1988–89 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1988–89 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 80th season of play. The Canadiens finished first in the Adams Division, as well as the Prince of Wales Conference, with a 53–18–9 record for 115 points. The team finished second overall in the league behind the Calgary Flames, who had 117 points. Montreal defeated the Hartford Whalers, Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs before meeting the Flames in the Stanley Cup Finals. Calgary took the series 4–2, clinching the Cup in Game 6 on the Canadiens' vaunted home ice, the Montreal Forum. This marked the only time that a visiting team defeated them to win the Stanley Cup on Forum ice.
1988–89 Montreal Canadiens | |
---|---|
Wales Conference champions | |
Adams Division champions | |
Division | 1st Adams |
Conference | 1st Wales |
1988–89 record | 53–18–9 |
Home record | 30–6–4 |
Road record | 23–12–5 |
Goals for | 315 |
Goals against | 218 |
Team information | |
General manager | Serge Savard |
Coach | Pat Burns |
Captain | Bob Gainey |
Alternate captains | Mats Näslund Larry Robinson |
Arena | Montreal Forum |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Mats Näslund (33) |
Assists | Chris Chelios (58) |
Points | Mats Naslund (84) |
Penalty minutes | Shayne Corson (193) |
Plus/minus | Guy Carbonneau (+37) |
Wins | Patrick Roy (33) |
Goals against average | Patrick Roy (2.47) |
The Canadiens were coached by Pat Burns and captained by Bob Gainey.
Offseason
Regular season
- November 7, 1988 – The Canadiens traded RW John Kordic and a 6th-round choice (Michael Doers) to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for RW Russ Courtnall.
For the third straight season, the Canadiens allowed the fewest goals in the NHL (218), were the least penalized team (326 short-handed situations) and allowed the fewest power-play goals (58).[1]
Final standings
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 53 | 18 | 9 | 315 | 218 | 115 |
Boston Bruins | 80 | 37 | 29 | 14 | 289 | 256 | 88 |
Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 38 | 35 | 7 | 291 | 299 | 83 |
Hartford Whalers | 80 | 37 | 38 | 5 | 299 | 290 | 79 |
Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 27 | 46 | 7 | 269 | 342 | 61 |
[2]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.
Schedule and results
# | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | L | Oct 6, 1988 | 2–3 | @ Buffalo Sabres | 0–1–0 |
2 | W | Oct 8, 1988 | 4–3 | Minnesota North Stars | 1–1–0 |
3 | L | Oct 12, 1988 | 5–6 | Quebec Nordiques | 1–2–0 |
4 | W | Oct 14, 1988 | 7–3 | @ New Jersey Devils | 2–2–0 |
5 | L | Oct 15, 1988 | 1–2 | @ New York Islanders | 2–3–0 |
6 | L | Oct 17, 1988 | 2–6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–4–0 |
7 | W | Oct 19, 1988 | 5–4 | Hartford Whalers | 3–4–0 |
8 | L | Oct 21, 1988 | 3–5 | @ Buffalo Sabres | 3–5–0 |
9 | W | Oct 22, 1988 | 4–3 | Buffalo Sabres | 4–5–0 |
10 | T | Oct 25, 1988 | 1–1 OT | @ Boston Bruins | 4–5–1 |
11 | L | Oct 26, 1988 | 2–4 | @ Detroit Red Wings | 4–6–1 |
12 | L | Oct 29, 1988 | 4–5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4–7–1 |
13 | W | Nov 1, 1988 | 5–3 | @ Hartford Whalers | 5–7–1 |
14 | W | Nov 2, 1988 | 5–3 | Los Angeles Kings | 6–7–1 |
15 | W | Nov 5, 1988 | 7–2 | Winnipeg Jets | 7–7–1 |
16 | T | Nov 7, 1988 | 3–3 OT | St. Louis Blues | 7–7–2 |
17 | T | Nov 9, 1988 | 6–6 OT | @ Chicago Blackhawks | 7–7–3 |
18 | W | Nov 11, 1988 | 3–1 | @ Vancouver Canucks | 8–7–3 |
19 | L | Nov 13, 1988 | 3–7 | @ Winnipeg Jets | 8–8–3 |
20 | W | Nov 16, 1988 | 5–4 OT | New York Islanders | 9–8–3 |
21 | W | Nov 17, 1988 | 5–2 | @ Boston Bruins | 10–8–3 |
22 | W | Nov 19, 1988 | 5–3 | Chicago Blackhawks | 11–8–3 |
23 | W | Nov 21, 1988 | 4–2 | @ New York Rangers | 12–8–3 |
24 | W | Nov 23, 1988 | 2–0 | Boston Bruins | 13–8–3 |
25 | L | Nov 24, 1988 | 3–5 | @ Quebec Nordiques | 13–9–3 |
26 | W | Nov 26, 1988 | 7–5 | Edmonton Oilers | 14–9–3 |
27 | W | Nov 30, 1988 | 6–3 | @ Hartford Whalers | 15–9–3 |
28 | T | Dec 1, 1988 | 2–2 OT | @ Philadelphia Flyers | 15–9–4 |
29 | W | Dec 3, 1988 | 3–2 OT | Buffalo Sabres | 16–9–4 |
30 | W | Dec 5, 1988 | 7–2 | Detroit Red Wings | 17–9–4 |
31 | T | Dec 7, 1988 | 2–2 OT | @ Minnesota North Stars | 17–9–5 |
32 | W | Dec 8, 1988 | 5–1 | @ St. Louis Blues | 18–9–5 |
33 | T | Dec 10, 1988 | 0–0 OT | Washington Capitals | 18–9–6 |
34 | W | Dec 12, 1988 | 3–1 | Boston Bruins | 19–9–6 |
35 | L | Dec 15, 1988 | 4–6 | @ Quebec Nordiques | 19–10–6 |
36 | W | Dec 17, 1988 | 6–3 | New York Rangers | 20–10–6 |
37 | W | Dec 19, 1988 | 2–1 | Hartford Whalers | 21–10–6 |
38 | W | Dec 21, 1988 | 6–4 | Quebec Nordiques | 22–10–6 |
39 | W | Dec 22, 1988 | 4–2 | @ Boston Bruins | 23–10–6 |
40 | W | Dec 27, 1988 | 3–2 | @ Los Angeles Kings | 24–10–6 |
41 | W | Dec 29, 1988 | 4–3 | @ Calgary Flames | 25–10–6 |
42 | W | Dec 31, 1988 | 4–2 | @ Edmonton Oilers | 26–10–6 |
43 | W | Jan 1, 1989 | 4–0 | @ Vancouver Canucks | 27–10–6 |
44 | W | Jan 7, 1989 | 3–1 | Boston Bruins | 28–10–6 |
45 | L | Jan 9, 1989 | 2–3 | @ Detroit Red Wings | 28–11–6 |
46 | W | Jan 11, 1989 | 1–0 | New Jersey Devils | 29–11–6 |
47 | W | Jan 12, 1989 | 5–3 | @ Boston Bruins | 30–11–6 |
48 | W | Jan 14, 1989 | 5–3 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs | 31–11–6 |
49 | W | Jan 18, 1989 | 3–1 | Hartford Whalers | 32–11–6 |
50 | L | Jan 19, 1989 | 4–6 | @ Hartford Whalers | 32–12–6 |
51 | W | Jan 21, 1989 | 4–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 33–12–6 |
52 | L | Jan 23, 1989 | 1–3 | Calgary Flames | 33–13–6 |
53 | L | Jan 27, 1989 | 2–4 | @ Buffalo Sabres | 33–14–6 |
54 | W | Jan 28, 1989 | 2–1 | Buffalo Sabres | 34–14–6 |
55 | W | Jan 31, 1989 | 5–1 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins | 35–14–6 |
56 | W | Feb 2, 1989 | 6–1 | @ Quebec Nordiques | 36–14–6 |
57 | W | Feb 4, 1989 | 7–5 | New York Rangers | 37–14–6 |
58 | W | Feb 11, 1989 | 5–4 | New Jersey Devils | 38–14–6 |
59 | L | Feb 13, 1989 | 2–3 | Quebec Nordiques | 38–15–6 |
60 | W | Feb 16, 1989 | 7–4 | @ Philadelphia Flyers | 39–15–6 |
61 | W | Feb 18, 1989 | 4–2 | @ St. Louis Blues | 40–15–6 |
62 | T | Feb 19, 1989 | 4–4 OT | @ Chicago Blackhawks | 40–15–7 |
63 | W | Feb 22, 1989 | 6–3 | Winnipeg Jets | 41–15–7 |
64 | W | Feb 25, 1989 | 6–1 | Buffalo Sabres | 42–15–7 |
65 | W | Feb 26, 1989 | 5–2 | Vancouver Canucks | 43–15–7 |
66 | L | Mar 1, 1989 | 0–3 | @ Edmonton Oilers | 43–16–7 |
67 | W | Mar 2, 1989 | 3–2 | @ Calgary Flames | 44–16–7 |
68 | W | Mar 4, 1989 | 6–1 | @ Hartford Whalers | 45–16–7 |
69 | W | Mar 8, 1989 | 3–2 | Washington Capitals | 46–16–7 |
70 | W | Mar 9, 1989 | 5–2 | @ Quebec Nordiques | 47–16–7 |
71 | W | Mar 11, 1989 | 5–3 | Hartford Whalers | 48–16–7 |
72 | L | Mar 13, 1989 | 3–5 | New York Islanders | 48–17–7 |
73 | W | Mar 15, 1989 | 5–2 | Los Angeles Kings | 49–17–7 |
74 | L | Mar 17, 1989 | 1–4 | @ Washington Capitals | 49–18–7 |
75 | W | Mar 18, 1989 | 7–2 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins | 50–18–7 |
76 | W | Mar 22, 1989 | 8–0 | Quebec Nordiques | 51–18–7 |
77 | T | Mar 25, 1989 | 1–1 OT | Minnesota North Stars | 51–18–8 |
78 | W | Mar 27, 1989 | 5–2 | Boston Bruins | 52–18–8 |
79 | W | Mar 30, 1989 | 4–2 | @ Buffalo Sabres | 53–18–8 |
80 | T | Apr 1, 1989 | 2–2 OT | Philadelphia Flyers | 53–18–9 |
Player statistics
Forwards
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mats Naslund | 77 | 33 | 51 | 84 | 14 |
Bobby Smith | 80 | 32 | 51 | 83 | 69 |
Stephane Richer | 68 | 25 | 35 | 60 | 61 |
Guy Carbonneau | 79 | 26 | 30 | 56 | 44 |
Claude Lemieux | 69 | 29 | 22 | 51 | 136 |
Shayne Corson | 80 | 26 | 24 | 50 | 193 |
Brian Skrudland | 71 | 12 | 29 | 41 | 84 |
Mike McPhee | 73 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 74 |
Russ Courtnall | 64 | 22 | 17 | 39 | 15 |
Mike Keane | 69 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 69 |
Ryan Walter | 78 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 48 |
Brent Gilchrist | 49 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 16 |
Bob Gainey | 49 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 34 |
Gilles Thibaudeau | 32 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 |
Jose Charbonneau | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
Benoit Brunet | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Stephan Lebeau | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Jocelyn Lemieux | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Steve Martinson | 25 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 87 |
John Kordic | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
Defencemen
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chris Chelios | 80 | 15 | 58 | 73 | 185 |
Petr Svoboda | 71 | 8 | 37 | 45 | 147 |
Larry Robinson | 74 | 4 | 26 | 30 | 22 |
Craig Ludwig | 74 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 73 |
Rick Green | 72 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 25 |
Eric Desjardins | 36 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 26 |
Mike Lalor | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
Jyrki Lumme | 21 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
Donald Dufresne | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 43 |
Goaltending
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
Player | GP | W | L | T | SO | GAA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patrick Roy | 48 | 33 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2.47 |
Brian Hayward | 36 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 2.90 |
Randy Exelby | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Playoffs
Adams Division semi-finals
Hartford Whalers vs. Montreal Canadiens
Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
April 5 | Hartford Whalers | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 6 | |
April 6 | Hartford Whalers | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | |
April 8 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | Hartford Whalers | 4 | (OT) |
April 9 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | Hartford Whalers | 3 |
Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0.
Adams Division finals
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
April 17 | Boston Bruins | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | |
April 19 | Boston Bruins | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | (OT) |
April 21 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | Boston Bruins | 4 | |
April 23 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 | Boston Bruins | 3 | |
April 25 | Boston Bruins | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 |
Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1.
Conference finals
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens
Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 1 | |
May 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | |
May 5 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1 | |
May 7 | Montreal Canadiens | 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | |
May 9 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2 | Montreal Canadiens | 1 | (OT) |
May 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 2 |
Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2.
Stanley Cup finals
Montreal Canadiens vs. Calgary Flames
The Stanley Cup Finals was decided between the top two teams during the 1988–89 NHL regular season. Co-captain Lanny McDonald scored the second Flames goal in Game 6. This turned out to be the last goal in his Hockey Hall of Fame career because he retired during the following off-season. Doug Gilmour scored two goals in the third period, including the eventual game and Cup winner to cement the victory for the Flames.
Date | Away | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 14 | Montreal | 2 | Calgary | 3 | |
May 17 | Montreal | 4 | Calgary | 2 | |
May 19 | Calgary | 3 | Montreal | 4 | (2nd OT) |
May 21 | Calgary | 4 | Montreal | 2 | |
May 23 | Montreal | 2 | Calgary | 3 | |
May 25 | Calgary | 4 | Montreal | 2 |
Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2.
Awards and records
- Prince of Wales Trophy
- Frank J. Selke Trophy: Guy Carbonneau
- Jack Adams Award: Pat Burns
- James Norris Memorial Trophy: Chris Chelios
- William M. Jennings Trophy: Patrick Roy/Brian Hayward
- Vezina Trophy: Patrick Roy
- Patrick Roy, goalie, NHL First All-Star Team
- Chris Chelios, defence, NHL First All-Star Team
Draft picks
Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 20 | Eric Charron (D) | Canada | Trois-Rivières Draveurs (QMJHL) |
2 | 34 | Martin St. Amour (LW) | Canada | Verdun Junior Canadiens (QMJHL) |
3 | 46 | Neil Carnes (C) | Canada | Verdun Junior Canadiens (QMJHL) |
4 | 83 | Patric Kjellberg (LW) | Sweden | Falu IF (Sweden) |
5 | 93 | Peter Popovic (D) | Sweden | Vasteras HK (Sweden) |
5 | 104 | Jean-Claude Bergeron (G) | Canada | Verdun Junior Canadiens (QMJHL) |
6 | 125 | Patrik Carnback (RW) | Sweden | Vastra Frolunda HC (Sweden) |
7 | 146 | Tim Chase (D) | United States | Tabor Academy (USHS-MA) |
8 | 167 | Sean Hill (D) | United States | East High School (USHS-MN) |
9 | 188 | Harijs Vitolinsh (C) | Soviet Union | Dinamo Riga (USSR) |
10 | 209 | Yuri Krivokhizha (D) | Soviet Union | Dinamo Minsk (USSR) |
11 | 230 | Kevin Dahl (D) | Canada | Bowling Green State University (CCHA) |
12 | 251 | Dave Kunda (D) | Canada | University of Guelph (CIAU) |
S | 25 | Peter Fish (G) | United States | Boston University (Hockey East) |
See also
References
- "1988-89 NHL Summary".
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153. ISBN 9781894801225.