1987-88

• Canada successfully defended its Canada Cup title, beating the Soviet Union in a best-of-three final to claim the fourth edition of the six-nation tournament. All three games of the championship series ended 6-5, with the first two needing overtime. The championship-winning goal was scored when two of the most iconic players of the era hooked up: Mario Lemieux took a pass from Wayne Gretzky and put it in the net with 1:26 remaining in the third period.

• For the first time since entering the NHL, Wayne Gretzky fails to win the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP. That honor went to the Penguins' Mario Lemieux. Lemieux's heroics, however, weren't enough for the Penguins to secure a playoff spot.

• There was no shortage of drama in the postseason. One of the more memorable moments came in games three and four of the Wales Conference Finals between the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins. After his team was pounded by the Bruins, 6-1, in Game Three, Devils coach Jim Schoenfeld confronted referee Don Koharski in the tunnel, screaming to him, "Have another doughnut, you fat pig!" The NHL suspended Schoenfeld for Game Four, but the Devils received an injunction from a New Jersey court, allowing him to coach in Game Four. The officials responded by refusing to take the ice, prompting the NHL to scramble to find amateur officials to work the game, which the Devils won, 3-1. The injunction was later lifted, and Schoenfeld served his suspension in Game Five. The Bruins would win the series in seven games.


• The Edmonton Oilers won their second straight Stanley Cup -- and their fourth in five years -- with a five-game sweep over the Bruins. Rising temperatures caused significant problems in the un-air conditioned Boston Garden. In Game Four, a thick fog formed over the ice, rendering the puck invisible to arena spectators and TV viewers. A transformer blew at the 16:37 mark of the second period with the score tied 3-3. The game was called at that point, and the NHL announced that the remaining three games would be played as scheduled, and if the Bruins won all three, the seventh -- make that eighth -- game would take place in Boston. That would not be necessary as the Oilers finished the Bruins off with a 6-3 win in Edmonton.


Boston Bruins


Buffalo Sabres


Calgary Flames


Chicago Blackhawks


Detroit Red Wings


Edmonton Oilers


Hartford Whalers


Los Angeles Kings


Minnesota North Stars


Montreal Canadiens


New Jersey Devils


New York Islanders


New York Rangers


Philadelphia Flyers


Pittsburgh Penguins


Quebec Nordiques


St. Louis Blues


Toronto Maple Leafs


Vancouver Canucks


Washington Capitals


Winnipeg Jets


1988 All-Star Game
St. Louis, MO

1987 Canada Cup


Canada


Czechoslovakia


Finland


Soviet Union


Sweden


United States