1983–84 NHL season

1983–84 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 4, 1983 – May 19, 1984
Number of games	80
Number of teams	21
Regular season
Season champions	Edmonton Oilers
Season MVP	Wayne Gretzky, (Edmonton)
Top scorer	Wayne Gretzky, (Edmonton)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP	Mark Messier, (Edmonton)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Edmonton Oilers
Runners-up	New York Islanders

The 1983–84 NHL season was the 67th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers de-throned the four-time defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders four games to one in the Cup finals.

League business

Not since World War II travel restrictions caused the NHL to drop regular season overtime games in 1942–43 had the NHL used overtime to decide regular season games. Starting this season, the NHL introduced a five minute extra period of overtime following the third period in the event of a tied game. A team losing in overtime would get no points. This rule remained in effect until the 1999–2000 season, where a team losing in overtime was awarded 1 point. If the game remained tied after the five minute extra period, it remained a tie, until the NHL shootout arrived in the 2005–06 season. Overtime in the Stanley Cup playoffs remained unchanged.

In the entry draft, Brian Lawton became the first American to be chosen first overall by the Minnesota North Stars. Three Americans were chosen in the top five: Lawton, Pat Lafontaine (third) and Tom Barrasso (fifth). Sylvain Turgeon was chosen second and Steve Yzerman was chosen fourth overall. The St. Louis Blues did not participate in the draft, having been 'orphaned' by Ralston Purina. The NHL took control of the franchise after the draft. Harry Ornest purchased the Blues for $3 million USD.^[1]

Arthur M. Wirtz, long-time chairman and part-owner of the Chicago Black Hawks died at the age of 82 on July 21, 1983.^[2]

Regular season

The Edmonton Oilers ran away with the best record in the league, and for the third straight year set a new record for most goals in a season, 446. The Oilers' new captain Wayne Gretzky was once again breaking records and re-writing the record book with his name. This season saw Gretzky score at least one point in the first 51 games of the season, a mark that is often compared to Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak in baseball. During those 51 games, Gretzky had 61 goals and 92 assists for 153 points, which is exactly three points a game. He also won his fifth straight Hart Trophy and his fourth straight Art Ross Trophy.

Edmonton Oilers defenceman Paul Coffey became the third defenceman to score 100 points in a season.

The Calgary Flames played their inaugural season at the Olympic Saddledome.

Prior to the season, the St. Louis Blues were purchased by Harry Ornest, keeping the team from moving to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and remaining in the Missouri city, where it remains to this date.

Final standings

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes

Prince of Wales Conference

Adams Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PIM	PTS
Boston Bruins	80	49	25	6	336	261	1606	104
Buffalo Sabres	80	48	25	7	315	257	1190	103
Quebec Nordiques	80	42	28	10	360	278	1600	94
Montreal Canadiens	80	35	40	5	286	295	1371	75
Hartford Whalers	80	28	42	10	288	320	1184	66

^[3]

Patrick Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
New York Islanders	80	50	26	4	357	269	104
Washington Capitals	80	48	27	5	308	226	101
Philadelphia Flyers	80	44	26	10	350	290	98
New York Rangers	80	42	29	9	314	304	93
New Jersey Devils	80	17	56	7	231	350	41
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	16	58	6	254	390	38

^[3]

Clarence Campbell Conference

Norris Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Minnesota North Stars	80	39	31	10	345	344	88
St. Louis Blues	80	32	41	7	293	316	71
Detroit Red Wings	80	31	42	7	298	323	69
Chicago Black Hawks	80	30	42	8	277	311	68
Toronto Maple Leafs	80	26	45	9	303	387	61

^[3]

Smythe Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
Edmonton Oilers	80	57	18	5	446	314	119
Calgary Flames	80	34	32	14	311	314	82
Vancouver Canucks	80	32	39	9	306	328	73
Winnipeg Jets	80	31	38	11	340	374	73
Los Angeles Kings	80	23	44	13	309	376	59

^[3]

Playoffs

Playoff bracket

Division Semifinals

Division Finals

Conference Finals

Stanley Cup Finals

A1

Boston

0

A4

Montreal

3

A4

Montreal

4

A3

Quebec

2

A2

Buffalo

0

A3

Quebec

3

A4

Montreal

2

Prince of Wales Conference

P1

NY Islanders

4

P1

NY Islanders

3

P4

NY Rangers

2

P1

NY Islanders

4

P2

Washington

1

P2

Washington

3

P3

Philadelphia

0

P1

NY Islanders

1

S1

Edmonton

4

N1

Minnesota

3

N4

Chicago

2

N1

Minnesota

4

N2

St. Louis

3

N2

St. Louis

3

N3

Detroit

1

N1

Minnesota

0

Clarence Campbell Conference

S1

Edmonton

4

S1

Edmonton

3

S4

Winnipeg

0

S1

Edmonton

4

S2

Calgary

3

S2

Calgary

3

S3

Vancouver

1

Stanley Cup Finals

It was a rematch of the 1983 final as the Islanders attempted to match the 1950s Montreal Canadiens and win five consecutive Stanley Cup champions, against the Edmonton Oilers attempting to win the franchise's first-ever championship. The Islanders lost the first game at home 1-0, but bounced back to defeat the Oilers 6-1 in the second game. Edmonton took over the series from that point, winning the next three games, all played in Edmonton.

May 10

Edmonton Oilers

1–0

New York Islanders

Nassau Coliseum

May 12

Edmonton Oilers

1–6

New York Islanders

Nassau Coliseum

May 15

New York Islanders

2–7

Edmonton Oilers

Northlands Coliseum

May 17

New York Islanders

2–7

Edmonton Oilers

Northlands Coliseum

May 19

New York Islanders

2–5

Edmonton Oilers

Northlands Coliseum

Edmonton won series 4–1

Awards

1984 NHL awards
Prince of Wales Trophy: (Wales Conference playoff champion)	New York Islanders
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)	Brad Park, Detroit Red Wings
Calder Memorial Trophy: (Best first-year player)	Tom Barrasso, Buffalo Sabres
Conn Smythe Trophy: (Most valuable player, playoffs)	Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers
Frank J. Selke Trophy: (Best defensive forward)	Doug Jarvis, Washington Capitals
Hart Memorial Trophy: (Most valuable player, regular season)	Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Jack Adams Award: (Best coach)	Bryan Murray, Washington Capitals
James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman)	Rod Langway, Washington Capitals
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship)	Mike Bossy, New York Islanders
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)	Al Jensen, Pat Riggin, Washington Capitals
Vezina Trophy: (Best goaltender)	Tom Barrasso, Buffalo Sabres
Lester Patrick Trophy: (Service to hockey in the U.S.)	John A. Ziegler, Jr., Arthur Howie Ross

All-Star teams

First Team	Position	Second Team
Tom Barrasso, Buffalo Sabres	G	Pat Riggin, Washington Capitals
Rod Langway, Washington Capitals	D	Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins	D	Denis Potvin, New York Islanders
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers	C	Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders
Mike Bossy, New York Islanders	RW	Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers
Michel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques	LW	Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers

Source: NHL.^[4]

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers	74	87	118	205	39
Paul Coffey	Edmonton Oilers	80	40	86	126	104
Michel Goulet	Quebec Nordiques	75	56	65	121	76
Peter Stastny	Quebec Nordiques	80	46	73	119	73
Mike Bossy	New York Islanders	76	51	67	118	8
Barry Pederson	Boston Bruins	80	39	77	116	64
Jari Kurri	Edmonton Oilers	64	52	61	113	14
Bryan Trottier	New York Islanders	68	40	71	111	59
Bernie Federko	St. Louis Blues	79	41	66	107	43
Rick Middleton	Boston Bruins	80	47	58	105	14

Source: NHL.^[5]

Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Min - Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts

Player	Team	GP	MIN	GA	GAA	W	L	T	SO
Pat Riggin	Washington Capitals	41	2299	102	2.66	21	14	2	4
Tom Barrasso	Buffalo Sabres	42	2475	117	2.84	26	12	3	2
Al Jensen	Washington Capitals	43	2414	117	2.91	25	13	3	4
Doug Keans	Boston Bruins	33	1779	92	3.10	19	8	3	2
Bob Froese	Philadelphia Flyers	48	2863	150	3.14	28	13	7	2
Pete Peeters	Boston Bruins	50	2868	151	3.16	29	16	2	0
Dan Bouchard	Quebec Nordiques	57	3373	180	3.20	29	18	8	1
Roland Melanson	N.Y. Islanders	37	2019	110	3.27	20	11	2	0
Richard Sevigny	Montreal Canadiens	40	2203	124	3.38	16	18	2	1
Murray Bannerman	Chicago Black Hawks	56	3335	188	3.38	23	29	4	2

^[6]

Milestones

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1983–84 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Tom Barrasso, Buffalo Sabres
• Chris Chelios, Montreal Canadiens
• Geoff Courtnall, Boston Bruins
• Russ Courtnall, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Ken Daneyko, New Jersey Devils
• Bruce Driver, New Jersey Devils
• Patrick Flatley, New York Islanders
• Doug Gilmour, St. Louis Blues
• Dirk Graham, Minnesota North Stars
• Kelly Hrudey, New York Islanders
• Pat LaFontaine, New York Islanders
• Brian Lawton, Minnesota North Stars
• Claude Lemieux, Montreal Canadiens
• Doug Lidster, Vancouver Canucks
• Hakan Loob, Calgary Flames
• John MacLean, New Jersey Devils
• Marty McSorley, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Cam Neely, Vancouver Canucks
• James Patrick, New York Rangers
• Bob Rouse, Minnesota North Stars
• Peter Sundstrom, New York Rangers
• Sylvain Turgeon, Hartford Whalers
• Carey Wilson, Calgary Flames
• Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1983–84 (listed with their last team):

• Guy Lapointe, Boston Bruins
• Tony Esposito, Chicago Black Hawks
• Rick MacLeish, Detroit Red Wings
• Billy Harris, Los Angeles Kings
• Blaine Stoughton, New York Rangers
• Bill Barber, Philadelphia Flyers
• Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers
• Guy Chouinard, St. Louis Blues
• Michel Larocque, St. Louis Blues
• Dale McCourt, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Darcy Rota, Vancouver Canucks

Mike Palmateer Toronto Maple Leafs

1984 Trading Deadline

• Trading Deadline: MARCH 6, 1984 ^[7]
• March 5, 1984 – Winnipeg Jets obtain D Randy Carlyle from Pittsburgh for Winnipeg’s first-round choice in 1984 Entry Draft (D Doug Bodger) and future considerations (D Moe Mantha) – (trade completed one day before trading deadline).
• March 5, 1984: Dave Barr and future considerations traded from NY Rangers to St. Louis for Larry Patey and the rights to Bob Brooke.
• March 6, 1984: John Blum traded from Edmonton to Boston for Larry Melnyk.
• March 6, 1984: The rights to Risto Jalo traded from Washington to Edmonton for future considerations.

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1983 NHL Entry Draft
• 36th National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• NHL All-Rookie Team
• Ice hockey at the 1984 Winter Olympics
• 1983 in sports
• 1984 in sports

References

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2008). Total Stanley Cup 2008. NHL. 
• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5. 
• Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 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. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1. 
• McFarlane, Brian (1989). One hundred years of hockey. Toronto, Ontario: Deneau Publishers. ISBN 0-88879-216-6. 

Notes

External links

• Hockey Database
• NHL.com
• hockey-reference

1983–84 NHL season Patrick New Jersey NY Islanders NY Rangers Philadelphia Pittsburgh Washington Adams Boston Buffalo Hartford Montreal Quebec Norris Chicago Detroit Minnesota St. Louis Toronto Smythe Calgary Edmonton Los Angeles Vancouver Winnipeg See also Draft All-Star Game Good Friday Massacre Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup Finals

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