1989–90 NHL season

1989–90 NHL season
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 (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 →

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.

Teams

Division	Team	City	Arena	Capacity
1989-90 National Hockey League
Prince of Wales Conference
Adams	Boston Bruins	Boston, Massachusetts	Boston Garden	14,448
	Buffalo Sabres	Buffalo, New York	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium	16,433
	Hartford Whalers	Hartford, Connecticut	Hartford Civic Center	15,635
	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal, Quebec	Montreal Forum	18,076
	Quebec Nordiques	Quebec City, Quebec	Colisée de Québec	15,399
Patrick
	New Jersey Devils	East Rutherford, New Jersey	Brendan Byrne Arena	19,040
	New York Islanders	Uniondale, New York	Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum	16,297
	New York Rangers	New York, New York	Madison Square Garden	17,500
	Philadelphia Flyers	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Spectrum	17,423
	Pittsburgh Penguins	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Civic Arena	16,025
	Washington Capitals	Landover, Maryland	Capital Centre	18,130
Campbell Conference
Norris	Chicago Blackhawks	Chicago, Illinois	Chicago Stadium	17,317
	Detroit Red Wings	Detroit, Michigan	Joe Louis Arena	19,875
	Minnesota North Stars	Bloomington, Minnesota	Met Center	15,000
	St. Louis Blues	St. Louis, Missouri	St. Louis Arena	17,188
	Toronto Maple Leafs	Toronto, Ontario	Maple Leaf Gardens	16,182
Smythe
	Calgary Flames	Calgary, Alberta	Olympic Saddledome	20,240
	Edmonton Oilers	Edmonton, Alberta	Northlands Coliseum	17,503
	Los Angeles Kings	Inglewood, California	Great Western Forum	16,005
	Vancouver Canucks	Vancouver, British Columbia	Pacific Coliseum	16,123
	Winnipeg Jets	Winnipeg, Manitoba	Winnipeg Arena	15,565

Regular season

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

Adams Division
	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

^[1]

Patrick Division
	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

^[1]

Clarence Campbell Conference

Norris Division
	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

^[1]

Smythe Division
	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

^[1]

Playoffs

Playoff bracket

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.

In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). Home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record, and played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary); the other team then played at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary).

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

Awards

1989–90 NHL awards
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)	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) 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)
Jack Adams Award (Best coach)	Bob Murdoch (Winnipeg Jets)	Mike Milbury (Boston Bruins) Roger Neilson (New York Rangers)
James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best defenceman)	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) 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)
William M. Jennings Trophy (Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against)	Andy Moog and Réjean Lemelin (Boston Bruins)	N/A

All-Star teams

First team	Position	Second team
Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens	G	Daren Puppa, Buffalo Sabres
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins	D	Paul Coffey, Pittsburgh Penguins
Al MacInnis, Calgary Flames	D	Doug Wilson, Chicago Blackhawks
Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers	C	Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues	RW	Cam Neely, Boston Bruins
Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings	LW	Brian Bellows, Minnesota North Stars

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
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

Sources: NHL,^[2] Quanthockey.com.^[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]

Coaches

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

Milestones

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

Broadcasting

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]

Notes

^ NBC only televised the All-Star Game.

References

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

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d 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.
^ 1989-90 NHL Goalie Leaders | QuantHockey.com
^ 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.