The 1984-85 NHL season was the 68th season of the National Hockey League. Twenty-one teams each played 80 games. The Edmonton Oilers won their second straight Stanley Cup by beating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to one in the final series.
This was the first year since they began broadcasting that CBC was not the lone network broadcaster in Canada. While Molson continued to present Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday nights, rival brewery Carling O'Keefe began airing Friday night games on CTV. The two networks split the playoffs and finals.
Regular Season[]
The Philadelphia Flyers had the best record in the NHL, a mere four points ahead of second place Edmonton Oilers. Oilers' star Wayne Gretzky once again won the Art Ross Trophy by reaching the 200 plateau for the third time in four years. He also set a new record for assists in a season with 135 and won his sixth straight Hart Trophy. Mario Lemieux made his NHL debut by scoring 100 points and winning the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year.
This season marked the true end for the 1960s in the NHL, as the last 2 players from that era, Butch Goring and Brad Park, retired after the playoffs. Goring was the last active, playing his last playoff game 3 days after Park's last game.
Final Standings[]
Prince of Wales Conference[]
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 41 | 27 | 12 | 309 | 262 | 94 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 41 | 30 | 9 | 323 | 275 | 91 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 38 | 28 | 14 | 290 | 237 | 90 |
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 36 | 34 | 10 | 303 | 287 | 82 |
| Hartford Whalers | 80 | 30 | 41 | 9 | 268 | 318 | 69 |
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 53 | 20 | 7 | 348 | 241 | 113 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 46 | 25 | 9 | 322 | 240 | 101 |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 40 | 34 | 6 | 345 | 312 | 86 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 26 | 44 | 10 | 295 | 345 | 62 |
| New Jersey Devils | 80 | 22 | 48 | 10 | 264 | 346 | 54 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 24 | 51 | 5 | 276 | 385 | 53 |
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Clarence Campbell Conference[]
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 37 | 31 | 12 | 299 | 288 | 86 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 38 | 35 | 7 | 309 | 299 | 83 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 27 | 41 | 12 | 313 | 357 | 66 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 25 | 43 | 12 | 268 | 321 | 62 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 20 | 52 | 8 | 253 | 358 | 48 |
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 49 | 20 | 11 | 401 | 298 | 109 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 43 | 27 | 10 | 358 | 332 | 96 |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 41 | 27 | 12 | 363 | 302 | 94 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 34 | 32 | 14 | 339 | 326 | 82 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 25 | 46 | 9 | 284 | 401 | 59 |
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Scoring Leaders[]
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 73 | 135 | 208 | 52 |
| Jari Kurri | Edmonton Oilers | 73 | 71 | 64 | 135 | 30 |
| Dale Hawerchuk | Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 53 | 77 | 130 | 74 |
| Marcel Dionne | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 46 | 80 | 126 | 46 |
| Paul Coffey | Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 37 | 84 | 121 | 97 |
| Mike Bossy | New York Islanders | 76 | 58 | 59 | 117 | 38 |
| John Ogrodnick | Detroit Red Wings | 79 | 55 | 50 | 105 | 30 |
| Denis Savard | Chicago Black Hawks | 79 | 38 | 67 | 105 | 56 |
| Bernie Federko | St. Louis Blues | 76 | 30 | 73 | 103 | 27 |
| Mike Gartner | Washington Capitals | 80 | 50 | 52 | 102 | 71 |
Leading Goaltenders[]
Note: GP = Games played; W = Won; L = Lost; T = Tied; GA = Goals allowed; GAA = Goals against average; SO = Shutouts
| Player | Team | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Barrasso | Buffalo Sabres | 54 | 25 | 18 | 10 | 144 | 2.66 | 5 |
| Pat Riggin | Washington Capitals | 57 | 28 | 20 | 7 | 168 | 2.98 | 2 |
| Pelle Lindbergh | Philadelphia Flyers | 65 | 40 | 17 | 7 | 194 | 3.02 | 2 |
| Steve Penney | Montreal Canadiens | 54 | 26 | 18 | 8 | 167 | 3.08 | 1 |
| Rick Wamsley | St. Louis Blues | 40 | 23 | 12 | 5 | 126 | 3.26 | 0 |
| Mario Gosselin | Quebec Nordiques | 36 | 19 | 11 | 3 | 111 | 3.30 | 1 |
| Rejean Lemelin | Calgary Flames | 56 | 30 | 12 | 10 | 183 | 3.46 | 1 |
| Pete Peeters | Boston Bruins | 51 | 19 | 26 | 4 | 172 | 3.47 | 1 |
| Dan Bouchard | Quebec Nordiques | 29 | 12 | 13 | 4 | 101 | 3.49 | 0 |
| Kelly Hrudey | New York Islanders | 41 | 19 | 17 | 3 | 141 | 3.62 | 2 |
Stanley Cup Playoffs[]
- Patrick Division Finals
The Philadelphia Flyers ended the New York Islanders' string of five straight seasons in the Stanley Cup Finals by dispatching the club four games to one. Flyers goaltender Pelle Lindbergh registered a pair of shutouts, one in Game 1, and the other in the clinching Game 5, by a 1-0 score.
- Adams Division Finals
The Quebec Nordiques and Montreal Canadiens battled in a seven-game series. Bitter rivals from the province of Quebec, the Nords shocked the Habs in 1982, only to see a fourth-place Montreal club upset Quebec the year before. In the deciding Game 7 at the Montreal Forum, Peter Stastny scored the game and series winning goal, giving Quebec an improbable 3-2 overtime win and berth in the Wales Conference Finals.
- Norris Division Finals
The Chicago Blackhawks simply outscored the Minnesota North Stars in an offensive-minded six-game series that featured 61 total goals.
- Smythe Division Finals
Defending Cup champion Edmonton was too much for the Winnipeg Jets, sweeping them in four straight games and doubling their goal total.
- Wales Conference Finals
Although the Flyers held the best record in the NHL with 53 wins and 113 points, the Adams Division held a better record against the Patrick Division, so the Wales finals began in Quebec City. Philly and Quebec split the first four games, then the Flyers edged the Nordiques, 2-1, in Game 5. Game 6 in Philadelphia was a tour-de-force for the Flyers, outshooting Quebec 36-15, and winning 3-0. Flyers captain Dave Poulin's two-man disadvantage shorthanded goal early in the second period was the deciding factor in the contest. The team returned to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1980. Unfortunately, the win came at a high cost, as both 54-goal forward Tim Kerr and defenseman Brad McCrimmon would be lost for the remainder of the playoffs with injuries.
- Campbell Conference Finals
The Oilers steamrolled the Blackhawks in a six-game series which broke all sorts of records for total offense. Edmonton won the first two games at home by 11-2 and 7-3 scores, only to see Chicago strike back at home with 5-2 and 8-6 victories. However, Edmonton rebounded to blast the Hawks in the final two games, 10-5 and 8-2 to earn their third trip to the Cup Finals in as many years. Edmonton set all-time playoff marks with most goals in one series, most goals in a six-game series, and both clubs set records with most total goals in a semifinal series and most total goals in one six-game series.
- Finals
Edmonton would lose the first game to the Flyers but would then take the next four to win their second straight Stanley Cup.
Playoff Bracket[]
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Conference Finals | Finals | |||||||||||||||
| A1 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Boston Bruins | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Quebec Nordiques | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Quebec Nordiques | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Buffalo Sabres | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Quebec Nordiques | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| P1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| P1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| P4 | New York Rangers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| P1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| P3 | New York Islanders | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| P2 | Washington Capitals | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| P3 | New York Islanders | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| P1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| N1 | St. Louis Blues | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Minnesota North Stars | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| N4 | Minnesota North Stars | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Detroit Red Wings | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Chicago Blackhawks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton Oilers | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Los Angeles Kings | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Winnipeg Jets | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Winnipeg Jets | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| S3 | Calgary Flames | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
Finals[]
| Date | Visitors | Score | Home | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10 | Edmonton | 1 | Philadelphia | 4 |
| May 12 | Edmonton | 3 | Philadelphia | 1 |
| May 15 | Philadelphia | 3 | Edmonton | 4 |
| May 17 | Philadelphia | 3 | Edmonton | 5 |
| May 19 | Philadelphia | 3 | Edmonton | 8 |
Edmonton Oilers win series 4-1.
NHL Awards[]
| Prince of Wales Trophy: | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: | Edmonton Oilers |
| Art Ross Memorial Trophy: | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: | Anders Hedberg, New York Rangers |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: | Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers |
| Frank J. Selke Trophy: | Craig Ramsay, Buffalo Sabres |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers |
| Jack Adams Award: | Mike Keenan, Philadelphia Flyers |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: | Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: | Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers |
| Lester B. Pearson Award: | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers |
| NHL Plus/Minus Award: | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers |
| William M. Jennings Trophy: | Tom Barrasso/Bob Sauve, Buffalo Sabres |
| Vezina Trophy: | Pelle Lindbergh, Philadelphia Flyers |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: | Jack Butterfield, Arthur M. Wirtz |
All-Star Teams[]
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pelle Lindbergh, Philadelphia Flyers | G | Tom Barrasso, Buffalo Sabres |
| Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers | D | Rod Langway, Washington Capitals |
| Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins | D | Doug Wilson, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers | C | Dale Hawerchuk, Winnipeg Jets |
| Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers | RW | Mike Bossy, New York Islanders |
| John Ogrodnick, Detroit Red Wings | LW | John Tonelli, New York Islanders |
Debuts[]
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1984-85 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Joel Otto, Calgary Flames
- Ed Olczyk, Chicago Black Hawks
- Marc Bergevin, Chicago Black Hawks
- Gerard Gallant, Detroit Red Wings
- Esa Tikkanen*, Edmonton Oilers
- Steve Smith, Edmonton Oilers
- Kevin Dineen, Hartford Whalers
- Ray Ferraro, Hartford Whalers
- Sylvain Cote, Hartford Whalers
- Ulf Samuelsson, Hartford Whalers
- Garry Galley, Los Angeles Kings
- Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens
- Petr Svoboda, Montreal Canadiens
- Stephane Richer, Montreal Canadiens
- Greg Adams, New Jersey Devils
- Kirk Muller, New Jersey Devils
- Dave Gagner, New York Rangers
- Grant Ledyard, New York Rangers
- Kelly Miller, New York Rangers
- Tomas Sandstrom, New York Rangers
- Rick Tocchet, Philadelphia Flyers
- Doug Bodger, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Steve Thomas, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Todd Gill, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Petri Skriko, Vancouver Canucks
- Al Iafrate, Washington Capitals
- Kevin Hatcher, Washington Capitals
- Dave Ellett, Winnipeg Jets
Last Games[]
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1984-85 (listed with their last team):
- Terry O'Reilly, Boston Bruins
- Butch Goring, Boston Bruins
- Craig Ramsay, Buffalo Sabres
- Jerry Korab, Buffalo Sabres
- Jim Schoenfeld, Buffalo Sabres
- Real Cloutier, Buffalo Sabres
- Bob MacMillan, Chicago Black Hawks
- Brad Park, Detroit Red Wings
- Colin Campbell, Detroit Red Wings
- Darryl Sittler, Detroit Red Wings
- Ivan Boldirev, Detroit Red Wings
- Steve Shutt, Los Angeles Kings
- Anders Hedberg, New York Rangers
- Robbie Ftorek, New York Rangers
- Rick Kehoe, Pittsburgh Penguins
- John Garrett, Vancouver Canucks
See Also[]
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- 1984 NHL Entry Draft
- 37th National Hockey League All-Star Game
- National Hockey League All-Star Game
- NHL All-Rookie Team
- 1984 Canada Cup
References[]
| 1984–85 NHL season by team | |
|---|---|
| Patrick | New Jersey • NY Islanders • NY Rangers • Philadelphia • Pittsburgh • Washington |
| Adams | Boston • Buffalo • Hartford • Montreal • Quebec |
| Norris | Chicago • Detroit • Minnesota • St. Louis • Toronto |
| Smythe | Calgary • Edmonton • Los Angeles • Winnipeg • Vancouver |
| See also | 1984 NHL Entry Draft • All-Star Game • 1985 Stanley Cup Finals |
| NHL Seasons |
|---|
|
1980-81 | 1981-82 | 1982-83 | 1983-84 | 1984-85 | 1985-86 | 1986-87 | 1987-88 | 1988-89 |
| National Hockey League | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
| Structure | Playoffs (Streaks • Droughts • All-time playoff series) • Conference Finals • Finals |
|---|---|
| Annual events | Seasons • Stanley Cup (Champions • Winning players • Traditions and anecdotes) • Presidents' Trophy • All-Star Game • Draft • Awards • All-Star Teams |
| Players | List of players • Association • Retired jersey numbers • Captains |
| History | Lore • Organizational changes :: • Defunct teams • NHA • Original Six • 1967 Expansion • WHA Merger • Lockouts |
| Others | Outdoor games (Winter Classic • Heritage Classic • Stadium Series) • Potential expansion • Hall of Fame (Members) • Rivalries • Arenas • Rules • Fighting • Violence : International games • Kraft Hockeyville • Collective bargaining agreement • Television and radio coverage |
| Category • 2022–23 Season • 2023–24 Season • 2024–25 Season | |