1990 Stanley Cup Final
The 1990 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's 1989-90 season, contested between the Edmonton Oilers and the Boston Bruins. This series was a rematch of the 1988 Final, but it was notable for the absence of Wayne Gretzky, who had been traded from Edmonton to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1988 off-season. The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Boston Bruins in five games to win the Stanley Cup. This victory gave the Oilers their fifth Stanley Cup championship in a span of just seven years, and it was the team's only title won after trading Gretzky.
Paths to the Final
The Boston Bruins advanced through the Wales Conference to reach the championship series. They began the playoffs with a hard-fought seven-game series against the Hartford Whalers, prevailing 4-3. The Bruins then faced their historic rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, and dispatched them in five games with a 4-1 series victory. In the conference final, Boston demonstrated dominance by sweeping the Washington Capitals in four straight games to secure their berth in the Stanley Cup Final. This run marked the Bruins' second Final appearance in three years, setting up a rematch with the Edmonton Oilers. The Edmonton Oilers' journey through the Campbell Conference began with a similarly tight series against the Winnipeg Jets, which also required the full seven games for the Oilers to advance. Edmonton then faced the Los Angeles Kings, the team that now featured their former superstar Wayne Gretzky, and swept them in four consecutive games. In the conference final, the Oilers met the Chicago Blackhawks and won the series four games to two.
Series Summary and Key Games
The 1990 Stanley Cup Final was won by the Edmonton Oilers in five games, though the Boston Bruins controlled significant portions of the early play. The Bruins generated more scoring chances to win the series opener and held a commanding 15-4 shot advantage at one point during the second game before the Oilers mounted a comeback. The series ultimately swung on Edmonton's ability to win clutch moments and their success on the road, as they secured all three games played at Boston Garden. Game 1 is the most memorable contest of the series and in Stanley Cup Final history. Played on May 15, the game extended into triple overtime before Oilers forward Petr Klima scored at 15:13 of the third extra period to give Edmonton a 3-2 victory. This game remains the longest ever played in a Stanley Cup Final, surpassing the duration of other famous overtime winners by less than thirty seconds. The marathon contest set a dramatic tone for the series and provided the Oilers with a critical early advantage. Game 5, played on May 24 at Boston Garden, decided the championship. The Edmonton Oilers won the game 4-1, capturing the Stanley Cup on the road for the first time in franchise history. Craig Simpson scored the game-winning goal in the clinching victory. This contest was historically significant as it was the last Stanley Cup Final game ever played at the Boston Garden before the arena's closure. Oilers captain Mark Messier accepted the Cup from NHL President John Ziegler, winning his first championship as a team captain and his fifth overall.
Individual Accolades and Records
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Bill Ranford was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the entire 1990 playoffs. Ranford, who began the season as the backup, took over the starting role from the injured Grant Fuhr for the remainder of the regular season and carried that responsibility through the entire postseason. His performance was instrumental in the Oilers' championship run, providing stability in net throughout their playoff journey. Captain Mark Messier's leadership was central to the Oilers' success, as he won his first Stanley Cup wearing the 'C'. This was his fifth championship overall with the Oilers. Messier would later achieve a unique distinction by captaining a second different team to a Stanley Cup, leading the New York Rangers to victory in 1994 and scoring the Cup-winning goal that year. For the Bruins, veteran defenceman Ray Bourque reached the Final for the second time in three years but would not return to the championship series until he won with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. A group of individuals were part of all five of Edmonton's Stanley Cup victories during that era. Players (7): Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy, Jari Kurri, Kevin Lowe, and Mark Messier. Non-Player Personnel (7): Owner Peter Pocklington, General Manager and Coach Glen Sather, John Mucker, Ted Green, Barry Fraser, Barry Stafford, and Lyle Kulchisky. An additional nine non-player staff members were part of all five championships but were not engraved on the Cup every year. Three players from that group also won a championship with the New York Rangers in 1994: Glenn Anderson, Kevin Lowe, and Mark Messier.
Stanley Cup Engraving and Qualifications
The names of the 1989-90 Edmonton Oilers championship team were engraved on the Stanley Cup following their victory. The engraving process follows specific NHL rules regarding player eligibility, primarily based on regular season games played or dressed for. While most of the roster qualified automatically, several cases from this team are of particular note and highlight the rules in practice. Goaltender Grant Fuhr qualified to have his name engraved despite missing the entire playoffs. Fuhr played 21 games during the regular season before injury, but he had dressed for over 40 regular season games in total, meeting the league's qualification standard. Two European players who joined the team late in the season did not meet the games-played threshold for engraving. Vladimir Ruzicka, who joined in January, played 25 regular season games but did not dress in the playoffs. Anatoli Semenov joined in May and played only two games in the conference final. Both players received Stanley Cup rings and Ruzicka was included in the team's championship photograph. A notable engraving was for scout Garnet "Ace" Bailey, whose name appeared on the Cup for the fifth time, this time as 'Ace Bailey'. He had previously been engraved as Garnet Bailey in 1972 and as G. Bailey in 1970, 1985, and 1987. Bailey was also part of the Oilers' 1984 and 1988 championship teams but his name was left off the Cup those years, though he received rings.
Broadcast Details
The 1990 Stanley Cup Final was broadcast across North America with differing coverage in Canada and the United States. In Canada, the national broadcaster was the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which carried the entire series as part of its Hockey Night in Canada programming. This ensured the series was available to a wide Canadian audience, continuing a long tradition of CBC Stanley Cup Final coverage. In the United States, the series aired nationally on the SportsChannel America network. However, a unique local blackout restriction applied in the Boston television market due to pre-existing regional broadcasting rights for Bruins games. As a result, SportsChannel America's national feed was not available to viewers in the Boston area. Instead, local stations carried the games.
- Games 1, 2, and 5 were televised in Boston on the New England Sports Network (NESN).
- Games 3 and 4 were broadcast on the local station WSBK-TV.
- Had the series extended, the broadcast plan stipulated that Game 6 would have aired on WSBK and Game 7 would have returned to NESN.
Historical Context and Aftermath
The 1990 Stanley Cup Final represented the end of an era for both participating franchises. It proved the team's resilience and depth beyond a single superstar. The victory also marked the conclusion of a remarkable run of Stanley Cup Final appearances by teams from Western Canada, specifically Alberta. This was the last of eight consecutive Finals featuring an Alberta team (six by Edmonton, two by Calgary) and nine by a team from Western Canada overall. For the Boston Bruins, the loss prolonged their championship drought. They would not return to the Stanley Cup Final for another 21 years, finally ending their 39-year Cup drought by winning in 2011. Bruins legend Ray Bourque would not reach the Final again until his final season in 2001, when he won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. The Oilers themselves entered a period of transition and would not return to the championship series until 2006, where they lost in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes. The series also marked several venue milestones. For the Oilers, the victory was their first clinched on the road, having previously won all their championships on home ice at Northlands Coliseum.
Team Statistics and Results
The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Boston Bruins in the 1990 Stanley Cup Final in five games. This series was a rematch of the 1988 Finals but without Wayne Gretzky on the Oilers. The Oilers won their fifth Stanley Cup in seven years with this victory. This championship was the team's only title after trading Gretzky. The Oilers clinched the series with a 4-1 win in Game 5 at the Boston Garden.
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 15 | Boston Garden | Edmonton 3, Boston 2 (3OT) | Edmonton 1-0 |
| 5 | May 24 | Boston Garden | Edmonton 4, Boston 1 | Edmonton 4-1 |
The Oilers' ability to win all three games in Boston was a decisive factor in the series outcome. Their Game 1 triple-overtime victory provided a critical momentum swing, while their dominant 7-2 win in Game 2 and the series-clinching 4-1 win in Game 5 demonstrated their offensive power. The Bruins' sole victory came in Game 3 at Northlands Coliseum by a narrow 2-1 margin, but they were unable to sustain that success. Edmonton's road success, winning all three games at Boston Garden, was a key departure from their previous championship patterns where they had only won one road game in each of their prior Finals victories.
Questions about 1990 Stanley Cup Final
Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in the 1990 Stanley Cup Final?
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Bill Ranford won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 1990 playoffs. Ranford took over as the starting goaltender after Grant Fuhr was injured during the regular season and maintained that role throughout the entire postseason. His consistent play was a key part of the Oilers' championship run, backstopping them through three playoff rounds and the Final. The award recognized his crucial contribution to Edmonton's fifth Stanley Cup victory.
Why is Game 1 of the 1990 Final historically significant?
Game 1 of the 1990 Stanley Cup Final is historically significant because it remains the longest game in Stanley Cup Final history. The contest went into triple overtime before Edmonton's Petr Klima scored the winning goal at 15:13 of the third extra period for a 3-2 Oilers victory. This game surpassed the duration of other famous overtime Finals games, including Brett Hull's winner in 1999 and Igor Larionov's in 2002, by less than thirty seconds. The marathon match set a dramatic tone for the series and gave Edmonton a critical early advantage.
Was this the Oilers' first championship without Wayne Gretzky?
Yes, the 1990 Stanley Cup was the Edmonton Oilers' first and only championship won after trading Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1988 off-season. The 1990 victory proved that the Oilers' dynasty, built around a core of exceptional players like Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, and Grant Fuhr, could still win the ultimate prize without their legendary centre. It was the team's fifth Stanley Cup title in a span of seven years, solidifying their place as one of hockey's greatest dynasties.
How did the Bruins and Oilers reach the 1990 Final?
The Boston Bruins reached the Final by defeating the Hartford Whalers 4-3, the Montreal Canadiens 4-1, and sweeping the Washington Capitals 4-0 in the Wales Conference playoffs. The Edmonton Oilers advanced through the Campbell Conference by beating the Winnipeg Jets 4-3, sweeping the Los Angeles Kings 4-0, and defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2. This set up a rematch of the 1988 Stanley Cup Final, which the Oilers had also won. Both teams handled challenging paths, with each surviving a tough seven-game series in the first round.
Where was the 1990 Stanley Cup Final televised in the United States?
In the United States, the 1990 Stanley Cup Final aired nationally on the SportsChannel America network. However, in the Boston television market, this national coverage was blacked out due to local broadcasting rights for Bruins games. Instead, games were shown on local stations: Games 1, 2, and 5 aired on the New England Sports Network (NESN), while Games 3 and 4 were broadcast on WSBK-TV. Had the series gone longer, Game 6 was scheduled for WSBK and Game 7 for NESN.
Which players were part of all five Oilers championships in the 1980s?
Seven players were part of all five Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup championships from 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990. They are Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy, Jari Kurri, Kevin Lowe, and Mark Messier. This group secured the team's fifth Cup in seven years with the 1990 victory over the Boston Bruins. Seven non player staff members, such as owner Peter Pocklington and general manager Glen Sather, were also part of all five championship teams. Notably, three of those players, Anderson, Lowe, and Messier, would later win another Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994. Mark Messier, the Oilers captain in 1990, won his fifth overall championship that year.
Sources and further reading
- 1990 Stanley Cup Final (Wikipedia)
- Stanley Cup Champions 1990 to 1999 (nhl.com)
- 1990 NHL Stanley Cup Final: BOS vs. EDM (hockey-reference.com)
Checked by the Garbutt Disposal desk. Last updated 2026-10-22.
