1981 Stanley Cup Final

1981 ice hockey championship series August 2023 1981 New York Islanders New York Denis Potvin Al Arbour Minnesota North Stars Minnesota Glen Sonmor Paul Shmyr Bryan Lewis, Dave Newell, Andy Van Hellemond Wayne Merrick (5:37, first) Islanders:Mike Bossy (1991)Clark Gillies (2002)Denis Potvin (1991)Billy Smith (1993)Bryan Trottier (1997)North Stars:Dino Ciccarelli (2010)Coaches:Al Arbour (1996)Officials: John D'Amico (1993)Ray Scapinello (2008)Andy Van Hellemond (1999) May 12–21, 1981 Uniondale: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (1, 2, 5) Bloomington: Met Center (3, 4) Butch Goring (Islanders) Canada:(English): CBC(French): SRCUnited States:(National): USA Network(New York City area): SportsChannel New York (1–2, 5), WOR (3–4)(Minnesota area): KMSP (CBC) Bob Cole, Mickey Redmond, and Gary Dornhoefer(SRC) Rene Lecavalier and Gilles Tremblay(USA) Simulcast of CBC feed(SCNY) Jiggs McDonald and Ed Westfall(WOR) Jiggs McDonald (game 3), Tim Ryan (game 4), and Ed Westfall(KMSP) Bob Kurtz and Tom Reid 6 6 7 2 5 4 3 3 5 4 1 1 The 1981 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1980–81 season, and the culmination of the 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Minnesota North Stars, making their first Finals appearance, and the defending champion New York Islanders, in their second Finals appearance. The Islanders would defeat the North Stars in five games to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. The Islanders became the sixth franchise to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.https://sports.yahoo.com/article/many-teams-won-back-back-162135307.html Rorabaugh Dan How many teams have won back-to-back Stanley Cups? Florida Panthers join historic list Yahoo Sports June 18, 2025 August 2, 2026 This would be the last all-American Finals until 1991, when the North Stars faced the Pittsburgh Penguins. Butch Goring won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player in the playoffs. Paths to the Finals 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs 1980–81 Minnesota North Stars season 1980–81 New York Islanders season Minnesota defeated the Boston Bruins 3–0, the Buffalo Sabres 4–1 and the Calgary Flames 4–2 to advance to the Final. New York defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3–0, the Edmonton Oilers 4–2, and the New York Rangers 4–0 to reach the Final. Game summaries Dino Ciccarelli of the North Stars set a rookie record (since tied by Ville Leino in 2010), scoring twenty-one points (14 goals and seven assists) during the year's playoffs. The Islanders' much deeper lineup, however, won the day. Game one Minnesota North Stars New York Islanders Met Center Nassau Coliseum May 12 3–6 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mns-vs-nyi/1981/05/12/1980030411#game=1980030411,game_state=final,game_tab=boxscore Gilles Meloche started in net for Minnesota in game one, and in doing so, became the first goaltender in NHL history to wear a modern full fiberglass cage during the Stanley Cup Final. Anders Kallur and Wayne Merrick each scored twice for New York during the game, giving them a 6–3 victory and a 1–0 lead in the series. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st NYI Anders Kallur (3) Dave Langevin (2) and Butch Goring (9) 02:54 1–0 NYI NYI Bryan Trottier (10) – sh Billy Carroll (7) 14:38 2–0 NYI NYI Anders Kallur (4) – sh Bryan Trottier (14) 15:25 3–0 NYI 2nd NYI Billy Carroll (3) Duane Sutter (1) and Bob Nystrom (5) 09:58 4–0 NYI MNS Kent-Erik Andersson (2) Dino Ciccarelli (6) 13:04 4–1 NYI 3rd NYI Wayne Merrick (4) Unassisted 00:58 5–1 NYI MNS Steve Payne (13) – pp Craig Hartsburg (7) and Bobby Smith (15) 03:08 5–2 NYI NYI Wayne Merrick (5) Dave Langevin (3) and John Tonelli (4) 13:15 6–2 NYI MNS Dino Ciccarelli (12) Tom McCarthy (3) 15:14 6–3 NYI Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st MNS Brad Maxwell High-sticking 06:44 2:00 NYI Bob Bourne Spearing – major 11:12 5:00 MNS Tom McCarthy Slashing 19:45 2:00 2nd MNS Greg Smith Interference 06:06 2:00 NYI John Tonelli High-sticking 14:13 2:00 NYI Bryan Trottier Tripping 17:29 2:00 3rd NYI Gord Lane Cross-checking 02:39 2:00 NYI Bryan Trottier Roughing 18:09 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total Minnesota 8 8 10 26 New York 10 10 3 23 Game two Minnesota North Stars New York Islanders Met Center Nassau Coliseum May 14 3–6 2 https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mns-vs-nyi/1981/05/14/1980030412 Don Beaupre would replace Gilles Meloche in net for the North Stars in game two. In a virtual repeat of game one, Denis Potvin and Mike Bossy both scored two goals and the Islanders won 6–3 over the North Stars again. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st MNS Dino Ciccarelli (13) – pp Craig Hartsburg (10) and Steve Christoff (7) 03:38 1–0 MNS NYI Mike Bossy (14) – pp Mike McEwen (8) and Denis Potvin (14) 04:33 1–1 NYI Bobby Nystrom (5) Wayne Merrick (8) and John Tonelli (5) 14:39 2–1 NYI NYI Denis Potvin (7) Wayne Merrick (9) 17:48 3–1 NYI 2nd MNS Brad Palmer (8) Neal Broten (7) and Greg Smith (5) 09:15 3–2 NYI 3rd MNS Steve Payne (14) Tim Young (12) and Gordie Roberts (5) 00:30 3–3 NYI Denis Potvin (8) – pp Butch Goring (10) 08:00 4–3 NYI NYI Ken Morrow (3) Denis Potvin (15) and Wayne Merrick (10) 11:57 5–3 NYI NYI Mike Bossy (15) Bryan Trottier (15) and Bob Bourne (5) 16:22 6–3 NYI Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st NYI Anders Kallur Holding 01:31 2:00 NYI Bryan Trottier Hooking 02:15 2:00 MNS Fred Barrett Holding 04:08 2:00 NYI Dave Langevin Holding 04:53 2:00 MNS Al MacAdam High-sticking 05:04 2:00 NYI Ken Morrow High-sticking 05:04 2:00 NYI Dave Langevin Elbowing 11:01 2:00 MNS Fred Barrett Roughing 19:15 2:00 NYI Bob Bourne Roughing 19:15 2:00 2nd NYI John Tonelli Roughing 10:26 2:00 3rd NYI Denis Potvin Tripping 03:39 2:00 MNS Neal Broten Hooking 06:22 2:00 MNS Fred Barrett High-sticking 07:01 2:00 NYI Bryan Trottier High-sticking 07:01 2:00 NYI Bryan Trottier Tripping 12:58 2:00 NYI Denis Potvin Closing hand on puck 13:31 2:00 MNS Dino Ciccarelli Roughing 16:44 2:00 MNS Dino Ciccarelli Misconduct 16:44 10:00 MNS Brad Maxwell Fighting – major 16:44 5:00 NYI Bob Bourne Fighting – major 16:44 5:00 NYI Gord Lane Roughing 16:44 2:00 NYI Gord Lane Misconduct 16:44 10:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total Minnesota 9 11 8 28 New York 11 11 16 38 Game three New York Islanders Minnesota North Stars Met Center May 17 7–5 1 https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyi-vs-mns/1981/05/17/1980030413 Gilles Meloche would start in net for Minnesota game three. In a back and forth game, Butch Goring recorded a hat trick and Mike Bossy recorded 4 points after the North Stars had taken a 3–1 lead after the first period. The Islanders went on to win the game 7–5, giving them a commanding 3–0 lead in the series. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st MNS Steve Christoff (7) – pp Craig Hartsburg (11) and Dino Ciccarelli (7) 03:25 1–0 MNS MNS Steve Payne (15) Tim Young (13) and Al MacAdam (8) 14:09 2–0 MNS NYI Mike Bossy (16) Clark Gillies (7) 14:47 2–1 MNS MNS Bobby Smith (7) – pp Craig Hartsburg (12) and Steve Payne (11) 16:30 3–1 MNS 2nd NYI Bob Nystrom (6) John Tonelli (6) and Wayne Merrick (11) 04:10 3–2 MNS NYI Butch Goring (6) – pp Denis Potvin (16) and Mike Bossy (15) 07:16 3–3 NYI Butch Goring (7) Clark Gillies (8) 11:51 4–3 NYI 3rd MNS Steve Payne (16) Tim Young (14) and Steve Christoff (8) 01:11 4–4 NYI Mike Bossy (17) Bryan Trottier (16) 02:05 5–4 NYI NYI Butch Goring (8) Billy Carroll (8) and Denis Potvin (17) 06:34 6–4 NYI MNS Dino Ciccarelli (14) Bobby Smith (16) 13:35 6–5 NYI NYI Bryan Trottier (11) – en Mike Bossy (16) and Wayne Merrick (12) 19:16 7–5 NYI Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st NYI Bob Nystrom Interference 02:10 2:00 MNS Tom Younghans Interference 03:55 2:00 MNS Steve Payne Holding 06:37 2:00 MNS Tom Younghans Roughing 07:05 2:00 NYI Bob Nystrom Roughing 07:05 2:00 NYI Bryan Trottier Hooking 07:19 2:00 NYI Dave Langevin Boarding 11:26 2:00 NYI Bob Nystrom Interference 15:20 2:00 2nd MNS Bobby Smith Tripping 05:39 2:00 MNS Greg Smith Interference 05:56 2:00 NYI Clark Gillies High-sticking 05:56 2:00 NYI Clark Gillies Interference 09:40 2:00 NYI Bryan Trottier Tripping 16:00 2:00 NYI Mike McEwen Hooking 18:25 2:00 3rd NYI John Tonelli Tripping 04:15 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total New York 11 8 10 29 Minnesota 8 7 13 28 Game four New York Islanders Minnesota North Stars Met Center May 19 2–4 2 https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/nyi-vs-mns/1981/05/19/1980030414 Steve Payne scored the game-winning goal in the third period of game four, Brad Maxwell recorded 4 assists, and Don Beaupre made 33 saves to give Minnesota a 4–2 victory to thrive off elimination. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st NYI Gord Lane (1) Mike Bossy (17) and Bryan Trottier (17) 03:47 1–0 NYI MNS Craig Hartsburg (3) – pp Bobby Smith (17) and Brad Maxwell (8) 11:34 1–1 2nd MNS Al MacAdam (9) Steve Payne (12) and Brad Maxwell (9) 05:15 2–1 MNS NYI Mike McEwen (5) – pp John Tonelli (7) and Anders Kallur (2) 07:37 2–2 3rd MNS Steve Payne (17) Brad Maxwell (12) and Al MacAdam (9) 12:26 3–2 MNS MNS Bobby Smith (8) – pp Al MacAdam (10) and Brad Maxwell (11) 18:12 4–2 MNS Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st NYI Clark Gillies Slashing 01:00 2:00 MNS Craig Hartsburg Slashing 04:00 2:00 NYI Dave Langevin Cross-checking 10:03 2:00 MNS Gordie Roberts Hooking 12:23 2:00 NYI Clark Gillies Roughing 13:44 2:00 MNS Curt Giles Tripping 16:21 2:00 2nd NYI Bob Nystrom Charging 03:12 2:00 MNS Brad Palmer Cross-checking 05:47 2:00 NYI Denis Potvin Elbowing 09:13 2:00 MNS Dino Ciccarelli Cross-checking 11:30 2:00 MNS Dino Ciccarelli Fighting – major 11:30 5:00 NYI Bob Lorimer Fighting – major 11:30 5:00 NYI Dave Langevin Tripping 14:54 2:00 3rd NYI Anders Kallur Tripping 06:17 2:00 NYI Denis Potvin Holding 16:39 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total New York 12 12 11 35 Minnesota 13 10 11 34 Game five Minnesota North Stars New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum May 21 1–5 2 www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mns-vs-nyi/1981/05/12/1980030411#game=1980030411,game_state=final,game_tab=boxscore In game five, Billy Smith made 24 saves in a 5–1 victory for New York to win the series and help them win their second consecutive Stanley Cup. Butch Goring, who recorded two goals during the game, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP. Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st NYI Butch Goring (9) – pp Bob Bourne (6) 05:12 1–0 NYI NYI Wayne Merrick (6) John Tonelli (8) and Bob Nystrom (6) 05:37 2–0 NYI NYI Butch Goring (10) Clark Gillies (9) and Mike Bossy (18) 10:03 3–0 NYI MNS Steve Christoff (8) Unassisted 16:06 3–1 NYI 2nd NYI Bob Bourne (4) Billy Carroll (9) and Anders Kallur (3) 19:12 4–1 NYI 3rd NYI Mike McEwen (6) Bryan Trottier (18) 17:06 5–1 NYI Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st NYI Bob Nystrom Slashing 00:56 2:00 MNS Brad Palmer Holding 03:52 2:00 NYI Bob Lorimer Slashing 19:00 2:00 2nd MNS Paul Shmyr Elbowing 07:33 2:00 MNS Greg Smith Cross-checking 14:43 2:00 MNS Kevin Maxwell Roughing 19:55 2:00 NYI Gord Lane Roughing 19:55 2:00 3rd NYI Bob Lorimer Holding 03:47 2:00 MNS Brad Maxwell Slashing 07:57 2:00 NYI John Tonelli Slashing 07:57 2:00 NYI Gord Lane High-sticking 11:48 2:00 MNS Kevin Maxwell Slashing 16:42 2:00 NYI Billy Smith Slashing 16:42 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total Minnesota 15 4 6 25 New York 10 16 7 33 Broadcasting The series aired on CBC in Canada. In the United States, this was the first of five seasons that the Cup Finals aired on the USA Network. For the 1981 Finals only, USA simulcast the CBC feed instead of producing their own coverage. However, USA's national coverage was blacked out in the New York metro and Minnesota area due to the local rights to their respective teams in that markets. In the New York area, SportsChannel New York aired three games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and WOR televised two games in Bloomington, Minnesota while KMSP aired every game of the series in the Minnesota area. Team rosters Minnesota North Stars Curt Giles 2 D Canada L 1958 11 30 1978 The Pas, Manitoba 1981 5 12 Fred Barrett Fred Barrett (ice hockey) 3 D Canada L 1950 1 26 1970 Ottawa, Ontario 1981 5 12 Craig Hartsburg 4 D Canada L 1959 6 29 1979 Stratford, Ontario 1981 5 12 Brad Maxwell 5 D Canada R 1957 7 8 1977 Brandon, Manitoba 1981 5 12 Paul Shmyr 6 D Canada L 1946 1 18 1979 Cudworth, Saskatchewan C 1981 5 12 Neal Broten 7 C USA L 1959 11 29 1979 Roseau, Minnesota 1981 5 12 Kent-Erik Andersson 8 RW Sweden R 1951 5 24 1977 Örebro, Sweden 1981 5 12 Kevin Maxwell Kevin Maxwell (ice hockey) 9 C Canada R 1959 11 29 1979 Edmonton, Alberta 1981 5 12 Gordie Roberts 10 D USA L 1957 10 2 1980 Detroit, Michigan 1981 5 12 Tom McCarthy Tom McCarthy (ice hockey, born 1960) 11 LW Canada L 1960 7 31 1979 Toronto, Ontario 1981 5 12 Brad Palmer 14 LW Canada L 1961 9 14 1980 Duncan, British Columbia 1981 5 12 Bobby Smith Bobby Smith (ice hockey) 15 C Canada L 1958 2 12 1978 North Sydney, Nova Scotia 1981 5 12 Mike Polich 16 LW USA L 1952 12 19 1978 Hibbing, Minnesota 1981 5 12 Tim Young Tim Young (ice hockey) 17 C Canada R 1955 2 22 1975 Scarborough, Ontario 1981 5 12 Dino Ciccarelli 20 RW Canada R 1960 2 8 1980 Sarnia, Ontario 1981 5 12 Jack Carlson Jack Carlson (ice hockey) 21 LW USA L 1954 8 23 1979 Virginia, Minnesota 1981 5 12 Greg Smith Greg Smith (ice hockey) 23 D Canada L 1955 7 18 1978 Ponoka, Alberta 1981 5 12 Al MacAdam 25 RW Canada L 1952 3 16 1978 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island 1981 5 12 Steve Payne Steve Payne (ice hockey) 26 LW Canada L 1958 8 16 1978 Toronto, Ontario 1981 5 12 Gilles Meloche 27 G Canada L 1950 7 12 1978 Montreal, Quebec 1981 5 12 Steve Christoff 28 C USA R 1958 1 23 1978 Springfield, Illinois 1981 5 12 Tom Younghans 29 RW USA R 1953 1 22 1976 Saint Paul, Minnesota 1981 5 12 Ken Solheim 31 LW Canada L 1961 3 27 1981 Hythe, Alberta 1981 5 12 Don Beaupre 33 G Canada L 1961 9 19 1980 Waterloo, Ontario 1981 5 12 |} New York Islanders Roland Melanson 1 G Canada L 1960 6 28 1979 Moncton, New Brunswick 1981 5 12 Jean Potvin 3 D Canada L 1949 3 25 1979 Ottawa, Ontario 1981 5 12 Bob Lorimer 4 D Canada L 1953 8 25 1973 Toronto, Ontario 1981 5 12 Denis Potvin 5 D Canada L 1953 10 29 1973 Vanier, Ontario C 1981 5 12 Ken Morrow 6 D USA R 1956 10 17 1976 Davison, Michigan 1981 5 12 Stefan Persson Stefan Persson (ice hockey) 7 D Sweden L 1954 12 22 1974 Bjurholm, Sweden 1981 5 12 Garry Howatt 8 LW Canada L 1952 9 26 1972 Grand Centre, Alberta 1981 5 12 Clark Gillies 9 LW Canada L 1954 4 7 1974 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan 1981 5 12 Wayne Merrick 11 C Canada L 1952 4 23 1977 Sarnia, Ontario 1981 5 12 Duane Sutter 12 RW Canada R 1960 3 16 1979 Viking, Alberta 1981 5 12 Bob Bourne 14 LW Canada L 1954 6 21 1974 Kindersley, Saskatchewan 1981 5 12 Mike McEwen Mike McEwen (ice hockey) 16 D Canada L 1956 8 10 1981 Hornepayne, Ontario 1981 5 12 Bryan Trottier 19 C Canada L 1956 7 17 1974 Val Marie, Saskatchewan 1981 5 12 Mike Bossy 22 RW Canada R 1957 1 22 1977 Montreal, Quebec 1981 5 12 Bob Nystrom 23 RW Sweden R 1952 10 10 1972 Stockholm, Sweden 1981 5 12 Gord Lane 24 D Canada L 1953 3 31 1979 Brandon, Manitoba 1981 5 12 Billy Carroll 25 C Canada L 1959 1 19 1979 Toronto, Ontario 1981 5 12 Dave Langevin 26 D USA L 1954 5 15 1974 Saint Paul, Minnesota 1981 5 12 John Tonelli 27 LW Canada L 1957 3 23 1977 Hamilton, Ontario 1981 5 12 Anders Kallur 28 RW Sweden L 1952 7 6 1979 Ludvika, Sweden 1981 5 12 Hector Marini 29 RW Canada R 1957 1 27 1977 Timmins, Ontario 1981 5 12 Billy Smith Billy Smith (ice hockey) 31 G Canada L 1950 12 12 1972 Perth, Ontario 1981 5 12 Butch Goring 91 C Canada L 1949 10 22 1980 St. Boniface, Manitoba 1981 5 12 |} Stanley Cup engraving The 1981 Stanley Cup was presented to Islanders captain Denis Potvin by NHL President John Ziegler following the Islanders 5–1 win over the North Stars in game five. The following Islanders players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup 1980–81 New York Islanders *11 Wayne Merrick 14 Bob Bourne 19 Bryan Trottier 25 Billy Carroll* 91 Butch Goring *5 Denis Potvin (Captain) 3 Jean Potvin † 4 Bob Lorimer 6 Ken Morrow 7 Stefan Persson 16 Mike McEwen 24 Gord Lane 26 Dave Langevin *1 Roland Melanson 31 Billy Smith *8 Garry Howatt 9 Clark Gillies 12 Duane Sutter 22 Mike Bossy 23 Bob Nystrom 27 John Tonelli 28 Anders Kallur 29 Hector Marini * Played both centre and wing. † Did not play in Finals. Name engraved on Stanley Cup despite not officially qualifying.A [A] John Pickett (Chairman/Owner) Bill Torrey (President/General Manager) Al Arbour (Head Coach), 10 Lorne Henning (playing-Ass't Coach) Jim Devellano (Chief Scout), Gerry Ehman (Western Scout) Harry Boyd (Scout), Mario Saraceno (Scout) Ron Waske (Trainer), Jim Pickard (Asst. Trainer) A [A] #3 Jean Potvin (D) – 18 games regular season games and did not dress in the playoffs. He spent the rest of year as a broadcaster. Potvin's name was put on the cup in 1981, even though he did not officially qualify. #10 Lorne Henning (C) – played nine regular season and one playoff game. He was the last playing-coach to win the Stanley Cup. A new ring was created in 1993 for the winners from 1979 to 1991. New York Islanders was misspelled. NEW YORK ILANDERS missing the first "S". Name was spelled correctly on the Replica Cup also created in 1993. Aftermath The Islanders successfully returned to the Finals the following year. This time, they played the Vancouver Canucks and swept them to capture their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship. The North Stars, however, lost in the first round to the Chicago Blackhawks, 3–1. The North Stars would not return to the Stanley Cup Final again until 1991, when they were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins, in six games. See also List of Stanley Cup champions 1980–81 NHL season References Total Stanley Cup 2000 NHL Podnieks, Andrew Hockey Hall of Fame 2004 Lord Stanley's Cup Triumph Books 978-1-55168-261-7 New York Islanders1980 New York Islanders1982 New York IslandersStanley Cup champions 1981 Stanley Category:Stanley Cup Finals Stan Category:New York Islanders games Category:May 1981 sports events in the United States Category:Ice hockey competitions in Minnesota Category:1981 in sports in Minnesota Category:Ice hockey competitions in New York (state) Category:1982 in sports in New York (state)