1995 Stanley Cup Finals

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1995 Stanley Cup Final
Teams 1 2 3 4 Games
New Jersey Devils 2 4 5 5 4
Detroit Red Wings 1 1 2 0 0
Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey (Meadowlands) (3,4)
Detroit (Joe Louis Arena) (1,2)
Format: Best-of-seven
Coaches: New Jersey: Jacques Lemaire
Detroit: Scotty Bowman
Captains: New Jersey: Scott Stevens
Detroit: Steve Yzerman
Dates: June 17–June 24
MVP: Claude Lemieux (New Jersey)
Series-winning
Goal:		 Neal Broten (7:56, 2nd, G4)
 < 1994 Stanley Cup Finals 1996 > 

The 1995 Stanley Cup Finals determined the winner of the Stanley Cup and the champion of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 1994–95 NHL season. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4 games to 0. It was the second sweep in the Finals in four years.

Despite the fact that the regular season was cut severely short by the players strike, both the season, and the finals were saved at the eleventh hour and the playoffs were held despite many fans and sports writers insistence that the such a short season did not adequately reflect a proper hockey season and should have been aborted. The win by the Devils marked their first Stanley Cup title, after 21 seasons and two franchise relocations.

Contents

[edit] Paths to the Final

To get to the finals New Jersey defeated the Boston Bruins 4–1, the Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1, and the Philadelphia Flyers 4–2.

Detroit defeated the Dallas Stars 4–1, the San Jose Sharks 4–0 and the Chicago Blackhawks 4–1.

[edit] The series

[edit] Game one

The series opened on Saturday, June 17 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Few gave New Jersey much of a chance against the NHL’s best team. Going into the game, Detroit was a perfect 8–0 at home in the playoffs, and had outscored their opponents 30–11 in their eight home games.

After a scoreless first period, the underdog Devils got on the board first, when Stephane Richer blasted a slap shot from the top of the right circle that just squeezed through Detroit goaltender Mike Vernon. The power-play goal came at 9:41 of the second period and gave New Jersey a 1–0 lead. The Red Wings responded less than four minutes later and tied the game on a power-play goal by Dino Ciccarelli at 13:08. The Devils would regain the lead on a goal by Claude Lemieux, a slapper from the slot at 3:17 of the third period. New Jersey would go on to win the game 2–1 and take a one-game-to-none series lead. They played a solid defensive game, frustrating the Red Wings and holding them to just 17 shots. The win was their ninth road win of the playoffs.

[edit] Game two

In game two, Detroit played with a sense of urgency. Vyacheslav Kozlov scored on the power play at 7:17 of the second period to make the score 1–0 in favor of the Red Wings. Devils forward John MacLean would tie the game at 1–1 less than two and a half minutes later with a goal at 9:40. Then, on a Detroit breakaway, New Jersey defenceman and captain Scott Stevens laid a thundering body check on Kozlov as he made a move to the inside past the New Jersey blue line. Although the Red Wings regained the lead on Sergei Fedorov's goal at 1:36 of the third period, the Stevens hit seemed to inspire the Devils. With the midway point of the third period approaching, New Jersey defenceman Scott Niedermayer picked up the puck in his own zone and skated up the ice. Once over the Detroit blue line, he got a step on defenceman Paul Coffey and fired a shot towards the Detroit net. Although the puck missed the net, it bounced off the end boards and came right back to Niedermayer who shot it past Mike Vernon to tie the game at 2–2. The game remained tied until late in the third period. Devils defenceman Shawn Chambers fired a shot from the point and the rebound came right to Jim Dowd who backhanded the puck into the net to give the Devils a 3–2 lead. Stephane Richer would add an empty-net goal as New Jersey won, 4-2.

New Jersey had shocked everyone in the hockey world by winning the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals in Detroit.

[edit] Game three

In game three, held at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Devils dominated the Red Wings, scoring five consecutive goals. Bruce Driver, Claude Lemieux, Neal Broten, Randy McKay and Bobby Holik all scored to give the Devils a 5–0 lead with 11:46 remaining in the game. Detroit scored twice on power-play goals by Sergei Fedorov and Steve Yzerman at 16:57 and 18:27 of the third period, as New Jersey won 5–2. They now had a commanding three-games-to-none lead in the series.

[edit] Game four

The Devils jumped out to a 1–0 lead on Neal Broten’s goal just 68 seconds into the game. However, the Red Wings were fighting to stay alive and tied the game on Sergei Fedorov's goal just 55 seconds later. Coffey scored a shorthanded goal at 13:01 to give Detroit a 2–1 lead. New Jersey responded less than five minutes later, at 17:45 on a slap-shot goal by Shawn Chambers that beat Mike Vernon glove side. Then in the second period, Scott Niedermayer fed Broten in front of the net who chipped the puck over Vernon’s glove. The goal was Broten’s second of the game and it gave the Devils a 3–2 lead. New Jersey would increase its lead with goals by Sergei Brylin and Chambers (his second of the game) at 7:46 and 12:32 of the third period. The Devils won the game 5–2 and the series four games to none. It was New Jersey's first Stanley Cup Championship in team history. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur allowed just seven goals against the Red Wings in the series and Devils forward Claude Lemieux was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP, having led all skaters in playoff goals with 13.

[edit] New Jersey Devils 1995 Stanley Cup Champions

Roster

  Centers
  Wingers
  Defensemen
  Goaltenders


  Non-players


[edit] References

  • (2000) Total Stanley Cup. NHL. 
  • Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Triumph Books, 12, 50. ISBN 1–55168–261–3.

[edit] See also

Preceded by
New York Rangers
1994		 New Jersey Devils
Stanley Cup Champions
1995		 Succeeded by
Colorado Avalanche
1996
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