Let's Watch: 1985/12/11: Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks

[Fenway]

The 1980s were known for some high scoring games but nothing tops this night at Chicago Stadium as Chicago scored 9 goals and lost by 3



The complete game as shown on SportVision Chicago with Pat Foley and Dale Talon announcing.

Previous installments of Let's Watch:
1959/4/7: Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs
1960/4/7: Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs
1963/4/18: Toronto Maple Leafs vs Detroit Red Wings
1963/12/7: Toronto Maple Leafs vs Chicago Black Hawks
1965/4/1: Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs
1966/4/14: Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens
1967/3/27: USSR vs Canada
1967/3/27: USSR vs Czechoslovakia
1968/2/13: USSR vs Sweden
1968/3/10: Chicago Blackhawks vs Toronto Maple Leafs
1972/9/02: USSR vs Canada - Game 1 at Montréal
1974/5/5: Philadelphia Flyers vs New York Rangers
1996/9/14: Canada vs USA
1955/03/06 Canada vs USSR
1974/05/09 - SCF Game 2 - Philadelphia at Boston
1980/1/03 - Sabres v. Soviet Red Army
1971/1/16 Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens​

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[The Panther]

One of the weirder games in NHL history. (I vaguely recall watching this live when I was 9.)

The night before this game, the Oilers had been smoked by the Blues 7-3 (Doug Gilmour three points; Greg Paslawski hat trick). If anything, you'd think Chicago would get the jump on Edmonton being the fresher team. Instead, Edmonton jumps out to a 6-0 lead 23 minutes into the game before their tired legs start giving out.

Even though Gretzky picked up 7 assists, Glenn Anderson 6 points, and Jari Kurri* a hat trick, the notable thing about this game, scoring-wise is this:
Lee Fogolin, 1G + 1A
Dave Lumley 1G
Kevin McClelland 1G + 2A
Marty McSorley 2G + 1A
Dave Semenko 1G

When you're giving up 6 goals in the same game to these guys, there's definitely a problem!


* Kurri was doing okay in the 1985 calendar year vs. Chicago. He scored 12 goals in the six-game playoff series in spring '85, one goal in the teams' first meeting a few days before this game, and then 3 goals in this game. So, at this point, he had just scored 16 goals in eight consecutive games vs. the Blackhawks.


Crazy-fun game results aside, this game and the 11-9 loss to Toronto a month later really showed that Edmonton was playing shinny in some of the Smythe / Norris division games in 1985-86. This casual attitude to defense would come back to haunt them in the '86 playoffs.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Chicago playing 7 defensemen sure helped. Savard, Secord and Larmer were all -7 for the night.

 

[Bluesguru]

One of the weirder games in NHL history. (I vaguely recall watching this live when I was 9.)

The night before this game, the Oilers had been smoked by the Blues 7-3 (Doug Gilmour three points; Greg Paslawski hat trick). If anything, you'd think Chicago would get the jump on Edmonton being the fresher team. Instead, Edmonton jumps out to a 6-0 lead 23 minutes into the game before their tired legs start giving out.

Even though Gretzky picked up 7 assists, Glenn Anderson 6 points, and Jari Kurri* a hat trick, the notable thing about this game, scoring-wise is this:
Lee Fogolin, 1G + 1A
Dave Lumley 1G
Kevin McClelland 1G + 2A
Marty McSorley 2G + 1A
Dave Semenko 1G

When you're giving up 6 goals in the same game to these guys, there's definitely a problem!


* Kurri was doing okay in the 1985 calendar year vs. Chicago. He scored 12 goals in the six-game playoff series in spring '85, one goal in the teams' first meeting a few days before this game, and then 3 goals in this game. So, at this point, he had just scored 16 goals in eight consecutive games vs. the Blackhawks.


Crazy-fun game results aside, this game and the 11-9 loss to Toronto a month later really showed that Edmonton was playing shinny in some of the Smythe / Norris division games in 1985-86. This casual attitude to defense would come back to haunt them in the '86 playoffs.

Man, sure wish I could remember that 7-3 Blues win - ha. Not really joking cause I do have a knack for that stuff. That 85-86 season is one of my favorite NHL seasons of all time. Blues had a great Cup run.

Seemed like every time the Hawks hooked up with the Oilers back then, they tried to out score the Oilers, but usually they just couldn’t keep up with them . Though I do think the previous season they did make things interesting against the Oilers in the Conference Finals and force 6 games.

Even though a Blues fan, I had great respect and love for those Hawk teams in the 80’s and early 90’s.

 

[hacksaw7]

Watching the players come up and down the stairs at Chicago Stadium...miss those little morsels of 80s hockey

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

Seemed like every time the Hawks hooked up with the Oilers back then, they tried to out score the Oilers, but usually they just couldn’t keep up with them . Though I do think the previous season they did make things interesting against the Oilers in the Conference Finals and force 6 games.

A common theme I notice with those Hawks teams, they always seemed to get sucked into playing to the other teams strengths. Playing the Oilers, theyd run & gun, if it was another crappy Norris team, theyd couldnt resist geting into brawls they didnt have the guns for.

Watching the players come up and down the stairs at Chicago Stadium...miss those little morsels of 80s hockey

Bettman has worked so hard to standardize literally everything in modern NHL venues, Chicago Stadium must have given him an aneurysm

My dad was a student in Chicago during the 80s and went to a few games, described the atmosphere as almost literally too loud, frightening

 

[Bluesguru]

A common theme I notice with those Hawks teams, they always seemed to get sucked into playing to the other teams strengths. Playing the Oilers, theyd run & gun, if it was another crappy Norris team, theyd couldnt resist geting into brawls they didnt have the guns for.

Bettman has worked so hard to standardize literally everything in modern NHL venues, Chicago Stadium must have given him an aneurysm

My dad was a student in Chicago during the 80s and went to a few games, described the atmosphere as almost literally too loud, frightening

Remember in 86 when the Hawks got swept 3 straight from the Leafs in the first rd? Though, I will say, Brophy’s Leafs had to be the best 57 point team ever. Those Leaf teams made playoff noise in both 86 and 87. But your point is well taken.

 

[NigerianNightmare]

With such poor defence, both Chicago and Edmonton would have been steamrolled by the Central Army Club

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

Bannerman and Sauve in net for Chicago.

Not exactly a couple of All-Stars lol.

 

[MS]

With such poor defence, both Chicago and Edmonton would have been steamrolled by the Central Army Club

Probably, yes. Because CSKA were basically a state-assembled All-Star team that lost 1 game in 1985-86 and outscored their opposition by nearly a 3:1 ratio. Not exactly the same thing as having talent roughly evenly spread around 21 NHL teams.

 

[NigerianNightmare]

Probably, yes. Because CSKA were basically a state-assembled All-Star team that lost 1 game in 1985-86 and outscored their opposition by nearly a 3:1 ratio. Not exactly the same thing as having talent roughly evenly spread around 21 NHL teams.

The Oilers were an all Star team, too.

By the way, Dynamo Moscow won all series against the NHL teams in different years. Were they also an all star team?

The Soviet clubs won 14 series, tied 2, lost 2. Question: how many all stars teams did Soviet Russia have?

 

[MS]

The Oilers were an all Star team, too.

By the way, Dynamo Moscow won all series against the NHL teams in different years. Were they also an all star team?

The Soviet clubs won 14 series, tied 2, lost 2. Question: how many all stars teams did Soviet Russia have?

CSKA were what you'd get if the state arranged that one team had Bossy-Gretzky-Lemieux-Potvin-Coffey all on the same team.

If you can't see the difference between the NHL and a stacked team that outscored the opposition at nearly a 3:1 ratio and only lost 1 game all year ... I can't really help you.

 

[NigerianNightmare]

CSKA were what you'd get if the state arranged that one team had Bossy-Gretzky-Lemieux-Potvin-Coffey all on the same team.

If you can't see the difference between the NHL and a stacked team that outscored the opposition at nearly a 3:1 ratio and only lost 1 game all year ... I can't really help you.

Yes, CSKA was the dominant hockey club ever.

And Dynamo Moscow that won ALL series was a bunch of bums?

 

[VaporTrail]

Bannerman and Sauve in net for Chicago.

Not exactly a couple of All-Stars lol.

Hey Sauve won the Vezina trophy and also the Jennings trophy another year lol

 

[Serge Menard]

Hi! How is life? It is April 7, 2024, and it is a shame that Youtube deleted Your account. I hope and pray that You will post it again soon, just change the title a bit and put watermarks on the video, and it will do the trick, I hope. Anyway, You are a Bruins fan, You are spoil, it is an awesome team, me I am a Canadiens fan and the time is very long in the past 31 years. I was there at the game 5 between the Canadiens and the Kings in 1993, but the Leafs is much longer than that, They did not win the cup yet since 1967, the year I was born. Take care and have a nice day or try to and be safe out there.

 

[Doctor Coffin]

Bannerman and Sauve in net for Chicago.

Not exactly a couple of All-Stars lol.

Not exactly a true statement. Bannerman was the starting goalie for the Campbell Conference all-star team in 1983 and appeared in the 1984 all-star game, can't recall if he started that one, though. His career record against the Oilers, however, was abysmal.