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1991–92 NHL season

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The 1991–92 NHL season was the 75th regular season of the National Hockey League. The league expanded to 22 teams with the addition of the expansion San Jose Sharks. A ten-day players' strike was called in April, delaying the final weeks of the regular season and the playoffs, and pushing the Stanley Cup Finals into June for the first time. The Pittsburgh Penguins repeated as Stanley Cup champions, winning the best of seven series four games to none against the Chicago Blackhawks.

1991–92 NHL season
The NHL 75th anniversary logo
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 3, 1991 – June 1, 1992
Number of games80
Number of teams22
TV partner(s)CBC, TSN, SRC (Canada)
SportsChannel America, NBC[a] (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickEric Lindros
Picked byQuebec Nordiques
Regular season
Presidents' TrophyNew York Rangers
Season MVPMark Messier (Rangers)
Top scorerMario Lemieux (Penguins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPMario Lemieux (Penguins)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsPittsburgh Penguins
  Runners-upChicago Blackhawks
NHL seasons

League business

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Expansion

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This was the first season for the San Jose Sharks, the first expansion team in the NHL since 1979. The birth of the Sharks returned NHL hockey to the San Francisco Bay Area after the California Golden Seals had relocated to Cleveland, Ohio in 1976 to become the Cleveland Barons. The Sharks were the result of a compromise between the league and George and Gordon Gund, the owners of the Minnesota North Stars. The two brothers had previously owned the Seals/Barons before the team merged with the North Stars. In 1990, as a result of slipping attendance, the Gunds petitioned the NHL for permission to relocate the North Stars to the San Francisco Bay Area. Instead, the league granted the brothers a new expansion team, and the Gunds sold the North Stars.

The 1991 NHL dispersal and expansion drafts were then held on May 30, 1991. The Sharks first selected 16 players from a pool of North Stars players. Then the Sharks and North Stars took turns selecting ten players each from a pool of players from the other NHL teams.

Entry draft

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The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. Eric Lindros was selected first overall by the Quebec Nordiques. However, Lindros immediately refused to sign a contract with the Nordiques, eventually leading to the one of the biggest trades in NHL history on June 30, 1992, sending him to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Rule changes

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A new rule was added in which the final minute of every period is measured in tenths of a second, unlike whole seconds as in past seasons. This timekeeping procedure had previously been added to IIHF rules in 1990 (although the scoreboard at St. Louis Arena was not capable of measuring the final minute in tenths of a second until the following season).[1]

75th season celebration

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To celebrate the 75th anniversary season for the NHL, all players wore a special anniversary patch on their uniforms during this season.

Taking cues from Major League Baseball's "Turn Back The Clock" uniform program, throwback uniforms were worn by Original Six teams for select games, and throwbacks were also worn for the All-Star Game.

The uniform styles that were worn include:

The throwback uniforms would influence future seasons in the NHL, as several teams adopted throwbacks as alternate jerseys. The National Football League and National Basketball Association would follow the NHL's lead, with teams wearing throwbacks to celebrate their leagues' 75th and 50th anniversaries, respectively.

Also, each team had an honorary celebrity captain to help celebrate the 75th anniversary.

The celebrity captains were:

Arena changes

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The expansion San Jose Sharks moved into the Cow Palace in Daly City, California.

Regular season

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All-Star Game

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The All-Star Game was held at The Spectrum in Philadelphia on 18 January, 1992, the home of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Players strike

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Main article: 1992 NHL strike

On April 1, 1992, the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) called the first strike action in NHL history. Issues between the players and league included how free agency worked, the arbitration process, playoff bonuses and pensions.[2] The issue of how to share trading card revenue was considered to be one of the greatest stumbling blocks the two sides faced.[3] By calling the strike so close to the end of the regular season, the players felt they had the advantage, as the majority of owners profits were realized in the playoffs.[4] Playoff bonuses for players ranged from between US$3,000 for players on teams who lost in the first round, up to $25,000 for players on the Stanley Cup championship team. The owners, meanwhile, stood to earn $500,000 per playoff game played.[5]

The strike ended on April 10 after the two sides reached an agreement, retroactive to the beginning of the season, allowing the final 30 games of the regular season and the playoffs to go on.[6] This pushed the Stanley Cup Finals into June for the first time.

As part of the deal, the following seasons were expanded from 80 to 84 games, and the players received a large increase in playoff bonuses and changes to free agency and arbitration.[7] The two sides agreed to have each team play two games in neutral site locations, partly as a means of gauging interest in future expansion.[8]

The strike fundamentally altered the relationship between the league and its players. As a result, NHL owners replaced John Ziegler as NHL President following the season, naming Gil Stein as interim president. Stein was then replaced in 1993 by Gary Bettman, who became the first Commissioner of the NHL. Working towards labour peace was among the tasks handed to Bettman when the owners hired him.[9] More labour disputes would however occur under Bettman's watch: 1994–95, 2004–05, and 2012–13.

Highlights

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New York Rangers player Brian Leetch became the fifth defenceman, and last until 2023, to score 100 points in a season. He finished the season with 102 points and captured the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's best defenceman. The Rangers ended the season with 105 points, winning the Presidents' Trophy as the top regular-season team in the NHL; it was the first time the Rangers had topped the league since the 1941–42 season.

For the first time, the NHL finished play in the month of June. A primary reason for this was the 10-day NHL strike, the first work stoppage in league history, that started on April 1. The games that were supposed to be played during the strike were not canceled, but rescheduled and made up when play resumed on April 12.

For the first time in his NHL career, Wayne Gretzky failed to finish in the top two in scoring. The Pittsburgh Penguins' Kevin Stevens became only the third person in NHL history to outscore Gretzky in the regular season (Marcel Dionne tied Gretzky in Wayne's rookie year but scored more goals, and Mario Lemieux won the Art Ross Trophy over Gretzky in 1987–88 and 1989–90).

Final standings

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Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals against

Wales Conference

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Adams Division[10]
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Montreal Canadiens 80 41 28 11 267 207 93
Boston Bruins 80 36 32 12 270 275 84
Buffalo Sabres 80 31 37 12 289 299 74
Hartford Whalers 80 26 41 13 247 283 65
Quebec Nordiques 80 20 48 12 255 318 52
Patrick Division[10]
GP W L T GF GA Pts
New York Rangers 80 50 25 5 321 246 105
Washington Capitals 80 45 27 8 330 257 98
Pittsburgh Penguins 80 39 32 9 343 308 87
New Jersey Devils 80 38 31 11 289 259 87
New York Islanders 80 34 35 11 291 299 79
Philadelphia Flyers 80 32 37 11 252 273 75


Campbell Conference

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Norris Division[10]
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Detroit Red Wings 80 43 25 12 320 256 98
Chicago Blackhawks 80 36 29 15 257 236 87
St. Louis Blues 80 36 33 11 279 266 83
Minnesota North Stars 80 32 42 6 246 278 70
Toronto Maple Leafs 80 30 43 7 234 294 67
Smythe Division[10]
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Vancouver Canucks 80 42 26 12 285 250 96
Los Angeles Kings 80 35 31 14 287 250 84
Edmonton Oilers 80 36 34 10 295 297 82
Winnipeg Jets 80 33 32 15 251 244 81
Calgary Flames 80 31 37 12 296 305 74
San Jose Sharks 80 17 58 5 219 359 39

Playoffs

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Main article: 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs

Bracket

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The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). 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.

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

Awards

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1991–92 NHL awards
Award Recipient(s) Runner(s)-up/Finalists
Stanley Cup Pittsburgh Penguins Chicago Blackhawks
Presidents' Trophy
(Best regular-season record)		 New York Rangers Washington Capitals
Prince of Wales Trophy
(Wales Conference playoff champion)		 Pittsburgh Penguins Boston Bruins
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
(Campbell Conference playoff champion)		 Chicago Blackhawks Edmonton Oilers
Alka-Seltzer Plus-Minus Award
(Best plus-minus statistic)		 Paul Ysebaert (Detroit Red Wings) Brad McCrimmon (Detroit Red Wings)
Art Ross Trophy
(Player with most points)		 Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) Kevin Stevens (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)		 Mark Fitzpatrick (New York Islanders) N/A
Calder Memorial Trophy
(Best first-year player)		 Pavel Bure (Vancouver Canucks) Tony Amonte (New York Rangers)
Nicklas Lidström (Detroit Red Wings)
Conn Smythe Trophy
(Most valuable player, playoffs)		 Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) N/A
Frank J. Selke Trophy
(Best defensive forward)		 Guy Carbonneau (Montreal Canadiens) Sergei Fedorov (Detroit Red Wings)
Kelly Miller (Washington Capitals)
Hart Memorial Trophy
(Most valuable player, regular season)		 Mark Messier (New York Rangers) Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues)
Patrick Roy (Montreal Canadiens)
Jack Adams Award
(Best coach)		 Pat Quinn (Vancouver Canucks) Pat Burns (Montreal Canadiens)
Roger Neilson (New York Rangers)
James Norris Memorial Trophy
(Best defenceman)		 Brian Leetch (New York Rangers) Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins)
Phil Housley (Winnipeg Jets)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy
(Leadership and humanitarian contribution)		 Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) N/A
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
(Sportsmanship and excellence)		 Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings) Brian Leetch (New York Rangers)
Joe Sakic (Quebec Nordiques)
Lester B. Pearson Award
(Outstanding player)		 Mark Messier (New York Rangers) N/A
Vezina Trophy
(Best goaltender)		 Patrick Roy (Montreal Canadiens) Bob Essensa (Winnipeg Jets)
Kirk McLean (Vancouver Canucks)
William M. Jennings Trophy
(Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against)		 Patrick Roy (Montreal Canadiens) N/A

All-Star teams

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First team   Position   Second team
Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens G Kirk McLean, Vancouver Canucks
Brian Leetch, New York Rangers D Phil Housley, Winnipeg Jets
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins D Scott Stevens, New Jersey Devils
Mark Messier, New York Rangers C Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues RW Mark Recchi, PIT/PHI
Kevin Stevens, Pittsburgh Penguins LW Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings

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
Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh 64 44 87 131
Kevin Stevens Pittsburgh 80 54 69 123
Wayne Gretzky Los Angeles 74 31 90 121
Brett Hull St. Louis 73 70 39 109
Luc Robitaille Los Angeles 80 44 63 107
Mark Messier NY Rangers 79 35 72 107
Jeremy Roenick Chicago 80 53 50 103
Steve Yzerman Detroit 79 45 58 103
Brian Leetch NY Rangers 80 22 80 102
Adam Oates St. Louis/Boston 80 20 79 99

Leading goaltenders

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Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Regular Season
Player Team GP TOI W L T GA SO Sv% GAA
Patrick Roy Montreal 67 3935 36 22 8 155 5 .914 2.36
Ed Belfour Chicago 52 2928 21 18 10 132 5 .894 2.70
Kirk McLean Vancouver 65 3852 38 17 9 176 5 .901 2.74
John Vanbiesbrouck NY Rangers 45 2526 27 13 3 120 2 .910 2.85
Bob Essensa Winnipeg 47 2627 21 17 6 126 5 .910 2.88

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 1991–92 (listed with their first team):

Last games

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The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1991–92 (listed with their last team):

Broadcasting

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This was the fourth season of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deals with TSN and Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. Saturday night regular season games continued to air on CBC, while TSN televised selected weeknight games. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs was primarily on CBC, with TSN airing first round all-U.S. series.

SportsChannel America signed a one-year extension to its U.S. national broadcast rights deal after its original three-year deal expired.[11] Meanwhile, NBC televised the All-Star Game for the third consecutive season. After the season, the league signed a new deal with ESPN, replacing SportsChannel America.

Notes

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  1. ^ NBC only televised the All-Star Game.

See also

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References

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  • 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. ^ NHL Classic Series, 1992 Norris Division Semifinals, St. Louis Blues vs Chicago Blackhawks, NHL Network, Timestamp, 25:37, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeeSFXTPDuw
  2. ^ Lapointe, Joe (February 25, 1992). "N.H.L. and Union face off". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  3. ^ Duhatschek, Eric (April 2, 1992). "Trading-card revenue isn't bubblegum issue". Calgary Herald. p. E1.
  4. ^ Lapointe, Joe (April 1, 1992). "Puck stops everywhere as players go on strike". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  5. ^ Wulf, Steve (April 13, 1992). "Season on ice". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  6. ^ Lapointe, Joe (April 11, 1992). "Play hockey! Settlement ends 10-day strike". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  7. ^ Pincus, 2006, 170
  8. ^ Lapointe, Joe (July 21, 1992). "If you freeze it, the N.H.L. will come". New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  9. ^ Lapointe, Joe (February 2, 1993). "Opening day for N.H.L.'s first Commissioner". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  10. ^ a b c d "1991-1992 Division Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  11. ^ LaPointe, Joe (October 4, 1991). "HOCKEY; N.H.L. Again Signs Contract With SportsChannel America". New York Times.
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