The NHL championship-deciding contest between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers is just the 18th Game 7 in Stanley Cup final history. Here's all of them.
The biggest possible game in an NHL season has only happened 17 times in league history. Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final is when all past results, performances and other context are thrown out the window. It's one final do-or-die game in which one team skates off with the Stanley Cup and a dream come true while the other leaves with the runner-up title and endless thoughts about what could have been. The 18th Game 7 in Cup final history will happen on Monday, June 24, at 8 p.m. ET between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. With that, here's what happened in every Stanley Cup final Game 7 in NHL history, with snippets from The Hockey News covering 15 of them. June 24, 2024: Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers This series is just the third time in NHL history that a team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to force Game 7 in the Stanley Cup final. We'll either see the Edmonton Oilers become the second team ever to pull off the reverse sweep in the Cup final or the Florida Panthers become the second team ever to blow a 3-0 lead and still win. June 12, 2019: St. Louis Blues, 4, at Boston Bruins, 1 The St. Louis Blues trailed the Cup final on two occasions after losing Games 1 and 3, but they tied it each time. The Boston Bruins forced Game 7 with a 5-1 win, but the Blues took full control, scoring four unanswered goals. Captain Ryan O'Reilly had a goal and an assist to cap a Conn Smythe Trophy performance as the Blues won their first Cup in franchise history. O'Reilly revealed afterward he suffered a cracked rib in Round 2. From Vol. 72, Issue 16: Funny how lifting up 35 pounds of silver and nickel alloy high over his head didn’t seem to aggravate it. “I guess all the adrenaline made it feel pretty light,” O’Reilly said. June 15, 2011: Boston Bruins, 4, at Vancouver Canucks, 0 The Boston Bruins initially trailed 2-0 the Vancouver Canucks in the series before tying it up. In the final, with the Canucks having a chance to end Canada's Stanley Cup drought, they outshot the Bruins 37-21. Tim Thomas stopped every shot while Patrice Bergeron potted a goal and an assist about three years after missing most of the 2007-08 season due to concussion symptoms. As for what happened after the game... well... there's a 30 for 30 documentary on it now. From Vol. 65, Issue 1: “I always believed, always believed,” Bergeron said. “I believed in myself and I believed in this team. I wouldn’t be anywhere without this team.” June 12, 2009: Pittsburgh Penguins, 2, at Detroit Red Wings, 1 The Pittsburgh Penguins also trailed the final 2-0 at first, and they responded well from a 5-0 loss in Game 5 to force Game 7. Marc-Andre Fleury's diving save on a shot by Nicklas Lidstrom will live on as one of the greatest saves in NHL history in terms of significance. That was the first of three Cup wins so far for Sidney Crosby and long time team mates Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. From Vol. 63, Issue 1: Malkin pointed to a picture of Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr celebrating the Penguins’ 1992 Stanley Cup in the visitor’s dressing room at the old Chicago Stadium. Seventeen years later, Crosby and Malkin are living the dream far earlier than they, or almost anyone else, expected they would. June 19, 2006: Edmonton Oilers, 1, at Carolina Hurricanes, 3 The Oilers faced elimination in Game 5 of this series and won in overtime to drag the Hurricanes back to Edmonton. They then won Game 6 by a 4-0 score to force Game 7. But a power-play goal by Frantisek Kaberle eight seconds after the Oilers took a holding penalty stood as the game-winner as the Carolina Hurricanes won their first Cup in franchise history. From Vol. 59, Issue 37: "We had too many guys that sacrificed their whole careers and weren't going to be denied." - Captain Rod Brind'Amour June 7, 2004: Calgary Flames, 1, at Tampa Bay Lightning, 2 Controversy erupted in Game 6 of the Cup final when it appeared Martin Gelinas had put the Calgary Flames up 3-2 in the third period. But the play continued, and the NHL couldn't stop the play to review the goal as they can now. One angle shows some white ice between the puck and goal line, but the overhead angle that would've had the best look appeared inconclusive. The Lightning scored in double-overtime to force Game 7, which was when Ruslan Fedotenko stole the show and scored twice to capture the Tampa Bay Lightning's first-ever Cup win. That was the last time the Cup was awarded before the 2004-05 lockout. From Vol. 57, Issue 38: At a time when the NHL’s future appears bleak, it was a thrill to see two deserving teams make it to the final. Too bad there was just one trophy. June 9, 2003: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 0, at New Jersey Devils, 3 Mighty Ducks netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere was so good in the playoffs that he earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP despite losing the final. In Game 7, however, Martin Brodeur stopped all 24 shots he faced as the game-winning goal from call-up Mike Rupp sealed the deal for the New Jersey Devils. From Vol. 56, Issue 38: Minutes after the game ends, Stanley Cup-winning goal-scorer Michael Rupp is asked a perfectly logical question: Who are you? “Well, I’ve been in the organisation; this is my third year,” says the 6-foot-5, 235-pound left winger, who adds two assists in the Devils’ third 3-0 home victory of the series. June 9, 2001: New Jersey Devils, 1, at Colorado Avalanche, 3 The Colorado Avalanche led the series on two separate occasions but faced elimination in Game 6. They forced Game 7 with a 4-0 win, and Alex Tanguay factored in on all three Avalanche goals to win 3-1. "And after 22 years, Raymond Bourque!" From Volume 54, Issue 38: “I couldn’t breathe the last 30 seconds of the game,” Bourque said, ”and it wasn’t because I was tired. I was trying to hold off the tears, the emotions…I had to stay focused. I had tears in my eyes on the bench a few times. Lifting the Cup, what a feeling.” June 14, 1994: Vancouver Canucks, 2, at New York Rangers, 3 One round before the Cup final, Mark Messier guaranteed the New York Rangers would win Game 6 against the Devils, which they did, followed by Game 7 on a double-overtime winner by Stephane Matteau. The Rangers then had a 3-1 lead in the final before the Canucks came back to tie it. In the rubber match, Messier, Adam Graves and Sergei Zubov each recorded two points to end the Rangers' 54-year Stanley Cup drought. From Vol. 47, Issue 37: There would be no more running from the Cup curse. (Rangers coach Mike Keenan) wanted his players to feed off 1940, not fear it. May 31, 1987: Philadelphia Flyers, 1, at Edmonton Oilers, 3 A Stanley Cup final between the top two teams in the regular season came down to Game 7. The series was a rematch of the 1985 Cup final, which the Oilers won in five games. It was the first time the final required a Game 7 in 16 years, the longest gap on this list. The Flyers trailed 3-1 in the series before winning twice and scoring first in the decider. But the Oilers won 3-1 on goals by Messier, Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson to win their third Cup in four years. From Vol. 40, Issue 36: The Oilers are no longer imprisoned by the memory of their stunning loss to Calgary in the division finals last year. They freed themselves May 31 with a complete, and convincing, 3-1 win over the stubborn Philadelphia Flyers in a Stanley Cup final series pushed to its outer limits. May 18, 1971: Montreal Canadiens, 3, at Chicago Black Hawks, 2 Game 7 marked the final game of Jean Beliveau's 20-year career as rookie goaltender Ken Dryden was just kicking off his. Chicago won two straight before Montreal tied it, and they traded Games 5 and 6 for it to come down to Game 7. Chicago then led 2-0 in the game until Henri Richard scored the tying and winning goals to win the Canadiens their fifth championship in seven seasons. From Vol. 24, Issue 32: Winning the Stanley Cup in the confines of your own rink is the thing to do, but the Montreal Canadiens don't believe in picking their spots. The Canadiens climaxed one of their most dramatic cup victories in the club's history by winning the playoff championship on the road. May 1, 1965: Chicago Black Hawks, 0, at Montreal Canadiens, 4 Beliveau had 16 points in 13 playoff games, including 10 in the Cup final, to be voted the first-ever winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy. He scored the opening goal of Game 7, which held up as the Cup-clincher as Gump Worsley stopped all 20 shots for the win. From Vol. 18, Issue 31: It’s difficult to remember a time when the noise in the Forum was more deafening…or when more bugles, whistles and assorted noise makers were in evidence. April 25, 1964: Detroit Red Wings, 0, at Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 Get ready to read about the Red Wings for the rest of this list. The first six Cup final games to require a Game 7 all featured Detroit. They also needed seven games to beat the Black Hawks in the semi-final, as did the Toronto Maple Leafs with the Canadiens. Each team alternated wins in the final until Games 6 and 7 when the Leafs won two straight. Johnny Bower recorded the 33-save shut out to earn the Leafs their third straight Stanley Cup. From Vol. 17, Issue 31: The Leafs’s room was as crowded as the CNE midway on Labour Day Weekend. Everyone and their friends were attempting to squeeze into the enclosure where the players were kicking up their heels, sipping champagne, lighting big cigars and playfully tossing club officials and members of the press into the steaming showers. April 14, 1955: Montreal Canadiens, 1, at Detroit Red Wings, 3 The Canadiens competed in the playoffs without star forward Maurice 'Rocket' Richard after he was suspended for breaking his stick over an opponent's back and then hitting a linesman, which led to the 'Richard Riot' in Montreal. Detroit won Games 1, 2 and 5 while Montreal won Games 2, 4 and 6 leading up to Game 7. Alex Delvecchio scored twice, while Gordie Howe also got a goal to win the Cup final rematch for the Red Wings. From Vol. 8, Issue 30: Bedlam reigned supreme in the Detroit dressing room following their second straight Stanley Cup triumph over the Montreal Canadiens. It was a hard-fought, down-to-the-wire series and the Wings were visibly dog-tired but happy that it was finally over — and in their favour. April 16, 1954: Montreal Canadiens, 1, at Detroit Red Wings, 2 (OT) After blowing a 3-1 series lead, the Red Wings trailed nine minutes into Game 7. Red Kelly tied the contest on the power play in the second period, and the score remained deadlocked heading into overtime. Tony Leswick scored the golden goal to win it all for Detroit. That was the last time Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final needed overtime. From Vol. 7, Issue 30: (NHL president Clarence Campbell) said it was one of the best-played series in Cup history, a credit to both clubs involved. There was a wild demonstration by the record Olympia crowd of 15,791 after the game, and the presentation was a hilarious affair that lasted far into the night. April 23, 1950: New York Rangers, 3, at Detroit Red Wings, 4 (2OT) The Red Wings played without Howe after he suffered a head injury in the first game of the playoffs against the Maple Leafs. They required overtime in Game 7 of the semi-final, which they won 1-0, and they required two overtime periods in Game 7 of the Cup final. Pete Babando scored the decider in the highest-scoring Game 7 in Cup final history. From Volume 3, Issue 30: Never before in the history of the 57-year-old trophy has a deciding Stanley Cup final possessed the drama, excitement and thrills that came with the Wings’ 4-3 overtime win over the New York Rangers. April 22, 1945: Toronto Maple Leafs, 2, at Detroit Red Wings, 1 Seventy-nine years before the Oilers came back down from 3-0 in the Stanley Cup final to force Game 7 against the Panthers, the Red Wings were the last team to pull off the feat. After being shut out three straight times by Toronto, they won 5-3, 2-0 and 1-0 in overtime to bring the series to a seventh match. The Leafs led 1-0 heading into the third period before Murray Armstrong tied it, but Babe Pratt scored on the power-play as Toronto avoided the reverse sweep. April 18, 1942: Detroit Red Wings, 1, at Toronto Maple Leafs, 3 Detroit did not avoid the reverse sweep. The first Game 7 in Stanley Cup final history was a result of the Red Wings winning the first three games before losing 4-3, 9-3 and 3-0 to the Maple Leafs. Syd Howe gave Detroit a lead early in the second period, but the Leafs took over in the third. Sweeney Schriner scored two of three third-period goals for the Maple Leafs as they completed the memorable comeback. Lance Hornby TORONTO SCUM Their names are usually invoked only in playoff desperation.
Yet the perfect mix of Hall of Famers and hard workers who were the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are in the news again. While all Stanley Cup winners assure each other they’ll ‘walk together forever.’ this bunch — including Sweeney Schriner, Wally Stanowski, Bingo Kampman, Pete Langelle and the more-recognised Syl Apps, Turk Broda and coach Hap Day — stand a bit taller as the only team in pro sports to rally from an 0-3 hole in a championship best-of-seven series. “They came out of the series the fighting-est bunch in the history of hockey,” Day said of his players at the team victory banquet at the Royal York Hotel. The latest club bidding to join them is also Canadian: The no-quit Edmonton Oilers. Eighty-two years after Toronto stunned the Detroit Red Wings, as Postmedia’s Rob Tychkowski wrote Tuesday night in the Game 5 euphoria, Edmonton is halfway to the impossible. NHL teams have come back from deficits of 0-3 before — the 1975 New York Islanders over Pittsburgh, the 2010 Flyers against Boston and, the most recent, Los Angeles over San Jose a decade ago. An Isles fan hung a homemade sign reading “Remember the ‘42 Leafs” through their ‘75 playoffs when nine times New York won elimination games, beating the Rangers in a best-of-three preliminary and almost erasing 0-3 against the Flyers before losing Game 7. But none of those Lazerus-like revivals were on the big stage with the Cup constantly in the house but getting packed up again. After Tuesday, the Oilers joined the 1945 Wings and 2012 New Jersey Devils as the only teams to force at least a Game 6 in the final — Friday in front of their increasingly confident and intimidating fan base at the Rogers Place. But as with the Oilers and ‘42 Leafs, every great comeback has to start in a grave. That’s where the Leafs were knee-pad deep in April of ‘42, losing 3-2 and 4-2 at home then 5-2 in Game 3 at the Detroit Olympia. The Wings were killing Toronto with an effective dump-and-chase style. “Detroit had us buffaloed,” Day told writer Stan Fischler years later, part of Eric Zweig’s excellent book, Maple Leafs, The Complete Oral History. Day and manager Conn Smythe resorted to some tactical and motivational magic. Day ruffled feathers before Game 4 with controversial line up changes, including benching Gordie Drillon (who remains the last Leaf to win a scoring points title) and fellow forward Bucko McDonald, opting for healthy scratches Don Metz, Hank Goldup and inserted defenceman Bob Goldham, later a Hockey Night In Canada analyst. It remains in dispute whether Day and Smythe had heeded advice from Schriner to change tactics when they called the forward to their hotel breakfast table on the morning of Game 4. One of the team’s directors planted a story with Detroit reporters calling out the Leafs for gold-bricking, knowing it would add to Wings’s over confidence. In the dressing room before the game, Day is reputed to have read a letter from a teenaged girl, a Leafs fan getting mercilessly teased at school by Detroit supporters, but urging her team not to fold. Schriner is said to have leaped to his feet hearing her words and shouted at Day “tell that kid not to worry,” before getting an assist in the 4-3 season-saving win. Just like that, momentum shifted. In a as the Leafs began firing the puck right back out to elude Detroit forecheckers. Detroit manager Jack Adams took out post-game frustrations on referee Mel Harwood and was booted from the series, while two other Wings were fined. Someone at the Olympia made another huge mistake, jumping the gun on a large floral display to congratulate the pending Cup champions that was in full view of the Leafs arriving at the rink. The Wings had the lead twice in the final four games and couldn’t hold, as Toronto won back at home 9-3 and rode a 3-0 Broda shutout back in Detroit. “I know they talked about taking my dad out (after Game 3),” Broda’s daughter, Barb Tushingham, told the Toronto Sun last year. “Conn said ‘no, I brought him in, he stays.’ “I remember dad saying ‘you have to (hang) in there and just play with heart. Dad didn’t have a goalie coach, didn’t wear a mask and, at the end of every year, had lost his toenails, a couple of teeth and had a black eye.” His shutout set up Game 7 in front of what would be the largest crowd to watch a hockey game at the time — 16,218 at Maple Leaf Gardens. Radio legend Foster Hewitt’s excitement level also rose with each win and big Toronto goal. The Leafs hadn’t won a Cup since their inaugural season on Carlton Street 10 years earlier and, at a gloomy juncture of World War II with bad news on most battlefronts, their rally against the Wings lifted spirits in English Canada on either side of the Quebec border. Calls flooded the Gardens switchboard to wish the team luck or try and secure a ticket. “I couldn’t get a line out to my wife to save my husbandly neck,” Smythe’s assistant, Frank Selke, quipped to a reporter. Yet it was a nail-biter, the Leafs trailed 1-0 after two periods. Smythe, who was training his artillery regiment and unable to attend all the games, barged into the dressing room meaning to shake up his troops, but the laconic Schriner assured him the Leafs would prevail and tied the game himself against Detroit goalie Johnny Mowers. “A blind shot,” Schriner said after the game. “I didn’t know I’d scored until I heard the crowd shouting, then saw the (goal) light go on. It was the biggest light I ever saw in my life.” Langelle would get the eventual winner with Schriner adding another for insurance. “I’ll never forget the last minute of the game, skating around with a two-goal lead and the knowledge Detroit couldn’t win it,” Apps told Fischler. Presented with the Cup, which was then cylindrical with the bowl on top and nicknamed ‘the elephant’s leg,’ captain Apps immediately called Smythe to hold it, telling him “you’ve waited long enough, come and get it.” The time and technology of the era, a decade before Hockey Night in Canada televised the Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, means few visuals survive of the ‘42 team. Langelle and team mates with sticks raised after his goal and the crowd reacting does rank as one of the great black-and -white sports photos of the era. Stanowski was the last survivor of the ‘42 team, lasting until age 96 in 2015. “There wasn’t very much money when I signed,” he said in an earlier interview with the Sun. “I made about $1,500 in Syracuse and about $3,000 with the Leafs (in 1939, with $30 deducted for his team sweater). But it didn’t make any difference, I just wanted to play.” The ‘Whirling Dervish’ was one of the few defenders to rush the puck in his day, but ran afoul of the strict Smythe for sleeping at home with his own wife at training camp. Stanowski craftily orchestrated a newspaper story critical of Smythe he knew would enrage the boss enough to trade him to the Rangers. The Wings shook off blowing the 0-3 lead to win the Cup a year later, beating the Leafs in six along the way. But there was no escaping their role of ignominy. “Someone had to lose that series,” Detroit defenceman Jimmy Orlando said. “We just happened to be the unlucky ones.”
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