National Hockey League season Sports season 1987–88 NHL season League| National Hockey League Sport| Ice hockey Duration| October 8, 1987 – May 26, 1988 Number of games| 80 Number of teams| 21 TV partner(s)| CBC, Canwest/Global, TSN, SRC (Canada) ESPN (United States) Draft Top draft pick| Pierre Turgeon Picked by| Buffalo Sabres Regular season Presidents' Trophy| Calgary Flames Season MVP| Mario Lemieux (Penguins) Top scorer| Mario Lemieux (Penguins) Playoffs Playoffs MVP| Wayne Gretzky (Oilers) Stanley Cup Champions| Edmonton Oilers Runners-up| Boston Bruins NHL seasons ← 1986–87 1988–89 → The 1987–88 NHL season was the 71st season of the National Hockey League. It was an 80-game season with the top four teams in each division advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This season would see the Edmonton Oilers win their fourth Stanley Cup in five years by sweeping the Boston Bruins 4–0[1] in the Stanley Cup Final. In the process of their Cup win, Edmonton lost only two games, a record for the "16 wins" playoff format. ## Contents * 1 League business * 2 Regular season * 2.1 Final standings * 2.1.1 Prince of Wales Conference * 2.1.2 Clarence Campbell Conference * 3 Playoffs * 3.1 Playoff bracket * 3.2 Stanley Cup Finals * 4 Awards * 4.1 All-Star teams * 5 Player statistics * 5.1 Scoring leaders * 5.2 Leading goaltenders * 6 Coaches * 6.1 Patrick Division * 6.2 Adams Division * 6.3 Norris Division * 6.4 Smythe Division * 7 Milestones * 7.1 Debuts * 7.2 Last games * 7.3 Firsts * 8 Trading deadline * 9 See also * 10 References * 11 External links ## League business[edit] The NHL introduced a new trophy, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which was to be awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution in his community. ## Regular season[edit] This was Wayne Gretzky's final season with the Edmonton Oilers and, as injuries held him out of 20% of the season, this would be the only season of the decade in which he was not the winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy and the first season since 1979–80 that he did not hold or share the league lead in points. Mario Lemieux would capture his first Hart Trophy and lead the league in scoring. On December 8, Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers became the first goalie to directly score a goal, shooting the puck into an empty net after their opponent had pulled their goalie for a sixth attacker. On December 19, the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins combined to score two goals in two seconds. The Bruins were trailing 6-4 in the third period when Ken Linseman scored with 10 seconds remaining, followed by Blues center Doug Gilmour scoring off the resulting faceoff into an empty net.[2] The New Jersey Devils qualified for the playoffs for the first time, since their move from Denver in 1982. ### Final standings[edit] #### Prince of Wales Conference[edit] Adams Division | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | | | | | | | Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 45 | 22 | 13 | 298 | 238 | 103 Boston Bruins | 80 | 44 | 30 | 6 | 300 | 251 | 94 Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 37 | 32 | 11 | 283 | 305 | 85 Hartford Whalers | 80 | 35 | 38 | 7 | 249 | 267 | 77 Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 32 | 43 | 5 | 271 | 306 | 69 [3] Patrick Division | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | | | | | | | New York Islanders | 80 | 39 | 31 | 10 | 308 | 267 | 88 Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 38 | 33 | 9 | 292 | 292 | 85 Washington Capitals | 80 | 38 | 33 | 9 | 281 | 249 | 85 New Jersey Devils | 80 | 38 | 36 | 6 | 295 | 296 | 82 New York Rangers | 80 | 36 | 34 | 10 | 300 | 283 | 82 Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 36 | 35 | 9 | 319 | 316 | 81 [3] #### Clarence Campbell Conference[edit] Norris Division | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | | | | | | | Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 41 | 28 | 11 | 322 | 269 | 93 St. Louis Blues | 80 | 34 | 38 | 8 | 278 | 294 | 76 Chicago Blackhawks | 80 | 30 | 41 | 9 | 284 | 328 | 69 Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 21 | 49 | 10 | 273 | 345 | 52 Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 19 | 48 | 13 | 242 | 349 | 51 [3] Smythe Division | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | | | | | | | Calgary Flames | 80 | 48 | 23 | 9 | 397 | 305 | 105 Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 44 | 25 | 11 | 363 | 288 | 99 Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 33 | 36 | 11 | 292 | 310 | 77 Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 30 | 42 | 8 | 318 | 359 | 68 Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 25 | 46 | 9 | 272 | 320 | 59 [3] Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold. ## Playoffs[edit] Main article: 1988 Stanley Cup playoffs ### Playoff bracket[edit] | Division Semifinals | | Division Finals | | Conference Finals | | Stanley Cup Finals | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | A1 | Montreal | 4 | | A4 | Hartford | 2 | | | A1 | Montreal | 1 | | | A2 | Boston | 4 | | A2 | Boston | 4 | A3 | Buffalo | 2 | | | | A2 | Boston | 4 | | Prince of Wales Conference | | P4 | New Jersey | 3 | | P1 | NY Islanders | 2 | | P4 | New Jersey | 4 | | | P4 | New Jersey | 4 | | P2 | Washington | 3 | | P2 | Washington | 4 | P3 | Philadelphia | 3 | | | | A2 | Boston | 0 | | | | S2 | Edmonton | 4 | N1 | Detroit | 4 | | N4 | Toronto | 2 | | | N1 | Detroit | 4 | | N2 | St. Louis | 1 | | N2 | St. Louis | 4 | N3 | Chicago | 1 | | | | N1 | Detroit | 1 | Clarence Campbell Conference | | S2 | Edmonton | 4 | | S1 | Calgary | 4 | | S4 | Los Angeles | 1 | | | S1 | Calgary | 0 | | S2 | Edmonton | 4 | | S2 | Edmonton | 4 | S3 | Winnipeg | 1 | ### Stanley Cup Finals[edit] Main article: 1988 Stanley Cup Finals Game four is well known for fog that interfered with the game, and a power outage that caused the game to be cancelled at 16:37 of the second period with the score tied 3–3. When the Oilers won the replayed game four, they started the tradition in which the champs gather around with the Cup in a team photo. May 18 | Boston Bruins | | 1–2 | | Edmonton Oilers | Northlands Coliseum | | | | | | | | May 20 | Boston Bruins | | 2–4 | | Edmonton Oilers | Northlands Coliseum | | | | | | | | May 22 | Edmonton Oilers | | 6–3 | | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | | | | | | | | May 24 | Edmonton Oilers | | 3–3 | | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | | | | | | | | May 26 | Boston Bruins | | 3–6 | | Edmonton Oilers | Northlands Coliseum | | | | | | | | Edmonton won series 4–0 | | * NHL disregards stats from May 24 incomplete game. ## Awards[edit] 1987-88 NHL awards Award | Recipient(s) | Runner(s)-up/Finalists | | Stanley Cup | Edmonton Oilers | Boston Bruins Presidents' Trophy (Best regular season record) | Calgary Flames | Montreal Canadiens Prince of Wales Trophy (Wales Conference playoff champion) | Boston Bruins | New Jersey Devils Clarence S. Campbell Bowl (Campbell Conference playoff champion) | Edmonton Oilers | Detroit Red Wings Art Ross Trophy (Player with most points) | Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) | Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication) | Bob Bourne (Los Angeles Kings) | N/A Calder Memorial Trophy (Best first-year player) | Joe Nieuwendyk (Calgary Flames) | Joe Nieuwendyk (Calgary Flames) Darren Pang (Chicago Blackhawks) Ray Sheppard (Buffalo Sabres) Conn Smythe Trophy (Most valuable player, playoffs) | Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) | N/A Emery Edge Award (Best plus-minus statistic) | Brad McCrimmon (Calgary Flames) | N/A Frank J. Selke Trophy (Defensive forward) | Guy Carbonneau (Montreal Canadiens) | Guy Carbonneau (Montreal Canadiens) Jan Erixon (New York Rangers) Steve Kasper (Boston Bruins) Hart Memorial Trophy (Most valuable player, regular season) | Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) | Grant Fuhr (Edmonton Oilers) Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) Jack Adams Award (Best coach) | Jacques Demers (Detroit Red Wings) | Terry Crisp (Calgary Flames) Jacques Demers (Detroit Red Wings) Jean Perron (Montreal Canadiens) James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best defenceman) | Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) | Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) Scott Stevens (Washington Capitals) Gary Suter (Calgary Flames) King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Leadership and humanitarian contribution) | Lanny McDonald (Calgary Flames) | Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) Lanny McDonald (Calgary Flames) Bryan Trottier (New York Islanders) Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Sportsmanship and excellence) | Mats Naslund (Montreal Canadiens) | Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) Mats Naslund (Montreal Canadiens) Joe Nieuwendyk (Calgary Flames) Lester B. Pearson Award (Outstanding player) | Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) | N/A Vezina Trophy (Best goaltender) | Grant Fuhr (Edmonton Oilers) | Tom Barrasso (Buffalo Sabres) Grant Fuhr (Edmonton Oilers) Kelly Hrudey (New York Islanders) William M. Jennings Trophy (Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against) | Patrick Roy and Brian Hayward (Montreal Canadiens) | N/A Lester Patrick Trophy (Service to ice hockey in U.S.) | Keith Allen, Fred Cusick, and Bob Johnson | N/A ### All-Star teams[edit] First Team | Position | Second Team | | Grant Fuhr, Edmonton Oilers | G | Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins | D | Gary Suter, Calgary Flames Scott Stevens, Washington Capitals | D | Brad McCrimmon, Calgary Flames Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins | C | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers Hakan Loob, Calgary Flames | RW | Cam Neely, Boston Bruins Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings | LW | Michel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques ## Player statistics[edit] ### Scoring leaders[edit] Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes, PPG = Powerplay Goals, SHG = Shorthanded Goals, GWG = Game Winning Goals Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG | | | | | | | | | | Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins | 77 | 70 | 98 | 168 | 92 | +23 | 22 | 10 | 7 Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers | 64 | 40 | 109 | 149 | 24 | +39 | 9 | 5 | 3 Denis Savard | Chicago Blackhawks | 80 | 44 | 87 | 131 | 95 | +4 | 14 | 7 | 6 Dale Hawerchuk | Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 44 | 77 | 121 | 59 | -9 | 20 | 3 | 4 Luc Robitaille | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 53 | 58 | 111 | 82 | -9 | 17 | 0 | 6 Peter Stastny | Quebec Nordiques | 76 | 46 | 65 | 111 | 69 | +2 | 20 | 0 | 2 Mark Messier | Edmonton Oilers | 77 | 37 | 74 | 111 | 103 | +21 | 12 | 3 | 7 Jimmy Carson | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 55 | 52 | 107 | 45 | -19 | 22 | 0 | 7 Hakan Loob | Calgary Flames | 80 | 50 | 56 | 106 | 47 | +41 | 9 | 8 | 4 Michel Goulet | Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 48 | 58 | 106 | 56 | -31 | 29 | 1 | 4 Source: NHL.[4] ### Leading goaltenders[edit] GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage Goalie | Team | GP | Min | W | L | T | SO | GAA | Sv% | | | | | | | | | Grant Fuhr | Edmonton Oilers | 75 | 4304 | 40 | 24 | 9 | 4 | 3.43 | 88.1 Mike Vernon | Calgary Flames | 64 | 3565 | 39 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 3.53 | 87.7 Ron Hextall | Philadelphia Flyers | 62 | 3561 | 30 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 3.5 | 88.6 Mike Liut | Hartford Whalers | 60 | 3532 | 25 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 3.18 | 88.5 John Vanbiesbrouck | New York Rangers | 56 | 3319 | 27 | 22 | 7 | 2 | 3.38 | 89.0 Daniel Berthiaume | Winnipeg Jets | 56 | 3010 | 22 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 3.51 | 88.2 Ken Wregget | Toronto Maple Leafs | 56 | 3000 | 12 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 4.44 | 87.0 Tom Barrasso | Buffalo Sabres | 54 | 3133 | 25 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 3.31 | 89.6 Mario Gosselin | Quebec Nordiques | 54 | 3002 | 20 | 28 | 4 | 2 | 3.78 | 86.7 Clint Malarchuk | Washington Capitals | 54 | 2926 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 3.16 | 88.5 Source: Quanthockey.com[5] ## Coaches[edit] ### Patrick Division[edit] * New Jersey Devils: Doug Carpenter and Jim Schoenfeld * New York Islanders: Terry Simpson * New York Rangers: Michel Bergeron * Philadelphia Flyers: Mike Keenan and Paul Holmgren * Pittsburgh Penguins: Pierre Creamer * Washington Capitals: Bryan Murray ### Adams Division[edit] * Boston Bruins: Terry O'Reilly * Buffalo Sabres: Ted Sator * Hartford Whalers: Jack Evans * Montreal Canadiens: Jean Perron * Quebec Nordiques: Andre Savard and Ron Lapointe ### Norris Division[edit] * Chicago Blackhawks: Bob Murdoch * Detroit Red Wings: Jacques Demers * Minnesota North Stars: Herb Brooks * St. Louis Blues: Jacques Martin * Toronto Maple Leafs: John Brophy ### Smythe Division[edit] * Calgary Flames: Terry Crisp * Edmonton Oilers: Glen Sather * Los Angeles Kings: Robbie Ftorek * Vancouver Canucks: Bob McCammon * Winnipeg Jets: Dan Maloney ## Milestones[edit] ### Debuts[edit] The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1987–88: * Tommy Albelin, Quebec Nordiques * Rob Brown, Pittsburgh Penguins * Sean Burke, New Jersey Devils * Adam Graves, Detroit Red Wings * Jiri Hrdina, Calgary Flames * Craig Janney, Boston Bruins * Calle Johansson, Buffalo Sabres * Brian Leetch, New York Rangers * Jeff Norton, New York Islanders * Luke Richardson, Toronto Maple Leafs * Mathieu Schneider, Montreal Canadiens * Brendan Shanahan, New Jersey Devils * Ray Sheppard, Buffalo Sabres * Kevin Stevens, Pittsburgh Penguins * Ron Tugnutt, Quebec Nordiques * Pierre Turgeon, Buffalo Sabres * Glen Wesley, Boston Bruins * Trent Yawney, Chicago Blackhawks * Scott Young, Hartford Whalers * Zarley Zalapski, Pittsburgh Penguins ### Last games[edit] The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1987–88: * Bob Bourne, Los Angeles Kings * Richard Brodeur, Hartford Whalers * Clark Gillies, Buffalo Sabres * Doug Jarvis, Hartford Whalers * Pierre Larouche, New York Rangers * Dave Lewis, Detroit Red Wings * Gilles Meloche, Pittsburgh Penguins * Rick Middleton, Boston Bruins * Wilf Paiement, Pittsburgh Penguins (The last active player to have been a member of the Kansas City Scouts.) * Steve Payne, Minnesota North Stars * Denis Potvin, New York Islanders * Dave Semenko, Toronto Maple Leafs * Charlie Simmer, Pittsburgh Penguins * Brian Sutter, St. Louis Blues * Perry Turnbull, St. Louis Blues * Tiger Williams, Hartford Whalers ### Firsts[edit] * Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers, First goaltender in NHL history to shoot and score a goal. ## Trading deadline[edit] * Trading Deadline: March 8, 1988[6] * March 8, 1988: Charlie Bourgeois and Hartford's third round choice in 1989 Entry Draft traded from St. Louis to Hartford for Hartford's second round choice in 1989 Entry Draft. * March 8, 1988: Geoff Courtnall, Bill Ranford and future considerations traded from Boston to Edmonton for Andy Moog. * March 8, 1988: Brian Curran traded from NY Islanders to Toronto for Toronto's sixth round choice in 1988 Entry Draft. * March 8, 1988: Moe Lemay traded from Edmonton to Boston for Alan May. * March 8, 1988: Jim Pavese traded from NY Rangers to Detroit for future considerations. * March 8, 1988: Gordie Roberts traded from Philadelphia to St. Louis for future considerations. * March 8, 1988: Steve Tsujuira traded from New Jersey to Boston for Boston's 10th round choice in 1988 Entry Draft (Alexander Semak). * March 8, 1988: Steve Weeks traded from Hartford to Vancouver for Richard Brodeur. ## See also[edit] * List of Stanley Cup champions * 1987 NHL Entry Draft * 1987 NHL Supplemental Draft * 39th National Hockey League All-Star Game * National Hockey League All-Star Game * NHL All-Rookie Team * Ice hockey at the 1988 Winter Olympics * 1987 Canada Cup * 1987 in sports * 1988 in sports ## References[edit] * Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, NY: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X. * Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5. * Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9. * Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1. Notes 1. ^ The original fourth game was cancelled (score was tied) while in progress, due to a rink electrical outage. The original fourth game stats weren't counted. The fourth game was rescheduled and replayed. 2. ^ "Etched in Stone: The Top 20 Most Unbreakable Records in NHL History". Bleacherreport.com. Retrieved June 4, 2012. 3. ^ a b c d Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153\. ISBN 9781894801225. 4. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 153. 5. ^ NHL Goaltender Leaders During 1987-88 Season | QuantHockey.com 6. ^ NHL trade deadline: Deals since 1980 | Habs Inside/Out Archived February 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine ## External links[edit] * Hockey Database * NHL.com * SI Flashback to '88 Finals * v * t * e NHL seasons 1910s| | | | | | | | | 1917–18 | 1918–19 | 1919–20 | | | | | | | | | 1920s| | 1920–21 | 1921–22 | 1922–23 | 1923–24 | 1924–25 | 1925–26 | 1926–27 | 1927–28 | 1928–29 | 1929–30 | | | | | | | | | 1930s| | 1930–31 | 1931–32 | 1932–33 | 1933–34 | 1934–35 | 1935–36 | 1936–37 | 1937–38 | 1938–39 | 1939–40 | | | | | | | | | 1940s| | 1940–41 | 1941–42 | 1942–43 | 1943–44 | 1944–45 | 1945–46 | 1946–47 | 1947–48 | 1948–49 | 1949–50 | | | | | | | | | 1950s| | 1950–51 | 1951–52 | 1952–53 | 1953–54 | 1954–55 | 1955–56 | 1956–57 | 1957–58 | 1958–59 | 1959–60 | | | | | | | | | 1960s| | 1960–61 | 1961–62 | 1962–63 | 1963–64 | 1964–65 | 1965–66 | 1966–67 | 1967–68 | 1968–69 | 1969–70 | | | | | | | | | 1970s| | 1970–71 | 1971–72 | 1972–73 | 1973–74 | 1974–75 | 1975–76 | 1976–77 | 1977–78 | 1978–79 | 1979–80 | | | | | | | | | 1980s| | 1980–81 | 1981–82 | 1982–83 | 1983–84 | 1984–85 | 1985–86 | 1986–87 | 1987–88 | 1988–89 | 1989–90 | | | | | | | | | 1990s| | 1990–91 | 1991–92 | 1992–93 | 1993–94 | 1994–95 | 1995–96 | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–00 | | | | | | | | | 2000s| | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | ~~2004–05~~ | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | | | | | | | | | 2010s| | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | | | | | | | | | 2020s| | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The 2004–05 season was cancelled due to a lockout. * v * t * e 1987–88 NHL season 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 * Vancouver * Winnipeg See also| * Entry Draft * Supplemental Draft * All-Star Game * Stanley Cup playoffs * Stanley Cup Finals *[v]: View this template *[t]: Discuss this template *[e]: Edit this template