The 1992–93 NHL season was the 76th regular season of the National Hockey League. Each player wore a patch on their jersey throughout the season to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Stanley Cup. The league expanded to 24 teams with the addition of the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Under the new labour agreement signed following the 1992 NHL strike, each team began playing 84 games per season, including two home games at neutral sites.
The Montreal Canadiens won their league-leading 24th Cup by defeating the Los Angeles Kings four games to one. This remains the last time that a Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup.
It proved, at the time, to be the highest-scoring regular season in NHL history, as a total of 7,311 goals were scored over 1,008 games for an average of 7.25 per game. Twenty of the twenty-four teams scored three goals or more per game, and only two teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks, allowed fewer than three goals per game. Only 68 shutouts were recorded during the regular season. A record twenty-one players reached the 100-point plateau, while a record fourteen players reached the 50-goal plateau—both records still stand through the 2024–25 season.
Through the halfway point in this season Mario Lemieux was in the process of putting together one of the most historic seasons in NHL history; being on pace to challenge both the 92 goal and 215 point records of Wayne Gretzky when he was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Lemieux still went on to win the Art Ross and Hart Trophies, despite every other player in the top five in league scoring playing a complete 84 game season to his 60 games. He also finished with the third highest point per game average in a season in league history.
League business Expansion This season saw two new clubs join the league: the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Senators were the second Ottawa-based NHL franchise (see Ottawa Senators (original)) and brought professional hockey back to Canada's capital, while the Tampa Bay franchise (headed by Hockey Hall of Fame brothers Phil and Tony Esposito) strengthened the NHL's presence in the American Sun Belt, which had first started with the birth of the Los Angeles Kings in 1967. The 1992 NHL expansion draft was held on June 18 to fill the rosters of the Senators and the Lightning.
This was the final season of the Wales and Campbell Conferences, and the Adams, Patrick, Norris, and Smythe divisions. Both the conferences and the divisions would be renamed to reflect geography rather than the league's history for the following season. This was also the last year (until the 2013 realignment) in which the playoff structure bracketed and seeded teams by division; they would be bracketed and seeded by conference (as in the NBA) for 1993–94.
Entry draft The 1992 NHL entry draft was held on June 20 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. Roman Hamrlik was selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Bettman named first NHL Commissioner In the summer of 1992, NHL owners replaced NHL President John Ziegler with Gil Stein on an interim basis. Ziegler had held the position for 15 years, but owners became unhappy following the 1992 NHL strike. On February 1, 1993, Gary Bettman became the first NHL Commissioner, with the office originally created as senior to Stein's position as NHL President. Working towards labour peace was among the tasks handed to Bettman when the owners hired him. After Stein's tenure expired on July 1, 1993, the President's office was merged into the Commissioner's.
Centennial celebration of the Stanley Cup All teams wore a commemorative patch this year celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Stanley Cup.
Rule changes Instigating a fight results in a game misconduct penalty. Substitutions disallowed for coincidental minor penalties when teams are at full strength, reversing a rule passed for the 1985–86 season. Minor penalty for diving introduced.
Arena changes The expansion Ottawa Senators moved into Ottawa Civic Centre. The expansion Tampa Bay Lightning moved into Expo Hall in East Lake-Orient Park, Florida.
Regular season Neutral site games As a part of the 1992 strike settlement, the regular season was expanded from 80 to 84 games per team. The NHL and Bruce McNall's Multivision Marketing and Public Relations Co. organized the additional 24 regular season games in 15 cities that did not have a franchise, providing as a litmus test for future expansion. Four of the cities chosen – Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas and Miami – were eventually the sites of expansion or relocations, and although neither Cleveland nor Cincinnati received NHL franchises, there would be one placed in Columbus, located halfway between the two cities. Two arenas that hosted neutral-site games had hosted NHL teams before: Atlanta's The Omni (Atlanta Flames) and Cleveland's Richfield Coliseum (Cleveland Barons).
Date Winning team Score Losing team Score OT City State/Province Arena AttendanceReferenceCalgary4Minnesota3SaskatoonSKSaskPlaceToronto5Ottawa3HamiltonONCopps ColiseumWashington4Chicago1IndianapolisINMarket Square ArenaQuebec3Toronto1HamiltonONCopps ColiseumNew Jersey3Buffalo2HamiltonONCopps ColiseumLos Angeles6Chicago3MilwaukeeWIBradley CenterMontreal5Los Angeles5(OT)PhoenixAZArizona Veterans Memorial ColiseumNY Rangers6Tampa Bay5MiamiFLMiami ArenaNY Islanders4Edmonton1Oklahoma CityOKMyriad Convention CenterNY Islanders4St. Louis3(OT)DallasTXReunion ArenaMontréal4San Jose1SacramentoCAARCO ArenaWinnipeg8Hartford7SaskatoonSKSaskPlacePittsburgh4Boston0AtlantaGAThe OmniSt. Louis3Hartford1PeoriaILCarver ArenaCalgary4Philadelphia4(OT)CincinnatiOHRiverfront ColiseumQuebec5Tampa Bay2HalifaxNSHalifax Metro CentreDetroit5Philadelphia5(OT)ClevelandOHRichfield ColiseumNY Rangers4San Jose0SacramentoCAARCO ArenaWinnipeg8Ottawa2SaskatoonSKSaskPlace7,245Vancouver5Buffalo2HamiltonONCopps ColiseumMinnesota4Vancouver3SaskatoonSKSaskPlaceWashington4Detroit2MilwaukeeWIBradley CenterBoston3New Jersey1ProvidenceRIProvidence Civic CenterPittsburgh6Edmonton4ClevelandOHRichfield Coliseum
The Hartford-St. Louis game was originally scheduled to be played on December 29, 1992, in Birmingham, Alabama.
All-Star Game The All-Star Game was held on February 6, 1993, at the Montreal Forum, the home of the Montreal Canadiens.
Highlights Teemu Selanne of the Winnipeg Jets shattered the rookie scoring record by scoring 76 goals and 56 assists for 132 points this season. He was named the winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year, and his goals and points marks remain the NHL rookie records .
The New York Rangers missed the playoffs. This marked the first time since the President's Trophy had been introduced that the previous season's top team missed the next year's playoffs.
For the first time in his NHL career, Wayne Gretzky did not finish in the top three in scoring. A back injury limited Gretzky to 45 games in which he scored 65 points.
The Pittsburgh Penguins set a new NHL record, winning 17 consecutive games. The streak ending with the regular season.
Final standings
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points
Prince of Wales Conference
Clarence Campbell Conference
Playoffs
Bracket The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). 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 Final.
NHL awards + 1992–93 NHL awards Award Recipient(s) Runner(s)-up/Finalists Presidents' Trophy(Best regular-season record) Pittsburgh Penguins Boston Bruins Prince of Wales Trophy(Wales Conference playoff champion) Montreal Canadiens New York Islanders Clarence S. Campbell Bowl(Campbell Conference playoff champion) Los Angeles Kings Toronto Maple Leafs Alka-Seltzer Plus-Minus Award(Best plus-minus statistic) Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) Larry Murphy (Pittsburgh Penguins) Art Ross Trophy(Player with most points) Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) Pat LaFontaine (Buffalo Sabres) Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy(Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication) Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) N/A Calder Memorial Trophy(Best first-year player) Teemu Selanne (Winnipeg Jets) Joe Juneau (Boston Bruins)Felix Potvin (Toronto Maple Leafs) Conn Smythe Trophy(Most valuable player, playoffs) Patrick Roy (Montreal Canadiens) N/A Frank J. Selke Trophy(Best defensive forward) Doug Gilmour (Toronto Maple Leafs) Joel Otto (Calgary Flames)Dave Poulin (Boston Bruins) Hart Memorial Trophy(Most valuable player, regular season) Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) Doug Gilmour (Toronto Maple Leafs)Pat LaFontaine (Buffalo Sabres) Jack Adams Award(Best coach) Pat Burns (Toronto Maple Leafs) Pierre Page (Quebec Nordiques)Brian Sutter (Boston Bruins) James Norris Memorial Trophy(Best defenceman) Chris Chelios (Chicago Blackhawks) Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins)Larry Murphy (Pittsburgh Penguins) King Clancy Memorial Trophy(Leadership and humanitarian contribution) Dave Poulin (Boston Bruins) N/A Lady Byng Memorial Trophy(Sportsmanship and excellence) Pierre Turgeon (New York Islanders) Pat LaFontaine (Buffalo Sabres)Adam Oates (Boston Bruins) Lester B. Pearson Award(Outstanding player) Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) N/A Vezina Trophy(Best goaltender) Ed Belfour (Chicago Blackhawks) Tom Barrasso (Pittsburgh Penguins)Curtis Joseph (St. Louis Blues) William M. Jennings Trophy(Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against) Ed Belfour(Chicago Blackhawks) Grant Fuhr and Felix Potvin (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Player statistics During the 1992-93 season, a record twenty-one players reached the 100-point plateau, while a record fourteen players reached the 50-goal plateau. As of the 2023-24 season, both records still continue stand after three decades. This was also the last season that an NHL player scored 70 or more goals in a single regular season.
Scoring leaders Player Team Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh 60 69 91 160 +55 38 Pat LaFontaine Buffalo 84 53 95 148 +11 63 Adam Oates Boston 84 45 97 142 +15 32 Steve Yzerman Detroit 84 58 79 137 +33 44 Teemu Selanne Winnipeg 84 76 56 132 +8 45 Pierre Turgeon NY Islanders 83 58 74 132 -1 26 Alexander Mogilny Buffalo 77 76 51 127 +7 40 Doug Gilmour Toronto 83 32 95 127 +32 100 Luc Robitaille Los Angeles 84 63 62 125 +18 100 Mark Recchi Philadelphia 84 53 70 123 +1 95
Leading goaltenders Player Team Felix Potvin Toronto 48 2781 116 2 2.50 .910 Ed Belfour Chicago 71 4106 177 7 2.59 .906 Tom Barrasso Pittsburgh 63 3702 186 4 3.01 .901 Curtis Joseph St. Louis 68 3890 196 1 3.02 .911 Kay Whitmore Vancouver 31 1817 94 1 3.10 .890 Dominik Hasek Buffalo 28 1429 75 0 3.15 .896 Andy Moog Boston 55 3194 168 3 3.16 .876 Jeff Reese Calgary 26 1311 70 1 3.20 .872 Patrick Roy Montreal 62 3595 192 2 3.20 .894 Daren Puppa Buffalo/Toronto 32 1785 96 2 3.23 .898
All-Star teams