1993 Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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* indicates overtime period | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Location(s) |
Montreal (Montreal Forum) (1,2,5) Los Angeles (Great Western Forum) (3,4) |
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Coaches | Montreal: Jacques Demers Los Angeles: Barry Melrose |
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Captains | Montreal: Guy Carbonneau Los Angeles: Wayne Gretzky |
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Referees |
Andy Van Hellemond (1,4) Terry Gregson (3,5) Kerry Fraser (2) |
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Dates | June 1 – 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||
MVP | Patrick Roy (Canadiens) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Series-winning goal | Kirk Muller (3:51, second, G5) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Networks | ESPN, CBC, Prime Ticket (LA Area) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Announcers |
Gary Thorne and Bill Clement (ESPN) Bob Cole, Harry Neale, and Dick Irvin, Jr. (CBC) Bob Miller and Jim Fox (Prime Ticket) |
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The 1993 Stanley Cup Finals series was contested by the Los Angeles Kings and the Montreal Canadiens to decide the NHL championship for the 1992–93 season. It was the first appearance in the Final for the Kings and the first appearance since the 1920 Final for a team based on the west coast of the United States. It was also the 34th and (as of 2016) most recent appearance for Montreal, their first since the 1989 Final. The Canadiens won the series four games to one to win the team's twenty-fourth Stanley Cup. The year 1993 was the 100th anniversary of the first awarding of the Stanley Cup in 1893, and the first Finals to start in the month of June. The Canadiens remain the last Canadian team to have won the Cup. The 1993 Canadiens are also the last Stanley Cup championship team to be composed solely of North American-born players.
The series is remembered for Kings defenceman Marty McSorley's penalty late in the third period of game two for using an illegal stick, in what proved to be the turning point in the 1993 Cup Finals. When McSorley entered the penalty box, Los Angeles held a 1–0 series lead, and a 2–1 score in the contest. The Canadiens then went on to score the equalizer on the ensuing power play, won game two in overtime, and then defeated the Kings in the next three games to win the Cup.
Los Angeles had started well but then went through a terrible run of form from December to February, though they managed to rebound and clinch a playoff spot. Superstar Wayne Gretzky sat out from October to January due to injury. Los Angeles did not have home ice advantage for all four rounds of the playoffs, and was the only club to face Canadian teams in every round. To reach the final, Los Angeles defeated the Calgary Flames 4–2, the Vancouver Canucks 4–2 and the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–3.
Montreal defeated their in-province rivals, the Quebec Nordiques, 4–2, the Buffalo Sabres 4–0, and the New York Islanders 4–1. The Canadiens initially lost the first two games in round one against the rival Nordiques, due in part to a couple of weak goals let in by star Montreal goaltender (and Quebec City native) Patrick Roy. Afterward, a newspaper in Roy's hometown district suggested that he be traded, while Nordiques goaltending coach Dan Bouchard also proclaimed that his team had solved Roy. The Canadiens then responded by winning the next four games to eliminate the Nordiques, then swept the Sabres, and took the first three games against the Islanders, tying a record of 11 consecutive playoff wins.