1990 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1990 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1989–90 season, and the culmination of the 1990 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Edmonton Oilers and the Boston Bruins. This was a rematch of the 1988 Finals, albeit with the notable absence of Wayne Gretzky who was traded from Edmonton to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1988 off-season. The Oilers once again defeated the Bruins, this time in five games, to win the Stanley Cup.

For the Oilers, it was their fifth Cup win in seven years, and the team's only championship after trading Gretzky. This was the last of eight consecutive Finals contested by a team from Alberta and nine by a team from Western Canada (the Oilers appeared in six, the Calgary Flames in two, the Vancouver Canucks in one).

This was the last appearance in the Finals for the Bruins until 2011, where they would go on to end their 39-year Stanley Cup drought.

Paths to the Finals

Boston defeated the Hartford Whalers 4–3, the Montreal Canadiens 4–1 and the Washington Capitals 4–0 to advance to the Final.

Edmonton defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4–3, the Los Angeles Kings 4–0 and the Chicago Blackhawks 4–2.

Game summaries

In Game 1, Petr Klima scored at 15:13 of the third overtime period to give the Oilers a 3–2 win; this game remains the longest in Stanley Cup Finals history (see Longest NHL overtime games), edging both Brett Hull's Cup-winner in Template:Scfy and Igor Larionov's game-winner in Template:Scfy by less than 30 seconds.

Though the Oilers ultimately won the series in five games, it was the Bruins who dominated play during the early part of the series. The Bruins had more chances to win the opener, and at one point had a 15-4 shot advantage in game two before the Oilers came back.

In Game 5 at the Boston Garden on May 24, the Oilers won 4–1, the first time they had ever clinched the Cup on the road. Edmonton won all three Finals games played at Boston Garden - in each their previous Finals wins, the Oilers only won one game away from Northlands Coliseum. Craig Simpson scored the game-winning goal. Oilers goaltender Bill Ranford, originally the backup who took over from Grant Fuhr for the remainder of the regular season and the entire playoffs, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Game 5 was the last Stanley Cup Finals game ever played at the Boston Garden.

Mark Messier won his first Stanley Cup as a team captain, and his fifth overall. He won his sixth Stanley Cup as the captain with the New York Rangers four years later, and scored the Cup-winning goal, making him the only player to captain two different Cup-winning teams.

Ray Bourque did not reach the Stanley Cup Finals again until the Colorado Avalanche won in Template:Scfy. As for the Bruins, they would not return to the Stanley Cup Finals until their championship season of Template:Scfy. The Oilers did not reach the Finals again until Template:Scfy, losing in seven games.

Boston Bruins vs. Edmonton Oilers

May 15	Edmonton Oilers		3–2	3OT	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Adam Graves (4) - 09:46		First period			No scoring
Glenn Anderson (7) - 13:00		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			03:43 - Ray Bourque (3) 18:31 - Ray Bourque (4)
Petr Klima (5) - 15:13		Third overtime period			No scoring
Bill Ranford 50 saves / 52 shots		Goalie stats			Andy Moog 28 saves / 31 shots

May 18	Edmonton Oilers		7–2		Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Adam Graves (5) - 08:38 Jari Kurri (8) - pp - 10:53		First period			19:07 - Ray Bourque (5)
Jari Kurri (9) - 04:21 Craig Simpson (13) - 15:28 Esa Tikkanen (11) - 17:10 Joe Murphy (5) - 19:12		Second period			02:56 - pp - Greg Hawgood (1)
Jari Kurri (10) - pp - 07:27		Third period			No scoring
Bill Ranford 25 saves / 27 shots		Goalie stats			Rejean Lemelin 14 saves / 18 shots, Andy Moog 1 saves / 4 shots

May 20	Boston Bruins		2–1		Edmonton Oilers	Northlands Coliseum	Recap
John Byce (2) - 00:10 Greg Johnston (1) - 15:04		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			05:54 - pp - Esa Tikkanen (12)
Andy Moog 28 saves / 29 shots		Goalie stats			Bill Ranford 20 saves / 22 shots

May 22	Boston Bruins		1–5		Edmonton Oilers	Northlands Coliseum	Recap
No scoring		First period			02:13 - pp - Glenn Anderson (8) 16:27 - Glenn Anderson (9)
No scoring		Second period			01:00 - Craig Simpson (14) 19:15 - Esa Tikkanen (13)
John Carter (6) - 15:02		Third period			18:36 - Craig Simpson (15)
Andy Moog 28 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats			Bill Ranford 24 saves / 25 shots

May 24	Edmonton Oilers		4–1		Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
Glenn Anderson (10) - 01:17 Craig Simpson (16) - 09:31		Second period			No scoring
Steve Smith (5) - 06:09 Joe Murphy (6) - 14:53		Third period			16:30 - Lyndon Byers (1)
Bill Ranford 29 saves / 30 shots		Goalie stats			Andy Moog 18 saves / 22 shots

Edmonton won series 4–1

Team rosters

Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year.

Boston Bruins

#	Nat	Player	Position	Hand	Age	Acquired	Place of birth	Finals appearance
43	Template:Flagicon		D	R	Template:Hs23	1985	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	first
77	Template:Flagicon	– C	D	L	Template:Hs29	1979	Saint-Laurent, Quebec	second (Template:Scfy)
25	Template:Flagicon		LW	L	Template:Hs28	Template:NHL Year	Melrose, Massachusetts	first
12	Template:Flagicon		LW	L	Template:Hs24	1985	Fort Erie, Ontario	second (Template:Scfy)
42	Template:Flagicon		C	L	Template:Hs22	1985	Madison, Wisconsin	first
34	Template:Flagicon		RW	R	Template:Hs26	1982	Nipawin, Saskatchewan	second (Template:Scfy)
11	Template:Flagicon		C	L	Template:Hs26	Template:NHL Year	Beverly, Massachusetts	first
31	Template:Flagicon		LW	L	Template:Hs27	Template:NHL Year	Winchester, Massachusetts	first
27	Template:Flagicon		RW	R	Template:Hs31	Template:NHL Year	Warroad, Minnesota	first
14	Template:Flagicon		W	L	Template:Hs20	1988	Toronto, Ontario	first (did not play)
37	Template:Flagicon		LW	L	Template:Hs27	Template:NHL Year	Belleville, Ontario	first (did not play)
16	Template:Flagicon		RW	R	Template:Hs24	Template:NHL Year	Toronto, Ontario	first
28	Template:Flagicon		D	L	Template:Hs27	Template:NHL Year	Greenfield Park, Quebec	first
18	Template:Flagicon		RW	R	Template:Hs32	Template:NHL Year	Petrolia, Ontario	first
38	Template:Flagicon		D	L	Template:Hs21	1986	Edmonton, Alberta	second (Template:Scfy)
23	Template:Flagicon	– A	C	L	Template:Hs22	1986	Hartford, Connecticut	second (Template:Scfy)
39	Template:Flagicon		RW	R	Template:Hs25	1983	Barrie, Ontario	second (Template:Scfy)
1	Template:Flagicon		G	L	Template:Hs35	Template:NHL Year	Quebec City, Quebec	third (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
35	Template:Flagicon		G	L	Template:Hs30	Template:NHL Year	Penticton, British Columbia	sixth (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
8	Template:Flagicon	– A	RW	R	Template:Hs24	Template:NHL Year	Comox, British Columbia	second (Template:Scfy)
10	Template:Flagicon		C	L	Template:Hs30	Template:NHL Year	Boston, Massachusetts	second (Template:Scfy, did not play)
41	Template:Flagicon		D	L	Template:Hs25	1983	Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta	second (Template:Scfy)
19	Template:Flagicon		C	L	Template:Hs31	Template:NHL Year	Timmins, Ontario	third (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
36	Template:Flagicon		LW	L	Template:Hs31	Template:NHL Year	Lanigan, Saskatchewan	fourth (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
20	Template:Flagicon		C	R	Template:Hs26	1982	Concord, Massachusetts	second (Template:Scfy)
32	Template:Flagicon		D	L	Template:Hs23	1984	St. Stephen, New Brunswick	first
26	Template:Flagicon		D	L	Template:Hs21	1987	Red Deer, Alberta	second (Template:Scfy)
30	Template:Flagicon		D	L	Template:Hs29	Template:NHL Year	Sudbury, Ontario	second (Template:Scfy)

Edmonton Oilers

#	Nat	Player	Position	Hand	Age	Acquired	Place of birth	Finals appearance
9	Template:Flagicon		RW	L	Template:Hs29	1979	Vancouver, British Columbia	sixth (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
6	Template:Flagicon		D	R	Template:Hs25	1983	Ajax, Ontario	third (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, did not play)
32	Template:Flagicon		RW	R	Template:Hs27	Template:NHL Year	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	third (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, did not play)
16	Template:Flagicon		RW	L	Template:Hs23	1985	Langenburg, Saskatchewan	second (Template:Scfy)
31	Template:Flagicon		G	R	Template:Hs27	1981	Spruce Grove, Alberta	sixth (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, did not play: injured)
20	Template:Flagicon		LW	L	Template:Hs19	Template:NHL Year	Shawinigan, Quebec	first
12	Template:Flagicon		LW	L	Template:Hs22	Template:NHL Year	Toronto, Ontario	first
21	Template:Flagicon		D	L	Template:Hs34	Template:NHL Year	Edmonton, Alberta	sixth (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
22	Template:Flagicon		D	L	Template:Hs30	Template:NHL Year	Oshawa, Ontario	sixth (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
85	Template:Flagicon		LW	R	Template:Hs25	Template:NHL Year	Chomutov, Czechoslovakia	first
17	Template:Flagicon	– A	RW	R	Template:Hs30	1980	Helsinki, Finland	sixth (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
7	Template:Flagicon		C	L	Template:Hs25	Template:NHL Year	Ponteix, Saskatchewan	first
4	Template:Flagicon	– A	D	L	Template:Hs31	1979	Lachute, Quebec	sixth (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
14	Template:Flagicon		C	L	Template:Hs31	Template:NHL Year	London, Ontario	third (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
11	Template:Flagicon	– C	C	L	Template:Hs29	1979	Edmonton, Alberta	sixth (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
28	Template:Flagicon		D	L	Template:Hs27	Template:NHL Year	Toronto, Ontario	third (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
8	Template:Flagicon		RW	L	Template:Hs22	Template:NHL Year	London, Ontario	first
30	Template:Flagicon		G	L	Template:Hs23	Template:NHL Year	Brandon, Manitoba	second (Template:Scfy)
33	Template:Flagicon		G	L	Template:Hs25	Template:NHL Year	Halifax, Nova Scotia	first (did not play)
26	Template:Flagicon		D	R	Template:Hs30	Template:NHL Year	Oulu, Finland	second (Template:Scfy)
19	Template:Flagicon		C	L	Template:Hs28	1989	Moscow, Soviet Union	first (did not play)
18	Template:Flagicon		LW	R	Template:Hs23	Template:NHL Year	London, Ontario	second (Template:Scfy)
25	Template:Flagicon		D	L	Template:Hs21	1987	Edmonton, Alberta	first (did not play)
5	Template:Flagicon		D	L	Template:Hs27	1981	Glasgow, United Kingdom	third (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)
10	Template:Flagicon		LW	L	Template:Hs25	1983	Helsinki, Finland	fourth (Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy, Template:Scfy)

Stanley Cup engraving

The 1990 Stanley Cup was presented to Oilers captain Mark Messier by NHL President John Ziegler following the Oilers 4–1 win over the Bruins in game five.

The following Oilers players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup

1989–90 Edmonton Oilers

Players

  Centres

• 7 Mark Lamb
• 8 Joe Murphy
• 11 Mark Messier (Captain)
• 14 Craig MacTavish

  Wingers

• 9 Glenn Anderson
• 10 Esa Tikkanen
• 12 Adam Graves
• 16 Kelly Buchberger
• 17 Jari Kurri (A)
• 18 Craig Simpson
• 20 Martin Gelinas
• 32 Dave Brown
• 85 Petr Klima

  Defencemen

• 4 Kevin Lowe (A)
• 5 Steve Smith
• 6 Jeff Beukeboom
• 21 Randy Gregg
• 22 Charlie Huddy
• 25 Geoff Smith
• 26 Reijo Ruotsalainen
• 28 Craig Muni

  Goaltenders

• 30 Bill Ranford
• 31 Grant Fuhr
• 33 Pokey Reddick

Coaching and administrative staff

• Peter Pocklington (Owner), Glen Sather (President/General Manager)
• John Muckler (Head Coach), Ted Green (Co-Coach)
• Bruce MacGregor (Asst. General Manager), Ron Low (Asst. Coach)
• Barry Fraser (Director of Player Personnel/Chief Scout), Bill Tuele (Director of Public Relations)
• Werner Baum (Controller), Dr. Gordon Cameron (Chief of Medical Staff), Dr. David Reid (Team Physician)
• Ken Lowe (Athletic Tainer-Therapist), Barrie Stafford (Trainer), Stuart Poirier (Massage Therapist)
• Lyle Kulchisky (Ass't Trainer), John Blackwell (Director of Hockey Operations, AHL)
• Garnet Bailey (Scout), Ed Chadwick (Scout), Lorne Davis (Scout)
• Harry Howell (Scout), Albert Reeves (Scout), Matti Vaisanen (Scout)

Stanley Cup engravings

• Garnet "Ace" Bailey won seven Stanley Cups. His name was engraved on the Stanley Cup five times. He was engraved as Garnet Bailey in 1972, G. Bailey in 1970, 1985, 1987, and Ace Bailey in 1990. His name was left off the Stanley Cup, but he was awarded Stanley Cup rings in 1984, 1988.
• #29 Vladimir Ruzicka (C/LW) joined Edmonton from Europe in January. Ruzicka played 25 games, but did not dress in the playoffs.
• #19 Anatoli Semenov (RW) joined Edmonton from Europe in May. Semenov played two games in the Conference Final.

Neither player qualified for engravement on the Cup, but both players received Stanley Cup rings. Ruzicka was also included on the team winning picture.

• Grant Fuhr only played 21 games during the regular season due to injuries. Although he would miss the rest of the regular season and the entire playoffs, he qualified to be on the Cup by dressing for over 40 regular season games.

Members of all five Edmonton Oilers championships

• Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy, Jari Kurri, Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier (seven Players), Peter Pocklington, Glen Sather, John Mucker, Ted Green, Barry Fraser, Barry Stafford, Lyle Kulchisky (seven non-players)
• Nine non-players were part of all five championships, but not all engraved each year: Garnet 'Ace' Bailey, Ed Chadwick, Lorne Davis, Matti Vaisanen, Gordon Cameron, Bill Tuele, John Backwell, Werner Baum, and Bob Freedman

Members of all five Edmonton Oilers championships and New York Rangers championship (1994)

• Glenn Anderson, Kevin Lowe, and Mark Messier.

Broadcasting

In Canada, the series was televised on the CBC.

In the United States, the series aired nationally on SportsChannel America. However, SportsChannel America's national coverage was blacked out in the Boston area due to the local rights to Bruins games in that TV market. NESN televised games one, two, and five in the Boston area while WSBK had games three and four.

Aftermath

The Oilers’ cup win marked the beginning of the end of Canada’s dominance in the Stanley Cup Finals. After the 1990 Finals, American teams would take home the Stanley Cup in 33 of the next 34 editions of the Finals, with the sole Canadian Cup victory coming in 1993. The Oilers would return to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006, 2024 and 2025 but they would lose all three to the Carolina Hurricanes (2006) and Florida Panthers (2024, 2025).

This was the last Finals appearance for the Bruins until 2011, where they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to end a 39-year Cup drought.

See also

• 1989–90 NHL season
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1989–90 Boston Bruins season
• 1989–90 Edmonton Oilers season

References

Inline citations

Bibliography