1985-86 NHL season

The 1985-86 NHL season was the 69th season of the National Hockey League. Twenty-one teams each played 80 games. This season saw the league's Board of Governors introduce the Presidents' Trophy, which would go to the team with the best overall record in the NHL regular season. The Edmonton Oilers would be the first winners of this award.

The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Calgary Flames four games to one in the 1986 Stanley Cup Finals to win the Stanley Cup.

Regular Season

On 13 June, 1985, the NHL board of governors voted 17-4 in favor of amending a penalty rule. Previously, coincidental minor penalties would result in 4-on-4 play. The amendment allowed teams to substitute another player to keep the play 5-on-5. It was seen by many as a shot at trying to slow down the high-flying Edmonton Oilers. Wayne Gretzky was quoted as saying, "I think the NHL is making a big mistake. I think the NHL should be more concerned with butt-ending, spearing, and three-hour hockey games than getting rid of 4-on-4 situations." It wasn't until 1993, with the Oiler dynasty (five cups in seven years) a thing of the past, that the NHL reverted back to the original 4-on-4 rules.

The Edmonton Oilers once again regained control of top spot in the NHL and last year's best team, the Philadelphia Flyers slipped to second. The Flyers continued their dominance of the Wales Conference despite the tragic death of their Vezina-winning goaltender, Pelle Lindbergh, in a car accident on November 11. Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky continued his dominance of the NHL by winning his seventh straight Hart Trophy and his sixth straight Art Ross Trophy. This season saw Gretzky score "only" 52 goals, but he set impossible records of 163 assists and 215 points. This was the fourth time in five years that Gretzky reached the 200 point plateau. Gretzky would never again reach the 200 point mark, but neither would any other player. Mario Lemieux, however, came close with 199 points in 1988-89. Edmonton's defenceman Paul Coffey broke legendary Bobby Orr's record for most goals in a season by a defenceman by scoring 48 times.

Final Standings

Prince of Wales Conference

Adams Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
Quebec Nordiques	80	43	31	6	330	289	92
Montreal Canadiens	80	40	33	7	330	280	87
Boston Bruins	80	37	31	12	311	288	86
Hartford Whalers	80	40	36	4	332	302	84
Buffalo Sabres	80	37	37	6	296	291	80

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.

Patrick Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
Philadelphia Flyers	80	53	23	4	335	241	110
Washington Capitals	80	50	23	7	315	272	107
New York Islanders	80	39	29	12	327	284	90
New York Rangers	80	36	38	6	280	276	78
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	34	38	8	313	305	76
New Jersey Devils	80	28	49	3	300	374	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.

Clarence Campbell Conference

Norris Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Chicago Black Hawks	80	39	33	8	351	349	86
Minnesota North Stars	80	38	33	9	327	305	85
St. Louis Blues	80	37	34	9	302	291	83
Toronto Maple Leafs	80	25	48	7	311	386	57
Detroit Red Wings	80	17	57	6	266	415	40

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.

Smythe Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
Edmonton Oilers	80	56	17	7	426	310	119
Calgary Flames	80	40	31	9	354	315	89
Winnipeg Jets	80	26	47	7	295	372	59
Vancouver Canucks	80	23	44	13	282	333	59
Los Angeles Kings	80	23	49	8	284	389	54

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

Player	Team	GP	G	A	PTS
Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers	80	52	163	215
Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh Penguins	79	48	93	141
Paul Coffey	Edmonton Oilers	79	48	90	138
Jari Kurri	Edmonton Oilers	78	68	63	131
Mike Bossy	New York Islanders	80	61	62	123
Peter Stastny	Quebec Nordiques	76	41	81	122
Denis Savard	Chicago Black Hawks	80	47	69	116
Mats Naslund	Montreal Canadiens	80	43	67	110
Dale Hawerchuk	Winnipeg Jets	80	46	59	105
Neal Broten	Minnesota North Stars	80	29	76	105

Leading Goaltenders

Player	Team	GP	MIN	GA	SO	GAA
Bob Froese	Philadelphia Flyers	51	2728	116	5	2.55
Al Jensen	Washington Capitals	44	2437	129	2	3.18
Clint Malarchuk	Quebec Nordiques	46	2657	142	4	3.21
Kelly Hrudey	New York Islanders	45	2563	137	1	3.21
John Vanbiesbrouck	New York Rangers	61	3326	184	3	3.32
Patrick Roy	Montreal Canadiens	47	2651	148	1	3.35
Pat Riggin	Washington Capitals / Boston Bruins	46	2641	150	1	3.41
Rick Wamsley	St. Louis Blues	42	2517	144	1	3.43
Pete Peeters	Boston Bruins / Washington Capitals	42	2506	144	1	3.45
Don Beaupre	Minnesota North Stars	52	3073	182	1	3.55

Stanley Cup Playoffs

Note: all dates in 1986 The playoffs of 1986 saw three first place teams eliminated in the opening round and the fourth, Edmonton, bowed out in the second.

The Montreal Canadiens decided to go with a rookie goaltender by the name of Patrick Roy. This decision proved to be a good one just like when the Canadiens rode rookie goalie Ken Dryden to a Stanley Cup championship in 1971. In the Final, the Canadiens beat the Calgary Flames, who were also riding a rookie netminder, Mike Vernon. Patrick Roy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP and had a sparkling 1.92 goals against average along with 15 wins.

Adams Division Semi-Finals

Hartford Whalers vs. Quebec Nordiques

This was Hartford's lone playoff series victory in their NHL history prior to moving to Carolina.

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 9	Hartford	3	Quebec	2	(OT)
April 10	Hartford	4	Quebec	1
April 12	Quebec	4	Hartford	9

Hartford wins best-of-five series 3-0

Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 9	Boston	1	Montreal	3
April 10	Boston	2	Montreal	3
April 12	Montreal	4	Boston	3

Montreal wins best-of-five series 3-0

Patrick Division Semi-Finals

New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 9	New York	6	Philadelphia	2
April 10	New York	1	Philadelphia	2
April 12	Philadelphia	2	New York	5
April 13	Philadelphia	7	New York	1
April 15	New York	5	Philadelphia	2

New York Rangers wins best-of-five series 3-2

New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 9	New York	1	Washington	3
April 10	New York	2	Washington	5
April 12	Washington	3	New York	1

Washington wins best-of-five series 3-0

Norris Division Semi-Finals

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Chicago Black Hawks

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 9	Toronto	5	Chicago	3
April 10	Toronto	6	Chicago	4
April 12	Chicago	2	Toronto	7

Toronto wins best-of-five series 3-0

St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota North Stars

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 9	St. Louis	2	Minnesota	1
April 10	St. Louis	2	Minnesota	6
April 12	Minnesota	3	St. Louis	4
April 13	Minnesota	7	St. Louis	4
April 15	St. Louis	6	Minnesota	3

St. Louis wins best-of-five series 3-2

Smythe Division Semi-Finals

Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 9	Vancouver	3	Edmonton	7
April 10	Vancouver	1	Edmonton	5
April 12	Edmonton	5	Vancouver	1

Edmonton wins best-of-five series 3-0

Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 9	Winnipeg	1	Calgary	5
April 10	Winnipeg	4	Calgary	6
April 12	Calgary	4	Winnipeg	3	(OT)

Calgary wins best-of-five series 3-0

Divisional Finals

Hartford Whalers vs. Montreal Canadiens

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 17	Hartford	4	Montreal	1
April 19	Hartford	1	Montreal	3
April 21	Montreal	4	Hartford	1
April 23	Montreal	1	Hartford	2	(OT)
April 25	Hartford	3	Montreal	5
April 27	Montreal	0	Hartford	1
April 29	Hartford	1	Montreal	2	(OT)

Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4-3

New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 17	New York	4	Washington	3	(OT)
April 19	New York	1	Washington	8
April 21	Washington	6	New York	3
April 23	Washington	5	New York	6	(OT)
April 25	New York	4	Washington	2
April 27	Washington	1	New York	2

New York Rangers wins best-of-seven series 4-2

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. St. Louis Blues

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 18	Toronto	1	St. Louis	6
April 20	Toronto	3	St. Louis	0
April 22	St. Louis	2	Toronto	5
April 24	St. Louis	7	Toronto	4
April 26	Toronto	3	St. Louis	4	(OT)
April 28	St. Louis	3	Toronto	5'
April 30	Toronto	1	St. Louis	2

St. Louis wins best-of-seven series 4-3

Calgary Flames vs. Edmonton Oilers

The deciding goal of game seven between the Oilers and Flames was scored five minutes into the third period when Edmonton's Steve Smith attempted a cross-ice pass from the side of his own net and the puck struck goaltender Grant Fuhr's leg and went in the Edmonton goal. This is significant because it eliminated the Oilers from the playoffs and prevented them from possibly winning a third straight Stanley Cup. The series was the Flames' only playoff victory over the Oilers in the Battle of Alberta (Edmonton beat Calgary in 4 other playoff series), but significantly fueled the rivalry between the teams.

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
April 18	Calgary	4	Edmonton	1
April 20	Calgary	5	Edmonton	6	(OT)
April 22	Edmonton	2	Calgary	3
April 24	Edmonton	7	Calgary	4
April 26	Calgary	4	Edmonton	1
April 28	Edmonton	5	Calgary	2
April 30	Calgary	3	Edmonton	2

Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4-3

Conference Finals

New York Rangers vs. Montreal Canadiens

This series is best remembered for the third game, in which the Rangers badly outshot the Habs, but were stymied by Patrick Roy. Another Montreal rookie, Claude Lemieux, scored in overtime, his second overtime goal of the playoffs.

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
May 1	New York	1	Montreal	2
May 3	New York	2	Montreal	6
May 5	Montreal	4	New York	3	(OT)
May 7	Montreal	0	New York	2
May 9	New York	1	Montreal	3

Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4-1

St. Louis Blues vs. Calgary Flames

In Game 6, the Flames led 4-1 after two periods and 5-2 early in the third, but the Blues came back to tie it and then won on an overtime goal by Doug Wickenheiser. In Game 7, the Flames were up 2-0 before the Blues scored in the third to cut the lead in half. There wouldn't be another comeback, though, as Mike Vernon and the Flames withstood a late assault to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final.

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
May 2	St. Louis	3	Calgary	2
May 4	St. Louis	2	Calgary	8
May 6	Calgary	5	St. Louis	3
May 8	Calgary	2	St. Louis	5
May 10	St. Louis	2	Calgary	4
May 12	Calgary	5	St. Louis	6	(OT)
May 14	St. Louis	1	Calgary	2

Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4-3

Finals

Montreal Canadiens vs. Calgary Flames

Date	Away	Score	Home	Score	Notes
May 16	Montreal	2	Calgary	5
May 18	Montreal	3	Calgary	2	(OT)
May 20	Calgary	3	Montreal	5
May 22	Calgary	0	Montreal	1
May 24	Montreal	4	Calgary	3

Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4-1

NHL Awards

Presidents' Trophy:	Edmonton Oilers
Prince of Wales Trophy:	Montreal Canadiens
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:	Calgary Flames
Art Ross Memorial Trophy:	Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:	Charlie Simmer, Boston Bruins
Calder Memorial Trophy:	Gary Suter, Calgary Flames
Conn Smythe Trophy:	Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens
Frank J. Selke Trophy:	Troy Murray, Chicago Black Hawks
Hart Memorial Trophy:	Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Jack Adams Award:	Glen Sather, Edmonton Oilers
James Norris Memorial Trophy:	Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:	Mike Bossy, New York Islanders
Lester B. Pearson Award:	Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Plus/Minus Award:	Mark Howe, Philadelphia Flyers
William M. Jennings Trophy:	Bob Froese/Darren Jensen, Philadelphia Flyers
Vezina Trophy:	John Vanbiesbrouck, New York Rangers
Lester Patrick Trophy:	Jack MacInnes, John P. Riley, Jr.

All-Star Teams

First Team	Position	Second Team
John Vanbiesbrouck, New York Rangers	G	Bob Froese, Philadelphia Flyers
Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers	D	Larry Robinson, Montreal Canadiens
Mark Howe, Philadelphia Flyers	D	Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers	C	Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Mike Bossy, New York Islanders	RW	Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers
Michel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques	LW	Mats Naslund, Montreal Canadiens

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1985-86 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Bill Ranford, Boston Bruins
• Daren Puppa, Buffalo Sabres
• Brian Bradley, Calgary Flames
• Gary Suter, Calgary Flames
• Brett Hull*, Calgary Flames
• Adam Oates, Detroit Red Wings
• Petr Klima, Detroit Red Wings
• Bob Probert, Detroit Red Wings
• Shayne Corson, Montreal Canadiens
• Kirk McLean, New Jersey Devils
• Scott Mellanby, Philadelphia Flyers
• Craig Simpson, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Jeff Brown, Quebec Nordiques
• Cliff Ronning*, St. Louis Blues
• Wendel Clark, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Dave Lowry, Vancouver Canucks
• Jim Sandlak, Vancouver Canucks

Last Games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1985-86 (listed with their last team):

• Tom Lysiak, Chicago Black Hawks
• Mike Rogers, Edmonton Oilers
• Mario Tremblay, Montreal Canadiens
• Bob Nystrom, New York Islanders
• Pelle Lindbergh, Philadelphia Flyers
• Denis Herron, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Don Edwards, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Marian Stastny, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Jiri Bubla, Vancouver Canucks
• Dan Bouchard, Winnipeg Jets

See Also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1985 NHL Entry Draft
• 38th National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• NHL All-Rookie Team

References

• Hockey Database
• NHL.com