wayne Gretzky would play for Lord Stanley's Cup, even though Gretzky's late heroics would deny Canadian fans the dream matchup of Montreal vs. Toronto (the NHL's two oldest franchises). This would be the last Stanley Cup Finals series to be played in the Montreal Forum, and the last time Gretzky would play in the Finals as well. It was Montreal's first trip to the Finals since 1989, while it was the first-ever trip to the Finals for the Los Angeles franchise in its 26-year history.

The most memorable moment of the series came late in the third period of game two. With the Kings leading by a score of 2-1, Canadiens coach Jacques Demers called for a measurement of Kings defenceman Marty McSorley's stick. The stick was deemed illegal, and Montreal's Eric Desjardins scored on the ensuing power play to force overtime. Desjardins scored his third goal of the game 51 seconds into overtime to give Montreal the win and some momentum heading toward games three and four at the Great Western Forum. John Leclair would score overtime goals in both of those games, making him the first player since Maurice Richard in 1951 to score playoff overtime goals in consecutive games, and giving Montreal an NHL record ten consecutive OT wins in the 1993 playoffs. Kirk Muller scored the series-winning goal at home in game five, and Patrick Roy was awarded his second Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP.

Montreal vs. Los Angeles
  • June 1 - Los Angeles 4 at Montreal 1
  • June 3 - Los Angeles 2 at Montreal 3 (OT)
  • June 5 - Montreal 4 at Los Angeles 3 (OT)
  • June 7 - Montreal 3 at Los Angeles 2 (OT)
  • June 9 - Los Angeles 1 at Montreal 4

Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4-1

Notable Events

  • Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning added, bringing the league to 24 teams.
  • October 1992: Gil Stein named NHL President.
  • February 1993: Gary Bettman named NHL Commissioner.
  • Record set for most 100-point scorers and most 50-goal scorers in one season.
  • The Los Angeles Kings played against Canadian teams all throughout the playoffs (Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens)

Records broken/equalled

Regular season
=Team
=
  • Most Losses, One Season: San Jose Sharks (71)
  • Fewest Ties, One Season: San Jose Sharks (2)
  • Most Home Losses, One Season: San Jose Sharks (32)
  • Most Road Losses, One Season: Ottawa Senators (40)
  • Fewest Road Wins, One Season: Ottawa Senators (1)*
  • Longest Winning Streak: Pittsburgh Penguins (17)
  • Longest Losing Streak: San Jose Sharks (17)*
  • Longest Road Losing Streak: Ottawa Senators (38)
  • Longest Road Winless Streak: Ottawa Senators (38)
  • Most 100-or-more Point Scorers, One Season: Pittsburgh Penguins (4)
  • Fastest Three Goals from the Start of Period, One Team: Calgary Flames (0:53, February 10, 1993)

=Individual
=
  • Most Goals, Including Playoffs: Wayne Gretzky (875)
  • Most 30-Goal Seasons: Mike Gartner (14)*
  • Most Consecutive 30-Goal Seasons: Mike Gartner (14)
  • Most Goals, One Season, by a Left Winger: Luc Robitaille (63)
  • Most Goals, One Season, by a Rookie: Teemu Selanne (76)
  • Most Assists, One Season, by a Left Winger: Joe Juneau (70)
  • Most Assists, One Season, by a Rookie: Joe Juneau (70)* (Note: Wayne Gretzky scored 86 assists in his first year, but he was not considered a rookie)
  • Most Points, One Season, by a Left Winger: Luc Robitaille (125)
  • Most Points, One Season, by a Rookie: Teemu Selanne (132) (Note: Wayne Gretzky scored 137 points in his first year, but he was not considered a rookie)
  • Most Assists, One Game, by a Goaltender: Jeff Reese (3, February 10, 1993)

Playoffs
=Team
=
  • Most Overtime Games, One Playoff Year: 28
  • Most Overtime Wins, One Playoff Year: Montreal Canadiens (10)
  • Most Consecutive Wins, One Playoff Year: Montreal Canadiens (11)*

=Individual
=
  • Most Consecutive Wins, One Playoff Year: Patrick Roy (11)*
  • Most Goals by a Defenceman, One Game: Eric Desjardins (3, June 3, 1993)*
  • Most Power-Play Goals, One Game: Dino Ciccarelli (3, April 29, 1993)*
  • Most Shorthanded Goals, One Game: Tom Fitzgerald (2, May 8, 1993)*
  • Most Assists, One Period: Adam Oates (3, April 24, 1993)*

* Equalled existing record

Rule Changes

  • Schedule length changed to 84 games. Two games in each team's schedule to be played in non-NHL cities.
  • Instigating a fight results in a game misconduct penalty.
  • Substitutions disallowed for coincidental minor penalties when teams are at full strength.
  • Minor penalty for diving introduced.
  • Wearing of a helmet made optional.

Major Transactions

NHL Awards

Presidents' Trophy: Pittsburgh Penguins
Prince of Wales Trophy: Montreal Canadiens
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Los Angeles Kings
Art Ross Memorial Trophy: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Calder Memorial Trophy: Teemu Selanne, Winnipeg Jets
Conn Smythe Trophy: Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Doug Gilmour, Toronto Maple Leafs
Hart Memorial Trophy: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jack Adams Award: Pat Burns, Toronto Maple Leafs
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks
King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Dave Poulin, Boston Bruins
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Pierre Turgeon, New York Islanders
Lester B. Pearson Award: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Plus/Minus Award: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Vezina Trophy: Ed Belfour, Chicago Blackhawks
William M. Jennings Trophy: Ed Belfour, Chicago Blackhawks
Lester Patrick Trophy: Frank Boucher, Mervyn "Red" Dutton, Bruce McNall, Gil Stein

See also

References

The NHL on ABC

NHL 1992/93

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "1992-93 NHL season".

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