Edmonton’s win over Dallas on Might 29 set in movement a repeat of final yr’s Stanley Cup challengers, with the Florida Panthers punching their ticket to the Last the day earlier than.
With that in thoughts, I compiled an inventory of the 5 most up-to-date Stanley Cup rematches between two groups.
For our functions right here, I solely thought-about rematches that occurred inside two years of the primary assembly within the Stanley Cup Last, apologies to historic rematches just like the 2019 Stanley Cup Last between Boston and St. Louis.
As you’ll start to note, the Edmonton Oilers have a historical past of being on this spot, they usually’ve gained each certainly one of their latest Stanley Cup rematch alternatives.
2009 Penguins vs Purple Wings
The 2009 Stanley Cup Last between Pittsburgh and Detroit is the latest instance of a Stanley Cup rematch.
Each groups had met the yr prior in a Finals that led to a six-game Purple Wings victory. The 2008 Cup Last was notable for a triple-overtime sport in Recreation 5, which turned the fifth-longest sport within the historical past of the championship collection. It’s additionally the final championship for any skilled sports activities crew from Detroit.
In 2009, the Penguins gained a seven-game collection within the championship, with a detailed 2-1 victory within the closing sport.
Within the earlier yr’s collection, the Pittsburgh core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Marc-Andre Fleury was nonetheless growing. By 2009, Fleury had advanced into the elite goaltender he is named right now, as evidenced by his save within the closing seconds of Recreation 7 on a Nicklas Lidström rebound shot.
The Penguins’ different key improvement that yr was a mid-season teaching change, firing 2008’s coach, Michel Therrien, and elevating their AHL head coach, Dan Bylsma. When the transfer was made, Pittsburgh was out of the playoffs with 25 video games to go within the common season. They rapidly rebounded and gained the Stanley Cup with Bylsma on the helm.
1990 Oilers vs Bruins
The 1990 Stanley Cup Last was a rematch of the Last from two years prior between Boston and Edmonton.
1988’s championship was the final for the Oilers with Wayne Gretzky, who can be traded within the following offseason. Edmonton gained the collection in a technical sweep, however the collection result’s controversial, on condition that Recreation 4 was suspended as a result of a blackout on the Boston Backyard.
The sport was tied when the ability went out, and the NHL determined to replay what was technically Recreation 4 as a fifth sport in Edmonton, a sport the Oilers ended up profitable. This meant the Bruins misplaced home-ice benefit for one sport after which turned the one crew in historical past to be swept in 5 video games.
The core of Boston remained largely the identical in 1990, however the outcome wasn’t a lot totally different. They misplaced, this time in 5 video games, to an Edmonton crew that had remade itself with a brand new defensive identification in Gretzky’s absence.
The 1990 Stanley Cup was the fifth and closing championship for the franchise.
1987 Oilers vs Flyers
You possibly can’t actually inform any story concerning the historical past of the NHL with out repeatedly mentioning Gretzky’s Eighties Oilers. They’re just like the Forrest Gump {of professional} hockey historical past. They simply hold popping up in every single place.
The 1987 Stanley Cup Last was a rematch of the 1985 Finals, a five-game gentleman’s sweep between an Oilers dynasty within the making and a really inexperienced Flyers crew, which had the youngest crew within the league, and a mean age of 24.5.
Recreation 1’s 4-1 Philadelphia blowout was so dangerous that Edmonton coach Glen Sather allegedly burned the videotape of the sport. From there, there was no query who the higher crew was.
By 1987, although, the Flyers have been considerably higher than they’d been two years prior. They’d change into an older, deeper, and extra bodily powerful crew.
Their goaltending state of affairs was one shaped out of a tragedy within the fall of 1985, when Philadelphia’s goaltender Pelle Lindbergh died in a automotive accident. However now in 1987, the Flyers had discovered a brand new younger goaltending sensation, in Ron Hextall, who, like Lindbergh, gained the Vezina Trophy earlier than main his crew to the Cup Last.
Philadelphia battled again from an preliminary 3-1 deficit within the collection, preventing towards a drained Oilers crew, and grabbing tight victories in Video games 5 and 6. In Recreation 7, the Flyers had an early 1-0 lead however then surrendered three unanswered objectives to Edmonton.
Hextall finally turned the Conn Smythe Trophy winner for collection MVP, regardless of a shedding efficiency.
1984 Oilers vs Islanders
The 1984 Cup Last represented a altering of the guard of types for dynasties within the NHL, serving as a bridge between the Islanders’ dynasty, which had gained 4 straight, and the Oilers’ dynasty, which might go on to win 5 in seven years.
The yr prior was New York’s fourth consecutive championship, gained in 4 video games towards a younger Edmonton crew. Given the breadth of playoff hockey expertise the Islanders had by that time in 1983, there was no method the Oilers may win the collection.
Within the years following the 1983 Last, Edmonton’s gamers have repeatedly stated that watching the New York crew’s muted response to profitable one other title, most of them extra exhausted than excited, was instructive about what it took to change into champions.
In 1984, the Oilers had playoff expertise and a defensive focus to enhance their high-flying Gretzky offense from the earlier yr. This yr’s outcome was remarkably totally different, a dominant five-game victory through which Edmonton gained the ultimate three video games by three or extra objectives.
1978 Canadiens vs Bruins
The 1978 Cup Last between Montreal and Boston have been a rematch of the earlier yr’s Last. It’s one of many solely rematches that doesn’t actually have a discernible distinction from one yr to the subsequent.
The Canadiens in 1977 have been on the peak of their dominance within the Nineteen Seventies. They broke data through the common season, setting one for essentially the most factors, with 132, and one other for essentially the most wins, 60. These have been damaged by now, as a result of adjustments in additional time guidelines within the common season, however they nonetheless maintain the report for many regulation wins and most factors per sport.
The Bruins in 1977 have been on the tail finish of their contending interval, with franchise legend Bobby Orr fading by that time.
Montreal’s win in 1977 can be their twentieth championship in franchise historical past.
In 1978, the Canadiens have been nonetheless robust however now not as dynastic. Whereas they nonetheless beat the Bruins, they took six video games to do it, as an alternative of the sweep they achieved in 1977.
It’s the final time that the 2 historic rivals ever met within the Stanley Cup Last.
