1990 Playoffs: Who wins the cup if the Jets finish the job in round 1?

[EpochLink]

THIS SERIES will forever be the series that killed me

In game four, Glen Anderson collided with Bob Essensa in the second period which cause Essensa to have a concussion and be out for the game thus spawning Beauregard for the rest of that game and the series. The Jets team that playoff were a grinding type team with role players that scored when it needed too. Hawerchuk of course was the main man along side Steen, Elynuik, Mantha, Boschman, Ellet and Carlyle of the worlds who filled the void. The reaction of Winnipeg after that win was ecstatic, front page news story, local radio and TV stations were all hyped up and glee as we were one game away from FINALLY beating Edmonton in the playoffs...

Well we all knew what happened after that...

I truly believed that the Jets would have made it to the Finals that year, eventually losing to Boston. What if...

Out of all the Jets playoff loses, this stings the hardest...the Vancouver one two years later is second closest.

 

[jamiebez]

as i recall, paddock switched to beauregard in game 4, which in his defense did change the momentum of the game and get them the come from behind win in OT (multiple OTs i think?). at that point though, you have a 3-1 lead. i don't care how good beauregard was, essensa didn't exactly crap the bed and had won two games of his own. the smart play is to put your starter back in and if he loses again, then go back to the backup because you still have two more cracks. but even if you do go with the backup in game 5, you certainly don't put the starter back in for game 6 after you lose game 5. and of course, you don't switch goalies for a third time for game 7. it's like the führer wanted to lose that series.

I remember Beauregard starting game #2 (the OT loss where Mark Lamb scored the winner). Murdoch was playing them in alternating games down the stretch that season, too.

There was a game where Essensa got hurt when Glenn Anderson crashed his crease and Beauregard replaced him, but I don't remember which. Maybe that was Game #5?

edit: just saw the post above me. It was Game #4. But Essensa played Game #6, too, then back to Beauregard for #7

i remember being so relieved in '92 (as a canucks fan) when they started itchy scratchy tabaracci instead of essensa in the playoffs. the jets still jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but then pavel bure ate tabby for lunch, scoring 4 goals and 7 points in games 5 and 6.

There was no way the Jets should have been up 3-1 in 92 though. That was a fluke. The Canucks were a way better team (hate to admit it). After getting crushed in Game #5 everyone in Manitoba was on pins & needles remembering the same thing in 1990. It was inevitable they'd lose, but they got smoked in those last 3 games

 

[EpochLink]

Essensa had a career year in 1991/1992, in terms of SO and .SV%. I do remember going into the playoffs that Essensa had an injury so it spawn Paddock to go with Tabarraci. It was obvious after 4 games that Tabby was the man and Essensa was taking a back seat to him for a hot goalie. Game 5 happened and it all fell apart. I felt that Vancouver was not playing their game, they were playing what the Jets were doing and the games were close from 1 to 4. Then game five happened and it was obvious Vancouver adjusted and Winnipeg was still playing their game, not Vancouvers.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Boston would've found a way to choke

 

[No 19]

Jets beat Bruins.

Dale Hawerchuk wins Conn Smythe

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Boston didn't have much depth back then. They had Neely and Bourque, but nobody else from an offensive perspective who made you say "we have to stop this guy." Yes, they had Craig Janney, who was a world-class playmaker, but the perception was that if you stopped Neely, Janney wouldn't be a factor.

I think LA beats Boston. I think Winnipeg has an excellent shot of beating Boston. If Calgary could have advanced out of the Smythe, I think they overwhelm Boston, but Calgary had this mental hang-up with a) Gretzky; and b) the Oilers.

Nobody in the Patrick was going to do it that year. And while the Norris was emerging from years of craptacular hockey, nobody in the Norris was at the level of a team that would beat the Bruins, or the Smythe champion.

Hawks probably advance to Finals if not for Oilers that year

Thomas-Savard-Larmer
Goulet-Roenick-Creighton
Presley-Murray-Grahem
Lemieux-Hudson-Gilbert
(Sutter , Van Drop and Secord as extra)

Manson-Wilson
Brown-Murray
Konroyd-Yawney
(Mcgill and Russell as extras)

Greg Millen
Ed Belfour

---- These aren't official lines or anything ,, just the Hawks team that would have been in finals -----

I think Hawks stand a chance ,,, Bruins probably win it but Hawks wouldn't have been push overs