Stanley Cup Game 7: Reflecting on Oilers, NHL history with the biggest game of the year

The 2024 Stanley Cup Finals is the 18th time teams will take to the ice in a Game 7 for the Stanley Cup.

Since the end of Game 3, when the Florida Panthers took a 3-0 series lead, Oilers fans have been hearing a lot about the first series that featured a Game 7 for Lord Stanley’s Cup — the 1942 Maple Leafs winning over the Detroit Red Wings.

Back in ’42, the Leafs completed a reverse sweep — something Edmonton is looking to do Monday night in Sunrise Florida, and make history by becoming the second team to ever do so in the Finals.

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Oilers Game 7 cup history

Edmonton has been to a Game 7 in a Stanley Cup Final once before — 36 years ago, when the Oilers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers on May 31, 1987.

Back in ’87 the Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky, opened the series against the Flyers with a 4-2 win and a 3-2 overtime time win at the Northlands Coliseum.

The Flyers took Game 3 after battling from behind and winning 5-3 to bring the series back within one. However, the Oilers responded in Game 4, with three assists from Gretzky, helping the Oilers win 4-1.

The Oilers then fell short of capturing the cup in Games 5 and 6. The Flyers took Game 5 by a score of 4-3 in Edmonton, before taking Game 6 in what would eventually be known as “The Night the Spectrum Shook” after J.J. Daigneault scored late in the third period to give the Flyers a 3-2 lead. Philly held that lead and forced Game 7.

In Game 7, the Flyers opened the scoring on a 5-on-3 powerplay just under two minutes into the game. Six minutes later, Messier finished a 3-on-1 chance with a backhander past Ron Hextall to level the game.

The Oilers took the lead with five minutes left in the second period off the stick of Jari Kurri after he got a pass from Gretzky. Kurri’s goal would eventually be the game-winner, as the Oilers added a third in the third and claimed their third Stanley Cup in four years.

Philly netminder, Ron Hextall was awarded the Conn Smyth Trophy, despite the Flyers losing the series. Hextall became the fourth player from a losing team to ever win the playoff MVP award, but he wasn’t the last. Since, it was given to Red Wings netminder Roger Crozier in 1966, Blue goalie Glenn Hall in 1968, Flyers winger Reggie Leach in 1976, and Mighty Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003.

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The Oilers haven’t just had success in a Stanley Cup Finals Game 7.

Edmonton has been to one more Stanley Cup Final Game 7 in their history, back in 2006.

In a similar fashion to 1987, the better seed, in this case, Carolina, opened the series with a pair of home wins. The Hurricanes took Game 1 by a score of 5-4, before keeping the Oilers off the scoreboard in Game 2, and winning 5-0.

In Game 3, the Oilers managed to bring the series back within a game by winning 2-1 at Rexall Place. The Hurricanes, however, answered back by taking Game 4, by the same score.

Back in Carolina for Game 5, both teams were level 3-3, after 60 minutes. During the overtime, Oilers’ Steve Staios took a tripping penalty. While short-handed, Fernando Pisani intercepted a pass, skated down the ice and fired the puck top right corner past Cam Ward’s glove. The goal gave the Oilers the win, and became the first ever short-handed overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Dragging the Hurricanes back to Alberta for Game 6, the Oilers put on a lights-out performance and limited the Hurricanes to 16 shots, while taking the game 4-0. The win marked Jussi Markkanen’s first career playoff shutout.

It also marked the last time the Oilers would play a playoff game at Rexall Place.

Game 7 took place in RBC Center in Raleigh. The Hurricanes jumped to an early lead thanks to Aaron Ward, who managed to score 1:26 into the first. František Kaberle added a second for the Canes in the second, scoring what became the game-winner.

The Oilers didn’t score until 1:03 into the third, when Fernando Pisani but Carolina’s lead in half. Unfortunately for the Oilers, that would be the only goal they would get in the game. Carolina went on to add an empty netter and take the game 3-1.

Hurricanes rookie goaltender, Cam Ward, was awarded the Conn Smyth Trophy. This was the first time since Patrick Roy in 1986 that a goaltender won the playoff MVP award, and the first time since Ron Hextall in 1987 that a rookie goaltender was given the award.

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Notable stats

17 games have gone to a Stanley Cup Final. These were the final scores:

• 2019 — St. Louis Blues 4-1 Boston Bruins
• 2011 — Boston Bruins 4-0 Vancouver Canucks
• 2009 — Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 Detroit Red Wings
• 2006 — Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 Edmonton Oilers
• 2004 — Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 Calgary Flames
• 2003 — New Jersey Devils 3-0 Anaheim Mighty Ducks
• 2001 — Colorado Avalanche 3-1 New Jersey Devils
• 1994 — New York Rangers 3-2 Vancouver Canucks
• 1987 — Edmonton Oilers 3-1 Philadelphia Flyers
• 1971 — Montreal Canadiens 3-2 Chicago Blackhawks
• 1965 — Montreal Canadiens 4-0 Chicago Blackhawks
• 1964 — Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 Detroit Red Wings
• 1955 — Detroit Red Wings 3-1 Montreal Canadiens
• 1954 — Detroit Red Wings 2-1 Montreal Canadiens (Overtime)
• 1940 — Detroit Red Wings 4-3 New York Rangers (Double Overtime)
• 1945 — Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 Detroit Red Wings
• 1942 — Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 Detroit Red Wings

The 1987 Stanley Cup, was the last time a Stanley Cup Game 7 had a lead change or a game-tying goal.

Only two Stanley Cup Final Game 7s have gone to overtime, the last was in 1954 by the Detroit Red Wings.

Only once has a reverse sweep been accomplished in the Cup Finals, that was in 1942 by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Best of the best in 1987 and 2006

Looking back at big moments around the world during both times the Oilers were in a Game 7 Cup Final.

Popular movies:

• 1987
  • Beverly Hills Cop III
  • Dirty Dancing
  • Dragnet
  • Fatal Attraction
  • Full Metal Jacket
  • La Bamba
  • Lethal Weapon
  • A Nightmare on Elm Street
• 2006
  • The Departed
  • 300
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
  • V for Vedetta
  • Casino Royale

Popular songs:

• 1987
  • Open Your Heart — Madonna
  • Livin’ on a Prayer — Bon Jovi
  • With or Without You — U2
  • Lean on Me — Club Nouveau
• 2006
  • Bad Day — Daniel Powter
  • Temperature — Sean Paul
  • Promiscuous — Nelly Furtado feat. Timberland
  • Hips Don’t Lie — Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean
  • Sexyback — Justin Timberlake
  • You’re Beautiful — James Blunt

Academy Awards:

• 1987
  • Best Picture — The Last Emperor
  • Best Director — Bernardo Bertolucci for The Last Emperor
  • Best Actor — Michael Douglas in Wall Street
  • Best Actress — Cher in Moonstruck
• 2006
  • Best Picture — Crash
  • Best Director — Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain
  • Best Actor — Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Capote
  • Best Actress — Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line

Other Sports:

• 1987
  • NFL — NY Giants 39-20 Denver Broncos
  • MLB — Minnesota Twins over the St. Louis Cardinals in 7 games
  • NBA — Los Angeles Lakers over the Boston Celtics in 6 games
  • CFL — Edmonton Eskimos 38-36 Toronto Argonauts
• 2006
  • NFL — Pittsburgh Steelers 21-10 Seattle Seahawks
  • MLB — St. Louis Cardinals over the Detroit Tigers in 6 games
  • NBA — Miami Heat over the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games
  • CFL — BC Lions 25-14 Montreal Alouettes