1986–87 NHL season

National Hockey League season August 2023 1986–87 NHL season National Hockey League Ice hockey October 9, 1986 – May 31, 1987 Draft 1986 NHL Draft List of first overall NHL draft picks Joe Murphy Detroit Red Wings Regular season Presidents' Trophy Edmonton Oilers 21 80 CBC, Canwest/Global, SRC (Canada) ESPN (United States) Wayne Gretzky (Oilers) Hart Memorial Trophy Wayne Gretzky (Oilers) Art Ross Trophy Playoffs 1987 Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup 1987 Stanley Cup Final Edmonton Oilers Philadelphia Flyers Ron Hextall (Flyers) Conn Smythe Trophy 1987–88 1985–86 NHL The 1986–87 NHL season was the 70th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup by beating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to three in the Cup Final. League business Chicago renaming The Chicago-based club officially changed their name from the two-worded "Black Hawks" to the one-worded "Blackhawks" based on the spelling found in their original franchise documents.Diamond, Dan (1991). The Official National Hockey League 75th anniversary commemorative book. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. pp. 291. 0-7710-6727-5 Entry draft The 1986 NHL entry draft was held on June 21, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. Joe Murphy was selected first overall by the Detroit Red Wings. Regular season The Oilers won their second straight Presidents' Trophy as the top team and Wayne Gretzky won his eighth straight Hart Memorial Trophy and his seventh straight Art Ross Trophy.Fischler Fischler Hughes Romain 2003 483 On November 26, 1986, Toronto's Borje Salming was accidentally cut in the face by a skate, requiring more than 200 stitches. It was the third injury to his face and Salming returned to play wearing a visor.Fischler Fischler Hughes Romain 2003 485 A bombshell was exploded when it was announced that Pat Quinn had been expelled from the NHL pending an investigation of conflict of interest. It was reported that while serving as coach of the Los Angeles Kings, Quinn signed a contract to become president and general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. In due course, NHL president John Ziegler barred Quinn from coaching in the NHL until 1990-91. On January 22, 1987, a massive blizzard resulted in only 334 spectators attending the game between the New Jersey Devils and the Calgary Flames at the Brendan Byrne Arena, leading to the Devils dubbing the spectators the "334 Club".Boylen Rory When 334 fans showed up for Devils-Flames game https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/when-334-fans-showed-up-for-devils-flames-game/ www.sportsnet.ca 29 June 2020Politi Steve Remembering the night 334 fans watched the Devils play in a blizzard 30 years ago https://www.nj.com/devils/2017/01/the_blizzard_game_remembering_the_strangest_night.html www.nj.com 16 October 2023 There was trouble brewing for Bryan Trottier when he authored an article in the publication The Hockey News criticizing officials for failing to call penalties. This was brought to the attention of NHL president John Ziegler who fined Trottier $1,000. On April 4, 1987, the Islanders' captain Denis Potvin became the first NHL defenceman to reach 1000 points. A shot by the Islanders' Mikko Mäkelä deflected in off Potvin's arm in a 6–6 shootout between the Islanders and Sabres.Fischler Fischler Hughes Romain 2003 482 Final standings Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes start Prince of Wales Conference break Clarence Campbell Conference end Playoffs 1987 Stanley Cup playoffs right|175px|thumb|The Stanley Cup Bracket The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. This was the first year that all rounds were competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series) after the division semifinals were expanded from a best-of-five format to reduce the number of upsets. In the division semifinals, the fourth seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's semifinals then met in the division finals. The two division winners of each conference then played in the conference finals. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. Playoff bracket Awards 1987 NHL awards Presidents' Trophy:Team with most points, regular season Edmonton Oilers Prince of Wales Trophy:(Wales Conference playoff champion) Philadelphia Flyers Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:(Campbell Conference playoff champion) Edmonton Oilers Art Ross Trophy:(Top scorer, regular season) Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication) Doug Jarvis, Hartford Whalers Calder Memorial Trophy:(Best first-year player) Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings Conn Smythe Trophy:(Most valuable player, playoffs) Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers Frank J. Selke Trophy:(Best defensive forward) Dave Poulin, Philadelphia Flyers Hart Memorial Trophy:(Most valuable player, regular season) Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers Jack Adams Award:(Best coach) Jacques Demers, Detroit Red Wings James Norris Memorial Trophy:(Best defenceman) Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:(Excellence and sportsmanship) Joe Mullen, Calgary Flames Lester B. Pearson Award:(Outstanding player, regular season) Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers NHL Plus/Minus Award:(Player with best plus/minus record) Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers William M. Jennings Trophy:(Goaltender(s) of team(s) with best goaltending record) Patrick Roy/Brian Hayward, Montreal Canadiens Vezina Trophy:(Best goaltender) Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers All-Star teams First Team   Position   Second TeamRon Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers GMike Liut, Hartford WhalersRay Bourque, Boston Bruins DLarry Murphy, Washington CapitalsMark Howe, Philadelphia Flyers DAl MacInnis, Calgary FlamesWayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers CMario Lemieux, Pittsburgh PenguinsJari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers RWTim Kerr, Philadelphia FlyersMichel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques LWLuc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings Source: NHLDinger 2011 229 Player statistics Scoring leaders Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes, PPG = Powerplay Goals, SHG = Shorthanded Goals, GWG = Game Winning Goals Player Team GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 79 62 121 183 28 +70 13 7 4 Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers 79 54 54 108 41 +35 12 5 10 Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins 63 54 53 107 57 +13 19 0 4 Mark Messier Edmonton Oilers 77 37 70 107 73 +21 7 4 5 Doug Gilmour St. Louis Blues 80 42 63 105 58 -2 17 1 2 Dino Ciccarelli Minnesota North Stars 80 52 51 103 88 +10 22 0 5 Dale Hawerchuk Winnipeg Jets 80 47 53 100 52 +3 10 0 4 Michel Goulet Quebec Nordiques 75 49 47 96 61 -12 17 0 6 Tim Kerr Philadelphia Flyers 75 58 37 95 57 +38 26 0 10 Ray Bourque Boston Bruins 78 23 72 95 36 +44 6 1 3 Source: NHL.Dinger 2011 153 Leading goaltenders Minimum 2000 min. GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentageNHL Leading Goaltenders During 1986-87 Season | QuantHockey.com Goalie Team GP Min W L T SO GAA Sv% Brian Hayward Montreal Canadiens 37 2178 19 13 4 1 2.81 .894 Patrick Roy Montreal Canadiens 46 2686 22 16 6 1 2.94 .892 Ron Hextall Philadelphia Flyers 66 3799 37 21 6 1 3.00 .902 Pete Peeters Washington Capitals 37 2002 17 11 4 0 3.21 .885 Mike Liut Hartford Whalers 59 3476 31 22 5 4 3.23 .885 Eldon Reddick Winnipeg Jets 48 2762 21 21 4 0 3.24 .881 Bob Mason Washington Capitals 45 2536 20 18 5 0 3.24 .890 Kelly Hrudey New York Islanders 46 2634 25 15 7 0 3.30 .881 Bill Ranford Boston Bruins 41 2231 16 20 2 3 3.33 .891 Clint Malarchuk Quebec Nordiques 54 3092 18 26 9 1 3.40 .884 Coaches Patrick Division New Jersey Devils: Doug Carpenter New York Islanders: Terry Simpson New York Rangers: Tom Webster Philadelphia Flyers: Mike Keenan Pittsburgh Penguins: Bob Berry Washington Capitals: Bryan Murray Adams Division Boston Bruins: Terry O'Reilly Buffalo Sabres: Scotty Bowman and Craig Ramsay Hartford Whalers: Jack Evans Montreal Canadiens: Jean Perron Quebec Nordiques: Michel Bergeron Norris Division Chicago Blackhawks: Bob Pulford Detroit Red Wings: Jacques Demers Minnesota North Stars: Lorne Henning and Glen Sonmor St. Louis Blues: Jacques Martin Toronto Maple Leafs: John Brophy Smythe Division Calgary Flames: Bob Johnson Edmonton Oilers: Glen Sather Los Angeles Kings: Pat Quinn and Mike Murphy Vancouver Canucks: Tom Watt Winnipeg Jets: Dan Maloney Debuts The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1986–87 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): Gary Roberts, Calgary Flames Joe Nieuwendyk, Calgary Flames Dave Manson, Chicago Blackhawks Joe Murphy, Detroit Red Wings Steve Chiasson, Detroit Red Wings Kelly Buchberger*, Edmonton Oilers Jimmy Carson, Los Angeles Kings Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings Steve Duchesne, Los Angeles Kings Craig Berube, Philadelphia Flyers Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers Vincent Damphousse, Toronto Maple Leafs Fredrik Olausson, Winnipeg Jets Last games The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1986–87 (listed with their last team): Thomas Gradin, Boston Bruins Mike Milbury, Boston Bruins Lee Fogolin, Buffalo Sabres Don Lever, Buffalo Sabres Gilbert Perreault, Buffalo Sabres Phil Russell, Buffalo Sabres Doug Risebrough, Calgary Flames Murray Bannerman, Chicago Blackhawks Darryl Sutter, Chicago Blackhawks Danny Gare, Edmonton Oilers Wayne Babych, Hartford Whalers Peter McNab, New Jersey Devils Mike Bossy, New York Islanders Chico Resch, Philadelphia Flyers (Last player born in the 1940s) Broadcasting In Canada, the Molson-sponsored Hockey Night in Canada on CBC continued to air Saturday night regular season games, but sponsor Carling-O'Keefe's rights fell into limbo after CTV pulled out of its sub-license prior to the season.Brian Propp determined to make Team Canada August 5, 1987 Rick Matsumoto Toronto Star F1 Things became problematic when the 1987 Stanley Cup playoffs opened with Carling O'Keefe still without a network. The problems peaked when the Montreal–Quebec second-round playoff series opened without Molson being allowed to broadcast from Quebec City, leaving Games 3 and 4 off of English-language television altogether. This led to a hastily arranged syndicated package on a chain of channelsNo game for fans in north May 6, 1987 Ken McKee Toronto Star C4 that would one day form the basis of the Global Television Network. The deal between Carling O'Keefe and the Canwest/Global consortium (with a few CBC and CTV affiliates sprinkled in for good measure) came just in time for game six of the Montreal-Quebec series on April 30. These Carling O'Keefe/Canwest/Global broadcasts were aired under the name Stanley Cup '87. This was the second season of the league's three-year U.S. national broadcast rights deal with ESPN. The contract called for the network to air up to 33 regular season games each season as well as the All-Star Game and the playoffs.Strachan Al ESPN acquires NHL games Backroom bickering in TV deal The Globe and Mail July 30, 1985Mulligan Kevin NHL Finds a Home at ESPN Philadelphia Daily News July 26, 1985 See also List of Stanley Cup champions 1986 NHL entry draft 1986–87 NHL transactions NHL All-Rookie Team Rendez-vous '87 1986 in sports 1987 in sports Easter Epic References Notes Bibliography Total Stanley Cup 2008 Diamond Dan NHL 2008 Total Hockey Diamond, Dan Total Sports 2000 Kingston, New York 1-892129-85-X Dinger Ralph 2011 The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012 Dan Diamond & Associates 978-1-894801-22-5 Toronto, ON registration https://archive.org/details/nationalhockeyle0000unse_u6g5 Dryden Steve Century of hockey McClelland & Stewart Ltd. Toronto, ON 2000 0-7710-4179-9 Fischler Stan Fischler Shirley Hughes Morgan Romain Joseph Duplacey James 2003 The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League Publications International Inc. 0-7853-9624-1 Lincolnwood, Illinois External links Hockey Database NHL.com 1986 Category:1986–87 in Canadian ice hockey by league Category:1986–87 in American ice hockey by league