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1985 Stanley Cup Finals
1985 Stanley Cup Finals
Location(s)	Edmonton: Northlands Coliseum (3, 4, 5); Philadelphia: Spectrum (1, 2)
Coaches	Edmonton: Glen Sather; Philadelphia: Mike Keenan
Captains	Edmonton: Wayne Gretzky; Philadelphia: Dave Poulin
National anthems	Edmonton: Paul Lorieau; Philadelphia: Kate Smith
Referees	Andy Van Hellemond (1); Kerry Fraser (2, 4); Bryan Lewis (3, 5)
Dates	May 21–30, 1985
MVP	Wayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Series-winning goal	Paul Coffey (17:57, first, G5)
Hall of Famers	Oilers:; Glenn Anderson (2008); Paul Coffey (2004); Grant Fuhr (2003); Wayne Gretzky (1999); Jari Kurri (2001); Kevin Lowe (2020); Mark Messier (2007); Flyers:; Mark Howe (2011); Coaches:; Glen Sather (2007)
Networks	Canada:; (English): CBC (1–2), CTV (3–5); (French): SRC; United States:; (National): USA Network; (Philadelphia area): PRISM (1–2), WTAF (3–5)
Announcers	(CBC) Bob Cole and Gary Dornhoefer; (CTV) Dan Kelly, Ron Reusch, and Brad Park; (SRC) Rene Lecavalier and Gilles Tremblay; (USA Network) Dan Kelly (1–2), Al Albert (3–5), and Gary Green; (PRISM/WTAF) Gene Hart and Bobby Taylor

The 1985 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1984–85 season, and the culmination of the 1985 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the defending champion Edmonton Oilers (in their third straight Finals appearance) and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Oilers defeated the Flyers in five games to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. It was also the sixth straight Finals contested between teams that joined the NHL in 1967 or later.

Until 2022, this was also the last time that a team, defending champion, or runner-up appeared in the Finals for the third straight season. This was the fourth of nine consecutive Finales contested by a team from Western Canada, third of eight contested by a team from Alberta (the Oilers appeared in six, the Calgary Flames in 1986 and 1989, and the Vancouver Canucks in 1982), and the second of five consecutive Finals to end with the Cup presentation on Alberta ice (the Oilers won four of those times, the Montreal Canadiens once). Game five of this series was played on May 30, which at the time was the latest finishing date for an NHL season. The record was broken two years later.

Paths to the Finals

Edmonton defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3–0, the Winnipeg Jets 4–0, and the Chicago Black Hawks 4–2 to advance to the finals.

Philadelphia defeated the New York Rangers 3–0, the New York Islanders 4–1, and the Quebec Nordiques 4–2 to make it to the finals.

Game summaries

This was the first Stanley Cup Finals where games were scheduled for June. Had the series reached game six, it would have been played Sunday, June 2, with game seven on Tuesday, June 4. The NHL season would not extend into an actual June game until 1992, due to a players strike.

This was the second and last Stanley Cup Finals to use the 2–3–2 format, long favored by Major League Baseball for its World Series and used from 1985 through 2013 for the NBA Finals. Since Edmonton went 6–0 at home during the 1984 and 1985 Finals, it was able to clinch in game five on home ice each time.

Wayne Gretzky scored seven goals in the five games, tying the record set by Jean Béliveau of the Canadiens in 1956 and Mike Bossy of the Islanders in 1982. Grant Fuhr stopped two penalty shots. Jari Kurri scored 19 goals through the entire playoffs, tying the single-year record set by Reggie Leach of the Flyers in 1976.

This was the last Stanley Cup Finals in which either starting goalie wore the old-style fiberglass mask. Both Fuhr and the Flyers' Pelle Lindbergh wore the face-hugging mask, which was introduced in 1959 by Jacques Plante. The backups, Edmonton's Andy Moog and Philadelphia's Bob Froese, wore the helmet-and-cage combination, similar to the one Billy Smith wore in leading the New York Islanders to four consecutive Cups from 1980 to 1983. The next year, the Calgary Flames' Mike Vernon sported a helmet-and-cage combo, and Montreal Canadiens rookie Patrick Roy wore a modern full fiberglass cage, the second goalie to sport that style in a Finals series after Gilles Meloche with the Minnesota North Stars in 1981. Fuhr switched to a full fiberglass cage the next season.

This was the first Stanley Cup Finals in which the NHL referee wore a helmet (Andy Van Hellemond). This occurred during Game 1.

Game one

Tuesday, May 21

Edmonton Oilers

1–4

Philadelphia Flyers

Spectrum

The Flyers posted a 4–1 victory to open the series. Edmonton coach Glen Sather was reportedly so disappointed with his team's performance that he burned the game videotapes after watching them.

Game two

Thursday, May 23

Edmonton Oilers

3–1

Philadelphia Flyers

Spectrum

Wayne Gretzky's first goal of the series late in the second period snapped a 1–1 tie, and Dave Hunter added an insurance empty-netter and the Oilers drew even in the series with a 3–1 win.

Game three

Saturday, May 25

Philadelphia Flyers

3–4

Edmonton Oilers

Northlands Coliseum

Gretzky almost single-handedly won Edmonton the game. He scored twice within the first 90 seconds of the game, and finished off a hat trick by the end of the first period. Although the Oilers put only six shots on net over the final 40 minutes, it was enough to escape with a 4–3 win and 2–1 series lead.

Game four

Tuesday, May 28

Philadelphia Flyers

3–5

Edmonton Oilers

Northlands Coliseum

Unbowed, the Flyers leapt out to a 3–1 lead midway through the first period thanks to goals at even strength, on the power play and shorthanded. However, the Oilers roared back with four consecutive goals, including two from Gretzky, to win 5–3 and take a commanding series lead.

Game five

Thursday, May 30

Philadelphia Flyers

3–8

Edmonton Oilers

Northland Coliseum

Against backup goaltender Bob Froese, substituting for starter Pelle Lindbergh (who had been playing progressively less well over the course of the Finals), the Oilers blitzed the Flyers with a four-goal first period and sailed to a convincing 8–3 win. Gretzky and Kurri posted a goal and three assists each, while Paul Coffey and Mark Messier scored two goals apiece. Edmonton won its second consecutive Stanley Cup while the Flyers, at the time the youngest team in professional sports, took the lessons from their loss into the clubs' next Stanley Cup Finals; they lost again to the Oilers in 1987, albeit in seven games. Wayne Gretzky won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, scoring a record 47 points this playoff year.

Broadcasting

In Canada, this was the first of two consecutive years that the English-language rights of the Cup Finals were shared between CBC and CTV. CBC televised games one and two nationally while games 3–5 were televised in Edmonton only. CTV televised games 3–5 nationally while games were blacked out in Edmonton. Had the series gone to a Game 7, then both CBC and CTV would have simultaneously televised it while using their own production facilities and crews. Dan Kelly, Ron Reusch, and Brad Park called the games on CTV.

In the United States, this was the fifth and final season that the Cup Finals aired nationally on the USA Network. Under the U.S. TV contracts that would take effect beginning next season, ESPN would take over as the NHL's American television partner. The USA Network would not air NHL games again until 2015 when it became an occasional overflow channel for NBC Sports' national coverage of the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The USA Network's national coverage of the 1985 Cup Finals was blacked out in the Philadelphia area due to the local rights to Flyers games in that TV market. PRISM aired games one and two while WTXF aired games three, four, and five.

Team rosters

Edmonton Oilers


No.	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
2	Lee Jr. Fogolin	D	R	30	1979	Chicago, Illinois
4	Kevin Lowe	D	L	26	1979	Lachute, Quebec
7	Paul Coffey	D	L	23	1980	Weston, Ontario
8	Dave Lumley	RW	R	30	1979	Toronto, Ontario
9	Glenn Anderson	RW	L	24	1979	Vancouver, British Columbia
10	Jaroslav Pouzar	LW	L	33	1982	Cakovec, Czechoslovakia
11	Mark Messier	C	L	24	1979	St. Albert, Alberta
12	Dave Hunter	LW	L	27	1979	Petrolia, Ontario
14	Esa Tikkanen	LW	L	20	1983	Helsinki, Finland
16	Pat Hughes	RW	R	30	1981	Calgary, Alberta
17	Jari Kurri	RW	R	25	1980	Helsinki, Finland
18	Mark Napier	RW	L	28	1984	North York, Ontario
19	Willy Lindstrom	RW	L	34	1983	Grums, Sweden
20	Billy Carroll	C	L	26	1984	Toronto, Ontario
21	Randy Gregg	D	L	29	1982	Edmonton, Alberta
22	Charlie Huddy	D	L	25	1979	Oshawa, Ontario
24	Kevin McClelland	C	R	22	1983	Oshawa, Ontario
26	Mike Krushelnyski	C	L	25	1984	Montreal, Quebec
27	Dave Semenko	LW	L	27	1979	Winnipeg, Manitoba
28	Larry Melnyk	D	L	25	1983	New Westminster, British Columbia
29	Donald Jackson	D	L	26	1981	Minneapolis, Minnesota
31	Grant Fuhr	G	R	22	1981	Spruce Grove, Alberta
35	Andy Moog	G	L	25	1980	Penticton, British Columbia
99	Wayne Gretzky (C)	C	L	24	1979	Brantford, Ontario

Philadelphia Flyers


No.	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
2	Mark Howe	D	L	29	1982	Detroit, Michigan
3	Doug Crossman	D	L	24	1983	Peterborough, Ontario
5	Steve Smith	D	L	22	1981	Trenton, Ontario
8	Brad Marsh	D	L	27	1981	London, Ontario
9	Miroslav Dvorak	D	L	33	1982	Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czechoslovakia
10	Brad McCrimmon	D	L	26	1982	Dodsland, Saskatchewan
11	Len Hachborn	C	L	23	1981	Brantford, Ontario
12	Tim Kerr	RW	R	25	1980	Windsor, Ontario
14	Ron Sutter	C	R	21	1982	Viking, Alberta
15	Rich Sutter	LW	R	21	1983	Viking, Alberta
17	Ed Hospodar	D	L	26	1984	Bowling Green, Ohio
18	Lindsay Carson	LW	L	24	1979	Oxbow, Saskatchewan
19	Ray Allison	RW	R	26	1981	Cranbrook, British Columbia
20	Dave Poulin (C)	C	L	26	1982	Timmins, Ontario
21	Dave Brown	RW	R	24	1982	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
22	Rick Tocchet	RW	R	21	1983	Scarborough, Ontario
23	Ilkka Sinisalo	RW	L	26	1981	Valkeakoski, Finland
24	Derrick Smith	LW	L	20	1983	Scarborough, Ontario
25	Peter Zezel	C	L	20	1983	Scarborough, Ontario
26	Brian Propp	LW	L	26	1979	Lanigan, Saskatchewan
27	Thomas Eriksson	D	L	25	1979	Stockholm, Sweden
28	Joe Paterson	LW	L	24	1984	Toronto, Ontario
31	Pelle Lindbergh	G	L	25	1979	Stockholm, Sweden
32	Murray Craven	LW	L	20	1984	Medicine Hat, Alberta
35	Bob Froese	G	L	26	1982	St. Catharines, Ontario
42	Todd Bergen	C	L	21	1982	Prince Albert, Saskatchewan

Stanley Cup engraving

The 1985 Stanley Cup was presented to Oilers captain Wayne Gretzky by NHL President John Ziegler following the Oilers 8–3 win over the Flyers in game five.

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

1984–85 Edmonton Oilers

Players

Centres

(played left wing during the regular season)

Wingers

(played Centre during the regular season)

Defencemen

Goaltenders

31 Grant Fuhr
35 Andy Moog

Coaching and administrative staff

Peter Pocklington (Owner),
Glen Sather (President/General Manager/Head Coach)
Bruce MacGregor (Asst. General Manager)
John Muckler (Asst. Coach), Edward Ted Green (Asst. Coach)
Barry Fraser (Director of Player Personnel/Chief Scout)
Garnet "Ace" Bailey (Scout), Ed Chadwick (Scout), Lorne Davis (Scout), Matti Valsanen (Scout)
Peter Millar (Athletic Therapist), Dr. Gordon Cameron (Team Physician)
Barrie Stafford (Trainer), Lyle Kulchisky (Asst. Trainer)

Stanley Cup engraving

Garnet "Ace" Bailey, Ed Chadwick, Lorne Davis, Matti Valsanen (Scouts), Gordon Cameron (Team Physician) received rings with Edmonton in 1984. Their names however, were left off the Stanley Cup in 1984, but included in 1985.

References

Diamond, Dan (2000). Total Stanley Cup. Toronto: Total Sports Canada. ISBN 978-1-892129-07-9.
Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7