1989 Stanley Cup Final

The 1989 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1988–89 season, and the culmination of the 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Calgary Flames and the Montreal Canadiens, the top two teams during the regular season. This was the second time in the decade after 1986 that the Canadiens and Flames met in the Finals. The 1989 series remains to date the last time that two Canadian teams faced each other for the Stanley Cup.

1989 Stanley Cup Final
1 2 3 4 5 6 Total Calgary Flames 3 2 3** 4 3 4 4 Montreal Canadiens 2 4 4** 2 2 2 2
* – overtime periods
Location(s)	Calgary: Olympic Saddledome (1, 2, 5) Montreal: Montreal Forum (3, 4, 6)
Coaches	Calgary: Terry Crisp Montreal: Pat Burns
Captains	Calgary: Lanny McDonald, Jim Peplinski Montreal: Bob Gainey
Referees	Kerry Fraser, Denis Morel, Andy Van Hellemond
Dates	May 14–25, 1989
MVP	Al MacInnis (Flames)
Series-winning goal	Doug Gilmour (11:02, third, G6)
Hall of Famers	Flames: Doug Gilmour (2011) Al MacInnis (2007) Lanny McDonald (1992) Joe Mullen (2000) Joe Nieuwendyk (2011) Mike Vernon (2023) Canadiens: Guy Carbonneau (2019) Chris Chelios (2013) Bob Gainey (1992) Larry Robinson (1995) Patrick Roy (2006) Coaches: Pat Burns (2014) Officials: Andy Van Hellemond (1999)
Networks	Canada: (English): CBC (French): SRC United States: (English): SportsChannel America
Announcers	(CBC) Bob Cole, Harry Neale, and Dick Irvin Jr. (SRC) Richard Garneau and Gilles Tremblay (SportsChannel America) Jiggs McDonald and Bill Clement
← 1988 Stanley Cup Final 1990 →

The Flames defeated the Canadiens in six games to win their first and only Stanley Cup. The winning goal in game six was scored by Doug Gilmour. They became the first team to win a Stanley Cup after relocating, as they had begun life as the Atlanta Flames in 1972. Since then, four more teams have accomplished this feat: the New Jersey Devils (formerly the Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies), the Colorado Avalanche (formerly the Quebec Nordiques), the Dallas Stars (formerly the Minnesota North Stars), and the Carolina Hurricanes (formerly the New England/Hartford Whalers). This was also the second-to-last of eight consecutive Finals where either the Flames or their provincial rival Edmonton Oilers represented Alberta in the Stanley Cup Final and the second-to-last of nine consecutive Finals in which either the Flames or their Western Canada rivals represented that area in the Stanley Cup Final, as 1982 featured the Vancouver Canucks, the Flames' rivals in Western Canada. Both Calgary and Montreal were the only two teams to win the Stanley Cup in the 1980s other than the New York Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers. This was the first time since 1975 that the Cup was won by a team other than the Canadiens, the Islanders, or the Oilers. This was the Canadiens' first defeat in a Cup Finals since 1967. This was Patrick Roy's only Cup Finals where he was not on the winning side. He went on to win the 1993 Cup with the Canadiens and the 1996 and 2001 Cups with the Colorado Avalanche.

The 1989 Finals featured two coaches making their first appearances, as Calgary's Terry Crisp faced Montreal's Pat Burns. For Crisp it was his only appearance, while Burns returned one more time in 2003 where he led the Devils to their third Cup. In the interim between their two matches both teams had replaced their coaches; Crisp was hired to replace Bob Johnson after his departure following the 1986-87 season while Burns took over for 1986 Cup-winning coach Jean Perron after his 1988 firing. For Crisp, this was his third Stanley Cup championship in his career. He had already won two as a player with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1974 and 1975. Following the series, Bob Gainey, Rick Green, and Lanny McDonald retired, while long time defenceman Larry Robinson signed with the Los Angeles Kings, where he played the final three years of his career.

Paths to the Finals

Further information: 1988–89 NHL season

See also: 1988–89 Calgary Flames season and 1988–89 Montreal Canadiens season

Calgary defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4–3, the Los Angeles Kings 4–0 and the Chicago Blackhawks 4–1 to advance to the Final. In addition, the Flames path through the playoffs was made easier since their nemesis and reigning two-time defending cup champion, Edmonton Oilers, who had swept the Flames from the playoffs the previous year were eliminated by the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round.

Montreal defeated the Hartford Whalers 4–0, the Boston Bruins 4–1 and the Philadelphia Flyers 4–2.

Game summaries

Co-captain Lanny McDonald scored the second Flames goal in game six. This turned out to be the last goal in his Hockey Hall of Fame career because he retired during the following off-season. It was also his only Stanley Cup victory. Doug Gilmour scored two goals in the third period, including the eventual game and Cup winner to cement the victory for the Flames. Al MacInnis won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, and at 31 points, became the first defenceman to lead the NHL in post-season scoring.^[1] The Calgary Flames are the only visiting team to ever win the Stanley Cup by defeating the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. The only other visiting team to win the Stanley Cup at the Montreal Forum was the New York Rangers, when they defeated the Montreal Maroons in 1928.

May 14	Montreal Canadiens		2–3		Calgary Flames	Olympic Saddledome	Recap
Stephane Richer (6) – pp – 02:43 Larry Robinson (1) – 10:02		First period			06:51 – pp – Al MacInnis (4) 08:33 – Al MacInnis (5)
No scoring		Second period			11:45 – Theoren Fleury (5)
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Patrick Roy 32 saves / 35 shots		Goalie stats			Mike Vernon 29 saves / 31 shots

May 17	Montreal Canadiens		4–2		Calgary Flames	Olympic Saddledome	Recap
Larry Robinson (2) – 04:18		First period			No scoring
Bobby Smith (9) – pp – 01:55		Second period			05:14 – Joe Nieuwendyk (10) 13:49 – pp – Joel Otto (5)
Chris Chelios (4) – 08:01 Russ Courtnall (7) – pp – 09:35		Third period			No scoring
Patrick Roy 30 saves / 32 shots		Goalie stats			Mike Vernon 19 saves / 23 shots

May 19	Calgary Flames		3–4	2OT	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Joe Mullen (12) – 17:15		First period			01:32 – Mike McPhee (4)
Joe Mullen (13) – pp – 15:35		Second period			No scoring
Doug Gilmour (8) – 13:02		Third period			01:36 – Bobby Smith (10) 19:19 – Mats Naslund (4)
No scoring		Second overtime period			18:08 – Ryan Walter (3)
Mike Vernon 31 saves / 35 shots		Goalie stats			Patrick Roy 34 saves / 37 shots

May 21	Calgary Flames		4–2		Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
Doug Gilmour (9) – 10:59 Joe Mullen (14) – pp – 18:43		Second period			No scoring
Al MacInnis (6) – 18:22 Joe Mullen (15) – pp-en – 19:49		Third period			10:59 – Russ Courtnall (8) 19:33 – Claude Lemieux (3)
Mike Vernon 17 saves / 19 shots		Goalie stats			Patrick Roy 31 saves / 34 shots

May 23	Montreal Canadiens		2–3		Calgary Flames	Olympic Saddledome	Recap
Bobby Smith (11) – pp – 13:24		First period			00:28 – Joel Otto (6) 08:15 – Joe Mullen (16) 19:31 – pp – Al MacInnis (7)
Mike Keane (4) – 14:17		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Patrick Roy 25 saves / 28 shots		Goalie stats			Mike Vernon 26 saves / 28 shots

May 25	Calgary Flames		4–2		Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Colin Patterson (3) – 18:51		First period			No scoring
Lanny McDonald (1) – 04:24		Second period			01:23 – Claude Lemieux (4)
Doug Gilmour (10) – pp – 11:02 Doug Gilmour (11) – en – 18:57		Third period			11:53 – Rick Green (1)
Mike Vernon 20 saves / 22 shots		Goalie stats			Patrick Roy 15 saves / 18 shots

Calgary won series 4–2

Broadcasting

This was the first Cup Finals since 1984 that the CBC had the sole English-language rights to the entire series in Canada instead of having to share it with another network. This was also the first season that SportsChannel America held the national U.S. rights.

Team rosters

Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year.

Calgary Flames

#	Nat	Player	Position	Hand	Acquired	Place of birth	Finals appearance
14		Theoren Fleury	RW	R	1987	Oxbow, Saskatchewan	first
39		Doug Gilmour	C	L	1988–89	Kingston, Ontario	first
17		Jiri Hrdina	C	L	1984	Prague, Czechoslovakia	first
22		Mark Hunter	RW	R	1988–89	Petrolia, Ontario	first
19		Tim Hunter – A	RW	R	1979	Calgary, Alberta	second (1986)
12		Hakan Loob	RW	R	1980	Visby, Sweden	second (1986)
2		Al MacInnis	D	R	1981	Inverness, Nova Scotia	second (1986)
27		Brian MacLellan	LW	L	1988–89	Guelph, Ontario	first
34		Jamie Macoun	D	L	1982–83	Newmarket, Ontario	second (1986)
4		Brad McCrimmon	D	L	1987–88	Dodsland, Saskatchewan	third (1985, 1987)
9		Lanny McDonald – C	RW	R	1981–82	Hanna, Alberta	second (1986)
7		Joe Mullen	RW	R	1985–86	New York, New York	second (1986)
5		Dana Murzyn	D	L	1988–89	Calgary, Alberta	first
6		Ric Nattress	D	R	1987–88	Hamilton, Ontario	first
25		Joe Nieuwendyk	C	L	1985	Oshawa, Ontario	first
29		Joel Otto	C	R	1984–85	Elk River, Minnesota	second (1986)
11		Colin Patterson	LW	R	1983–84	Rexdale, Ontario	second (1986)
24		Jim Peplinski – C	RW	R	1979	Renfrew, Ontario	second (1986)
55		Rob Ramage	D	R	1988–89	Byron, Ontario	first
10		Gary Roberts	LW	L	1984	North York, Ontario	second (1986)
20		Gary Suter	D	L	1984	Madison, Wisconsin	second (1986)
30		Mike Vernon	G	L	1981	Calgary, Alberta	second (1986)
31		Rick Wamsley	G	L	1987–88	Simcoe, Ontario	first

Montreal Canadiens

#	Nat	Player	Position	Hand	Acquired	Place of birth	Finals appearance
21		Guy Carbonneau	C	R	1979	Sept-Îles, Quebec	second (1986)
24		Chris Chelios	D	R	1981	Chicago, Illinois	second (1986)
27		Shayne Corson	C	L	1984	Midland, Ontario	first
6		Russ Courtnall	RW	R	1988–89	Duncan, British Columbia	first
28		Eric Desjardins	D	R	1987	Rouyn, Quebec	first
34		Donald Dufresne	D	R	1985	Quebec City, Quebec	first
23		Bob Gainey – C	LW	L	1973	Peterborough, Ontario	sixth (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986)
41		Brent Gilchrist	LW	L	1985	Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan	first
5		Rick Green	D	L	1982–83	Belleville, Ontario	second (1986)
1		Brian Hayward	G	L	1986–87	Georgetown, Ontario	first
12		Mike Keane	RW	R	1986–87	Winnipeg, Manitoba	first
32		Claude Lemieux	RW	R	1983	Buckingham, Quebec	second (1986)
17		Craig Ludwig	D	L	1980	Rhinelander, Wisconsin	second (1986)
8		Steve Martinson	RW	L	1988–89	Minnetonka, Minnesota	first
35		Mike McPhee	LW	L	1980	Sydney, Nova Scotia	second (1986)
26		Mats Naslund – A	LW	L	1979	Timrå, Sweden	second (1986)
44		Stephane Richer	RW	R	1984	Ripon, Quebec	second (1986)
19		Larry Robinson – A	D	L	1971	Winchester, Ontario	seventh (1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986)
33		Patrick Roy	G	L	1984	Quebec City, Quebec	second (1986)
39		Brian Skrudland	C	L	1985–86	Peace River, Alberta	second (1986)
15		Bobby Smith	C	L	1983–84	North Sydney, Nova Scotia	third (1981, 1986)
25		Petr Svoboda	D	L	1984	Most, Czechoslovakia	second (1986)
11		Ryan Walter	LW	L	1982–83	New Westminster, British Columbia	second (1986)

Stanley Cup engraving

The 1989 Stanley Cup was presented to Flames co-captains Lanny McDonald, Tim Hunter, and Jim Peplinski by NHL President John Ziegler following the Flames 4–2 win over the Canadiens in game six.

The following Flames players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup

1988–89 Calgary Flames

Players

  Centres

• 17 Jiri Hrdina
• 25 Joe Nieuwendyk
• 29 Joel Otto
• 39 Doug Gilmour

  Wingers

• 7 Joe Mullen
• 9 Lanny McDonald (Co-Captain)
• 10 Gary Roberts
• 11 Colin Patterson
• 12 Hakan Loob
• 14 Theoren Fleury*
• 19 Tim Hunter (A)
• 22 Mark Hunter
• 24 Jim Peplinski (Co-Captain)
• 27 Brian MacLellan

  Defencemen

• 2 Al MacInnis
• 4 Brad McCrimmon
• 5 Dana Murzyn
• 6 Ric Nattress
• 20 Gary Suter
• 34 Jamie Macoun
• 55 Rob Ramage

  Goaltenders

• 30 Mike Vernon
• 31 Rick Wamsley

* Played both centre and wing.

Coaching and administrative staff

• Norman Green (Owner), Harley Hotchkiss (Owners/Governor)
• Norman Kwong (Owner), Sonia Scurfield (Owner)
• Byron Seaman (Owner), Daryl Seaman (Owner)
• Cliff Fletcher (President/General Manager), Al MacNeil (Asst. General Manager)
• Al Coates (Asst. to President), Terry Crisp (Head Coach)
• Doug Risebrough (Asst. Coach), Tom Watt (Asst. Coach)
• Glenn Hall (Goaltending Consultant), Jim Murray (Trainer)
• Al Murray (Asst. Trainer), Bob Stewart (Equipment Manager)

Stanley Cup engraving

• #16 Sergei Pryakhin and #32 Ken Sabourin each played in a single playoff game, meaning that they did not qualify to have their names to be engraved on the Stanley Cup. However, both players received Stanley Cup championship rings, and Pryakhin was included in the team picture. Pryakhin was the first Russian-born and trained player to play in the NHL playoffs.
• Norman Kwong became sixth person to get his name on both the Stanley Cup and Grey Cup. 1948 with the Calgary Stampeders and 1954, 1955, 1956 with Edmonton Eskimos. (See Joe Miller, Lionel Conacher, Carl Voss, Leo Dandurand, Harold Ballard & Wayne Gretzky who won both the Grey Cup and Stanley Cup.)
• Vice Presidents Clare Rhysen and Leo Ornest's names were left off of the Stanley Cup, but both received a Stanley Cup championship ring.

Stanley Cup Final Patch

The 1989 Stanley Cup Final was the first to feature a special commemorative patch on both teams' sweaters, in honor of the championship series. Placed on each player's left shoulder, the patch employed the same design that was used from 1989 to 1994 before being tweaked for the 1995 Finals. A commemorative patch has been issued in every Stanley Cup Final since, though subsequent patches were sewn onto the sweaters'` upper right breast area (with the only exceptions being the 1994 and 2014 New York Rangers, whose diagonal wordmark necessitated the patch's placement on the top of each sweater's left shoulder).