1993 Stanley Cup Finals

Infobox Stanley Cup Final
year=1993
team1=Montreal Canadiens
team1_short=Montreal
team1_captain=Guy Carbonneau
team1_1=1
team1_2=3
team1_3=4
team1_4=3
team1_5=4
team1_tot=4
team1_coach=Jacques Demers
team2=Los Angeles Kings
team2_short=Los Angeles
team2_captain=Wayne Gretzky
team2_coach=Barry Melrose
team2_1=4
team2_2=2
team2_3=3
team2_4=2
team2_5=1
team2_tot=1
gm2_ot=*
gm3_ot=*
gm4_ot=*
table-note=* indicates number of overtime periods
dates=June 1 to June 9, 1993
location1=Montreal (Montreal Forum) (1,2,5)
location2=Los Angeles (Great Western Forum) (3,4)
mvp=Patrick Roy
series_winner=Kirk Muller (3:51, 2nd, G5)

The 1993 Stanley Cup Finals were held from June 1 to June 9, 1993, between the Los Angeles Kings and the Montreal Canadiens to decide the NHL championship. The year 1993 was the 100th anniversary of the Stanley Cup. This would be the last Stanley Cup finals series to be played in the Montreal Forum, and the last time Gretzky would play in the finals as well. It was Montreal's first trip to the finals in four years, while it was the first-ever trip to the finals for the Kings in their 26-year history. As of 2008, this is the most recent time that a Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup Championship.

Paths to the final

To reach the finals, Los Angeles defeated the Calgary Flames 4–2, the Vancouver Canucks 4–2 and the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–3.

Montreal defeated the Quebec Nordiques 4–2, the Buffalo Sabres 4–0, and the New York Islanders 4–1.

The series

Game one

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Los Angeles Kings
team2 = Montreal Canadiens
stadium1 = Montreal Forum
date1 = Tuesday, June 1
score1 = 4 – 1
won1 = 1In game one at the Montreal Forum, the Kings jumped out to a 1–0 lead on Luc Robitaille's power-play goal at 3:03 of the first period. The Canadiens tied the game late in the first, on Ed Ronan's goal at 18:09 (although it was merely a pass that Wayne Gretzky accidentally deflected in). Robitaille would break the 1–1 tie with his second power-play goal of the game at 17:41 of the second period. Jari Kurri added an insurance marker off a Patrice Brisebois turnover at 1:51 of the third, and Gretzky sealed the 4–1 win for the Kings with an empty net goal at 18:02.

Game two

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Los Angeles Kings
team2 = Montreal Canadiens
stadium1 = Montreal Forum
date1 = Thursday, June 3
score1 = 2 – 3 (1OT)
won1 = 2The most memorable moment of the series came late in the third period of game two. With the Kings leading by a score of 2–1, Canadiens coach Jacques Demers called for a measurement of the curve of Kings defenceman Marty McSorley's stick. The stick was deemed illegal and McSorley was given a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. As it was late in the game and Montreal was facing the prospect of going to LA down two games to zero, Jacques Demers pulled goalie Patrick Roy for a 6 on 4 advantage. In dramatic fashion, Montreal's Eric Desjardins scored from the point to tie the game at 2 and force overtime. Fortunately for Montreal, the referee hadn't noticed that John LeClair was inside the goal crease, which would normally nullify the goal. Desjardins then scored his third goal (the first defenceman to score a hat trick in a cup final) of the game 51 seconds into overtime to give Montreal the win and the momentum heading toward games three and four at the Great Western Forum.

Game three

NHLPlayoffs
team2 = Los Angeles Kings
team1 = Montreal Canadiens
stadium1 = Great Western Forum
date1 = Saturday, June 5
score1 = 4 – 3 (1OT)
won1 = 1In game three in Los Angeles, the Canadiens jumped out to a 1–0 first period lead on a tip-in goal by Brian Bellows at 10:26, and Gilbert Dionne and Mathieu Schneider increased that lead to 3–0 at 2:41 and 3:02 of the second period. After a memorable check by Kings long-time defenceman Mark Hardy on Montreal's Mike Keane, the Kings fired back to tie the game in the second period. Luc Robitaille, Tony Granato and Wayne Gretzky all had goals to make the score 3–3. With time running out in the third period, Montreal captain Guy Carbonneau appeared to cover the puck in the goal crease, which with such little time remaining (12 seconds) would have resulted in a penalty shot for Los Angeles. But the referee ruled that the puck had been shot by a Kings player into Carbonneau's equipment, and so the period remained scoreless. The game went into overtime and the Canadiens won again; it was their ninth consecutive overtime playoff victory. John Leclair scored the winner just 34 seconds into the extra period.

Game four

NHLPlayoffs
team2 = Los Angeles Kings
team1 = Montreal Canadiens
stadium1 = Great Western Forum
date1 = Monday, June 7
score1 = 3 – 2 (1OT)
won1 = 1Game four was a mirror image of the previous game. Montreal bolted out to an early 2–0 lead, but the Kings fought back into the game in the second period with goals by Mike Donnelly at 6:33 and Marty McSorley on a power play at 19:56. As was the case in game three, the third period in game four ended up scoreless. Once again, it was John LeClair who was the hero for Montreal as he netted the overtime winner 14:37 into the extra period, banking the puck off sliding defenceman Darryl Sydor's leg. In doing so, he became the first player since Montreal legend Maurice "Rocket" Richard in 1951 to score playoff overtime goals in consecutive games, and giving Montreal an NHL-record ten consecutive OT wins in the 1993 playoffs.

Game five

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Los Angeles Kings
team2 = Montreal Canadiens
stadium1 = Montreal Forum
date1 = Wednesday, June 9
score1 = 1 – 4
won1 = 2Leading the series three games to one, the Canadiens headed back to the Forum for game five. After Paul DiPietro gave Montreal a 1–0 lead with a goal at 15:10 of the first period, Los Angeles defenceman Marty McSorley tied the game at 2:40 of the second period. The Canadiens' response was swift as Kirk Muller scored just 71 seconds later and then Stephan Lebeau scored a power-play goal at 11:31, to give the Canadiens a 3–1 lead after two periods. Paul DiPietro scored again at 12:06 to give Montreal a 4–1 lead. That ended up being the final score, and Kirk Muller's goal turned out to be the game winner. The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup Finals four games to one. Patrick Roy was awarded his second Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP.

Quotes

Montreal Canadiens 1993 Stanley Cup champions

Stanley Cup champion
centers=*21 Guy Carbonneau (Captain)
*15 Paul DiPietro
*17 John LeClair
*18 Denis Savard (A. Capt.)
*25 Vincent Damphousse
*29 Jesse Belanger†
*47 Stephan Lebeau
wingers=*11 Kirk Muller (A. Capt.)
*12 Mike Keane (A. Capt.)
*22 Benoit Brunet
*23 Brian Bellows
*26 Gary Leeman
*31 Ed Ronan
*32 Mario Roberge
*36 Todd Ewen
*45 Gilbert Dionne
*6 Oleg Petrov††
defence=*5 Rob Ramage
*8 Mathieu Schneider
*14 Kevin Haller
*24 Lyle Odelein
*28 Eric Desjardins
*34 Donald Dufresne
*38 Sean Hill
*43 Patrice Brisebois
*48 Jean-Jacques Daigneault
goaltenders=*33 Patrick Roy
*37 Andre Racicot

player-notes=
non-players=
*Ronald Corey (chairman/president), Serge Savard (vice president/general manager)
*Jacques Demers (head coach), Jacques Laperriere (ass’t coach)
*Charles Thiffault, (ass’t coaches), Francois Allaire
*Jean Beliveau (sr. vice president), Jacques Lemaire (ass't general manager/director of player personnel)
*Andre Boudrias (ass’t general manager)
*Gaetan Lefebvre (athletic trainer),
*John Shipman (ass’t athletic trainer), Eddie Palchak (equipment manager)
*Pierre Gervais, Robert Boulanger (ass’t equipment managers)|

Stanley Cup engravings

* Jesse Belanger† played 19 regular season games and 9 playoff games, but did not play in the finals. His name was included on the Cup even though he did not qualify. Oleg Petrov†† played 9 regular season games and 1 playoff game, but was left off the Cup.

*Montreal did not include Aldo Giampaolo, Fred Steer, Bernard Brisset (Vice Presidents), and Claude Ruel (Director-Player Development) on the Stanley Cup, even though there is more than enough room. In 1986 Montreal included all the vice presidents, and Director-Player Development on the Cup.

Riot

The 1993 Stanley Cup Riot occurred in Montreal, Canada after the Montreal Canadiens won their 24th Stanley Cup. Fans poured out of the Montreal Forum and began to commit acts of vandalism and violence while their team was celebrating inside. [ [http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20051222_140516_2124 4 Canadian sports riots | Macleans.ca - Culture - Entertainment ] ] The riot was mostly focus on Ste. Catherine St. stores were looted and police cruisers burned. The riots caused an estimated $10 million dollars in damages and injured 168 people, including 49 police officers. 115 people were arrested. ["Ex-judge to probe Montreal riot." "The Windsor Star." Windsor, Ont.: Jun 12, 1993. pg. B.8.]

References

ee also

*1992–93 NHL season
*List of Stanley Cup champions
*Curse of Marty McSorley, an alleged curse linked to McSorley's illegal stick that has prevented Canadian teams from winning the Stanley Cup since 1993