The 1983–84 NHL season was the 67th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers de-throned the four-time defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders four games to one in the Cup finals.

1983–84 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 4, 1983 – May 19, 1984
Number of games80
Number of teams21
TV partner(s)CBC, SRC (Canada)
USA (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickBrian Lawton
Picked byMinnesota North Stars
Regular season
Season championsEdmonton Oilers
Season MVPWayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Top scorerWayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPMark Messier (Oilers)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsEdmonton Oilers
  Runners-upNew York Islanders
NHL seasons

League business edit

Not since World War II travel restrictions caused the NHL to drop regular season overtime games in 1942–43 had the NHL used overtime to decide regular season games. Starting this season, the NHL introduced a five-minute extra period of overtime following the third period in the event of a tied game. A team losing in overtime would get no points. This rule remained in effect until the 1999–2000 season, where a team losing in overtime was awarded 1 point. If the game remained tied after the five-minute extra period, it remained a tie with each team getting 1 point, until the NHL shootout arrived in the 2005–06 season. Overtime in the Stanley Cup playoffs remained unchanged.[1]

In the entry draft, Brian Lawton became the first American to be chosen first overall, by the Minnesota North Stars. Three Americans were chosen in the top five: Lawton, Pat Lafontaine (third) and Tom Barrasso (fifth). Sylvain Turgeon was chosen second and Steve Yzerman was chosen fourth overall. The St. Louis Blues did not participate in the draft, having been "orphaned" by Ralston Purina. The NHL took control of the franchise after the draft. On July 27, 1983, Harry Ornest purchased the Blues for US$3 million.[2]

Arthur M. Wirtz, long-time chairman and part-owner of the Chicago Black Hawks, died at the age of 82 on July 21, 1983.[3] His son, Bill, took over ownership of the team.

Regular season edit

The Edmonton Oilers ran away with the best record in the league, and for the third straight year set a new record for most goals in a season, 446. The Oilers' new captain, Wayne Gretzky, was once again breaking records and rewriting his name into the record book. This season saw Gretzky score at least one point in the first 51 games of the season. During those 51 games, Gretzky had 61 goals and 92 assists for 153 points, which is equivalent to exactly three points per game. He also won his fifth straight Hart Trophy and his fourth straight Art Ross Trophy. The season's second leading scorer was Gretzky's teammate Paul Coffey, who, with 126 points, became the third defenceman to score 100 points in a season.

The Calgary Flames played their inaugural season at the Olympic Saddledome.

Prior to the season, the St. Louis Blues were purchased by Harry Ornest, keeping the team from folding after a proposed move to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was rejected by the NHL Board of Governors. The Blues remain in Missouri as of 2024. In addition, the team's home venue, the Checkerdome, reverted to its original name, the Arena, after six seasons.

Final standings edit

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes

Prince of Wales Conference edit

Adams Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Boston Bruins 80 49 25 6 336 261 104
Buffalo Sabres 80 48 25 7 315 257 103
Quebec Nordiques 80 42 28 10 360 278 94
Montreal Canadiens 80 35 40 5 286 295 75
Hartford Whalers 80 28 42 10 288 320 66

[4]

Patrick Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
New York Islanders 80 50 26 4 357 269 104
Washington Capitals 80 48 27 5 308 226 101
Philadelphia Flyers 80 44 26 10 350 290 98
New York Rangers 80 42 29 9 314 304 93
New Jersey Devils 80 17 56 7 231 350 41
Pittsburgh Penguins 80 16 58 6 254 390 38

[5]

Clarence Campbell Conference edit

Norris Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Minnesota North Stars 80 39 31 10 345 344 88
St. Louis Blues 80 32 41 7 293 316 71
Detroit Red Wings 80 31 42 7 298 323 69
Chicago Black Hawks 80 30 42 8 277 311 68
Toronto Maple Leafs 80 26 45 9 303 387 61

[6]

Smythe Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Edmonton Oilers 80 57 18 5 446 314 119
Calgary Flames 80 34 32 14 311 314 82
Vancouver Canucks 80 32 39 9 306 328 73
Winnipeg Jets 80 31 38 11 340 374 73
Los Angeles Kings 80 23 44 13 309 376 59

[7]

Playoffs edit

 
The Stanley Cup

Playoff bracket edit

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

Stanley Cup Finals edit

It was a rematch of the 1983 final as the Islanders attempted to match the 1950s Montreal Canadiens and win five consecutive Stanley Cup championships, against the Edmonton Oilers attempting to win the franchise's first championship. The Islanders lost the first game at home 1–0, but came back to defeat the Oilers 6–1 in the second game. Edmonton took over the series from that point, winning the next three games, all played in Edmonton.

This season's finals adopted the 2–3–2 home ice format, rather than the usual 2–2–1–1–1 format.


May 10 Edmonton Oilers 1–0 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum
May 12 Edmonton Oilers 1–6 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum
May 15 New York Islanders 2–7 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum
May 17 New York Islanders 2–7 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum
May 19 New York Islanders 2–5 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum
Edmonton won series 4–1


Awards edit

1983–84 NHL awards
Award Recipient(s) Runners-up/finalists
Stanley Cup Edmonton Oilers New York Islanders
Prince of Wales Trophy
(Wales Conference playoff champion)
New York Islanders Montreal Canadiens
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
(Campbell Conference playoff champion)
Edmonton Oilers Minnesota North Stars
Art Ross Trophy
(Player with most points)
Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) Paul Coffey (Edmonton Oilers)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)
Brad Park (Detroit Red Wings) N/A
Calder Memorial Trophy
(Best first-year player)
Tom Barrasso (Buffalo Sabres) Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings)
Conn Smythe Trophy
(Most valuable player, playoffs)
Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers) N/A
Emery Edge Award
(Best plus-minus statistic)
Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) N/A
Frank J. Selke Trophy
(Defensive forward)
Doug Jarvis (Washington Capitals) Bryan Trottier (New York Islanders)
Hart Memorial Trophy
(Most valuable player, regular season)
Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) Rod Langway (Washington Capitals)
Jack Adams Award
(Best coach)
Bryan Murray (Washington Capitals) Scotty Bowman (Buffalo Sabres)
James Norris Memorial Trophy
(Best defenceman)
Rod Langway (Washington Capitals) Paul Coffey (Edmonton Oilers)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
(Sportsmanship and excellence)
Mike Bossy (New York Islanders) Rick Middleton (Boston Bruins)
Lester B. Pearson Award
(Outstanding player)
Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) N/A
Vezina Trophy
(Best goaltender)
Tom Barrasso (Buffalo Sabres) Rejean Lemelin (Calgary Flames)
William M. Jennings Trophy
(Goaltenders of team with fewest goals against)
Al Jensen and Pat Riggin (Washington Capitals) N/A
Lester Patrick Trophy
(Service to ice hockey in the U.S.)
John Ziegler Jr. and Art Ross N/A

All-Star teams edit

First Team   Position   Second Team
Tom Barrasso, Buffalo Sabres G Pat Riggin, Washington Capitals
Rod Langway, Washington Capitals D Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins D Denis Potvin, New York Islanders
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers C Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders
Mike Bossy, New York Islanders RW Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers
Michel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques LW Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers

Source: NHL.[8]

Player statistics edit

Scoring leaders edit

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 74 87 118 205 39
Paul Coffey Edmonton Oilers 80 40 86 126 104
Michel Goulet Quebec Nordiques 75 56 65 121 76
Peter Stastny Quebec Nordiques 80 46 73 119 73
Mike Bossy New York Islanders 67 51 67 118 8
Barry Pederson Boston Bruins 80 39 77 116 64
Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers 64 52 61 113 14
Bryan Trottier New York Islanders 68 40 71 111 59
Bernie Federko St. Louis Blues 79 41 66 107 43
Rick Middleton Boston Bruins 80 47 58 105 14

Source: NHL.[9]

Leading goaltenders edit

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%
Pat Riggin Washington Capitals 41 2299 102 2.66 21 14 2 4 .890
Tom Barrasso Buffalo Sabres 42 2475 117 2.84 26 12 3 2 .893
Al Jensen Washington Capitals 43 2414 117 2.91 25 13 3 4 .882
Doug Keans Boston Bruins 33 1779 92 3.10 19 8 3 2 .883
Bob Froese Philadelphia Flyers 48 2863 150 3.14 28 13 7 2 .887
Pete Peeters Boston Bruins 50 2868 151 3.16 29 16 2 0 .876
Dan Bouchard Quebec Nordiques 57 3373 180 3.20 29 18 8 1 .882
Roland Melanson N.Y. Islanders 37 2019 110 3.27 20 11 2 0 .903
Richard Sevigny Montreal Canadiens 40 2203 124 3.38 16 18 2 1 .869
Murray Bannerman Chicago Black Hawks 56 3335 188 3.38 23 29 4 2 .887

[10]

Coaches edit

Patrick Division edit

Adams Division edit

Norris Division edit

Smythe Division edit

Milestones edit

Debuts edit

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1983–84 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

Last games edit

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1983–84 (listed with their last team):

Broadcasting edit

Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. This was the last season that the Molson-sponsored HNIC had sole Canadian national broadcast rights. During the next season, rival brewery Carling O'Keefe began airing games on CTV.

This was the second season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deal with USA, covering a slate of regular season games and selected playoff games.

See also edit

References edit

  • Diamond, Dan, ed. (2008). Total Stanley Cup 2008. NHL.
  • 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.
  • McFarlane, Brian (1989). One hundred years of hockey. Toronto: Deneau Publishers. ISBN 0-88879-216-6.
Notes
  1. ^ UPI (June 24, 1983). "5-MINUTE OVERTIME IS VOTED BY N.H.L." New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  2. ^ McFarlane 1989, p. 232.
  3. ^ McFarlane 1989, p. 233.
  4. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  5. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  6. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  7. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  8. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 229.
  9. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 152.
  10. ^ "1983-84 NHL Leaders".

External links edit

  Media related to 1983–1984 National Hockey League season at Wikimedia Commons