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1987–88 NHL season

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The 1987–88 NHL season was the 71st season of the National Hockey League. It was an 80-game season with the top four teams in each division advancing to the Stanley Cup playoffs. This season would see the Edmonton Oilers win their fourth Stanley Cup in five years by sweeping the Boston Bruins 4–0[1] in the Stanley Cup Finals. In the process of their Cup win, Edmonton lost only two games, a record for the "16 wins" playoff format.

1987–88 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 8, 1987 – May 26, 1988
Number of games80
Number of teams21
TV partner(s)CBC, Canwest/Global, TSN, SRC (Canada)
ESPN (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickPierre Turgeon
Picked byBuffalo Sabres
Regular season
Presidents' TrophyCalgary Flames
Season MVPMario Lemieux (Penguins)
Top scorerMario Lemieux (Penguins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPWayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsEdmonton Oilers
  Runners-upBoston Bruins
NHL seasons

Entry draft

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The 1987 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 13, at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. This was the first draft held in the United States instead of in Canada. Pierre Turgeon was selected first overall by the Buffalo Sabres.

Regular season

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This was Wayne Gretzky's final season with the Edmonton Oilers and, as injuries held him out of 20% of the season, this would be the only season of the decade in which he was not the winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy and the first season since 1979–80 that he did not hold or share the league lead in points. Mario Lemieux would capture his first Hart Trophy and lead the league in scoring.

On December 8, Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers became the first goalie to directly score a goal, shooting the puck into an empty net after their opponent had pulled their goalie for a sixth attacker.

On December 19, the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins combined to score two goals in two seconds. The Bruins were trailing 6-4 in the third period when Ken Linseman scored with 10 seconds remaining, followed by Blues center Doug Gilmour scoring off the resulting faceoff into an empty net.[2]

The New Jersey Devils qualified for the playoffs for the first time, since their move from Denver in 1982.

Final standings

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Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Prince of Wales Conference

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Adams Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Montreal Canadiens 80 45 22 13 298 238 103
Boston Bruins 80 44 30 6 300 251 94
Buffalo Sabres 80 37 32 11 283 305 85
Hartford Whalers 80 35 38 7 249 267 77
Quebec Nordiques 80 32 43 5 271 306 69

[3]

Patrick Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
New York Islanders 80 39 31 10 308 267 88
Philadelphia Flyers 80 38 33 9 292 292 85
Washington Capitals 80 38 33 9 281 249 85
New Jersey Devils 80 38 36 6 295 296 82
New York Rangers 80 36 34 10 300 283 82
Pittsburgh Penguins 80 36 35 9 319 316 81

[3]

Clarence Campbell Conference

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Norris Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Detroit Red Wings 80 41 28 11 322 269 93
St. Louis Blues 80 34 38 8 278 294 76
Chicago Blackhawks 80 30 41 9 284 328 69
Toronto Maple Leafs 80 21 49 10 273 345 52
Minnesota North Stars 80 19 48 13 242 349 51

[3]

Smythe Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Calgary Flames 80 48 23 9 397 305 105
Edmonton Oilers 80 44 25 11 363 288 99
Winnipeg Jets 80 33 36 11 292 310 77
Los Angeles Kings 80 30 42 8 318 359 68
Vancouver Canucks 80 25 46 9 272 320 59

[3]

Playoffs

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Main article: 1988 Stanley Cup playoffs

Bracket

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The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). In the division semifinals, the fourth seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's semifinals then met in the division finals. The two division winners of each conference then played in the conference finals. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Division semifinals Division finals Conference finals Stanley Cup Finals
            
A1 Montreal 4
A4 Hartford 2
A1 Montreal 1
A2 Boston 4
A2 Boston 4
A3 Buffalo 2
A2 Boston 4
Prince of Wales Conference
P4 New Jersey 3
P1 NY Islanders 2
P4 New Jersey 4
P4 New Jersey 4
P2 Washington 3
P2 Washington 4
P3 Philadelphia 3
A2 Boston 0
S2 Edmonton 4
N1 Detroit 4
N4 Toronto 2
N1 Detroit 4
N2 St. Louis 1
N2 St. Louis 4
N3 Chicago 1
N1 Detroit 1
Clarence Campbell Conference
S2 Edmonton 4
S1 Calgary 4
S4 Los Angeles 1
S1 Calgary 0
S2 Edmonton 4
S2 Edmonton 4
S3 Winnipeg 1

Awards

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The NHL introduced a new trophy, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which was to be awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution in his community.

1987–88 NHL awards
Award Recipient(s) Runner(s)-up/Finalists
Stanley Cup Edmonton Oilers Boston Bruins
Presidents' Trophy
(Best regular season record)		 Calgary Flames Montreal Canadiens
Prince of Wales Trophy
(Wales Conference playoff champion)		 Boston Bruins New Jersey Devils
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
(Campbell Conference playoff champion)		 Edmonton Oilers Detroit Red Wings
Art Ross Trophy
(Player with most points)		 Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
(Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication)		 Bob Bourne (Los Angeles Kings) N/A
Calder Memorial Trophy
(Best first-year player)		 Joe Nieuwendyk (Calgary Flames) Darren Pang (Chicago Blackhawks)
Ray Sheppard (Buffalo Sabres)
Conn Smythe Trophy
(Most valuable player, playoffs)		 Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) N/A
Emery Edge Award
(Best plus-minus statistic)		 Brad McCrimmon (Calgary Flames) Petr Svoboda (Montreal Canadiens)
Frank J. Selke Trophy
(Best defensive forward)		 Guy Carbonneau (Montreal Canadiens) Jan Erixon (New York Rangers)
Steve Kasper (Boston Bruins)
Hart Memorial Trophy
(Most valuable player, regular season)		 Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) Grant Fuhr (Edmonton Oilers)
Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers)
Jack Adams Award
(Best coach)		 Jacques Demers (Detroit Red Wings) Terry Crisp (Calgary Flames)
Jean Perron (Montreal Canadiens)
James Norris Memorial Trophy
(Best defenceman)		 Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) Scott Stevens (Washington Capitals)
Gary Suter (Calgary Flames)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy
(Leadership and humanitarian contribution)		 Lanny McDonald (Calgary Flames) Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers)
Bryan Trottier (New York Islanders)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
(Sportsmanship and excellence)		 Mats Naslund (Montreal Canadiens) Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers)
Joe Nieuwendyk (Calgary Flames)
Lester B. Pearson Award
(Outstanding player)		 Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) N/A
Vezina Trophy
(Best goaltender)		 Grant Fuhr (Edmonton Oilers) Tom Barrasso (Buffalo Sabres)
Kelly Hrudey (New York Islanders)
William M. Jennings Trophy
(Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against)		 Patrick Roy and Brian Hayward (Montreal Canadiens) Clint Malarchuk and Pete Peeters (Washington Capitals)

All-Star teams

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First Team   Position   Second Team
Grant Fuhr, Edmonton Oilers G Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins D Gary Suter, Calgary Flames
Scott Stevens, Washington Capitals D Brad McCrimmon, Calgary Flames
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins C Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Hakan Loob, Calgary Flames RW Cam Neely, Boston Bruins
Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings LW Michel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques

Player statistics

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Scoring leaders

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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 77 70 98 168 92 +23 22 10 7
Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 64 40 109 149 24 +39 9 5 3
Denis Savard Chicago Blackhawks 80 44 87 131 95 +4 14 7 6
Dale Hawerchuk Winnipeg Jets 80 44 77 121 59 -9 20 3 4
Luc Robitaille Los Angeles Kings 80 53 58 111 82 -9 17 0 6
Peter Stastny Quebec Nordiques 76 46 65 111 69 +2 20 0 2
Mark Messier Edmonton Oilers 77 37 74 111 103 +21 12 3 7
Jimmy Carson Los Angeles Kings 80 55 52 107 45 -19 22 0 7
Hakan Loob Calgary Flames 80 50 56 106 47 +41 9 8 4
Michel Goulet Quebec Nordiques 80 48 58 106 56 -31 29 1 4

Source: NHL.[4]

Leading goaltenders

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GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage

Goalie Team GP Min W L T SO GAA Sv%
Grant Fuhr Edmonton Oilers 75 4304 40 24 9 4 3.43 88.1
Mike Vernon Calgary Flames 64 3565 39 16 7 1 3.53 87.7
Ron Hextall Philadelphia Flyers 62 3561 30 22 7 0 3.5 88.6
Mike Liut Hartford Whalers 60 3532 25 28 5 2 3.18 88.5
John Vanbiesbrouck New York Rangers 56 3319 27 22 7 2 3.38 89.0
Daniel Berthiaume Winnipeg Jets 56 3010 22 19 7 2 3.51 88.2
Ken Wregget Toronto Maple Leafs 56 3000 12 35 4 2 4.44 87.0
Tom Barrasso Buffalo Sabres 54 3133 25 18 8 2 3.31 89.6
Mario Gosselin Quebec Nordiques 54 3002 20 28 4 2 3.78 86.7
Clint Malarchuk Washington Capitals 54 2926 24 20 4 4 3.16 88.5

Source: Quanthockey.com[5]

Coaches

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Patrick Division

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Adams Division

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Norris Division

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Smythe Division

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Milestones

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Debuts

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The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1987–88:

Last games

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The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1987–88:

Firsts

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  • Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers, First goaltender in NHL history to shoot and score a goal.

Broadcasting

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In Canada, the cable network TSN began airing a schedule of Monday and Thursday night regular season games. The Molson-sponsored Hockey Night in Canada on CBC continued to air Saturday night regular season games. This was the last season of the Carling O'Keefe-sponsored telecasts on Canwest/Global, with Global airing selected regular season games between January and March. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs were split between CBC and Global, with the later branding its postseason broadcasts as Stanley Cup '88. Carling O'Keefe's rights expired at the end of the season,[6] and 1989 merger between Molson and Carling O'Keefe eventually put an end to the competition.

This was the third and final season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deal with ESPN, airing up to 33 regular season games each season as well as the All-Star Game and the playoffs.[7][8] SportsChannel America then signed a three-year contract to take over the rights from ESPN.[9]

See also

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References

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  • 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, 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, Illinois: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
Notes
  1. ^ The original fourth game was cancelled (score was tied) while in progress, due to a rink electrical outage. The original fourth game stats were not counted. The fourth game was rescheduled and replayed.
  2. ^ "Etched in Stone: The Top 20 Most Unbreakable Records in NHL History". Bleacherreport.com. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153. ISBN 9781894801225.
  4. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 153.
  5. ^ NHL Goaltender Leaders During 1987-88 Season | QuantHockey.com
  6. ^ Matsumoto, Rick (August 5, 1987). "Brian Propp determined to make Team Canada". Toronto Star. p. F1.
  7. ^ Strachan, Al (July 30, 1985). "ESPN acquires NHL games Backroom bickering in TV deal". The Globe and Mail.
  8. ^ Mulligan, Kevin (July 26, 1985). "NHL Finds a Home at ESPN". Philadelphia Daily News.
  9. ^ "The News - Apr 2, 1991". news.google.com. April 2, 1991.
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