Best playoff series ever?

[Lafleurs Guy]

Any Montreal vs Quebec series was incredible.

Others memorable series...

Roy vs Liut in '86 some of the best goaltending ever
Habs vs Philly '87 Hextall was incredible
Oilers vs Kings '89
Nucks vs Flames '89
Leafs vs Kings '93
Wings vs Leafs '93
Sens vs Leafs '02
Habs vs Bruins '04

Others have mentioned it but I would love to see the 1971 Bruins vs Habs where Dryden basically shut down one of the best teams ever assembled.

 

[Sinter Klaas]

1994, the first year I started watching hockey, was privy to some memorable series including:

Detroit/San Jose - An upset spectacular. I still remember watching Game 7 and how rattled the Wings were.

Vancouver/Calgary - The last three of these games went into overtime and who could forget the Bure goal.

Sabres/Devils - An underrated series that featured an epic goaltending matchup, and a near 7 period goalless game.

Devils/Rangers - The Messier guarantee makes this series live in hockey lore.

Rangers/Cancuks - Probably the best Finals I have witnessed in my life.

 

[Yukon Cornelius*]

Favourite Finals: Flyers vs Oilers 1987
Favourite Series: Oilers vs Dallas 1997 & Flyers vs Habs 1987

 

[iceless]

The first hockey game/series I truly remember is the Canucks 1994 playoff run. I was quite young, but I remember my brother and I playing in the livingroom while my dad was watching the game(s). He would scream so loud when the 'Nucks scored that I couldn't help but take notice.

Just last year I pulled up the VAN/NYR game 7 video (for the first time since watching it way back then) and couldn't believe the sheer intensity of that game. The lack of strict officiating made it extremely edgey. Richter's "save", Bure's penalty shot, Linden's heroics, the VAN goal that should have counted (upon video replay)... playoff hockey at its best!

Some other close homer picks from recent memory:

VAN/CGY '04 (highlight: Game 7... Matt Cooke's LAST SECOND goal is one for the ages)
VAN/DAL '07 (highlight: Game 1... Luongo's circus save on Stu Barnes)

 

[Alan Jackson]

Calgary-Vancouver in 89. That 7th game was amazing.

Especially for soccer purists.

 

[Static]

Eastern Conference Finals in 2000 between the Devils and Flyers is my favorite series not including my own team. The Avs/Kings battles a couple years later were awesome as well.

Round one between San Jose and St. Louis in 2000 was great too.

 

[zimnyi]

2002 Isles/Leafs without a doubt. Was at every Islanders' home game that series and it was magical. This is why I miss old arenas. They hold the sound in so well. The roof exploded when Shawn Bates scored that penalty shot goal that 7 years later, my ears are still ringing. I really really hope that the Islanders have one last playoff run in that building before they move (either to a renovated building which will surely not hold sound is as well or kansas .

I guarantee you the first Stanley Cup Finals game played at Nassau Coliseum in more than 2 decades will genarate sooooo much noise, that you will need earplugs watching it on tv from your living room.

 

[Esq]

Oilers and Hawks in the 1985 Campbell Conference Finals for sheer excitement. Need to get my hands on Games 3 and 4 of that series...

Game 4 was the most exciting game I've ever seen in my life, and the loudest I've ever heard a stadium.

 

[Bohemian93]

leafs/kings 1994

 

[Evil Doctor]

Rangers/Canucks 94

My vote as well...

 

[golfortennis]

Especially for soccer purists.

If you're referring to the fact a ton of goals weren't scored, that was not because there no chances. I saw the replay of that game a few weeks ago, and even more than back when I saw it live, I cannot believe how Vancouver did not win that game. I can think of 6 golden chances in overtime.

It was not comparable to a soccer game in anyway shape or form.

Edit: As I hit submit, it ocurred you may be referring to how the winning goal was scored....

 

[Super Fadio Bro]

leafs/kings 1994

Really? Are the kings from Vanvouver?

 

[CapsCast]

I may be in the minority, but I thought that 1996 Panthers vs. Pens was one of the most exciting series I ever saw.

The Panthers whole Eastern Conference run was really exciting. The finals that year really exposed the inferiority of the East.

 

[NWAvs]

Good choices so far.

 

[Master_Of_Districts]

I may be in the minority, but I thought that 1996 Panthers vs. Pens was one of the most exciting series I ever saw.

The Panthers whole Eastern Conference run was really exciting. The finals that year really exposed the inferiority of the East.

Back then (1993-99), the East was the better conference, and the East had the better head-to-head record in interconference games that season.

The top three seeds in the West (Colorado, Detroit and Chicago), were far and away the best teams in the conference that year -- no other Western team had a positive goal differential, if I recall correctly.

Thus, while the top end teams in the West were as good or better than the top teams in the East, the conference as a whole was not better.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

2009 Bulls-Celtics

 

[potvins4cups]

Even though i hate both the rangers and the devils, their series in 1994 is one of the better ones. not saying it's the best of all time because there are so many to choose from but it was really good. especially game three at new jersey that the rangers won in double overtime. that game featured a great goaltenders duel. i could not believe some of the save's richter and brodeur made in that game.

 

[WinCityHypeMachine]

2009 Bulls-Celtics

Too funny. When I first clicked on the thread, I was going to post this as a joke.

Then I read the whole thread. The person who said you could name 100 classic series and still miss some was right on. So many great series mentioned and elaborated on in this thread, and still so many missed. The NHL Playoffs are just too great. I'll throw in 2008 Bruins/Habs- my most recent favourite.

 

[DaHabMan]

the oilers-stars playoff matchups during the 90's were incredible imo.......too bad no matter how hard the oilers worked, you knew the stars would win in the end.

 

[ilovetheflyers8]

This is what I mean when I say that the league needs to market its history more. People are forgetting (or not even learning about) a lot of great stuff

Agreed I love the history.

 

[Poignant Discussion*]

The Roy/Vanbeisbrouck showdown in game 4 1996 says hi.

Ya this is the history of hockey board, we don't make these types of posts. Just think of it as the adult board, the general forums are for the younger crowd

Best playoff series for me was the 7 gamer between the Islanders and Leafs in 1978 with Mr. McDonald ending it.

 

[Axxellien]

The Montreal/Boston wars of the late 1950s. The 1958 finals featured some of the finest Hockey ever played!! "Freely Called The Greatest Of All Time"

 

[Disengage]

I wouldn't say the best but one of my personal favorites is the 1996 Tampa Bay-Philadelphia. The Flyers came out destroying the Lightning in the first game like every expected, 7-3 with two Lightning goals coming very late. Daren Puppa got a chance to redeem himself in Game 2 after being pulled in Game 1 and the Lightning winning 2-1 on a Brian Bellows OT goal. Igor Ulanov hit Eric Lindros low and hyperextended Eric's knee in that game making Ulanov a target the rest of the series. The series went back to the Thunderdome with two of the largest crowds ever in NHL history. The Lightning again pulled off an OT upset with Alexander Selivanov scoring the winner. Daren Puppa missed that and the next with back spasms. John LeClair was the hero in Game 4 scoring twice and tying the series. Puppa was back in for Game 5 but giveen the hook for Jeff Reese in a rough 4-1 loss. Tampa was eliminated in Game 6 in a 6-1 loss with Puppa pulled again. Lindros went after Ulanov late in the game and during a line brawl, Kevin Collins figured the best way to break up a fight before it starts would be to jump on a guy's back from behind and leave him wide open to get hit. Great physical series. Games 2 and 3 are two of my favorites ever, the rest aren't as exciting but still great to watch.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

I wish the Devils v Hurricanes series from this year got more press. I know it's recent but that could go down as one of the most amazing series of all-time. Shame it was in the first round, but glad I got to see. Back and forth the whole way. Jussi Jokinen's 0.2 second goal (The latest winning goal in playoffs regulation). His tying goal in game 7 after gleason makes an amazing save at the blueline to keep it in. Staal's series clinching game winner in game 7 (The latest gwg in regulation of a game 7). Brodeur and Ward trade shutouts in game 5 and 6. Canes and devils trade OT wins in games 2 and 3. Brodeur's spazz out after game 4. This series really had everything. I think in a few years it will be looked on as a classic.

 

[NastyNick]

Pens / Wings 09 . In 20+ years of watching hockey this was the most exciting final by far. Rarely in a final do you have two teams with any kind of history against each other (these two having met the year before). Unlike the Edmonton/Islander rematch it went 7 games, and the final game was a one goal game. You had the Penguins becoming the 3rd team in history to win game 7 on the road too. It was just an awesome series and i bet we'll appreciate it alot more in the coming years when we look back.