The night the lights went out in Massachusetts was the name for the fourth game of the 1988 Stanley Cup Final.
The game started out with Glenn Anderson scoring 10 seconds into the game which set a record at the time for the fastest goal from the start of a Stanley Cup Final game.
Fog ultimately interfered with the game, and a power failure caused its cancellation midway through the second period with the score tied 3–3.[1] Despite the game being suspended and replayed, Anderson's record is official.
Game four was subsequently rescheduled and moved to Edmonton, which was originally set to be the site of a game five if necessary. The Oilers won that game, sweeping the series and winning their fourth Stanley Cup in five years. Had the Bruins extended the series to the full seven games, game five would have been played on the original date for game six in Boston, Edmonton would have hosted the rescheduled game six, and then game seven would have been played in Boston as the makeup game.[2]
This event would lead to the city of Boston and the two primary tenants (Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics) to work on a plan to replace the aging and obsolete Boston Garden. The announcement would be made in 1992 that a new arena now known as the TD Garden would be built "slightly north" (9 inches) away from the location of the previous arena.
References[]
- ↑ Weekes, Don (2003). The Best and Worst of Hockey's Firsts: The Unofficial Guide. Canada: Greystone Books, 240. ISBN 9781550548600.
- ↑ Crowe, Jerry. "Oilers, Bruins Play Game 4 in a Fog, End in the Dark", May 25, 1988.