The 1984–85 NHL season was the 68th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers won their second straight Stanley Cup by beating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to one in the final series.

1984–85 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 11, 1984 – May 30, 1985
Number of games80
Number of teams21
TV partner(s)CBC, CTV, SRC (Canada)
USA (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickMario Lemieux
Picked byPittsburgh Penguins
Regular season
Season championsPhiladelphia Flyers
Season MVPWayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Top scorerWayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPWayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsEdmonton Oilers
  Runners-upPhiladelphia Flyers
NHL seasons

League business

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Entry draft

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The 1984 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 9, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. Mario Lemieux was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ice officials begin wearing helmets

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Referee Andy Van Hellemond becomes the first on ice official in league history to wear a helmet. Soon, several officials would follow his lead and wear helmets before it became mandatory for all officials for the 2006–07 season.

Regular season

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The Philadelphia Flyers had the best record in the NHL, four points ahead of second place Edmonton Oilers. Flyers goaltender Pelle Lindbergh went on to become the first European to win the Vezina Trophy. Oilers' star Wayne Gretzky once again won the Art Ross Trophy by reaching the 200 plateau for the third time in four years. He also set a new record for assists in a season with 135 and won his sixth straight Hart Memorial Trophy. Mario Lemieux made his NHL debut by scoring 100 points and winning the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year. On October 26, 1984, Paul Coffey of the Edmonton Oilers would be the last defenceman in the 20th century to score four goals in one game. It occurred in a game versus the Detroit Red Wings.[1]

The last two players active in the 1960s, Butch Goring and Brad Park, retired after the playoffs. Goring was the last active, playing his last playoff game three days after Park's last game.

Final standings

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Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes. Teams qualifying for the playoffs shown in bold.

Prince of Wales Conference

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Adams Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Montreal Canadiens 80 41 27 12 309 262 94
Quebec Nordiques 80 41 30 9 323 275 91
Buffalo Sabres 80 38 28 14 290 237 90
Boston Bruins 80 36 34 10 303 287 82
Hartford Whalers 80 30 41 9 268 318 69

[2]

Patrick Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Philadelphia Flyers 80 53 20 7 348 241 113
Washington Capitals 80 46 25 9 322 240 101
New York Islanders 80 40 34 6 345 312 86
New York Rangers 80 26 44 10 295 345 62
New Jersey Devils 80 22 48 10 264 346 54
Pittsburgh Penguins 80 24 51 5 276 385 53

[2]

Clarence Campbell Conference

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Norris Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
St. Louis Blues 80 37 31 12 299 288 86
Chicago Black Hawks 80 38 35 7 309 299 83
Detroit Red Wings 80 27 41 12 313 357 66
Minnesota North Stars 80 25 43 12 268 321 62
Toronto Maple Leafs 80 20 52 8 253 358 48

[2]

Smythe Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Edmonton Oilers 80 49 20 11 401 298 109
Winnipeg Jets 80 43 27 10 358 332 96
Calgary Flames 80 41 27 12 363 302 94
Los Angeles Kings 80 34 32 14 339 326 82
Vancouver Canucks 80 25 46 9 284 401 59

[2]

Playoffs

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

Awards

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1985 NHL awards
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(Wales Conference playoff champion)
Philadelphia Flyers
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:
(Campbell Conference playoff champion)
Edmonton Oilers
Art Ross Trophy:
(Top scorer, regular season)
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:
(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)
Anders Hedberg, New York Rangers
Calder Memorial Trophy:
(Best first-year player)
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Conn Smythe Trophy:
(Most valuable player, playoffs)
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Frank J. Selke Trophy:
(Best defensive forward)
Craig Ramsay, Buffalo Sabres
Hart Memorial Trophy:
(Most valuable player, regular season)
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Jack Adams Award:
(Best coach)
Mike Keenan, Philadelphia Flyers
James Norris Memorial Trophy:
(Best defenceman)
Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:
(Excellence and sportsmanship)
Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers
Lester B. Pearson Award:
(Outstanding player, regular season)
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
NHL Plus/Minus Award:
(Player with best plus/minus record)
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
William M. Jennings Trophy:
(Goaltender(s) of team(s) with best goaltending record)
Tom Barrasso/Bob Sauve, Buffalo Sabres
Vezina Trophy:
(Best goaltender)
Pelle Lindbergh, Philadelphia Flyers

Hart Memorial Trophy voting

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Player Team Total votes 1st 2nd 3rd
Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 303 60 1 0
Dale Hawerchuk Winnipeg Jets 91 1 23 17
Pelle Lindbergh Philadelphia Flyers 56 0 15 11
Rod Langway Washington Capitals 28 1 6 5
Raymond Bourque Boston Bruins 21 0 5 6
Brian Sutter St. Louis Blues 13 1 2 2
Doug Wilson Chicago Blackhawks 10 0 3 1
Tom Barrasso Buffalo Sabres 9 0 2 3
Marcel Dionne Los Angeles Kings 7 0 1 4
Tim Kerr Philadelphia Flyers 7 0 1 4
Mike Bossy New York Islanders 6 0 1 3
Michel Goulet Quebec Nordiques 4 0 1 1
Bobby Carpenter Washington Capitals 4 0 1 1
Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers 3 0 1 0
Paul Coffey Edmonton Oilers 1 0 0 1
Bernie Federko St. Louis Blues 1 0 0 1
Brent Sutter New York Islanders 1 0 0 1
John Tonelli New York Islanders 1 0 0 1
Dave Poulin Philadelphia Flyers 1 0 0 1

James Norris Memorial Trophy voting

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Player Team Total votes 1st 2nd 3rd
Paul Coffey Edmonton Oilers 223 32 19 6
Raymond Bourque Boston Bruins 136 12 20 16
Rod Langway Washington Capitals 89 8 10 19
Doug Wilson Chicago Blackhawks 84 9 11 6
Scott Stevens Washington Capitals 13 1 0 8
Mark Howe Philadelphia Flyers 12 1 1 4
Brad Marsh Philadelphia Flyers 3 0 1 0
Kevin Lowe Edmonton Oilers 3 0 1 0
Randy Carlyle Winnipeg Jets 3 0 0 3
Reed Larson Detroit Red Wings 1 0 0 1

Jack Adams Award voting

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Coach Team Total votes 1st 2nd 3rd
Mike Keenan Philadelphia Flyers 114 19 4 7
Barry Long Winnipeg Jets 66 3 15 6
Jacques Demers St. Louis Blues 61 8 6 3
Jacques Lemaire Montreal Canadiens 19 0 5 4
Pat Quinn Los Angeles Kings 12 1 1 4
Glen Sather Edmonton Oilers 3 0 0 3
"Badger" Bob Johnson Calgary Flames 0 0 0 2
Bryan Murray Washington Capitals 2 0 0 2

Vezina Trophy voting

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Player Team Total votes 1st 2nd 3rd
Pelle Lindbergh Philadelphia Flyers 88 14 6 0
Tom Barrasso Buffalo Sabres 58 7 6 5
Reggie Lemelin Calgary Flames 12 0 3 3
Pat Riggin Washington Capitals 10 0 1 7
Brian Hayward Winnipeg Jets 7 0 2 1
Grant Fuhr Edmonton Oilers 5 0 1 2
Steve Penney Montreal Canadiens 4 0 1 1
Andy Moog Edmonton Oilers 4 0 1 1
Bob Janecyk Los Angeles Kings 1 0 0 1

All-Star teams

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First team   Position   Second team
Pelle Lindbergh, Philadelphia Flyers Goaltender Tom Barrasso, Buffalo Sabres
Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers Defence Rod Langway, Washington Capitals
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins Defence Doug Wilson, Chicago Black Hawks
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers Centre Dale Hawerchuk, Winnipeg Jets
Jari Kurri, Edmonton Oilers Right wing Mike Bossy, New York Islanders
John Ogrodnick, Detroit Red Wings Left wing John Tonelli, New York Islanders

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 80 73 135 208 52
Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers 73 71 64 135 30
Dale Hawerchuk Winnipeg Jets 80 53 77 130 74
Marcel Dionne Los Angeles Kings 80 46 80 126 46
Paul Coffey Edmonton Oilers 80 37 84 121 97
Mike Bossy New York Islanders 76 58 59 117 38
John Ogrodnick Detroit Red Wings 79 55 50 105 30
Denis Savard Chicago Black Hawks 79 38 67 105 56
Bernie Federko St. Louis Blues 76 30 73 103 27
Mike Gartner Washington Capitals 80 50 52 102 71

Source: NHL.[3]

Leading goaltenders

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Note: GP = Games played; W = Won; L = Lost; T = Tied; GA = Goals allowed; GAA = Goals against average; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage

Player Team GP W L T GA GAA SO SV%
Tom Barrasso Buffalo Sabres 54 25 18 10 144 2.66 5 .887
Pat Riggin Washington Capitals 57 28 20 7 168 2.98 2 .886
Pelle Lindbergh Philadelphia Flyers 65 40 17 7 194 3.02 2 .899
Steve Penney Montreal Canadiens 54 26 18 8 167 3.08 1 .876
Rick Wamsley St. Louis Blues 40 23 12 5 126 3.26 0 .885
Mario Gosselin Quebec Nordiques 36 19 11 3 111 3.30 1 .877
Rejean Lemelin Calgary Flames 56 30 12 10 183 3.46 1 .888
Pete Peeters Boston Bruins 51 19 26 4 172 3.47 1 .868
Dan Bouchard Quebec Nordiques 29 12 13 4 101 3.49 0 .877
Kelly Hrudey New York Islanders 41 19 17 3 141 3.62 2 .886

[4]

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 1984–85 (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 1984–85 (listed with their last team):

Note: Goring and Park were the last two players to have played in the NHL in the 1960s.

Broadcasting

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This was the first season in more than a decade that CBC was not the lone Canadian national broadcaster. While Molson continued to present Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday nights, rival brewery Carling O'Keefe began airing Friday night games on CTV. The two networks also split the playoffs and finals.[5] CTV had previously aired HNIC-produced telecasts in the 1960s.

This was the third and final season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deal with USA, covering a slate of regular season games and selected playoff games. ESPN then signed a three-year agreement with the league after bidding about twice as much as USA had been paying.[6][7] USA would not televise the NHL again until after the network was acquired by NBCUniversal in the early 2000s, airing selected playoff games as part of NBC Sports' overall NHL coverage between 2015 and 2021.

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.
Notes
  1. ^ Hockey's Book of Firsts, p. 27, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9.
  2. ^ a b c d Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  3. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 152.
  4. ^ DataBase Hockey Archived 2008-09-13 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Warren, Kelly (September 25, 1984). "Great hockey/beer war takes to the ice in Chicago". Chicago Tribune. p. B1.
  6. ^ Strachan, Al (July 30, 1985). "ESPN acquires NHL games Backroom bickering in TV deal". The Globe and Mail.
  7. ^ Mulligan, Kevin (July 26, 1985). "NHL Finds a Home at ESPN". Philadelphia Daily News.
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