1987–88 NHL season

National Hockey League season

Sports season

1987–88 NHL season

League| National Hockey League
Sport| Ice hockey
Duration| October 8, 1987 – May 26, 1988
Number of games| 80
Number of teams| 21
TV partner(s)| CBC, Canwest/Global, TSN, SRC (Canada)
ESPN (United States)
Draft
Top draft pick| Pierre Turgeon
Picked by| Buffalo Sabres
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy| Calgary Flames
Season MVP| Mario Lemieux (Penguins)
Top scorer| Mario Lemieux (Penguins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP| Wayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Stanley Cup
Champions| Edmonton Oilers
Runners-up| Boston Bruins
NHL seasons

← 1986–87

1988–89 →

The 1987–88 NHL season was the 71st season of the National Hockey League. It was an 80-game season with the top four teams in each division advancing to the Stanley Cup playoffs. This season would see the Edmonton Oilers win their fourth Stanley Cup in five years by sweeping the Boston Bruins 4–0[1] in the Stanley Cup Finals. In the process of their Cup win, Edmonton lost only two games, a record for the "16 wins" playoff format.

## Entry draft

[edit]

The 1987 NHL entry draft was held on June 13, at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. This was the first draft held in the United States instead of in Canada. Pierre Turgeon was selected first overall by the Buffalo Sabres.

## Regular season

[edit]

This was Wayne Gretzky's final season with the Edmonton Oilers and, as injuries held him out of 20% of the season, this would be the only season of the decade in which he was not the winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy and the first season of his career that he did not hold or share the league lead in points. Mario Lemieux would capture his first Hart Trophy and lead the league in scoring.

On December 8, Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers became the first goalie to directly score a goal, shooting the puck into an empty net after their opponent had pulled their goalie for a sixth attacker.

On December 19, the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins combined to score two goals in two seconds. The Bruins were trailing 6-4 in the third period when Ken Linseman scored with 10 seconds remaining, followed by Blues center Doug Gilmour scoring off the resulting faceoff into an empty net.[2]

The New Jersey Devils qualified for the playoffs for the first time, since their move from Denver in 1982.

Linesman John D'Amico retires after the season, becoming the last on-ice official from the Original Six era.

### Final standings

[edit]

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

#### Prince of Wales Conference

[edit]

Adams Division | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts

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Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 45 | 22 | 13 | 298 | 238 | 103
Boston Bruins | 80 | 44 | 30 | 6 | 300 | 251 | 94
Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 37 | 32 | 11 | 283 | 305 | 85
Hartford Whalers | 80 | 35 | 38 | 7 | 249 | 267 | 77
Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 32 | 43 | 5 | 271 | 306 | 69

[3]

Patrick Division | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts

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New York Islanders | 80 | 39 | 31 | 10 | 308 | 267 | 88
Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 38 | 33 | 9 | 292 | 292 | 85
Washington Capitals | 80 | 38 | 33 | 9 | 281 | 249 | 85
New Jersey Devils | 80 | 38 | 36 | 6 | 295 | 296 | 82
New York Rangers | 80 | 36 | 34 | 10 | 300 | 283 | 82
Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 36 | 35 | 9 | 319 | 316 | 81

[3]

#### Clarence Campbell Conference

[edit]

Norris Division | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts

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Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 41 | 28 | 11 | 322 | 269 | 93
St. Louis Blues | 80 | 34 | 38 | 8 | 278 | 294 | 76
Chicago Blackhawks | 80 | 30 | 41 | 9 | 284 | 328 | 69
Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 21 | 49 | 10 | 273 | 345 | 52
Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 19 | 48 | 13 | 242 | 349 | 51

[3]

Smythe Division | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts

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Calgary Flames | 80 | 48 | 23 | 9 | 397 | 305 | 105
Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 44 | 25 | 11 | 363 | 288 | 99
Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 33 | 36 | 11 | 292 | 310 | 77
Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 30 | 42 | 8 | 318 | 359 | 68
Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 25 | 46 | 9 | 272 | 320 | 59

[3]

## Playoffs

[edit]

Main article: 1988 Stanley Cup playoffs

### Bracket

[edit]

The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). In the division semifinals, the fourth seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's semifinals then met in the division finals. The two division winners of each conference then played in the conference finals. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

| Division semifinals | | | Division finals | | | Conference finals | | | Stanley Cup Finals |

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|  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |
| A1 | Montreal | 4 | | | |
| A4 | Hartford | 2 |
| | A1 | Montreal | 1 |
|  |
| | | A2 | Boston | 4 |
| A2 | Boston | 4 |

| A3 | Buffalo | 2 |
| | A2 | Boston | 4 |
| Prince of Wales Conference |
| | | P4 | New Jersey | 3 |
| P1 | NY Islanders | 2 | |

| P4 | New Jersey | 4 |
| | P4 | New Jersey | 4 |
|  |
| | | P2 | Washington | 3 |
| P2 | Washington | 4 |

| P3 | Philadelphia | 3 |
| | A2 | Boston | 0 |
|  |
| | | S2 | Edmonton | 4 |
| N1 | Detroit | 4 | | |

| N4 | Toronto | 2 |
| | N1 | Detroit | 4 |
|  |
| | | N2 | St. Louis | 1 |
| N2 | St. Louis | 4 |

| N3 | Chicago | 1 |
| | N1 | Detroit | 1 |
| Clarence Campbell Conference |
| | | S2 | Edmonton | 4 |
| S1 | Calgary | 4 | |

| S4 | Los Angeles | 1 |
| | S1 | Calgary | 0 |
|  |
| | | S2 | Edmonton | 4 |
| S2 | Edmonton | 4 |

| S3 | Winnipeg | 1 |

## Awards

[edit]

The NHL introduced a new trophy, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which was to be awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution in his community.

1987–88 NHL awards  Award | Recipient(s) | Runner(s)-up/Finalists

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Stanley Cup | Edmonton Oilers | Boston Bruins
Presidents' Trophy
(Best regular season record) | Calgary Flames | Montreal Canadiens
Prince of Wales Trophy
(Wales Conference playoff champion) | Boston Bruins | New Jersey Devils
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
(Campbell Conference playoff champion) | Edmonton Oilers | Detroit Red Wings
Art Ross Trophy
(Player with most points) | Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) | Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
(Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication) | Bob Bourne (Los Angeles Kings) | N/A
Calder Memorial Trophy
(Best first-year player) | Joe Nieuwendyk (Calgary Flames) | Darren Pang (Chicago Blackhawks)
Ray Sheppard (Buffalo Sabres)
Conn Smythe Trophy
(Most valuable player, playoffs) | Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) | N/A
Emery Edge Award
(Best plus-minus statistic) | Brad McCrimmon (Calgary Flames) | Petr Svoboda (Montreal Canadiens)
Frank J. Selke Trophy
(Best defensive forward) | Guy Carbonneau (Montreal Canadiens) | Jan Erixon (New York Rangers)
Steve Kasper (Boston Bruins)
Hart Memorial Trophy
(Most valuable player, regular season) | Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) | Grant Fuhr (Edmonton Oilers)
Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers)
Jack Adams Award
(Best coach) | Jacques Demers (Detroit Red Wings) | Terry Crisp (Calgary Flames)
Jean Perron (Montreal Canadiens)
James Norris Memorial Trophy
(Best defenceman) | Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) | Scott Stevens (Washington Capitals)
Gary Suter (Calgary Flames)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy
(Leadership and humanitarian contribution) | Lanny McDonald (Calgary Flames) | Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers)
Bryan Trottier (New York Islanders)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
(Sportsmanship and excellence) | Mats Naslund (Montreal Canadiens) | Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers)
Joe Nieuwendyk (Calgary Flames)
Lester B. Pearson Award
(Outstanding player) | Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) | N/A
Vezina Trophy
(Best goaltender) | Grant Fuhr (Edmonton Oilers) | Tom Barrasso (Buffalo Sabres)
Kelly Hrudey (New York Islanders)
William M. Jennings Trophy
(Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against) | Patrick Roy and Brian Hayward (Montreal Canadiens) | Clint Malarchuk and Pete Peeters (Washington Capitals)

### All-Star teams

[edit]

First Team |   Position   | Second Team

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Grant Fuhr, Edmonton Oilers | G | Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins | D | Gary Suter, Calgary Flames
Scott Stevens, Washington Capitals | D  | Brad McCrimmon, Calgary Flames
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins | C | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Hakan Loob, Calgary Flames | RW | Cam Neely, Boston Bruins
Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings | LW | Michel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques

## Player statistics

[edit]

### Scoring leaders

[edit]

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes, PPG = Powerplay Goals, SHG = Shorthanded Goals, GWG = Game Winning Goals

Player  | Team  | GP  | G  | A  | Pts  | PIM  | +/-  | PPG  | SHG  | GWG

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Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins | 77 | 70 | 98 | 168 | 92 | +23 | 22 | 10 | 7
Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers | 64 | 40 | 109 | 149 | 24 | +39 | 9 | 5 | 3
Denis Savard | Chicago Blackhawks | 80 | 44 | 87 | 131 | 95 | +4 | 14 | 7 | 6
Dale Hawerchuk | Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 44 | 77 | 121 | 59 | -9 | 20 | 3 | 4
Luc Robitaille | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 53 | 58 | 111 | 82 | -9 | 17 | 0 | 6
Peter Stastny | Quebec Nordiques | 76 | 46 | 65 | 111 | 69 | +2 | 20 | 0 | 2
Mark Messier | Edmonton Oilers | 77 | 37 | 74 | 111 | 103 | +21 | 12 | 3 | 7
Jimmy Carson | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 55 | 52 | 107 | 45 | -19 | 22 | 0 | 7
Hakan Loob | Calgary Flames | 80 | 50 | 56 | 106 | 47 | +41 | 9 | 8 | 4
Michel Goulet | Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 48 | 58 | 106 | 56 | -31 | 29 | 1 | 4

Source: NHL.[4]

### Leading goaltenders

[edit]

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage

Goalie  | Team  | GP  | Min  | W  | L  | T  | SO  | GAA  | Sv%

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Grant Fuhr | Edmonton Oilers | 75 | 4304 | 40 | 24 | 9 | 4 | 3.43 | 88.1
Mike Vernon | Calgary Flames | 64 | 3565 | 39 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 3.53 | 87.7
Ron Hextall | Philadelphia Flyers | 62 | 3561 | 30 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 3.5 | 88.6
Mike Liut | Hartford Whalers | 60 | 3532 | 25 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 3.18 | 88.5
John Vanbiesbrouck | New York Rangers | 56 | 3319 | 27 | 22 | 7 | 2 | 3.38 | 89.0
Daniel Berthiaume | Winnipeg Jets | 56 | 3010 | 22 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 3.51 | 88.2
Ken Wregget | Toronto Maple Leafs | 56 | 3000 | 12 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 4.44 | 87.0
Tom Barrasso | Buffalo Sabres | 54 | 3133 | 25 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 3.31 | 89.6
Mario Gosselin | Quebec Nordiques | 54 | 3002 | 20 | 28 | 4 | 2 | 3.78 | 86.7
Clint Malarchuk | Washington Capitals | 54 | 2926 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 3.16 | 88.5

Source: Quanthockey.com[5]

## Coaches

[edit]

### Patrick Division

[edit]

* New Jersey Devils: Doug Carpenter and Jim Schoenfeld
* New York Islanders: Terry Simpson
* New York Rangers: Michel Bergeron
* Philadelphia Flyers: Mike Keenan and Paul Holmgren
* Pittsburgh Penguins: Pierre Creamer
* Washington Capitals: Bryan Murray

### Adams Division

[edit]

* Boston Bruins: Terry O'Reilly
* Buffalo Sabres: Ted Sator
* Hartford Whalers: Jack Evans
* Montreal Canadiens: Jean Perron
* Quebec Nordiques: Andre Savard and Ron Lapointe

### Norris Division

[edit]

* Chicago Blackhawks: Bob Murdoch
* Detroit Red Wings: Jacques Demers
* Minnesota North Stars: Herb Brooks
* St. Louis Blues: Jacques Martin
* Toronto Maple Leafs: John Brophy

### Smythe Division

[edit]

* Calgary Flames: Terry Crisp
* Edmonton Oilers: Glen Sather
* Los Angeles Kings: Robbie Ftorek
* Vancouver Canucks: Bob McCammon
* Winnipeg Jets: Dan Maloney

## Milestones

[edit]

### Debuts

[edit]

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1987–88:

* Tommy Albelin, Quebec Nordiques
* Rob Brown, Pittsburgh Penguins
* Sean Burke, New Jersey Devils
* Adam Graves, Detroit Red Wings
* Jiri Hrdina, Calgary Flames
* Craig Janney, Boston Bruins
* Calle Johansson, Buffalo Sabres
* Brian Leetch, New York Rangers
* Jeff Norton, New York Islanders
* Luke Richardson, Toronto Maple Leafs
* Mathieu Schneider, Montreal Canadiens
* Brendan Shanahan, New Jersey Devils
* Ray Sheppard, Buffalo Sabres
* Kevin Stevens, Pittsburgh Penguins
* Ron Tugnutt, Quebec Nordiques
* Pierre Turgeon, Buffalo Sabres
* Glen Wesley, Boston Bruins
* Trent Yawney, Chicago Blackhawks
* Scott Young, Hartford Whalers
* Zarley Zalapski, Pittsburgh Penguins

### Last games

[edit]

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1987–88:

* Bob Bourne, Los Angeles Kings
* Richard Brodeur, Hartford Whalers
* Clark Gillies, Buffalo Sabres
* Doug Jarvis, Hartford Whalers
* Pierre Larouche, New York Rangers
* Dave Lewis, Detroit Red Wings
* Gilles Meloche, Pittsburgh Penguins
* Rick Middleton, Boston Bruins
* Wilf Paiement, Pittsburgh Penguins (The last active player to have been a member of the Kansas City Scouts.)
* Steve Payne, Minnesota North Stars
* Denis Potvin, New York Islanders
* Dave Semenko, Toronto Maple Leafs
* Charlie Simmer, Pittsburgh Penguins
* Brian Sutter, St. Louis Blues
* Perry Turnbull, St. Louis Blues
* Tiger Williams, Hartford Whalers

### Firsts

[edit]

* Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers, First goaltender in NHL history to shoot and score a goal.

## Broadcasting

[edit]

In Canada, the cable network TSN began airing a schedule of Monday and Thursday night regular season games. The Molson-sponsored Hockey Night in Canada on CBC continued to air Saturday night regular season games. This was the last season of the Carling O'Keefe-sponsored telecasts on Canwest/Global, with Global airing selected regular season games between January and March. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs were split between CBC and Global, with the later branding its postseason broadcasts as Stanley Cup '88. Carling O'Keefe's rights expired at the end of the season,[6] and 1989 merger between Molson and Carling O'Keefe eventually put an end to the competition.

This was the third and final season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deal with ESPN, airing up to 33 regular season games each season as well as the All-Star Game and the playoffs.[7][8] SportsChannel America then signed a three-year contract to take over the rights from ESPN.[9]

## See also

[edit]

* List of Stanley Cup champions
* 1987 NHL entry draft
* 1987 NHL supplemental draft
* 1987–88 NHL transactions
* 39th National Hockey League All-Star Game
* National Hockey League All-Star Game
* NHL All-Rookie Team
* Ice hockey at the 1988 Winter Olympics
* 1987 Canada Cup
* 1987 in sports
* 1988 in sports

## References

[edit]

* Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, New York: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
* Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
* Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
* Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.

Notes

1. ^ The original fourth game was cancelled (score was tied) while in progress, due to a rink electrical outage. The original fourth game stats were not counted. The fourth game was rescheduled and replayed.
2. ^ "Etched in Stone: The Top 20 Most Unbreakable Records in NHL History". Bleacherreport.com. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
3. ^ a b c d Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153\. ISBN 9781894801225.
4. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 153.
5. ^ NHL Goaltender Leaders During 1987-88 Season | QuantHockey.com
6. ^ Matsumoto, Rick (August 5, 1987). "Brian Propp determined to make Team Canada". Toronto Star. p. F1.
7. ^ Strachan, Al (July 30, 1985). "ESPN acquires NHL games Backroom bickering in TV deal". The Globe and Mail.
8. ^ Mulligan, Kevin (July 26, 1985). "NHL Finds a Home at ESPN". Philadelphia Daily News.
9. ^ "The News - Apr 2, 1991". news.google.com. April 2, 1991.

## External links

[edit]

* Hockey Database
* NHL.com
* SI Flashback to '88 Finals

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The 2004–05 season was not played due to a lockout.

* v
* t
* e

1987–88 NHL season

Patrick|

* New Jersey
* NY Islanders
* NY Rangers
* Philadelphia
* Pittsburgh
* Washington

Adams|

* Boston
* Buffalo
* Hartford
* Montreal
* Quebec

Norris|

* Chicago
* Detroit
* Minnesota
* St. Louis
* Toronto

Smythe|

* Calgary
* Edmonton
* Los Angeles
* Vancouver
* Winnipeg

See also|

* Entry draft
* Supplemental draft
* Waiver draft
* All-Star Game
* Stanley Cup playoffs
* Stanley Cup Finals

*[GP]: Games played
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[Pts]: Points
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template