The Panther
Registered User
With the 2022 Battle of Alberta upon us, we should reflect on the past 5 series! All of them classics, in a way.
1983: Oilers win 4 to 1
- Oilers outscore Calgary 35-13 overall
- Game two: 10-2 Oilers, with Gretzky getting 4 goals, 3 assists, and +6.
- Game five: 9-1 Oilers
- Paul Reinhart -14 in the series, Gretzky +14.
- Messier 8 goals.
1984: Oilers win 4 to 3
- Oilers blow a 3 to 1 series lead, but recover in game 7 to take it.
- Two games go to overtime, and Flames win both (Wilson and McDonald scoring).
- Lanny McDonald 13 points.
- A very young Al MacInnis (aged 20) with 11 assists (more than Gretzky!) and 12 points.
- Gretzky 13 points.
1986: Flames win 4 to 3
- Mullen, Loob, and rookie Suter 7 points each
- Otto matches up against Messier and scores 4 goals
- Gretzky has a rough games one and two (-6) but roars back with 11 points (+3) in final five (13 points overall).
- Anderson 6 goals, but Kurri, Coffey, Messier combine for only 3.
- Mike Vernon's .896 was very good for the period, and effectively interred him as Calgary's #1 thereafter.
- "Steve Smith incident" decides game 7.
1988: Oilers win 4 to 0
- Flames slightly favored (10-4-2 vs. Oilers over two seasons), but get swept instead.
- Gretzky memorably scores twice in game two, incl. overtime SH winner, and tells Zamboni driver, "Don't bother coming back for game five."
- Kurri with nine points and a +6 (wins game one late in third period, and sets up game two OT winner), and I think he might have been the MVP of this series.
- McSorley brutally spears Mike Bullard at the latter jumps off the Calgary bench (see: video above).
- Grant Fuhr .904, Vernon .812.
- Rookie Nieuwendyk (with 2) is the only Flame to score more than once in the series.
1991: Oilers win 4 to 3
- This is the only time the teams ever met in the first round (Calgary 2nd place, Edmonton 3rd), and Flames were strongly favored.
- Oilers build a 3 to 1 series lead, capped by Dave Brown destroying Jim Kyte's face.
- Flames then mount a comeback, tying the series on Fleury's famous OT goal in Edmonton, where he slides across the ice.
- Flames blow 3-0 lead in game seven, eventually losing in overtime with a Tikkanen hat-trick (Tikk had 10 points in the series overall).
- Fuhr out-duels Vernon again.
I remain amazed that nobody died in the 1991 series, so brutal was the elbowing, hitting, fighting, hacking and whacking.
Anyway, what are you favorite moments in these classic series??
1983: Oilers win 4 to 1
- Oilers outscore Calgary 35-13 overall
- Game two: 10-2 Oilers, with Gretzky getting 4 goals, 3 assists, and +6.
- Game five: 9-1 Oilers
- Paul Reinhart -14 in the series, Gretzky +14.
- Messier 8 goals.
1984: Oilers win 4 to 3
- Oilers blow a 3 to 1 series lead, but recover in game 7 to take it.
- Two games go to overtime, and Flames win both (Wilson and McDonald scoring).
- Lanny McDonald 13 points.
- A very young Al MacInnis (aged 20) with 11 assists (more than Gretzky!) and 12 points.
- Gretzky 13 points.
1986: Flames win 4 to 3
- Mullen, Loob, and rookie Suter 7 points each
- Otto matches up against Messier and scores 4 goals
- Gretzky has a rough games one and two (-6) but roars back with 11 points (+3) in final five (13 points overall).
- Anderson 6 goals, but Kurri, Coffey, Messier combine for only 3.
- Mike Vernon's .896 was very good for the period, and effectively interred him as Calgary's #1 thereafter.
- "Steve Smith incident" decides game 7.
1988: Oilers win 4 to 0
- Flames slightly favored (10-4-2 vs. Oilers over two seasons), but get swept instead.
- Gretzky memorably scores twice in game two, incl. overtime SH winner, and tells Zamboni driver, "Don't bother coming back for game five."
- Kurri with nine points and a +6 (wins game one late in third period, and sets up game two OT winner), and I think he might have been the MVP of this series.
- McSorley brutally spears Mike Bullard at the latter jumps off the Calgary bench (see: video above).
- Grant Fuhr .904, Vernon .812.
- Rookie Nieuwendyk (with 2) is the only Flame to score more than once in the series.
1991: Oilers win 4 to 3
- This is the only time the teams ever met in the first round (Calgary 2nd place, Edmonton 3rd), and Flames were strongly favored.
- Oilers build a 3 to 1 series lead, capped by Dave Brown destroying Jim Kyte's face.
- Flames then mount a comeback, tying the series on Fleury's famous OT goal in Edmonton, where he slides across the ice.
- Flames blow 3-0 lead in game seven, eventually losing in overtime with a Tikkanen hat-trick (Tikk had 10 points in the series overall).
- Fuhr out-duels Vernon again.
I remain amazed that nobody died in the 1991 series, so brutal was the elbowing, hitting, fighting, hacking and whacking.
Anyway, what are you favorite moments in these classic series??