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1990 Stanley Cup Finals
1990 Stanley Cup Finals
	* – overtime periods
Location(s)	Boston: Boston Garden (1, 2, 5); Edmonton: Northlands Coliseum (3, 4)
Coaches	Edmonton: John Muckler; Boston: Mike Milbury
Captains	Edmonton: Mark Messier; Boston: Ray Bourque
Referees	Don Koharski (1, 4); Andy Van Hellemond (3, 5); Kerry Fraser (2)
Dates	May 15–24, 1990
MVP	Bill Ranford (Oilers)
Series-winning goal	Craig Simpson (9:31, second, G5)
Hall of Famers	Oilers:; Glenn Anderson (2008); Grant Fuhr (2003; did not play); Jari Kurri (2001); Kevin Lowe (2020); Mark Messier (2007); Bruins:; Ray Bourque (2004); Cam Neely (2005)
Networks	Canada:; (English): CBC; (French): SRC; United States:; (National): SportsChannel America; (Boston area): NESN (1–2, 5), WSBK (3–4)
Announcers	(CBC) Bob Cole and Harry Neale; (SRC) Richard Garneau and Gilles Tremblay; (SportsChannel America) Jiggs McDonald and Bill Clement; (NESN) Fred Cusick, Derek Sanderson, and Dave Shea; (WSBK) Fred Cusick and Derek Sanderson

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 1999 and Igor Larionov's game-winner in 2002 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.^[1]

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.^[2] 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.^[3]^[4]

Ray Bourque did not reach the Stanley Cup Finals again until the Colorado Avalanche won in 2001. As for the Bruins, they would not return to the Stanley Cup Finals until their championship season of 2011.^[5] The Oilers did not reach the Finals again until 2006, 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

#	Player	Position	Hand	Acquired	Place of birth	Finals appearance
43	Bob Beers	D	R	1985	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	first
77	Ray Bourque – C	D	L	1979	Saint-Laurent, Quebec	second (1988)
25	Andy Brickley	LW	L	1988–89	Melrose, Massachusetts	first
12	Randy Burridge	LW	L	1985	Fort Erie, Ontario	second (1988)
42	John Byce	C	L	1985	Madison, Wisconsin	first
34	Lyndon Byers	RW	R	1982	Nipawin, Saskatchewan	second (1988)
11	Bobby Carpenter	C	L	1988–89	Beverly, Massachusetts	first
31	John Carter	LW	L	1985–86	Winchester, Massachusetts	first
27	Dave Christian	RW	R	1989–90	Warroad, Minnesota	first
37	Lou Crawford	LW	L	1989–90	Belleville, Ontario	first
16	Peter Douris	RW	R	1989–90	Toronto, Ontario	first
28	Garry Galley	D	L	1988–89	Greenfield Park, Quebec	first
18	Bobby Gould	RW	R	1989–90	Petrolia, Ontario	first
38	Greg Hawgood	D	L	1986	Edmonton, Alberta	second (1988)
23	Craig Janney – A	C	L	1986	Hartford, Connecticut	second (1988)
39	Greg Johnston	RW	R	1983	Barrie, Ontario	second (1988)
6	Gord Kluzak	D	L	1982	Climax, Saskatchewan	second (1988)
1	Rejean Lemelin	G	L	1987–88	Quebec City, Quebec	third (1986, 1988)
17	Nevin Markwart	LW	L	1983	Toronto, Ontario	second (1988)
35	Andy Moog	G	L	1987–88	Penticton, British Columbia	sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
8	Cam Neely – A	RW	R	1986–87	Comox, British Columbia	second (1988)
10	Billy O'Dwyer	C	L	1987–88	Boston, Massachusetts	second (1988)
41	Allen Pedersen	D	L	1983	Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta	second (1988)
19	Dave Poulin	C	L	1989–90	Timmins, Ontario	third (1985, 1987)
36	Brian Propp	LW	L	1989–90	Lanigan, Saskatchewan	fourth (1980, 1985, 1987)
20	Bob Sweeney	C	R	1982	Concord, Massachusetts	second (1988)
32	Don Sweeney	D	L	1984	St. Stephen, New Brunswick	first
26	Glen Wesley	D	L	1987	Red Deer, Alberta	second (1988)
30	Jim Wiemer	D	L	1989–90	Sudbury, Ontario	first

Edmonton Oilers

#	Player	Position	Hand	Acquired	Place of birth	Finals appearance
9	Glenn Anderson	RW	L	1979	Vancouver, British Columbia	sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
6	Jeff Beukeboom	D	R	1983	Ajax, Ontario	third (1987, 1988, did not play)
32	Dave Brown	RW	R	1988–89	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	third (1985, 1987, did not play)
16	Kelly Buchberger	RW	L	1985	Langenburg, Saskatchewan	second (1987)
31	Grant Fuhr	G	R	1981	Spruce Grove, Alberta	sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, did not play: injured)
20	Martin Gelinas	LW	L	1988–89	Shawinigan, Quebec	first
12	Adam Graves	LW	L	1989–90	Toronto, Ontario	first
21	Randy Gregg	D	L	1981–82	Edmonton, Alberta	sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
22	Charlie Huddy	D	L	1980–81	Oshawa, Ontario	sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
85	Petr Klima	LW	R	1989–90	Chomutov, Czechoslovakia	first
17	Jari Kurri – A	RW	R	1980	Helsinki, Finland	sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
7	Mark Lamb	C	L	1987–88	Ponteix, Saskatchewan	first
4	Kevin Lowe – A	D	L	1979	Lachute, Quebec	sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
14	Craig MacTavish	C	L	1985–86	London, Ontario	third (1987, 1988)
11	Mark Messier – C	C	L	1979	Edmonton, Alberta	sixth (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
28	Craig Muni	D	L	1986–87	Toronto, Ontario	third (1987, 1988)
30	Bill Ranford	G	L	1987–88	Brandon, Manitoba	second (1988)
33	Pokey Reddick	G	L	1989–90	Halifax, Nova Scotia	first (did not play)
26	Reijo Ruotsalainen	D	R	1989–90	Oulu, Finland	second (1987)
25	Geoff Smith	D	L	1987	Edmonton, Alberta	first (did not play)
5	Steve Smith	D	L	1981	Glasgow, United Kingdom	third (1987, 1988)
10	Esa Tikkanen	LW	L	1983	Helsinki, Finland	fourth (1985, 1987, 1988)
18	Craig Simpson	LW	R	1987–88	London, Ontario	second (1988)
8	Joe Murphy	RW	L	1989–90	London, Ontario	first

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

Wingers

Defencemen

Goaltenders

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 32 of the next 33 editions of the Finals, with the sole Canadian Cup victory coming in 1993. The Oilers would return to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006 and 2024, but they would lose both in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers respectively.

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.

References

Inline citations

^ Wee, K.P. (October 2015). The End of the Montreal Jinx: Boston's Short-Lived Glory in the Historic Bruins-Canadiens Rivalry, 1988-1994. pp. 90–93. ISBN 978-1517362911.
^ Cole 2004, p. 120
^ Morrison, Scott (2010). Hockey Night in Canada: Best of the Best Ranking the Greatest Players of All Time. Toronto: Key Porter Books. p. 34.
^ Cole 2004, p. 128
^ Ulman, Howard (May 28, 2011). "Bruins reach Stanley Cup finals, top Lightning 1-0". Associated Press.

Bibliography

Cole, Stephen (2004). The Best of Hockey Night in Canada. Toronto: McArthur & Company. pp. 120, 128. ISBN 1-55278-408-8.
Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp. 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7.