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 | |
---|---|
League | National Hockey League |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Duration | October 4, 1983 – May 19, 1984 |
Number of games | 80 |
Number of teams | 21 |
TV partner(s) | CBC, SRC (Canada) USA (United States) |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Brian Lawton |
Picked by | Minnesota North Stars |
Regular season | |
Season champions | Edmonton Oilers |
Season MVP | Wayne Gretzky (Oilers) |
Top scorer | Wayne Gretzky (Oilers) |
Playoffs | |
Playoffs MVP | Mark Messier (Oilers) |
Stanley Cup | |
Champions | Edmonton Oilers |
Runners-up | New York Islanders |
League business
editNot 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.
Arena changes
edit- The Calgary Flames moved from the Stampede Corral to Olympic Saddledome.
- The St. Louis Blues's home arena, the Checkerdome, reverted back to its original St. Louis Arena name, reflecting Harry Ornest taking over ownership of the team and the arena from Ralston Purina.
Teams
editRegular season
editThe 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
editNote: 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
editGP | 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 |
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 |
Clarence Campbell Conference
editGP | 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 |
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 |
Playoffs
editBracket
editThe top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. 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 the division semifinals, teams competed in a best-of-five series. In the other three rounds, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each series).
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 |
Awards
editAward | 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) | Bryan Trottier (New York Islanders) |
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) | Tom Barrasso and Bob Sauve (Buffalo Sabres) |
All-Star teams
editSource: NHL.[8]
Player statistics
editScoring leaders
editNote: 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
editNote: 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 |
Coaches
editPatrick Division
edit- New Jersey Devils: Bill MacMillan and Tom McVie
- New York Islanders: Al Arbour
- New York Rangers: Herb Brooks
- Philadelphia Flyers: Bob McCammon and Mike Keenan
- Pittsburgh Penguins: Lou Angotti
- Washington Capitals: Bryan Murray
Adams Division
edit- Boston Bruins: Gerry Cheevers
- Buffalo Sabres: Scotty Bowman
- Hartford Whalers: Larry Pleau
- Montreal Canadiens: Bob Berry and Jacques Lemaire
- Quebec Nordiques: Michel Bergeron
Norris Division
edit- Chicago Black Hawks: Orval Tessier
- Detroit Red Wings: Nick Polano
- Minnesota North Stars: Glen Sonmor
- St. Louis Blues: Jacques Demers
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Mike Nykoluk
Smythe Division
edit- Calgary Flames: Bob Johnson
- Edmonton Oilers: Glen Sather
- Los Angeles Kings: Don Perry, Rogatien Vachon and Roger Neilson
- Vancouver Canucks: Roger Neilson and Harry Neale
- Winnipeg Jets: Tom Watt and Barry Long
Milestones
editDebuts
editThe 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):
- Tom Barrasso, Buffalo Sabres
- Chris Chelios, Montreal Canadiens
- Geoff Courtnall, Boston Bruins
- Russ Courtnall, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Brian Curran, Boston Bruins
- Ken Daneyko, New Jersey Devils
- Bruce Driver, New Jersey Devils
- Patrick Flatley, New York Islanders
- Doug Gilmour, St. Louis Blues
- Dirk Graham, Minnesota North Stars
- Kelly Hrudey, New York Islanders
- Pat LaFontaine, New York Islanders
- Brian Lawton, Minnesota North Stars
- Claude Lemieux, Montreal Canadiens
- Doug Lidster, Vancouver Canucks
- Hakan Loob, Calgary Flames
- John MacLean, New Jersey Devils
- Marty McSorley, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Cam Neely, Vancouver Canucks
- James Patrick, New York Rangers
- Bob Rouse, Minnesota North Stars
- Peter Sundstrom, New York Rangers
- Sylvain Turgeon, Hartford Whalers
- Carey Wilson, Calgary Flames
- Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings
Last games
editThe following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1983–84 (listed with their last team):
- Guy Lapointe, Boston Bruins
- Tony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks
- Rick MacLeish, Detroit Red Wings
- Billy Harris, Los Angeles Kings
- Blaine Stoughton, New York Rangers
- Bill Barber, Philadelphia Flyers
- Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers
- Guy Chouinard, St. Louis Blues
- Michel Larocque, St. Louis Blues
- Dale McCourt, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Mike Palmateer, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Darcy Rota, Vancouver Canucks
Broadcasting
editHockey 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
editReferences
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
- ^ UPI (June 24, 1983). "5-MINUTE OVERTIME IS VOTED BY N.H.L." New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ McFarlane 1989, p. 232.
- ^ McFarlane 1989, p. 233.
- ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
- ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
- ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
- ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
- ^ Dinger 2011, p. 229.
- ^ Dinger 2011, p. 152.
- ^ "1983-84 NHL Leaders".
External links
editMedia related to 1983–1984 National Hockey League season at Wikimedia Commons