Game seven
A game seven is the final game of a best of seven series. This game can occur in the postseasons for Major League Baseball (MLB) (League Championship Series and World Series), the National Basketball Association (NBA) (all rounds of the NBA playoffs), and the National Hockey League (NHL) (all rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs).
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Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo celebrates the final out of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, after his putout
Inside the Toyota Center before tip off of Game 7 of the 2018 NBA Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets
The game is generally played at the site of the team holding the home advantage across the series.
The nature of a best-of-seven series requires that the series be tied 3–3 going into game seven, such that either team can take the series (advancing further in the playoffs or winning the championship) by winning the game. Because of this decisive nature, game sevens add an element of drama to their sports.
Aside from North American sports leagues, game sevens are also a fixture in many other sports around the world, mostly in baseball, basketball, and ice hockey leagues. Most codes of football do not employ a best-of-seven series (or any best-of-x series in general), hence game sevens are not played in those leagues.
Some playoff rounds (such as MLB's current Division Series) are played in a best of five format, such that game 5 has similar qualities to those described above, though the suspense and drama have less time to build in a shorter series. Furthermore, the World Series of 1903, 1919, 1920, and 1921 were played in a best of nine format, though none of the four went to a decisive game 9.
The game seven is comparable to a final or to a single game in a single-elimination tournament or to a one-game playoff. A championship series' game seven is equivalent to the Super Bowl game in the National Football League in that the game's winner is the league's champion for the season.
Examples
Baseball
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League's championship series, the Taiwan Series, has seen nine series decided in game seven.[1]
Taiwan Series that were decided in game seven include:
| Year | Winning team | Losing team | Score | Site | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Uni-President Lions | Wei Chuan Dragons | 13–5 | Taipei City | |
| 1998 | Wei Chuan Dragons | Sinon Bulls | 5–2 | Taichung City | Capacity audience. |
| 2000 | Uni-President Lions | 4–1 | Taichung City | Capacity audience. Lo Min-ching homered the fifth time and then the sixth in the series. | |
| 2001 | Brother Elephants | Uni-President Lions | 7–5 | Tainan City | Capacity audience. Yofu Tetsu saved the Elephants. |
| 2004 | Sinon Bulls | 8–6 | Tainan City | Capacity audience. Chang Chia-hao hit the winning triple in the ninth inning. | |
| 2007 | Uni-President Lions | La New Bears | 4–2 | Kaohsiung County | Capacity audience. Nelson Figueroa became the first player taking three starting wins in CPBL playoff history. |
| 2008 | Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions | Brother Elephants | 4–0 | Tainan City | Capacity audience. Luther Hackman closed the game. |
| 2009 | 5–2 | Tainan City | Capacity audience. Lions win their third consecutive championship. | ||
| 2015 | Lamigo Monkeys | Chinatrust Brothers | 11–0 | Taoyuan Stadium | Capacity audience. Lamigo overcomes a 3–1 series deficit to win their second consecutive championship. |
Major League Baseball
In the Major League Baseball postseason, game seven can occur in the League Championship Series and the World Series; although do not occur in the division series of the playoff, which are played as best-of-five series. In the World Series, there have been 39 decisive game sevens (of the four World Series that were contested on a best-of-nine basis, none went to a game nine, though all four included a non-decisive game seven).[2]
World Series that were decided on a game seven: All extra inning game sevens involve three franchises each with two appearances, the New York/San Francisco Giants (losing both), the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins (winning both) and the Cleveland Indians (losing both). Home teams are 19–21 in game sevens.[3]
World Series that were decided in game seven include:
| Year | Winning team | Losing team | Score | Site | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909[4] | Pittsburgh Pirates | Detroit Tigers | 8–0 | Bennett Park, Detroit | Rookie Babe Adams tosses a six hit shutout for his third win of the series. |
| 1912[5] | Boston Red Sox | New York Giants | 3–2 (10) | Fenway Park, Boston | This decisive contest was actually Game 8, as Game 2 had ended in a tie. |
| 1924[6] | Washington Senators | New York Giants | 4–3 (12) | Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C. | Longest game seven in innings. In the 12th, Muddy Ruel doubled after a dropped foul popfly by Giants catcher Hank Gowdy. Ruel scored on a game-winning RBI double by Earl McNeely. |
| 1925[7] | Pittsburgh Pirates | Washington Senators | 9–7 | Forbes Field, Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh became the first team in a best of seven series to win the series when trailing 3–1. |
| 1926[8] | St. Louis Cardinals | New York Yankees | 3–2 | Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York City | Grover Cleveland Alexander strikes out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded to end the seventh and preserve the Cardinals lead. Two innings later Babe Ruth is caught stealing to end the World Series. |
| 1931[9] | Philadelphia Athletics | 4–2 | St. Louis, Missouri | Last postseason game for the Athletics while based in Philadelphia. | |
| 1934[10] | Detroit Tigers | 11–0 | Navin Field, Detroit | Dizzy Dean's second win, a six-hit shutout on one day of rest, gives the Cardinals the title. | |
| 1940[11] | Cincinnati Reds | Detroit Tigers | 2–1 | Crosley Field, Cincinnati | A sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly scored the winning runs. |
| 1945[12] | Detroit Tigers | Chicago Cubs | 9–3 | Wrigley Field, Chicago | Cubs last World Series appearance until 2016. |
| 1946[13] | St. Louis Cardinals | Boston Red Sox | 4–3 | Sportsman's Park III, St. Louis | Enos Slaughter's famous mad dash scored the deciding run to win the game and the series. |
| 1947[14] | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers | 5–2 | Yankee Stadium, the Bronx, New York City | This was the Series that featured Cookie Lavagetto's pinch-hit that spoiled Bill Bevens' no-hit bid and Al Gionfriddo's catch to rob Joe DiMaggio of a home run. |
| 1952[15] | 4–2 | Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York City | Billy Martin's game saving infield catch preserves the Yankees lead and helps win the game and the series. | ||
| 1955[16] | Brooklyn Dodgers | New York Yankees | 2–0 | Yankee Stadium, the Bronx, New York City | Dodgers' only championship in Brooklyn. The home team won all games of the series except for Game 7. |
| 1956[17] | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers | 9–0 | Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York | Jackie Robinson's final Major League game. Last postseason game at Ebbets Field and Dodgers' last postseason game before moving to Los Angeles. As in the 1955 World Series, the only game won by the visiting team was Game 7. |
| 1957[18] | Milwaukee Braves | New York Yankees | 5–0 | Yankee Stadium, the Bronx, New York City | The Braves' only championship in Milwaukee. |
| 1958[19] | New York Yankees | Milwaukee Braves | 6–2 | County Stadium, Milwaukee | The Yankees overcome a 3–1 deficit. This was the Braves' last postseason game in Milwaukee. |
| 1960[20] | Pittsburgh Pirates | New York Yankees | 10–9 | Forbes Field, Pittsburgh | Bill Mazeroski hit a walk-off home run to win the Pirates the championship. Last postseason game in Forbes Field. Last postseason game for Yankees' manager Casey Stengel. Highest scoring game 7 in World Series history. |
| 1962[21] | New York Yankees | San Francisco Giants | 1–0 | Candlestick Park, San Francisco | With runners on second and third and two outs, Willie McCovey's line drive to Bobby Richardson ended the game. First 1–0 game seven score. |
| 1964[22] | St. Louis Cardinals | New York Yankees | 7–5 | Busch Stadium I, St. Louis, Missouri | Last postseason game at Busch Stadium I. |
| 1965[23] | Los Angeles Dodgers | Minnesota Twins | 2–0 | Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota | Pitching through immense pain and on two days rest, Sandy Koufax throws a 3-hit shutout to win the Series and World Series MVP. The home team won all games of the series except for Game 7. |
| 1967[24] | St. Louis Cardinals | Boston Red Sox | 7–2 | Fenway Park, Boston | Bob Gibson wins his third game of the Series and also homers. |
| 1968[25] | Detroit Tigers | St. Louis Cardinals | 4–1 | Busch Stadium II, St. Louis, Missouri | Mickey Lolich outduels Bob Gibson for his third win of the Series. The Tigers rallied from a 3–1 deficit to win the series. First Game 7 loss by the Cardinals in the World Series. |
| 1971[26] | Pittsburgh Pirates | Baltimore Orioles | 2–1 | Memorial Stadium, Baltimore | The home team won all games of the series, except for Game 7. |
| 1972[27] | Oakland Athletics | Cincinnati Reds | 3–2 | Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati | The A's first championship in Oakland. |
| 1973[28] | New York Mets | 5–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California | Bert Campaneris and Reggie Jackson hit the only Oakland home runs in this game to set the tone for victory and the series. | |
| 1975[29] | Cincinnati Reds | Boston Red Sox | 4–3 | Fenway Park, Boston | One night after Carlton Fisk's famous home run, the Reds rebound to take the Series. |
| 1979[30] | Pittsburgh Pirates | Baltimore Orioles | 4–1 | Memorial Stadium, Baltimore | The Pittsburgh Pirates, powered by NLCS and World Series MVP Willie Stargell, rally from a 3–1 deficit to win the series. The Pirates were the last team to win a game seven on the road until 2014. |
| 1982[31] | St. Louis Cardinals | Milwaukee Brewers | 6–3 | Busch Stadium II, St. Louis | Joaquín Andújar earns his second win of the Series and Bruce Sutter his second save. |
| 1985[32] | Kansas City Royals | St. Louis Cardinals | 11–0 | Royals Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri | The Royals also won the 1985 American League Championship Series in seven games, becoming the first team to win two game sevens in the same postseason. Royals became first team to win the World Series after losing the first two games at home. The Royals were the last team to come back from 3–1 down to win a title in any of the five major men's professional sports leagues until the Cleveland Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA Finals after trailing 3–1. The Royals are so far the only team to come back from 3–1 deficits to win both their League Championship Series and the World Series in the same MLB postseason. |
| 1986[33] | New York Mets | Boston Red Sox | 8–5 | Shea Stadium, Flushing, Queens, New York | Mets become the first team to be one strike away from elimination and come back to win the World Series. Bill Buckner's infamous 10th-inning fielding error at first base allowed the Mets to win Game 6 in a walk-off and force Game 7. |
| 1987[34] | Minnesota Twins | St. Louis Cardinals | 4–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis | The home team won all 7 games of the series for the first time in MLB history. |
| 1991[35] | Atlanta Braves | 1–0 (10) | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis | As in 1987, the home team won all games of the series. The Twins won in the bottom of the 10th on a walk-off single by Gene Larkin scoring Dan Gladden after 9 1⁄2 scoreless innings of play. Jack Morris goes all ten innings for the Twins and is named the Series MVP. Twins centerfielder Kirby Puckett hit a famous walk-off home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning of the previous night's game to force this decisive game. | |
| 1997[36] | Florida Marlins | Cleveland Indians | 3–2 (11) | Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida | Florida becomes the first wild card team to win the World Series. The Marlins rallied for one run in the bottom of the ninth to tie and won in the eleventh on an Édgar Rentería RBI single off Charles Nagy. |
| 2001[37] | Arizona Diamondbacks | New York Yankees | 3–2 | Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, Arizona | Arizona rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth for a come-from-behind win, capped off by Luis Gonzalez hitting the winning RBI single off closer Mariano Rivera. The home team won all games of the series. |
| 2002[38] | Anaheim Angels | San Francisco Giants | 4–1 | Edison International Field, Anaheim, California | John Lackey became the second rookie pitcher to win a World Series game seven. |
| 2011[39] | St. Louis Cardinals | Texas Rangers | 6–2 | Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri | Cardinals became the second team to be one strike away from elimination and come back to win the series, which they did twice. Just like the 1991 series, a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning of game six, forced this decisive game with David Freese providing the firepower. |
| 2014[40] | San Francisco Giants | Kansas City Royals | 3–2 | Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri | The Giants became the first NL team to win a game seven on the road since 1979. NLCS MVP and eventual World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner, normally a starter, pitched five scoreless innings of relief on two days rest to save the Giants' third title in five years. |
| 2016[41] | Chicago Cubs | Cleveland Indians | 8–7 (10) | Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio | Chicago Cubs' first World Series win since 1908.[42] Game played between the two teams (Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs) with the longest active championship droughts. Dexter Fowler the first player ever to lead off a World Series Game 7 with a home run.[43] The Cubs are the first Major League Baseball team to come back from a 3–1 series deficit to win the World Series since the 1985 Royals and the first since the 1979 Pirates to do so by winning Games 6 & 7 on the road. Most recent World Series game seven to be decided in extra innings. First extra-innings game seven to be won by the road team. |
| 2017[44] | Houston Astros | Los Angeles Dodgers | 5–1 | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles | First instance of back-to-back game sevens since 2001–2002. First World Series championship for the Astros, who became the first AL team to win a World Series Game 7 on the road since 1972. The Astros became the second team to win two winner-take-all game sevens in the same postseason since the Kansas City Royals in 1985.[45] First major professional sports championship in Houston since 1995. |
| 2019 | Washington Nationals | Houston Astros | 6–2 | Minute Maid Park, Houston | This is the first best-of-seven postseason series in any of the major North American sports where the visiting team won all seven games. This was the Nationals' first World Series win and the first time a Washington-based team won the World Series since 1924. |
The League Championship Series were originally decided best of five from 1969 until 1984. Since 1985 when both were expanded to best of seven contests. A total of 17 series in Major League Baseball's postseason (7 series in the American League playoffs, 10 in the National League playoffs) have reached game seven.
League Championship Series that were decided on a game seven:
| Year | Series | Winning team | Losing team | Score | Site | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985[46] | ALCS | Kansas City Royals | Toronto Blue Jays | 6–2 | Exhibition Stadium, Toronto | The Royals rallied from a 3-1 deficit, including taking the last two on the road to win the pennant. They won the 1985 World Series in seven games, becoming the first team in MLB history to win two game sevens in a single postseason. |
| 1986[47] | Boston Red Sox | California Angels | 8–1 | Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts | Dave Henderson's famous home run off of Donnie Moore turned the tide as Boston rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win the series. Boston lost the 1986 World Series in seven games. | |
| 1987[48] | NLCS | St. Louis Cardinals | San Francisco Giants | 6–0 | Busch Stadium (II), St. Louis, Missouri | Although Jeffrey Leonard homered in the first 4 games of the series it was not enough as back-to-back shutouts by the Cardinals in games 6 and 7 gave St. Louis the NL Pennant. The Cardinals lost the World Series as the Minnesota Twins give new meaning to the term home-field advantage in the World Series as only the decisive game seven is close. |
| 1988[49] | Los Angeles Dodgers | New York Mets | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles | Orel Hershiser pitches a five-hit shutout to send the Dodgers to the World Series. Until 2017, this was the only game seven of any postseason series to be played in Dodger Stadium. | ||
| 1991[50] | Atlanta Braves | Pittsburgh Pirates | 4–0 | Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Back-to-back shutouts in games 6 and 7 helps the Braves win the pennant. The Braves lost the series to Minnesota in seven games in what is regarded as the best World Series of all time. | |
| 1992[51] | Atlanta Braves | Pittsburgh Pirates | 3–2 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta | Atlanta scored all three runs in the bottom of the ninth. Pinch hitter Francisco Cabrera drove in the two winning runs with a two-out single with the bases loaded. The winning run was scored by Sid Bream. Pirates' last postseason game until 2013 and Barry Bonds' last game as a Pirate. Atlanta lost the World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games. | |
| 1996[52] | Atlanta Braves | St. Louis Cardinals | 15–0 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta | Highest run differential for a Game Seven. Final game for Cardinals' Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. Also, this was the third of a 5-game winning streak as the Braves came back from a 3–1 deficit to win the series. They won the first two games of the 1996 World Series only to lose the Series to the New York Yankees in six games. | |
| 2003[53] [54] | ALCS | New York Yankees | Boston Red Sox | 6–5 (11) | Yankee Stadium, the Bronx, New York City | Leading off for the Yankees in the bottom of the eleventh, Aaron Boone hit a walk-off home run to win the series and score a date with the Florida Marlins. |
| NLCS | Florida Marlins | Chicago Cubs | 9–6 | Wrigley Field, Chicago | One night after the Steve Bartman incident, the Marlins advance to the World Series, where they would win in six games, and the Cubs' World Series drought continues. | |
| 2004[55] [56] | ALCS | Boston Red Sox | New York Yankees | 10–3 | Yankee Stadium, the Bronx, New York City | Boston rallied from an 0–3 deficit to win the American League pennant, the only time in Major League Baseball history that this has happened in a best of seven series. Boston would go on to win the World Series for the first time since 1918. |
| NLCS | St. Louis Cardinals | Houston Astros | 5–2 | Busch Stadium (II), St. Louis, Missouri | The home team won all games of the series. Last time both LCS went to a game seven in the same year. Scott Rolen's two-run homer off Roger Clemens in the sixth inning puts the Cardinals in front for good. This is the last win of the season for St. Louis as the Cardinals got steamrolled by Boston in four games. | |
| 2006[57] | St. Louis Cardinals | New York Mets | 3–1 | Shea Stadium, Flushing, Queens, New York | Last postseason game at Shea Stadium. Yadier Molina hits a two-run homer in the top of the ninth and Adam Wainwright strikes out Carlos Beltrán in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded to send the Cardinals to the World Series where they beat Detroit in five games. | |
| 2007[58] | ALCS | Boston Red Sox | Cleveland Indians | 11–2 | Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts | Boston overcomes a 3–1 deficit to win the pennant and won the second World Series championship in four years. Like four years ago, the result is a sweep, this time over the Colorado Rockies. |
| 2008[59] | Tampa Bay Rays | Boston Red Sox | 3–1 | Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida | Matt Garza pitches Tampa Bay to its first American League Championship. The Rays ended up up losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. | |
| 2012[60] | NLCS | San Francisco Giants | St. Louis Cardinals | 9–0 | AT&T Park, San Francisco, California | First Giants victory in a winner-take-all game seven. The Giants would go on to sweep the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. |
| 2017[61] | ALCS | Houston Astros | New York Yankees | 4–0 | Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas | The home team won all games of the series. Houston became the first franchise to win the pennant in both the National League and American League. The Astros won the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games, becoming the second MLB team to win two game sevens in a single postseason. |
| 2018[62] | NLCS | Los Angeles Dodgers | Milwaukee Brewers | 5–1 | Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin | The Dodgers were the first team to clinch a pennant on the road in a game seven since the 2006 Cardinals.[63] The Dodgers lost the World Series to the Boston Red Sox in five games. |
Basketball
National Basketball Association
All playoff rounds in the National Basketball League (NBA) are now in a best-of-seven series format so all rounds can have a maximum of seven games. The NBA Finals has been consistently played in a best-of-seven series format since its inception.
The game sevens where the champions were awarded are:
| Year | Winning team | Losing team | Score | Site | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951[64] | Rochester Royals | New York Knicks | 79–75 | Edgerton Park Arena, Rochester, New York | New York forced a game seven after trailing 0–3 in the series. |
| 1952[65] | Minneapolis Lakers | New York Knicks | 82–65 | Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis | The teams alternated wins throughout the series. |
| 1954[66] | Syracuse Nationals | 87–70 | Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis | The teams alternated wins throughout the series. | |
| 1955[67] | Syracuse Nationals | Fort Wayne Pistons | 92–91 | Onondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse, New York | The home team won all games of this series. |
| 1957[68] | Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks | 125–123 (2OT) | Boston Garden, Boston | Only game seven in NBA history to go into two overtimes. |
| 1960[69] | 122–103 | Boston Garden, Boston | The teams alternated wins throughout the series. Last time the NBA Finals were played in March. | ||
| 1962[70] | Los Angeles Lakers | 110–107 (OT) | Boston Garden, Boston | Most recent NBA Finals game seven to go into overtime. | |
| 1966[71] | 95–93 | Boston Garden, Boston | Last NBA Finals until 2016 that a team down 3–1 rallied to force a game seven. | ||
| 1969[72] | 108–106 | The Forum, Inglewood, California | Final game for Celtics Bill Russell and Sam Jones. Jerry West was Finals MVP, the first time the award was given, and only time it has gone to a player on the losing team. | ||
| 1970[73] | New York Knicks | Los Angeles Lakers | 113–99 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City | Notable for Willis Reed's return from injury. The teams alternated wins throughout the series. |
| 1974[74] | Boston Celtics | Milwaukee Bucks | 102–87 | MECCA Arena, Milwaukee | The final four games were each won by the road team. |
| 1978[75] | Washington Bullets | Seattle SuperSonics | 105–99 | Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle | Last NBA Finals game seven won by the away team until 2016. |
| 1984[76] | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 111–102 | Boston Garden, Boston | Last NBA Finals until 2014 that followed a 2–2–1–1–1 format. |
| 1988[77] | Los Angeles Lakers | Detroit Pistons | 108–105 | The Forum, Inglewood, California | Second consecutive championship for Los Angeles. Coach Pat Riley had promised fans a repeat during the prior season's championship celebration. |
| 1994[78] | Houston Rockets | New York Knicks | 90–84 | The Summit, Houston | Pat Riley became the first head coach to appear in an NBA Finals game seven with two different teams (Lakers in 1984 and 1988, Knicks in 1994). |
| 2005[79] | San Antonio Spurs | Detroit Pistons | 81–74 | SBC Center, San Antonio | Detroit was attempting to repeat as champions, having defeated the Lakers in the prior season's NBA Finals. |
| 2010[80] | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | 83–79 | Staples Center, Los Angeles | Fifth time that the Celtics and Lakers met in a game 7. Kobe Bryant won his second consecutive Finals MVP award, scoring 10 of his game high 23 points in the fourth quarter, as well as grabbing 15 rebounds to clinch the victory for the Lakers. |
| 2013[81] | Miami Heat | San Antonio Spurs | 95–88 | American Airlines Arena, Miami | Third consecutive NBA Finals for Miami, and their second consecutive championship. Last NBA Finals to use a 2–3–2 format. |
| 2016[82] | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | 93–89 | Oracle Arena, Oakland, California | First away team to win game 7 of the NBA Finals since 1978. The Cavaliers also became the first team in the four major men's professional sports leagues to come back from 3–1 down in a championship round since the 1985 Kansas City Royals and first team ever to do so in the NBA Finals. First major professional sports championship in Cleveland since 1964. |
Ice hockey
Kontinental Hockey League
In the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) playoffs, game seven can occur in all playoff series. The KHL playoffs' final series, the Gagarin Cup Final, has seen five series decided in game seven.[83]
The game sevens where the Gagarin Cup was awarded are:
| Year | Winning team | Losing team | Score | Site | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009[83] | Ak Bars Kazan | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | 1–0 | TatNeft Arena, Kazan | Inaugural season for the Kontinental Hockey League after it was reorganized from the former Russian Superleague. |
| 2009[83] | HC MVD | 0–2 | Balashikha Arena, Balashikha | ||
| 2012[83] | HC Dynamo Moscow | Avangard Omsk | 0–1 | Arena Omsk, Omsk | |
| 2014[83] | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | HC Lev Praha | 7–4 | Arena Metallurg, Magnitogorsk | |
| 2016[84] | HC CSKA Moscow | 1–3 | CSKA Arena, Moscow |
National Hockey League
In the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs, game seven can occur in all playoff series.[85] The Stanley Cup Final became the NHL's de facto championship trophy in 1926, and the league instituted the best-of-seven series starting in the 1938–39 season. No Stanley Cup Final game seven has ever ended with a 1–0 score.
The game sevens where the Stanley Cup was awarded are:
| Year | Winning team | Losing team | Score | Site | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942[86] | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings | 3–1 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario | Toronto came back down 0–3 in the series to win the Cup. |
| 1945[87] | 2–1 | Olympia Stadium, Detroit | Detroit was down 0–3 in the series and rallied to force game seven before losing. | ||
| 1950[88] | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers | 4–3 (2OT) | Longest game seven in a Stanley Cup Final. | |
| 1954[89] | Montreal Canadiens | 2–1 (OT) | Most recent Stanley Cup Final game seven to be decided in overtime. | ||
| 1955[90] | Montreal Canadiens | 3–1 | Red Wings' last Stanley Cup victory until 1997. The home team won all games of the series. | ||
| 1964[91] | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings | 4–0 | Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario | First game seven that ended in a shutout. |
| 1965[92] | Montreal Canadiens | Chicago Black Hawks | 4–0 | Montreal Forum, Montreal | The home team won all games of the series. |
| 1971[93] | 3–2 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois | The home team won all games of the series except for game 7. Chicago led 2–0 in the deciding game at home before allowing three unanswered goals and losing the game. | ||
| 1987[94] | Edmonton Oilers | Philadelphia Flyers | 3–1 | Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, Alberta | Flyers rallied from a 3–1 series deficit to force a decisive game. |
| 1994[95] | New York Rangers | Vancouver Canucks | 3–2 | Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York City | Canucks represented Canada's last Stanley Cup Final appearance until 2004 Calgary Flames. Rangers first Stanley Cup since 1940. |
| 2001[96] | Colorado Avalanche | New Jersey Devils | 3–1 | Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado | Long-time Boston Bruins captain Ray Bourque won the Stanley Cup in the last of his 22 seasons in the NHL. |
| 2003[97] | New Jersey Devils | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 3–0 | Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey | The home team won all games of the series. This was Ken Daneyko's final playing season with New Jersey, as he retired after the Devils' Cup win. |
| 2004[98] | Tampa Bay Lightning | Calgary Flames | 2–1 | St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida | Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk won his Stanley Cup after 22 seasons. |
| 2006[99] | Carolina Hurricanes | Edmonton Oilers | 3–1 | RBC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina | First Stanley Cup Final featuring two former World Hockey Association teams. The Hurricanes became the first Stanley Cup champion to miss the playoffs in the previous season and the following season. Most recent game 7 to be won by the home team. This was Rod Brind'Amour's first and only Stanley Cup in his 21-year playing career. |
| 2009[100] | Pittsburgh Penguins | Detroit Red Wings | 2–1 | Joe Louis Arena, Detroit | The home team won all games of the series, except for game 7. First time the away team won game seven of a championship round, in any major professional sport, since the 1979 World Series. |
| 2011[101] | Boston Bruins | Vancouver Canucks | 4–0 | Rogers Arena, Vancouver | The home team won all games of the series, except for game 7. Not only does Boston became the first city to win all four major sports championships in the 21st century, but also Vancouver failed to become the third city to win the Stanley Cup after hosting the Olympic Games the previous year. |
| 2019[102] | St. Louis Blues | Boston Bruins | 4–1 | TD Garden, Boston | St. Louis becomes the last of the five surviving teams from the 1967 NHL expansion to win the Stanley Cup. Jordan Binnington becomes the first rookie goaltender to register 16 postseason wins in NHL history. The road team won five of the seven games of the series, except for games 1 and 4. This is also the first championship for a team based in St. Louis since 2011. |
Comebacks (Reverse Sweep)
Successful
In only eight instances (five in the MLB and NHL) has a team been able to come back from being down 0–3 to win a series:
Mike Richards and Jeff Carter are the only players to have been a part of two comebacks from being down 0–3, having played for both the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2014 Los Angeles Kings.
Unsuccessful
In the following nine instances, teams were able to force a seventh game in a series after being down 0–3, but lost the final game:
| Series | Winning team | Losing team | Sports league |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 Stanley Cup Semifinals | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | NHL |
| 1945 Stanley Cup Finals | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings | NHL |
| 1951 NBA Finals | Rochester Royals | New York Knicks | NBA |
| 1975 Stanley Cup Semifinals | Philadelphia Flyers | New York Islanders | NHL |
| 1994 NBA Western Conference Semifinals | Utah Jazz | Denver Nuggets | NBA |
| 2003 NBA Western Conference First Round | Dallas Mavericks | Portland Trail Blazers | NBA |
| 2011 Stanley Cup Western Conference Quarterfinals | Vancouver Canucks | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL |
| 2011 Stanley Cup Western Conference Semifinals | San Jose Sharks | Detroit Red Wings | NHL |
| 2015 Kelly Cup Eastern Conference Finals | South Carolina Stingrays | Toledo Walleye | ECHL (ice hockey) |
The New York Islanders are the only team to have twice fallen behind 0–3 and then forced a game seven in the same postseason; in the 1975 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals (which they won) and then the 1975 Stanley Cup Semifinals (which they lost).
Major sports leagues
The 2004 Boston Red Sox, seen here at the White House, are the only MLB team to have forced (and won) a game seven after being down 0–3.[103]
This table summarizes the above results for the three major sports leagues in North America that play seven game series:
| Sports league | Game 7 forced after down 0–3 |
Wins | Losses | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBA | 3 | 0 | 3 | Has occurred once in the NBA Finals (0–1) |
| NHL | 9 | 4 | 5 | Has occurred twice in the Stanley Cup Finals (1–1) |
| MLB | 1 | 1 | 0 | Has never occurred in the World Series |
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