1992 Stanley Cup Finals

1992 Stanley Cup Finals
1234 Total
Pittsburgh Penguins 5316 4
Chicago Blackhawks 4105 0
* – overtime period(s)
Location(s) Pittsburgh: Civic Arena (1, 2)
Chicago: Chicago Stadium (3, 4)
Coaches Pittsburgh: Scotty Bowman
Chicago: Mike Keenan
Captains Pittsburgh: Mario Lemieux
Chicago: Dirk Graham
National anthems Pittsburgh: Christina Aguilera[1]
Chicago: Wayne Messmer
Dates May 26 – June 1
MVP Mario Lemieux (Penguins)
Series-winning goal Ron Francis (7:59, third)
Networks CBC (Canada-English)
SRC (Canada-French)
SportsChannel America (United States)
KBL (Pittsburgh area, games 1, 2)
KDKA (Pittsburgh area, games 3, 4)
SportsChannel Chicago (Chicago area)
Announcers Bob Cole, Harry Neale and Dick Irvin, Jr. (CBC)
Claude Quenneville and Gilles Tremblay (SRC)
Jiggs McDonald and Bill Clement (SC America)
Mike Lange and Paul Steigerwald (KBL and KDKA)
Pat Foley and Dale Tallon (SC Chicago)

The 1992 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1991–92 season, and the culmination of the 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Prince of Wales Conference and defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Clarence Campbell Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks were appearing in their first Finals since 1973. After the Blackhawks jumped to an early 4–1 lead in the first game of the series, Mario Lemieux and the Penguins came back to win the game, sweep the series in four games, and win their second consecutive and second overall Stanley Cup. It was the 99th year of the Stanley Cup, and the first to extend into the month of June. It was the last final for Chicago Stadium as it closed in 1994.

Paths to the Finals

Pittsburgh defeated the Washington Capitals 4–3, the New York Rangers 4–2, and the Boston Bruins 4–0.

Chicago had to defeat their three biggest rivals, first the St. Louis Blues 4–2, then their long-time Original Six rival Detroit Red Wings 4–0, and then, the Edmonton Oilers 4–0.

With their co-tenants at Chicago Stadium, the Bulls, coached by Phil Jackson and led by Michael Jordan, playing in (and winning) the NBA Finals, it was an opportunity for both the Blackhawks and the Bulls to help the city of Chicago become the first city to have both NHL and NBA championships in the same year.[2] (New York also had this opportunity in 1994, when the Knicks and Rangers made the finals in their respective sport; however, the result was the same, albeit a reversal of Chicago's ending, as the Rangers won their first Stanley Cup since 1940, and the Knicks lost, with both of those series going the full seven games.)

Chicago set an NHL playoff record in winning 11 games in a row to reach the finals.

Pittsburgh had won seven in a row entering the finals and swept Chicago in four games to tie Chicago's record. Pittsburgh then extended the playoff winning streak record to 14 with wins in the first three games against the New Jersey Devils in the following season's first playoff round.

Game summaries

The Penguins were led by captain Mario Lemieux, coach Scotty Bowman, and goaltender Tom Barrasso. The Blackhawks were led by captain Dirk Graham, coach Mike Keenan, and goaltender Ed Belfour. They also made history in having the first Russian-born player to have a chance to get their name on the Stanley Cup in Igor Kravchuk.[3]

Mario Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for the second consecutive year, becoming only the second player in NHL history to do so: Bernie Parent had won it when the Philadelphia Flyers won the Cup in the consecutive years of 1974 and 1975.

Game four was the first NHL game played in the month of June.

Pittsburgh won series 4–0

Broadcasting

In Canada, the series was televised in English on the CBC and in French on SRC.

In the United States, this was the last Stanley Cup Finals to air nationally on SportsChannel America. ESPN would pick up the national U.S. contract for the next season.

SportsChannel America's national coverage was blacked out in the Chicago and Pittsburgh areas due to the local rights to Blackhawks and Penguins games in those respective TV markets. SportsChannel Chicago aired the games in Chicago. In Pittsburgh, KBL televised games one and two while KDKA aired games three and four.

Pittsburgh Penguins – 1992 Stanley Cup champions

Players

  Centres
  Wingers
  Defencemen
  Goaltenders

Coaching and administrative staff:

Stanley Cup engraving

  • Mike Needham* did not play in any regular season games for Pittsburgh (played in the minors), but played in five playoff games (one playoff game in the conference finals, but not in the Finals). His name was engraved on the Stanley Cup, even though he did not qualify.
  • Jeff Daniels* played in two regular season games for Pittsburgh, spent the rest of the regular season in the minors, but was recalled during the playoffs. His name was also engraved on the Stanley Cup, even though he did not qualify.
  • Ken Priestlay† played in 49 regular season games and was sent to the minors at the trade deadline, but rejoined the team late in the playoffs. Priestlay was also included on the Stanley Cup even though he played in the minors during the playoffs. Pittsburgh included a record 31 players on the Stanley Cup in 1992.
  • Bob Johnson, head coach of the Penguins in the 1990–91 season and for their 1991 championship, died on November 26, 1991, of cancer. The NHL allowed the 1991–92 Penguins to have his name engraved on the Cup.

Pierre McGuire, Les Binkley, John Gill, Charlie Hodge, Ralph Cox were with the team as Scouts in 1990–91, but names were not included on the Stanley Cup that year. All five members have two Stanley Cup rings with Pittsburgh. Team Doctor Charles Burke won cups with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992, but his name was left off the Stanley Cup.

Aftermath

The Penguins won a league record 17-straight games en route to the Presidents' Trophy in the 1992–93 season, despite Mario Lemieux missing much of the season to Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, they lost in the Patrick Division final to the New York Islanders.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Anderson, Kyle (Jan 24, 2011). "WHEN CHRISTINA AGUILERA PERFORMS THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, PITTSBURGH TEAMS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS". MTV News. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  2. ↑ Wilbon, Michael (May 27, 1992). "Chicago's the Winning City With Blackhawks and Bulls". The Washington Post. p. B03. Certainly you've wondered by now how many times teams from the same city have won NBA and NHL championships in the same season. None...This will be the first. Chicago: City of Champions.
  3. ↑ First Russians win Cup - Because It's The Cup on YouTube

References

  • Diamond, Dan (2000). Total Stanley Cup. NHL.
  • Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp. 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7.
  • NHL (1991). National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 1991–92.
Preceded by
Pittsburgh Penguins
1991		 Pittsburgh Penguins
Stanley Cup Champions
1992		 Succeeded by
Montreal Canadiens
1993
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