Best Stanley Cup finals you ever watched?

Matty Sundin

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Jul 18, 2006
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Best:

2006 - Oilers vs Hurricanes - Best finals since 1994
2004 - Flames vs Lighting - This was a great final and I think it's under rated.
2000 - Devils vs Stars - Game 5 and 6 was one of the best goalie duels I ever saw.
1994 - Rangers vs Canucks - Exciting finals from the beginning till the end.

Worst:

2003 - Devils vs Ducks - Worst finals I ever watched
1998 - Red Wings vs Capitals - I just hate it when finals go to a sweep
1997 - Red Wings vs Flyers - Read above and the fact it was expected to last longer.
1995 - Red Wings vs Devils - The dead puck era begins.
 

Hyped

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My favorite:

'86 - Canadiens over the Flames - some rookie goalie steals the show.

Other great series (and there have been a whole pile but I'll just mention the few that seem to stand out to me for one reason or another):

'91 - Penguins over the Northstars: probably the greatest Cinderella story of the modern NHL playoffs even though Minnesota lost in the end.

'87 - Oilers over the Flyers: just a great series all-round. I thought this was going to be the Flyers' year but alas...

'80 - Islanders over the Flyers: Another great series between two fantastic teams.

'94 - Rangers over the Canucks: the Canucks stormed back but couldn't cap it off in the end. Nevertheless, a great, fast-paced, physical series.

And it just so happens that the team I was rooting for in each one lost, except for my Habitents...
 

#66

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Dec 30, 2003
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The '91 finals with the Pens and N Stars was one of the more brutal series I've ever seen. If anyone sees that R-rated Sportschannel America broadcast of that series, you can hear the hate those teams had for one another.

The 1980 finals was great to see because it was the start of one of the most dominating teams ever. Plus if I remember correctly the Isles were the underdog in that series.

The '94 finals was downright tense. The Rangers were trying to break the curse and talk about going down to the wire. Also Leetch was just awesome in that series and it was just fun to watch him grow. I'm still mad that I can't chant 1940 anymore though.

The '73 finals was a great goalfest and almost seemed like a sign that more offensive hockey was to come.
 

Sens Rule

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Sep 22, 2005
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Best I ever watched? Oilers Flyers in 1987. I was lucky enough to watch game 7 again when CBC replayed it in the playoffs. I would love to get that series on DVD.
 

jamiebez

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Apr 5, 2005
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Best I ever watched? Oilers Flyers in 1987. I was lucky enough to watch game 7 again when CBC replayed it in the playoffs. I would love to get that series on DVD.
I would go with that one, too. I stayed up late to watch that Game 7 a few weeks ago. Rangers/Canucks in 1994 was a great one, as was this year's final (the best in quite a while).

Some other personal favorites:

- both Habs/Flames finals in 1986 and 1989. That was such a great rivalry. I particularly remember the '89 race for the President's Trophy down the stretch, and Montreal almost going unbeaten on home ice that season. It culminated in an emotional and passionate final, with Lanny McDonald scoring a goal in the clinching game to win his first Cup.

- Pittsburgh's first Cup in 1991. Every one of my friends jumped on the Stars bandwagon except me, so it's good to be right. :D Mario cemented his legacy in that series - absolutely dominant. That goal he scored in Game 5, splitting the Stars' D is still perhaps my favorite of all time. Don Cherry called it "the goal that sunk the Stars"
 

Snap Wilson

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Sep 14, 2003
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1971, 1976 (just because), 1980, 1985, 1987 (I don't hate the Flyers or anything, honest), 1989, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2006.
 

VanIslander

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Sep 4, 2004
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BEST!

1987 Edmonton-Philadelphia... Jari Kurri's game 7 winner against Conn Smythe Hextall was a classic!
1994 NYR-Canucks... Trevor Linden's two goals went for naught in a 2-3 loss, but whadda finals!


WORST!!!!

1999 Dallas-Buffalo... triple-overtime game six non-goal by Hull on Hasek... that's hockey at its worst, ESPECIALLY given how friggin' anal the refs had been all playoffs that year about toes in crease, I mean they called it everytime, and even some phantom calls, the officiating was stiff... except when it mattered most
1982 NYI-Vancouver... Towel Power rocked my Canucks to the final only to get swept/creamed/annihilated/humiliated, it was like watching the NHL vs. ECHL. That series was over early in game one, and we Canucks fans knew it (worst feeling).
 

johnjm22

Pseudo Intellectual
Aug 2, 2005
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Easily the 94 series.

Speaking of Goaltending performances, how about Kirk McClean (spelling?) in game one of that series. I think he made something like 60 saves. That was by far the best goaltending performance I've ever seen.
 

BlackGoldGreen

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Jul 7, 2006
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I can't believe almost noone has mentioned the 2001 finals. I remember in game 7 when Tanguay came out from behind the net and wristed a shot past Brodeur and the puck got stuck in between the mid-post and the net. That was a defining moment in the game. Also watching Bourque lift the cup was great. That was the first and best finals I've seen to this day. It helped that I was a big Avalanche fan.
 

KingsFanInRI

Waiting 4 next year
Aug 27, 2005
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1994 easily. Even though I hate both teams (one's a Smythe Division thing and the other's a New York thing) it was the best series I think I've seen other than the 95 World Cup.

Now, if the question had been "What was the best Game One and 58:00 of Game two you've ever seen?" it would have been 93' hands down. :banghead: :madfire:
 

NickHanson

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Jun 21, 2006
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The 2004 Finals were thrilling for me, but I'm a diehard Bolts fan.. :sarcasm:

2006 was great, didn't end the way I wanted it to.
 

crashlanding

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Nov 29, 2005
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As a Devils fan I'll go with this. Ed Belfour's performance in game five is one of the top five games by a goalie of the past 20 years.
That game 5 has to be one of the most underrated games ever. 0-0 triple OT, and it was not because of a lack of chances. Probably the best goalie duel I've ever watched.
 

Lux Aurumque*

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Hurricanes vs. Oilers - 2006
2006 was the first time I watched as much playoff hockey as they showed on TV, and the finals brought back my love for the game (Which had been fading since 2003). Easily my favorite.
 

Lou is God

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Nov 10, 2003
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Best I ever watched? Oilers Flyers in 1987. I was lucky enough to watch game 7 again when CBC replayed it in the playoffs. I would love to get that series on DVD.

Me too, Hextall was totally unreal that postseason, especially in the finals and almost single handily gave the Flyers a fighting chance.

And the summer of 1987 was probably the best hockey I had ever seen overall when you throw in the Canada Cup finals later that summer with all three games between Canada and the USSR ending with a 6-5 score.
 

Blades of Glory

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Feb 12, 2006
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1994 by far. Easily the best Finals I have ever seen, I was young (11) but that was hockey at it's best. My second choice would probably be 2000, with Brodeur dueling Belfour and a couple of long OT games.
 

19nazzy

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Jul 14, 2003
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If I saw all of it I probably would pick 94 but I didn't so I'll pick 2001.

Worst: 2003
 

Transported Upstater

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The 1994 finals, although they didn't end the way I wanted, were flat-out amazing from beginning to end.

That finals made a lot of indifferent people into hockey fans, and also wowed the serious fans at the same time.

This year's finals was great, and 2004 was decent as well.

As for worst, I absolutely hated the 2003 finals. Ugh.
 

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