1984–85 NHL season

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
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 11, 1984 – May 30, 1985
Number of games	80
Number of teams	21
TV partner(s)	CBC, CTV, SRC (Canada) USA (United States)
Draft
Top draft pick	Mario Lemieux
Picked by	Pittsburgh Penguins
Regular season
Season champions	Philadelphia Flyers
Season MVP	Wayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Top scorer	Wayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP	Wayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Edmonton Oilers
Runners-up	Philadelphia Flyers

League business

Entry draft

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

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

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

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

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

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

Main article: 1985 Stanley Cup playoffs

Bracket

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scoring leaders

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

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

Patrick Division

• New Jersey Devils: Doug Carpenter
• New York Islanders: Al Arbour
• New York Rangers: Herb Brooks and Craig Patrick
• Philadelphia Flyers: Mike Keenan
• Pittsburgh Penguins: Bob Berry
• Washington Capitals: Bryan Murray

Adams Division

• Boston Bruins: Gerry Cheevers and Harry Sinden
• Buffalo Sabres: Scotty Bowman
• Hartford Whalers: Jack Evans
• Montreal Canadiens: Jacques Lemaire
• Quebec Nordiques: Michel Bergeron

Norris Division

• Chicago Black Hawks: Orval Tessier and Bob Pulford
• Detroit Red Wings: Nick Polano
• Minnesota North Stars: Glen Sonmor
• St. Louis Blues: Jacques Demers
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Dan Maloney

Smythe Division

• Calgary Flames: Bob Johnson
• Edmonton Oilers: Glen Sather
• Los Angeles Kings: Pat Quinn
• Vancouver Canucks: Bill LaForge and Harry Neale
• Winnipeg Jets: Barry Long

Milestones

Debuts

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):

• Gino Cavallini, Calgary Flames
• Joel Otto, Calgary Flames
• Ed Olczyk, Chicago Black Hawks
• Marc Bergevin, Chicago Black Hawks
• Gerard Gallant, Detroit Red Wings
• Esa Tikkanen*, Edmonton Oilers
• Steve Smith, Edmonton Oilers
• Kevin Dineen, Hartford Whalers
• Ray Ferraro, Hartford Whalers
• Sylvain Cote, Hartford Whalers
• Ulf Samuelsson, Hartford Whalers
• Garry Galley, Los Angeles Kings
• Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens
• Petr Svoboda, Montreal Canadiens
• Stephane Richer, Montreal Canadiens
• Greg Adams, New Jersey Devils
• Kirk Muller, New Jersey Devils
• Dave Gagner, New York Rangers
• Grant Ledyard, New York Rangers
• Kelly Miller, New York Rangers
• Tomas Sandstrom, New York Rangers
• Rick Tocchet, Philadelphia Flyers
• Doug Bodger, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Steve Thomas, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Todd Gill, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Al Iafrate, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Petri Skriko, Vancouver Canucks
• Kevin Hatcher, Washington Capitals
• Dave Ellett, Winnipeg Jets

Last games

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):

• Terry O'Reilly, Boston Bruins
• Butch Goring, Boston Bruins
• Craig Ramsay, Buffalo Sabres
• Jerry Korab, Buffalo Sabres
• Jim Schoenfeld, Buffalo Sabres
• Real Cloutier, Buffalo Sabres
• Bob MacMillan, Chicago Black Hawks
• Brad Park, Detroit Red Wings
• Colin Campbell, Detroit Red Wings
• Darryl Sittler, Detroit Red Wings
• Ivan Boldirev, Detroit Red Wings
• Steve Shutt, Los Angeles Kings
• Paul Holmgren, Minnesota North Stars
• Pierre Mondou, Montreal Canadiens
• Anders Hedberg, New York Rangers
• Robbie Ftorek, New York Rangers
• Rick Kehoe, Pittsburgh Penguins
• John Garrett, Vancouver Canucks

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

Broadcasting

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

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1984 NHL entry draft
• 1984–85 NHL transactions
• 37th National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• NHL All-Rookie Team
• 1984 Canada Cup
• 1984 in sports
• 1985 in sports