Best playoffs in history?

[Mathradio]

I'm not talking about one team in particular but playoffs league-wide. Which seasons yielded the best playoffs? (Not necessarily in terms of matchups but in terms of show value, i.e. good games, upsets, etc.)

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[kmad]

1994. Messier's promise, NYR vs. NJ, MATTEAU!! McLean's legendary save, Bure's legendary goal, best finals in history, Bure penalty shot on Richter, McLean in game 1 of the finals making 51 saves, and ending in the Cup coming back to New York after 54 years.

 

[heutZe]

I remember '93 being a pretty good year. Some long and exciting series, some upsets and some controversies along with the Canadiens OT runs. The Stanley cup finals that year was probably one of the best finals that did not go 7 games.

Recently, I think 2009 was great! The best playoffs post-lockout.

 

[Mr Forever]

2006 oilers run.

Every team in the west that moved past the first round was an underdog upset.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

I'll toss out another vote for 1994 (although I was a huge Vancouver fan at the time, so I'm admittedly biased).

 

[Inkling]

I remember '93 being a pretty good year. Some long and exciting series, some upsets and some controversies along with the Canadiens OT runs. The Stanley cup finals that year was probably one of the best finals that did not go 7 games.

I was going to say that as well. It's probably at least partly nostalgia talking but it was a great season and great playoffs.

 

[mrhockey193195]

Some that come to mind immediately:

1993: LA-TOR, PIT-NYI, the great run by MTL
1994: NYR-NJ, VAN-CGY, BUF-NJ, NYR-VAN
2001: LA-DET, NJ-TOR, PIT-BUF, COL-LA, COL-NJ, the whole Bourque storyline

 

[Big Phil]

1984 - Morrow's overtime goal vs. Rangers, the Good Friday Massacre with Montreal/Quebec, Edmonton vs. Calgary, the Cup final with the end of a rivalry and the beginning of another

1987 - The Easter Epic, the Montreal/Philly pregame brawl, a great final with Edmonton and Philly, the Anderson goal to seal the deal

1991 - Edmonton vs. Calgary, Pietrangelo save vs. New Jersey, Mario's utter dominance, Mario's goal vs. Minnesota, Pittsburgh vs. Boston (yeah I know Neely fans, but it was still a good series), Edmonton/LA with lots of overtime and Gretzky against his old team again

1994 - as mentioned in the other post, pretty much sums it up. Love the Bure elbow though

2004 - The leadership of Iginla, the improbably Cooke goal followed by the magic of Gelinas, Richards' game winners, lots of overtime in general, Tampa's big three, Toronto vs. Ottawa, Toronto vs. Philly, Tucker's hit on Kapanen, a classic final with a controversial no goal (no Flames fans it wasn't in), overtime goal to extend series (Martin St. Louis)

2009 - Textbook playoffs. Game 7 overtime with Carolina/Boston, very underrated series with Carolina/New Jersey, Pittsburgh/Washington highlighting the Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry and was arguably the most offensively exciting series I've seen, great final with a rematch, the Fleury save on Lidstrom

 

[MetropolisPt31]

the Fleury save on Lidstrom

Also enjoyed the breakaway glove save on Ovechkin very early in game 7. That set the tone for the game.

 

[reckoning]

1989 had several compelling storylines:

- Calgary has a monster season and is the Cup favorite, yet is taken to 7th Game OT by Vancouver.

- Phil Esposito inserts himself as Rangers coach right before the playoffs, and the team responds by losing 4 straight.

- Wayne Gretzky, in his first playoffs with Los Angeles, ends up facing his old team and defending Cup champion Edmonton in a 1st round series that goes 7 games

- Mario Lemieux's first year in the playoffs, and he doesn't disappoint. But after an amazing 8 point performance in Game 5 vs. Philadelphia, the Flyers shut him down in Games 6 and 7.

- Ron Hextall goes nuts and attacks Chris Chelios.

- The two best teams in the league, Montreal and Calgary, meet in a very well-played entertaining Cup Final which Calgary wins. Lanny McDonald scores a key goal in Game 6 to help win his first Stanley Cup in his last NHL game.

 

[Mathradio]

Maybe 2011 would live up to any of the seasons mentioned here.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Maybe 2011 would live up to any of the seasons mentioned here.

Shouldn't we wait until, oh, at least one of the games has been played first?

I mean, this *is* the History forum.

 

[kmad]

Shouldn't we wait until, oh, at least one of the games has been played first?

I mean, this *is* the History forum.

... but we are on HockeysFUTURE, am I right?

I'll call it now. The 2261 playoffs are the best. Zorbak Geoffrion III for Conn Smythe.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

1994 pained me as a Devils fan, but it is always mentioned among the legendary ones.

Messier's guarantee, Bure's penalty shot in, Game 7 wins in both the ECF and finals for a team that hadn't won the Cup in 54 year.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

1989 had several compelling storylines:

- Calgary has a monster season and is the Cup favorite, yet is taken to 7th Game OT by Vancouver.

- Phil Esposito inserts himself as Rangers coach right before the playoffs, and the team responds by losing 4 straight.

- Wayne Gretzky, in his first playoffs with Los Angeles, ends up facing his old team and defending Cup champion Edmonton in a 1st round series that goes 7 games

- Mario Lemieux's first year in the playoffs, and he doesn't disappoint. But after an amazing 8 point performance in Game 5 vs. Philadelphia, the Flyers shut him down in Games 6 and 7.

- Ron Hextall goes nuts and attacks Chris Chelios.

- The two best teams in the league, Montreal and Calgary, meet in a very well-played entertaining Cup Final which Calgary wins. Lanny McDonald scores a key goal in Game 6 to help win his first Stanley Cup in his last NHL game.

This.

As a Rangers fan I am partial to 1994, but 1989 was just tremendous from a pure hockey standpoint.

The Philly-MTL CF gets little praise but those were two excellent battle-tested hockey teams, while people forget that Calgary was probably a better team in 1988 than 1989 and were on a mission.

And the two Smythe opening round series are probably two of the top 25 playoff series of all time for several reasons.

 

[Big Phil]

Also enjoyed the breakaway glove save on Ovechkin very early in game 7. That set the tone for the game.

Come to think of it, Fleury had a ton of huge saves that postseason. He robbed Cleary on a breakaway at the end of Game 6 in the final. That was a game that had you reaching for the rolaids. Plus he made a key toe save on Carter in Game 2 vs. the Flyers and a clutch save on Staal (although Carolina was never in that series). No doubt about it, he made some clutch eye popping saves which is what he is capable of doing sometimes

 

[Axxellien]

Best Played:

..1957-58 Finals..Return MTL-BOST. Confrontation... Very Intense, dramatic, epic.. Best played Hockey Series....7 Game back and forth slugfest: TOR=BOST. 1959 Semi-Finals..Perfect example of what ken Dryden termed 1950`s Fortress Hockey...Two big strong teams giving it all they had..REAL Hockey!

 

[johnnybbadd]

1986 had some great series and story lines. A rookie Roy winning the Conn Smythe and beating Hartford in game 7 OT. The Flames beating the dynasty Oilers in 7. The Blues went to 7 with the Leafs and the Flames. The Rangers upset the Flyers. There were a lot of upsets that year.

 

[Ishdul]

... but we are on HockeysFUTURE, am I right?

I'll call it now. The 2261 playoffs are the best. Zorbak Geoffrion III for Conn Smythe.

East Milky Way bias.

 

[Merya]

Last years playoffs had some pretty exciting stories.
93 might take the cake tho.
2007 wasn't bad either.

 

[HabsByTheBay]

Can't believe people mentioned 1994 and didn't mention one of the biggest upsets ever in the Sharks beating the Red Wings. It was almost unimaginable at the time that the lowly Sharks would even have a chance.

 

[Mathradio]

Shouldn't we wait until, oh, at least one of the games has been played first?

I mean, this *is* the History forum.

But the playoff race has been exciting this season; the playoff race had us on the edge of our seats for much of the second half.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

But the playoff race has been exciting this season; the playoff race had us on the edge of our seats for much of the second half.

That's an entirely different question.

 

[cynicism]

Partly out of nostalgia since it was the first season I really started following hockey, but 1993:
Habs winning the Cup over Gretzky's kings, Desjardin's hat trick, Roy playing superhuman, the series against the Nords
The Isles upsetting the defending champs (Pittsburgh)
The Leafs Cinderella run
Cujo's Blues stoning the heavily favored hawks in the first round
The Great One playing in the finals for what would turn out to be the last time in his career

 

[JaymzB]

As a Habs fan, 93 will always be memorable. But what about 71?

Habs over Bruins in one of the biggest upsets ever.
Hawks and Rangers play a hard fought 7 game semi-final, with 3 games going to OT, including a 3 period OT in game 6
Habs beat the Hawks in a super close 7 game final, including the Habs coming back from being 2-0 down in the series, and 2-0 in game 7.