The 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 5, after the conclusion of the 1988–89 NHL season. The playoffs concluded on May 25 with the champion Calgary Flames defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4–2 to win the Stanley Cup Final series four games to two.
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The 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs featured two Canadian hockey teams, the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames. Montreal finished the regular season with 115 points, only two behind the league leader Calgary. They had last faced each other only three years earlier, with Montreal winning a five-game series in 1986. Calgary was only the second opposing team in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup at the Montreal Forum (the New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Maroons in 1928) and the first to do so against the Canadiens.
Flames defenceman Al MacInnis won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, while Lanny McDonald, who ended the regular season with exactly 500 goals, got his name on the Cup in his last ever NHL game. Flames co-owner Sonia Scurfield became the first Canadian woman to have her name inscribed on the Stanley Cup.
On their way to the Finals, Montreal lost only three games while eliminating the Hartford Whalers, Boston Bruins, and Philadelphia Flyers. Calgary survived a seven-game series with the Vancouver Canucks before sweeping the Los Angeles Kings and eliminating the surprising Chicago Blackhawks in five to reach the Cup Finals.
One of the interesting stories of these playoffs, though, was Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings meeting the defending champion Oilers in the first round. The previous season saw the mighty Edmonton Oilers sweep the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals as Gretzky earned the Conn Smythe Trophy setting playoff records for playoff assists, assists in a finals series and points in a finals series.
On August 9, 1988, the Oilers traded Gretzky to the Kings. The Gretzky-led Kings and Oilers (with many veteran super-stars) met in the first round of the Smythe Division playoffs, which made for an exciting "return" of Gretzky to Edmonton. In a tough seven game series, Gretzky and the Kings took down the defending Stanley Cup champions after falling behind 3 games to 1. In the second round Gretzky and the Kings were no match for the eventual champion Calgary Flames, who swept them in 4 games.
Events of note in the postseason, were that Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall became the first netminder to shoot and score a goal in the playoffs, a shorthanded, empty-net score in Game 5 of the Patrick Division Semifinal against the Washington Capitals. One round later, Mario Lemieux torched the Flyers for an NHL-record five goals and eight points in a 10–7 Pittsburgh win in Game 5 of the Patrick Division Finals. Hextall then made headlines in the Wales Conference Finals, attacking Montreal's Chris Chelios in the late stages of Game 6 as retribution for Chelios' brutal and unpenalized hit on Flyers forward Brian Propp in Game 1. Hextall received a 12-game suspension at the start of the 1989–90 NHL season for his actions.
Also, former Flyers head coach Mike Keenan led Chicago to the Campbell Conference Finals in his first year behind the bench. The Hawks, with 66 points, had the fewest points of any playoff team that season (and tied in the overall standings with New Jersey, a fifth-place team in the Patrick Division), yet played a fiercely energetic and defensive game which saw them upset first-place Detroit and then St. Louis before bowing to Calgary.
| Division Semi-finals | Division Finals | Conference Finals | Finals | |||||||||||||||
| A1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Hartford Whalers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Boston Bruins | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Boston Bruins | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Buffalo Sabres | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| P4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| P1 | Washington Capitals | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| P4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| P2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| P4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| P2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| P3 | New York Rangers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Calgary Flames | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| N2 | St. Louis Blues | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| N2 | St. Louis Blues | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Minnesota North Stars | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Chicago Blackhawks | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Calgary Flames | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Calgary Flames | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Vancouver Canucks | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Calgary Flames | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Los Angeles Kings | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Los Angeles Kings | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| S3 | Edmonton Oilers | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
Hartford Whalers vs. Montreal Canadiens
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5 | Hartford Whalers | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 6 | |
| April 6 | Hartford Whalers | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | |
| April 8 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | Hartford Whalers | 4 | (OT) |
| April 9 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | Hartford Whalers | 3 | (OT) |
Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0
Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5 | Buffalo Sabres | 6 | Boston Bruins | 0 | |
| April 6 | Buffalo Sabres | 3 | Boston Bruins | 5 | |
| April 8 | Boston Bruins | 4 | Buffalo Sabres | 2 | |
| April 9 | Boston Bruins | 3 | Buffalo Sabres | 2 | |
| April 11 | Buffalo Sabres | 1 | Boston Bruins | 4 |
Boston wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1
Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2 | Washington Capitals | 3 | |
| April 6 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 | Washington Capitals | 2 | |
| April 8 | Washington Capitals | 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 | (OT) |
| April 9 | Washington Capitals | 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 5 | |
| April 11 | Philadelphia Flyers | 8 | Washington Capitals | 5 | |
| April 13 | Washington Capitals | 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 |
Philadelphia wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2
New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5 | New York Rangers | 1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 3 | |
| April 6 | New York Rangers | 4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 7 | |
| April 8 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 5 | New York Rangers | 4 | (OT) |
| April 9 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | New York Rangers | 3 |
Pittsburgh wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5 | Chicago Blackhawks | 2 | Detroit Red Wings | 3 | |
| April 6 | Chicago Blackhawks | 5 | Detroit Red Wings | 4 | (OT) |
| April 8 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4 | |
| April 9 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 3 | |
| April 11 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 6 | |
| April 13 | Detroit Red Wings | 1 | Chicago Blackhawks | 7 |
Chicago wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2
Minnesota North Stars vs. St. Louis Blues
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5 | Minnesota North Stars | 3 | St. Louis Blues | 4 | (OT) |
| April 6 | Minnesota North Stars | 3 | St. Louis Blues | 4 | (OT) |
| April 8 | St. Louis Blues | 5 | Minnesota North Stars | 3 | |
| April 9 | St. Louis Blues | 4 | Minnesota North Stars | 5 | |
| April 11 | Minnesota North Stars | 1 | St. Louis Blues | 6 |
St. Louis wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1
Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames
Coming into this series, many people expected that the mighty Flames would defeat the Canucks in 4 or 5 games, due to Calgary having a 43 point edge in the regular season. Instead, Vancouver would take Calgary to a thrilling seven game classic. The seventh game would go into overtime, both teams having great chances, the best being a breakaway chance for Vancouver Canuck's captain Stan Smyl, only for Mike Vernon to make the unbelievable save. However, Vancouver couldn't pull off the upset, as Joel Otto scored the winner (via a deflection from his skate) with :39 seconds left in the first overtime to send the Calgary Flames into the Smythe Division Final.
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5 | Vancouver Canucks | 4 | Calgary Flames | 3 | (OT) |
| April 6 | Vancouver Canucks | 2 | Calgary Flames | 5 | |
| April 8 | Calgary Flames | 4 | Vancouver Canucks | 0 | |
| April 9 | Calgary Flames | 3 | Vancouver Canucks | 5 | |
| April 11 | Vancouver Canucks | 0 | Calgary Flames | 4 | |
| April 13 | Calgary Flames | 3 | Vancouver Canucks | 6 | |
| April 15 | Vancouver Canucks | 3 | Calgary Flames | 4 | (OT) |
Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3
Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 5 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 | |
| April 6 | Edmonton Oilers | 2 | Los Angeles Kings | 5 | |
| April 8 | Los Angeles Kings | 0 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 | |
| April 9 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 | |
| April 11 | Edmonton Oilers | 2 | Los Angeles Kings | 4 | |
| April 13 | Los Angeles Kings | 4 | Edmonton Oilers | 1 | |
| April 15 | Edmonton Oilers | 3 | Los Angeles Kings | 6 |
Los Angeles wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 17 | Boston Bruins | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | |
| April 19 | Boston Bruins | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | (OT) |
| April 21 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | Boston Bruins | 4 | |
| April 23 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 | Boston Bruins | 3 | |
| April 25 | Boston Bruins | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 |
Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 17 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | |
| April 19 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2 | |
| April 21 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 | (OT) |
| April 23 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | |
| April 25 | Philadelphia Flyers | 7 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 10 | |
| April 27 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 6 | |
| April 29 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 |
Philadelphia wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3
Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 18 | Chicago Blackhawks | 3 | St. Louis Blues | 1 | |
| April 20 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4 | St. Louis Blues | 5 | |
| April 22 | St. Louis Blues | 2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 5 | |
| April 24 | St. Louis Blues | 2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 3 | |
| April 26 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4 | St. Louis Blues | 2 |
Chicago wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1
Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 18 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 | Calgary Flames | 4 | (OT) |
| April 20 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 | Calgary Flames | 8 | |
| April 22 | Calgary Flames | 5 | Los Angeles Kings | 2 | |
| April 24 | Calgary Flames | 5 | Los Angeles Kings | 3 |
Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 1 | |
| May 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | |
| May 5 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1 | |
| May 7 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | |
| May 9 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 1 | (OT) |
| May 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2 |
Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Calgary Flames
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 0 | Calgary Flames | 3 | |
| May 4 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4 | Calgary Flames | 2 | |
| May 6 | Calgary Flames | 5 | Chicago Blackhawks | 2 | |
| May 8 | Calgary Flames | 2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 1 | (OT) |
| May 10 | Chicago Blackhawks | 1 | Calgary Flames | 3 |
Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1
Montreal Canadiens vs. Calgary Flames
The Stanley Cup Final was decided between the top two teams of the 1988–89 NHL regular season. Captain Lanny McDonald scored the second Flames goal in game six. This turned out to be the last goal in his NHL Hall of Fame career because he retired during the following off-season. Doug Gilmour scored two goals in the third period, including the eventual game and Cup winner to cement the victory for the Flames.
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 14 | Montreal | 2 | Calgary | 3 | |
| May 17 | Montreal | 4 | Calgary | 2 | |
| May 19 | Calgary | 3 | Montreal | 4 | (2 OT) |
| May 21 | Calgary | 4 | Montreal | 2 | |
| May 23 | Montreal | 2 | Calgary | 3 | |
| May 25 | Calgary | 4 | Montreal | 2 |
Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al MacInnis | Calgary Flames | 22 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 46 |
| Tim Kerr | Philadelphia Flyers | 19 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 27 |
| Joe Mullen | Calgary Flames | 21 | 16 | 8 | 24 | 4 |
| Brian Propp | Philadelphia Flyers | 18 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 14 |
| Wayne Gretzky | Los Angeles Kings | 11 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 0 |
| Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins | 11 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 16 |
| Preceded by 1988 Stanley Cup playoffs |
Stanley Cup playoffs | Succeeded by 1990 Stanley Cup playoffs |
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