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1983–84 NHL season

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The 1983–84 NHL season was the 67th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers de-throned the four-time defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders four games to one in the Cup finals.

1983–84 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 4, 1983 – May 19, 1984
Number of games80
Number of teams21
TV partner(s)CBC, SRC (Canada)
USA (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickBrian Lawton
Picked byMinnesota North Stars
Regular season
Season championsEdmonton Oilers
Season MVPWayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Top scorerWayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPMark Messier (Oilers)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsEdmonton Oilers
  Runners-upNew York Islanders
NHL seasons

League business

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Ownership changes

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Arthur M. Wirtz, long-time chairman and part-owner of the Chicago Black Hawks, died at the age of 82 on July 21, 1983.[1] His son, Bill, took over ownership of the team.

St. Louis Blues owner Ralston Purina announced that it would sell the team to a group led by World Hockey Association (WHA) and Edmonton Oilers founder Bill Hunter, with the intent on relocating the Blues to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.[2] However, the NHL Board of Governors rejected the deal by a 15–3 vote on May 18,[3] feeling that Saskatoon was not big enough to support an NHL team, and also wary of Hunter's involvement based on his roles in the WHA.[4][5] Ralston then filed an anti-trust lawsuit in U.S. District Court, claiming that the NHL broke federal antitrust laws and breached the duty of good faith and fair dealing by voting to reject the sale and transfer of the Blues to Hunter's group. They also requested that the court allow them to give up the team and bar the NHL from interfering with the sale of the team. On June 3, Ralston announced that it had no interest in running the team anymore. Because they were not required to participate in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, they did not send a representative, which led the Blues to forfeit their picks. The day after the draft, the NHL filed a counter-suit against Ralston, accusing Ralston of "damaging the league by willfully, wantonly and maliciously collapsing its St. Louis Blues hockey operation." The NHL also said that Ralston broke a league rule that an owner had to give two years' notice before dissolving a franchise.[6] Ralston called the counter-suit "ridiculous" and gave the NHL an ultimatum: if the NHL would not accept Hunter's offer by June 14, Ralston would dissolve the team and sell its players and assets to other teams.[7] The Board of Governors rejected the offer and "terminated" the team on June 13, one day before Ralston's supposed deadline. It then took control of the franchise and began searching for a new owner. On July 27, Harry Ornest purchased the Blues for US$3 million.[8]

Entry draft

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The 1983 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 8, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The St. Louis Blues did not participate in this draft due to the aforementioned dispute between the league and team owner Ralston Purina. Brian Lawton became the first American to be chosen first overall, by the Minnesota North Stars. Three Americans were chosen in the top five: Lawton, Pat Lafontaine (third) and Tom Barrasso (fifth). Sylvain Turgeon was chosen second and Steve Yzerman was chosen fourth overall.

Rule changes

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Not since World War II travel restrictions caused the NHL to drop regular season overtime games in 1942–43 had the NHL used overtime to decide regular season games. Starting this season, the NHL introduced a five-minute extra period of overtime following the third period in the event of a tied game. A team losing in overtime would get no points. This rule remained in effect until the 1999–2000 season, where a team losing in overtime was awarded 1 point. If the game remained tied after the five-minute extra period, it remained a tie with each team getting 1 point, until the NHL shootout arrived in the 2005–06 season. Overtime in the Stanley Cup playoffs remained unchanged.[9]

Arena changes

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Regular season

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The Edmonton Oilers ran away with the best record in the league, and for the third straight year set a new record for most goals in a season, 446. The Oilers' new captain, Wayne Gretzky, was once again breaking records and rewriting his name into the record book. This season saw Gretzky score at least one point in the first 51 games of the season. During those 51 games, Gretzky had 61 goals and 92 assists for 153 points, which is equivalent to exactly three points per game. He also won his fifth straight Hart Trophy and his fourth straight Art Ross Trophy. The season's second leading scorer was Gretzky's teammate Paul Coffey, who, with 126 points, became the third defenceman to score 100 points in a season.

The Calgary Flames played their inaugural season at the Olympic Saddledome.

Prior to the season, the St. Louis Blues were purchased by Harry Ornest, keeping the team from folding after a proposed move to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was rejected by the NHL Board of Governors. The Blues remain in Missouri as of 2024. In addition, the team's home venue, the Checkerdome, reverted to its original name, the Arena, after six seasons.

Final standings

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Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes

Prince of Wales Conference

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Adams Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Boston Bruins 80 49 25 6 336 261 104
Buffalo Sabres 80 48 25 7 315 257 103
Quebec Nordiques 80 42 28 10 360 278 94
Montreal Canadiens 80 35 40 5 286 295 75
Hartford Whalers 80 28 42 10 288 320 66

[10]

Patrick Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
New York Islanders 80 50 26 4 357 269 104
Washington Capitals 80 48 27 5 308 226 101
Philadelphia Flyers 80 44 26 10 350 290 98
New York Rangers 80 42 29 9 314 304 93
New Jersey Devils 80 17 56 7 231 350 41
Pittsburgh Penguins 80 16 58 6 254 390 38

[11]

Clarence Campbell Conference

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Norris Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Minnesota North Stars 80 39 31 10 345 344 88
St. Louis Blues 80 32 41 7 293 316 71
Detroit Red Wings 80 31 42 7 298 323 69
Chicago Black Hawks 80 30 42 8 277 311 68
Toronto Maple Leafs 80 26 45 9 303 387 61

[12]

Smythe Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Edmonton Oilers 80 57 18 5 446 314 119
Calgary Flames 80 34 32 14 311 314 82
Vancouver Canucks 80 32 39 9 306 328 73
Winnipeg Jets 80 31 38 11 340 374 73
Los Angeles Kings 80 23 44 13 309 376 59

[13]

Playoffs

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Main article: 1984 Stanley Cup playoffs

Bracket

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The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. In the division semifinals, the fourth seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's semifinals then met in the division finals. The two division winners of each conference then played in the conference finals. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

In the division semifinals, teams competed in a best-of-five series. In the other three rounds, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each series).

Division semifinals Division finals Conference finals Stanley Cup Finals
            
A1 Boston 0
A4 Montreal 3
A4 Montreal 4
A3 Quebec 2
A2 Buffalo 0
A3 Quebec 3
A4 Montreal 2
Prince of Wales Conference
P1 NY Islanders 4
P1 NY Islanders 3
P4 NY Rangers 2
P1 NY Islanders 4
P2 Washington 1
P2 Washington 3
P3 Philadelphia 0
P1 NY Islanders 1
S1 Edmonton 4
N1 Minnesota 3
N4 Chicago 2
N1 Minnesota 4
N2 St. Louis 3
N2 St. Louis 3
N3 Detroit 1
N1 Minnesota 0
Clarence Campbell Conference
S1 Edmonton 4
S1 Edmonton 3
S4 Winnipeg 0
S1 Edmonton 4
S2 Calgary 3
S2 Calgary 3
S3 Vancouver 1

Awards

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1983–84 NHL awards
Award Recipient(s) Runners-up/finalists
Stanley Cup Edmonton Oilers New York Islanders
Prince of Wales Trophy
(Wales Conference playoff champion)		 New York Islanders Montreal Canadiens
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
(Campbell Conference playoff champion)		 Edmonton Oilers Minnesota North Stars
Art Ross Trophy
(Player with most points)		 Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) Paul Coffey (Edmonton Oilers)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)		 Brad Park (Detroit Red Wings) N/A
Calder Memorial Trophy
(Best first-year player)		 Tom Barrasso (Buffalo Sabres) Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings)
Conn Smythe Trophy
(Most valuable player, playoffs)		 Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers) N/A
Emery Edge Award
(Best plus-minus statistic)		 Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) Bryan Trottier (New York Islanders)
Frank J. Selke Trophy
(Defensive forward)		 Doug Jarvis (Washington Capitals) Bryan Trottier (New York Islanders)
Hart Memorial Trophy
(Most valuable player, regular season)		 Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) Rod Langway (Washington Capitals)
Jack Adams Award
(Best coach)		 Bryan Murray (Washington Capitals) Scotty Bowman (Buffalo Sabres)
James Norris Memorial Trophy
(Best defenceman)		 Rod Langway (Washington Capitals) Paul Coffey (Edmonton Oilers)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
(Sportsmanship and excellence)		 Mike Bossy (New York Islanders) Rick Middleton (Boston Bruins)
Lester B. Pearson Award
(Outstanding player)		 Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) N/A
Vezina Trophy
(Best goaltender)		 Tom Barrasso (Buffalo Sabres) Rejean Lemelin (Calgary Flames)
William M. Jennings Trophy
(Goaltenders of team with fewest goals against)		 Al Jensen and Pat Riggin (Washington Capitals) Tom Barrasso and Bob Sauve (Buffalo Sabres)

All-Star teams

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First Team   Position   Second Team
Tom Barrasso, Buffalo Sabres G Pat Riggin, Washington Capitals
Rod Langway, Washington Capitals D Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins D Denis Potvin, New York Islanders
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers C Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders
Mike Bossy, New York Islanders RW Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers
Michel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques LW Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers

Source: NHL.[14]

Player statistics

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Scoring leaders

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Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 74 87 118 205 39
Paul Coffey Edmonton Oilers 80 40 86 126 104
Michel Goulet Quebec Nordiques 75 56 65 121 76
Peter Stastny Quebec Nordiques 80 46 73 119 73
Mike Bossy New York Islanders 67 51 67 118 8
Barry Pederson Boston Bruins 80 39 77 116 64
Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers 64 52 61 113 14
Bryan Trottier New York Islanders 68 40 71 111 59
Bernie Federko St. Louis Blues 79 41 66 107 43
Rick Middleton Boston Bruins 80 47 58 105 14

Source: NHL.[15]

Leading goaltenders

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Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage

Player Team GP MIN GA GAA W L T SO SV%
Pat Riggin Washington Capitals 41 2299 102 2.66 21 14 2 4 .890
Tom Barrasso Buffalo Sabres 42 2475 117 2.84 26 12 3 2 .893
Al Jensen Washington Capitals 43 2414 117 2.91 25 13 3 4 .882
Doug Keans Boston Bruins 33 1779 92 3.10 19 8 3 2 .883
Bob Froese Philadelphia Flyers 48 2863 150 3.14 28 13 7 2 .887
Pete Peeters Boston Bruins 50 2868 151 3.16 29 16 2 0 .876
Dan Bouchard Quebec Nordiques 57 3373 180 3.20 29 18 8 1 .882
Roland Melanson N.Y. Islanders 37 2019 110 3.27 20 11 2 0 .903
Richard Sevigny Montreal Canadiens 40 2203 124 3.38 16 18 2 1 .869
Murray Bannerman Chicago Black Hawks 56 3335 188 3.38 23 29 4 2 .887

[16]

Coaches

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Patrick Division

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Adams Division

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Norris Division

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Smythe Division

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Milestones

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Debuts

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The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1983–84 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

Last games

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The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1983–84 (listed with their last team):

Broadcasting

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Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. This was the last season that the Molson-sponsored HNIC had sole Canadian national broadcast rights. During the next season, rival brewery Carling O'Keefe began airing games on CTV.

This was the second season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deal with USA, covering a slate of regular season games and selected playoff games.

See also

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References

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  • Diamond, Dan, ed. (2008). Total Stanley Cup 2008. NHL.
  • 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, Illinois: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
  • McFarlane, Brian (1989). One hundred years of hockey. Toronto: Deneau Publishers. ISBN 0-88879-216-6.
Notes
  1. ^ McFarlane 1989, p. 233.
  2. ^ "Saskatoon Group Purchases Blues". The New York Times. April 21, 1983.
  3. ^ "Blues' Transfer Rejected". The New York Times. May 19, 1983.
  4. ^ Gretz, Adam (July 23, 2018). "PHT Time Machine: When Blues skipped NHL draft". ProHockeyTalk. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  5. ^ Blair, Jeff (October 26, 2014). "How Saskatoon almost landed an NHL team in 1983". Rogers Hometown Hockey. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  6. ^ "Gettysburg Times - Google News Archive Search".
  7. ^ "The Lewiston Daily Sun - Google News Archive Search".
  8. ^ McFarlane 1989, p. 232.
  9. ^ UPI (June 24, 1983). "5-MINUTE OVERTIME IS VOTED BY N.H.L." New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  10. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  11. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  12. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  13. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  14. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 229.
  15. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 152.
  16. ^ "1983-84 NHL Leaders".
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