1985 Stanley Cup Finals

1985 Stanley Cup Finals
1 2 3 4 5 Total Edmonton Oilers 1 3 4 5 8 4 Philadelphia Flyers 4 1 3 3 3 1
Location(s)	Rene Lecavalier and Gilles Tremblay (USA Network) Dan Kelly (1–2), Al Albert (3–5), and Gary Green (PRISM/WTAF) Gene Hart and Bobby Taylor
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The 1985 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1984–85 season, and the culmination of the 1985 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the defending champion Edmonton Oilers (in their third straight Finals appearance) and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Oilers won the best-of-seven series, four games to one, to win their second Stanley Cup. It was also the sixth straight Finals contested between teams that joined the NHL in 1967 or later. Until 2022, this was also the last time that a team, defending champion, or runner-up appeared in the Finals for the third straight season. This was the fourth of nine consecutive Finales contested by a team from Western Canada, third of eight contested by a team from Alberta (the Oilers appeared in six, the Calgary Flames in 1986 and 1989, and the Vancouver Canucks in 1982), and the second of five consecutive Finals to end with the Cup presentation on Alberta ice (the Oilers won four of those times, the Montreal Canadiens once). Game five of this series was played on May 30, which at the time was the latest finishing date for an NHL season. The record was broken two years later.

Paths to the Finals

Edmonton defeated the

Philadelphia defeated the New York Rangers 3–0, the New York Islanders 4–1, and the Quebec Nordiques 4–2 to make it to the finals.

Game summaries

This was the first Stanley Cup Finals where games were scheduled for June. Had the series reached game six, it would have been played Sunday, June 2, with game seven on Tuesday, June 4. The NHL season would not extend into an actual June game until 1992, due to a players strike.

This was the second and last Stanley Cup Finals to use the 2–3–2 format, long favored by Major League Baseball for its World Series and used from 1985 through 2013 for the NBA Finals. Since Edmonton went 6–0 at home during the 1984 and 1985 Finals, it was able to clinch in game five on home ice each time.

Wayne Gretzky scored seven goals in the five games, tying the record set by Jean Béliveau of the Canadiens in 1956 and Mike Bossy of the Islanders in 1982. Grant Fuhr stopped two penalty shots. Jari Kurri scored 19 goals through the entire playoffs, tying the single-year record set by Reggie Leach of the Flyers in 1976.

This was the last Stanley Cup Finals in which either starting goalie wore the old-style fiberglass

This was the first Stanley Cup Finals in which the

The Flyers posted a 4–1 victory to open the series. Edmonton coach Glen Sather was reportedly so disappointed with his team's performance that he burned the game videotapes after watching them.

Game two

Wayne Gretzky's first goal of the series late in the second period snapped a 1–1 tie, and Dave Hunter added an insurance empty-netter and the Oilers drew even in the series with a 3–1 win.

Game three

Gretzky almost single-handedly won Edmonton the game. He scored twice within the first 90 seconds of the game, and finished off a hat trick by the end of the first period. Although the Oilers put only six shots on net over the final 40 minutes, it was enough to escape with a 4–3 win and 2–1 series lead.

Game four

Unbowed, the Flyers leapt out to a 3–1 lead midway through the first period thanks to goals at even strength, on the power play and shorthanded. However, the Oilers roared back with four consecutive goals, including two from Gretzky, to win 5–3 and take a commanding series lead.

Game five

Against backup goaltender Bob Froese, substituting for starter Pelle Lindbergh (who had been playing progressively less well over the course of the Finals), the Oilers blitzed the Flyers with a four-goal first period and sailed to a convincing 8–3 win. Gretzky and Kurri posted a goal and three assists each, while Paul Coffey and Mark Messier scored two goals apiece. Edmonton won its second consecutive Stanley Cup while the Flyers, at the time the youngest team in professional sports, took the lessons from their loss into the clubs' next Stanley Cup Finals; they lost again to the Oilers in 1987, albeit in seven games. Wayne Gretzky won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, scoring a record 47 points this playoff year.

Broadcasting

In Canada, this was the first of two consecutive years that the English-language rights of the Cup Finals were shared between CBC and CTV. CBC televised games one and two nationally while games 3–5 were televised in Edmonton only. CTV televised games 3–5 nationally while games were blacked out in Edmonton. Had the series gone to a Game 7, then both CBC and CTV would have simultaneously televised it while using their own production facilities and crews. Dan Kelly, Ron Reusch, and Brad Park called the games on CTV.

In the United States, this was the fifth and final season that the Cup Finals aired nationally on the

' national coverage of the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The USA Network's national coverage of the 1985 Cup Finals was blacked out in the Philadelphia area due to the local rights to Flyers games in that TV market.

WTXF

aired games three, four, and five.

Team rosters

Edmonton Oilers

No.	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
2		Lee Jr. Fogolin	D	R	30	1979	Chicago, Illinois
4		Kevin Lowe	D	L	26	1979	Lachute, Quebec
7		Paul Coffey	D	L	23	1980	Weston, Ontario
8		Dave Lumley	RW	R	30	1979	Toronto, Ontario
9		Glenn Anderson	RW	L	24	1979	Vancouver, British Columbia
10		Jaroslav Pouzar	LW	L	33	1982	Cakovec, Czechoslovakia
11		Mark Messier	C	L	24	1979	St. Albert, Alberta
12		Dave Hunter	LW	L	27	1979	Petrolia, Ontario
14		Esa Tikkanen	LW	L	20	1983	Helsinki, Finland
16		Pat Hughes	RW	R	30	1981	Calgary, Alberta
17		Jari Kurri	RW	R	25	1980	Helsinki, Finland
18		Mark Napier	RW	L	28	1984	North York, Ontario
19		Willy Lindstrom	RW	L	34	1983	Grums, Sweden
20		Billy Carroll	C	L	26	1984	Toronto, Ontario
21		Randy Gregg	D	L	29	1982	Edmonton, Alberta
22		Charlie Huddy	D	L	25	1979	Oshawa, Ontario
24		Kevin McClelland	C	R	22	1983	Oshawa, Ontario
26		Mike Krushelnyski	C	L	25	1984	Montreal, Quebec
27		Dave Semenko	LW	L	27	1979	Winnipeg, Manitoba
28		Larry Melnyk	D	L	25	1983	New Westminster, British Columbia
29		Donald Jackson	D	L	26	1981	Minneapolis, Minnesota
31		Grant Fuhr	G	R	22	1981	Spruce Grove, Alberta
35		Andy Moog	G	L	25	1980	Penticton, British Columbia
99		Wayne Gretzky (C)	C	L	24	1979	Brantford, Ontario

Philadelphia Flyers

No.	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
2		Mark Howe	D	L	29	1982	Detroit, Michigan
3		Doug Crossman	D	L	24	1983	Peterborough, Ontario
5		Steve Smith	D	L	22	1981	Trenton, Ontario
8		Brad Marsh	D	L	27	1981	London, Ontario
9		Miroslav Dvorak	D	L	33	1982	Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czechoslovakia
10		Brad McCrimmon	D	L	26	1982	Dodsland, Saskatchewan
11		Len Hachborn	C	L	23	1981	Brantford, Ontario
12		Tim Kerr	RW	R	25	1980	Windsor, Ontario
14		Ron Sutter	C	R	21	1982	Viking, Alberta
15		Rich Sutter	LW	R	21	1983	Viking, Alberta
17		Ed Hospodar	D	L	26	1984	Bowling Green, Ohio
18		Lindsay Carson	LW	L	24	1979	Oxbow, Saskatchewan
19		Ray Allison	RW	R	26	1981	Cranbrook, British Columbia
20		Dave Poulin (C)	C	L	26	1982	Timmins, Ontario
21		Dave Brown	RW	R	24	1982	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
22		Rick Tocchet	RW	R	21	1983	Scarborough, Ontario
23		Ilkka Sinisalo	RW	L	26	1981	Valkeakoski, Finland
24		Derrick Smith	LW	L	20	1983	Scarborough, Ontario
25		Peter Zezel	C	L	20	1983	Scarborough, Ontario
26		Brian Propp	LW	L	26	1979	Lanigan, Saskatchewan
27		Thomas Eriksson	D	L	25	1979	Stockholm, Sweden
28		Joe Paterson	LW	L	24	1984	Toronto, Ontario
31		Pelle Lindbergh	G	L	25	1979	Stockholm, Sweden
32		Murray Craven	LW	L	20	1984	Medicine Hat, Alberta
35		Bob Froese	G	L	26	1982	St. Catharines, Ontario
42		Todd Bergen	C	L	21	1982	Prince Albert, Saskatchewan

Stanley Cup engraving

The 1985 Stanley Cup was presented to Oilers captain Wayne Gretzky by

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1984–85 NHL season

References

• Diamond, Dan (2000). Total Stanley Cup. Toronto: Total Sports Canada.
  ISBN 978-1-892129-07-9
  .
• Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50.
  ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7