1988 Stanley Cup Finals

1988 Stanley Cup Finals
Teams 1 2 3 4 5 Games Edmonton Oilers  2 4 6 3 6 4 Boston Bruins  1 2 3 3 3 0
Location: Edmonton, AB (Northlands Coliseum) (1,2,5) Boston, MA (Boston Garden) (3-4) Format: Best-of-seven Coaches: Edmonton: Glen Sather Boston: Terry O'Reilly Captains: Edmonton: Wayne Gretzky Boston: Rick Middleton and Ray Bourque Dates: May 18 to May 26, 1988 MVP: Wayne Gretzky Series-winning goal: Wayne Gretzky (9:44, second, G5)
< 1987 Stanley Cup Finals 1989 >

The 1988 Stanley Cup Finals was between the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins. The Oilers would win the series 4–0 in five games; game four was abandoned due to a power failure at the Boston Garden with the score tied 3–3 and replayed. This would be the sixth of eight consecutive Finals contested by a team from Alberta (the Oilers appeared in six of them, the Calgary Flames in two), and the last of five consecutive Finals to end with the Cup presentation on Alberta ice (the Oilers won four such Cups, the Montreal Canadiens the other).

Paths to the Finals

See also: 1987–88 Boston Bruins season and 1987–88 Edmonton Oilers season

Edmonton defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4–1, the Calgary Flames 4–0 and the Detroit Red Wings 4–1 to reach the Finals.

Boston defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4–2, the Montreal Canadiens 4–1 and the New Jersey Devils 4–3 to reach the Finals.

The series

The Finals pitted the Oilers' offensive juggernaut against the Bruins' more balanced team. The Oilers showed their defensive prowess, surrendering just nine goals in the four completed games. Ray Bourque was physical in defending against Gretzky, but that would not ground the "Great One" on his way to claiming his second Conn Smythe Trophy and setting playoff records with 31 assists in just 18 games, and 13 points in the Finals series.

Game one

May 18

Boston Bruins

1 – 2 0 – 0, 1 – 1, 0 – 1

Edmonton Oilers

Northlands Coliseum Attendance: 17,502

Game reference
	Andy Moog	Goalies	Grant Fuhr
	Cam Neely 8 (Craig Janney, Gord Kluzak) – 13:15	0 – 1 1 – 1 1 – 2	1:56 – Wayne Gretzky 10 (Steve Smith, Jari Kurri) (PP) 1:15 – Keith Acton 2 (Steve Smith, Kevin McClelland)
	14	Shots	22

Game four

Fog interfered with the game, and a power failure caused its cancellation.

Glenn Anderson set a new record for quickest goal from the start of a Finals game when he scored 10 seconds into the contest. Despite the game being suspended and replayed, the record is official. That record was tied two years later in the third game of the 1990 Finals by John Byce playing for, in a twist, the Bruins, against the Oilers. Regardless, the Oilers swept the series and won their 4th Stanley Cup in five years.

Boston Bruins vs. Edmonton Oilers

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
Wed, May 18	Boston Bruins	1	Edmonton Oilers	2
Fri, May 20	Boston Bruins	2	Edmonton Oilers	4
Sun, May 22	Edmonton Oilers	6	Boston Bruins	3
Tue, May 24	Edmonton Oilers	3	Boston Bruins	3	Game suspended at 16:37 of second period due to power failure.
Thu, May 26	Boston Bruins	3	Edmonton Oilers	6

Edmonton wins best-of-seven series 4–0

Edmonton Oilers – 1988 Stanley Cup champions

Roster

  Centres

• 99 Wayne Gretzky (Captain)
• 11 Mark Messier(A)
• 12 Dave Hannan
• 14 Craig MacTavish
• 23 Keith Acton
• 26 Mike Krushelnyski (also played wing during the playoffs)

  Wingers

• 9 Glenn Anderson
• 10 Esa Tikkanen
• 15 Geoff Courtnall
• 17 Jari Kurri
• 18 Craig Simpson
• 19 Normand Lacombe
• 24 Kevin McClelland

  Defencemen

• 4 Kevin Lowe(A)
• 5 Steve Smith
• 6 Jeff Beukeboom
• 21 Randy Gregg
• 22 Charlie Huddy
• 28 Craig Muni
• 33 Marty McSorley (played wing during the regular season)

  Goaltenders

• 31 Grant Fuhr
• 30 Bill Ranford

  Coaching and administrative staff

• Peter Pocklington (Owner)
• Glen Sather (President/General Manager/Head Coach)
• John Muckler (Co-Coach), Edward Ted Green (Asst. Coach)
• Bruce MacGregor (Asst. General Manager)
• Barry Fraser (Director of Player Personnel/Chief Scout), Bill Tuele (Director of Public Relations)
• Dr. Gordon Cameron (Team Physician), Peter Millar (Athletic Therapist), Juergen Merz (Message Therapist)
• Barrie Stafford (Trainer), Lyle Kulchisky (Asst. Trainer)

Stanley Cup engraving

• #29 Daryl Reaugh (backup goalie) joined the team after Andy Moog left in September to play for Team Canada, and at the 1988 Olympics. Reaugh would play 6 games (dressed for 60). After the Olympics, Moog was traded to Boston Bruins for minor leaguer goalie Bill Ranford. Reaugh was sent to the minors, being recalled during the conference finals. His name was left off, because he was playing in the minors after the trade deadline. Reaugh was included on the team picture.
• #20 Steve Dykstra played 42 NHL games in 1987–88 season. Dykstra joined Edmonton in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres, playing in 15 of the Oilers last 21 games, but not in the playoffs. He was left off, because he did not play all 42 games with Edmonton.
• #32 Jim Wiemer played 12 regular season games and two games in Conference Finals. He was left off the Stanley Cup because he did not play in the finals
• This would mark the final time Wayne Gretzky would win the Stanley Cup.

Team picture on the ice, after winning a championship

• After the Oilers won the 1988 Stanley Cup, Wayne Gretzky (in what ended up being his last game with the Oilers) requested a picture on the ice with all the players, and all non-playing members including management, coaches, trainers, scouts, locker room assistants. The team honoured his request, and it has since become a tradition followed by each Stanley Cup-winning team since. The team picture tradition after winning a championship is also followed by most hockey championship teams at all levels around the world.

Gretzky wanted every member of the Oilers to be included on the team picture. However, when the cup was engraved all five scouts were left off: Garnet Bailey, Ed Chadwick, Lorne Davis, Matti Vaisanen (on the Cup in 1985, 1987, 1990), Bob Freeman (Part time-not on the Cup). The Oilers also left three players off the Stanley Cup: Daryl Reaugh, Steve Dykstra, Jim Weimer. Bill Tuele (Public Relations Director) had his name added to the cup for the first time. He has rings with the Oilers in 1984, 1985, 1987, but his name was not put on the Stanley Cup those seasons.

See also

• 1987–88 NHL season
• List of Stanley Cup champions

Notes

Preceded by Edmonton Oilers 1987

Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Champions 1988

Succeeded by Calgary Flames 1989