The 1990 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1989–90 season, and the culmination of the 1990 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Edmonton Oilers and the Boston Bruins. This was a rematch of the 1988 Finals, albeit with the notable absence of Wayne Gretzky who was traded from Edmonton to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1988 off-season. The Oilers once again defeated the Bruins, this time in five games, to win the Stanley Cup.
For the Oilers, it was their fifth Cup win in seven years, and the team's only championship after trading Gretzky. This was the last of eight consecutive Finals contested by a team from Alberta and nine by a team from Western Canada (the Oilers appeared in six, the Calgary Flames in two, the Vancouver Canucks in one).
This was the last appearance in the Finals for the Bruins until 2011, where they would go on to end their 39-year Stanley Cup drought.
Paths to the Finals
Boston defeated the Hartford Whalers 4–3, the Montreal Canadiens 4–1 and the Washington Capitals 4–0 to advance to the Final.
Edmonton defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4–3, the Los Angeles Kings 4–0 and the Chicago Blackhawks 4–2.
Game summaries
Though the Oilers ultimately won the series in five games, it was the Bruins who dominated play during the early part of the series. The Bruins had more chances to win the opener, and at one point had a 15-4 shot advantage in game two before the Oilers came back.<ref></ </ref>
Game one
In Game 1, Petr Klima scored at 15:13 of the third overtime period to give the Oilers a 3–2 win; this game remains the longest in Stanley Cup Final history (see Longest NHL overtime games), edging both Brett Hull's Cup-winner in and Igor Larionov's game-winner in by less than 30 seconds. Scoring summaryPeriodTeamGoalAssist(s)TimeScore1stEDMAdam Graves (4)Joe Murphy (7) and Craig Simpson (12)09:461–0 EDM2ndEDMGlenn Anderson (7)Mark Messier (18) and Reijo Ruotsalainen (10)13:002–0 EDM3rdBOSRay Bourque (3)Cam Neely (13) and Greg Hawgood (2)03:432–1 EDMBOSRay Bourque (4)Cam Neely (14) and Greg Hawgood (3)18:312–2 OTNone2OTNone3OTEDMPetr Klima (5)Jari Kurri (11) and Craig MacTavish (5)15:133–2 EDM Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st EDM Glenn Anderson Cross-checking 03:05 2:00 BOS Cam Neely Interference 04:41 2:00 EDM Mark Messier Tripping 12:24 2:00 BOS John Carter Roughing 15:53 2:00 2nd EDM Esa Tikkanen Holding 09:44 2:00 EDM Charlie Huddy Hooking 14:38 2:00 3rd None OT None 2OT None 3OT BOS Cam Neely Roughing 02:41 2:00 EDM Steve Smith Roughing 02:41 2:00 BOS Andy Moog Slashing 13:48 2:00 BOS Esa Tikkanen Slashing 13:48 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 OT 2OT 3OT Total 6 4 6 7 5 3 31 10 6 15 6 7 8 52
Game two
Scoring summaryPeriodTeamGoalAssist(s)TimeScore1stEDMAdam Graves (5)Joe Murphy (8) and Randy Gregg (6)08:381–0 EDMEDMJari Kurri (8) – ppEsa Tikkanen (10)10:532–0 EDMBOSRay Bourque (5)Cam Neely (15)19:072–1 EDM2ndBOSGreg Hawgood (1) – ppRay Bourque (11) and Randy Burridge (10)02:562–2 EDMJari Kurri (9)Esa Tikkanen (11)04:213–2 EDMEDMCraig Simpson (13)Jari Kurri (12)15:284–2 EDMEDMEsa Tikkanen (11)Jari Kurri (13)17:105–2 EDMEDMJoe Murphy (5)Steve Smith (9)19:126–2 EDM3rdEDMJari Kurri (10) – ppReijo Ruotsalainen (11) and Mark Lamb (9)07:277–2 EDM Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st EDM Mark Messier Roughing 00:49 2:00 EDM Glenn Anderson Tripping 04:45 2:00 BOS John Carter High-sticking – major 06:20 5:00 BOS John Carter Game misconduct 06:20 10:00 EDM Steve Smith Hooking 06:45 2:00 BOS Don Sweeney Elbowing 12:55 2:00 EDM Kelly Buchberger Unsportmanslike conduct 12:55 2:00 EDM Mark Lamb Tripping 14:56 2:00 2nd EDM Esa Tikkanen Holding 01:14 2:00 BOS Cam Neely Roughing 02:27 2:00 EDM Steve Smith Roughing 02:27 2:00 BOS Greg Hawgood Roughing 11:00 2:00 EDM Esa Tikkanen Roughing 11:00 2:00 EDM Bill Ranford Delay of game 11:14 2:00 BOS Rejean Lemelin Throwing stick 19:00 Penalty shot 3rd BOS Bob Sweeney Holding 05:30 2:00 BOS Greg Johnston Roughing – double minor 12:50 4:00 EDM Joe Murphy Roughing 12:50 2:00 EDM Joe Murphy Unsportsmanlike conduct 12:50 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 2 9 11 22 10 12 5 27
Game three
Scoring summaryPeriodTeamGoalAssist(s)TimeScore1stBOSJohn Byce (2)Cam Neely (16)00:101–0 BOSBOSGreg Johnston (1)Randy Burridge (11) and Bob Sweeney (2)15:042–0 BOS2ndNone3rdEDMEsa Tikkanen (12) – ppJari Kurri (14) and Steve Smith (10)05:542–1 BOS Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st BOS Don Sweeney Holding 03:16 2:00 EDM Martin Gelinas Hooking 06:32 2:00 EDM Craig MacTavish Tripping 06:20 2:00 EDM Jari Kurri Interference 17:17 2:00 2nd EDM Craig Simpson Interference 12:28 2:00 BOS Allen Pedersen Holding 15:37 2:00 3rd BOS Don Sweeney Holding 01:30 2:00 BOS Garry Galley Holding 05:32 2:00 BOS Ray Bourque Holding 06:01 2:00 EDM Steve Smith Interference 06:23 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 13 7 2 22 11 4 14 29
Game four
Scoring summaryPeriodTeamGoalAssist(s)TimeScore1stEDMGlenn Anderson (8) – ppCraig Simpson (13) and Mark Lamb (10)02:131–0 EDMEDMGlenn Anderson (9)Mark Messier (19) and Craig Simpson (14)16:272–0 EDM2ndEDMCraig Simpson (14)Mark Messier (20) and Glenn Anderson (10)01:003–0 EDMEDMEsa Tikkanen (13)Jari Kurri (15) and Craig MacTavish (6)19:154–0 EDM3rdBOSJohn Carter (6)Unassisted15:024–1 EDMEDMCraig Simpson (15)Glenn Anderson (11) and Mark Messier (21)18:365–1 EDM Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st BOS Bobby Carpenter Interference 00:24 2:00 BOS Cam Neely Roughing 03:16 2:00 EDM Craig Muni Roughing 03:16 2:00 EDM Mark Messier Boarding 13:33 2:00 BOS John Carter Unsportsmanlike conduct 16:11 2:00 EDM Reijo Ruotsalainen Unsportsmanlike conduct 16:11 2:00 EDM Greg Hawgood Slashing 18:52 2:00 2nd BOS Glen Wesley Hooking 06:20 2:00 EDM Craig Simpson Tripping 12:39 2:00 EDM Glenn Anderson Roughing 19:50 2:00 3rd EDM Craig Simpson Interference 05:04 2:00 BOS Randy Burridge Slashing 12:14 2:00 BOS Cam Neely High-sticking 15:14 2:00 BOS Bob Sweeney Fighting – major 17:06 5:00 EDM Steve Smith Fighting – major 17:06 5:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 7 11 7 25 12 10 11 33
Game five
In Game 5 at the Boston Garden on May 24, the Oilers won 4–1, the first time they had ever clinched the Cup on the road. Edmonton won all three Finals games played at Boston Garden - in each their previous Finals wins, the Oilers only won one game away from Northlands Coliseum. Craig Simpson scored the game-winning goal. Oilers goaltender Bill Ranford, originally the backup who took over from Grant Fuhr for the remainder of the regular season and the entire playoffs, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Game 5 was the last Stanley Cup Final game ever played at the Boston Garden.
Mark Messier won his first Stanley Cup as a team captain, and his fifth overall. He won his sixth Stanley Cup as the captain with the New York Rangers four years later, and scored the Cup-winning goal, making him the only player to captain two different Cup-winning teams.
Bruins defenseman Ray Bourque did not reach the Stanley Cup Final again until the Colorado Avalanche won in . As for the Bruins, they would not return to the Stanley Cup Final until their championship season of . The Oilers did not reach the Finals again until , losing in seven games. Scoring summaryPeriodTeamGoalAssist(s)TimeScore1stNone2ndEDMGlenn Anderson (10)Unassisted01:171–0 EDMEDMCraig Simpson (16)Glenn Anderson (12)09:31 2–0 EDM3rdEDMSteve Smith (5)Mark Messier (22) and Craig Simpson (15)06:093–0 EDMEDMJoe Murphy (6)Mark Lamb (11) and Martin Gelinas (3)14:534–0 EDMBOSLyndon Byers (1)Don Sweeney (5) and Ray Bourque (12)16:304–1 EDM Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st BOS Ray Bourque Cross-checking 02:56 2:00 EDM Esa Tikkanen Holding 04:32 2:00 BOS Garry Galley Holding 04:45 2:00 2nd None 3rd EDM Charlie Huddy Hooking 07:09 2:00 BOS Ray Bourque Holding 11:46 2:00 Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total 10 5 7 22 10 10 10 30
Team rosters Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year.
Boston Bruins
#NatPlayerPositionHandAgeAcquiredPlace of birthFinals appearance 43 D R 23 1985Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania first 77 – C D L 29 1979Saint-Laurent, Quebec second 25 LW L 28 Melrose, Massachusetts first 12 LW L 24 1985Fort Erie, Ontario second 42 C L 22 1985Madison, Wisconsin first 34 RW R 26 1982Nipawin, Saskatchewan second 11 C L 26 Beverly, Massachusetts first 31 LW L 27 Winchester, Massachusetts first 27 RW R 31 Warroad, Minnesota first 14 W L 20 1988Toronto, Ontario first 37 LW L 27 Belleville, Ontario first 16 RW R 24 Toronto, Ontario first 28 D L 27 Greenfield Park, Quebec first 18 RW R 32 Petrolia, Ontario first 38 D L 21 1986Edmonton, Alberta second 23 – A C L 22 1986Hartford, Connecticut second 39 RW R 25 1983Barrie, Ontario second 1 G L 35 Quebec City, Quebec third 35 G L 30 Penticton, British Columbia sixth 8 – A RW R 24 Comox, British Columbia second 10 C L 30 Boston, Massachusetts second 41 D L 25 1983Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta second 19 C L 31 Timmins, Ontario third 36 LW L 31 Lanigan, Saskatchewan fourth 20 C R 26 1982Concord, Massachusetts second 32 D L 23 1984St. Stephen, New Brunswick first 26 D L 21 1987Red Deer, Alberta second 30 D L 29 Sudbury, Ontario second
Edmonton Oilers
#NatPlayerPositionHandAgeAcquiredPlace of birthFinals appearance 9 RW L 29 1979Vancouver, British Columbia sixth 6 D R 25 1983Ajax, Ontario third 32 RW R 27 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan third 16 RW L 23 1985Langenburg, Saskatchewan second 31 G R 27 1981Spruce Grove, Alberta sixth 20 LW L 19 Shawinigan, Quebec first 12 LW L 22 Toronto, Ontario first 21 D L 34 Edmonton, Alberta sixth 22 D L 30 Oshawa, Ontario sixth 85 LW R 25 Chomutov, Czechoslovakia first 17 – A RW R 30 1980Helsinki, Finland sixth 7 C L 25 Ponteix, Saskatchewan first 4 – A D L 31 1979Lachute, Quebec sixth 14 C L 31 London, Ontario third 11 – C C L 29 1979Edmonton, Alberta sixth 28 D L 27 Toronto, Ontario third 8 RW L 22 London, Ontario first 30 G L 23 Brandon, Manitoba second 33 G L 25 Halifax, Nova Scotia first 26 D R 30 Oulu, Finland second 19 C L 28 1989Moscow, Soviet Union first 18 LW R 23 London, Ontario second 25 D L 21 1987Edmonton, Alberta first 5 D L 27 1981Glasgow, United Kingdom third 10 LW L 25 1983Helsinki, Finland fourth
Stanley Cup engraving The 1990 Stanley Cup was presented to Oilers captain Mark Messier by NHL President John Ziegler following the Oilers 4–1 win over the Bruins in game five.
The following Oilers players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup
1989–90 Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup engravings Garnet "Ace" Bailey won seven Stanley Cups. His name was engraved on the Stanley Cup five times. He was engraved as Garnet Bailey in 1972, G. Bailey in 1970, 1985, 1987, and Ace Bailey in 1990. His name was left off the Stanley Cup, but he was awarded Stanley Cup rings in 1984, 1988. #29 Vladimir Ruzicka (C/LW) joined Edmonton from Europe in January. Ruzicka played 25 games, but did not dress in the playoffs. #19 Anatoli Semenov (RW) joined Edmonton from Europe in May. Semenov played two games in the Conference Final. Neither player qualified for engravement on the Cup, but both players received Stanley Cup rings. Ruzicka was also included on the team winning picture. Grant Fuhr only played 21 games during the regular season due to injuries. Although he would miss the rest of the regular season and the entire playoffs, he qualified to be on the Cup by dressing for over 40 regular season games.
Members of all five Edmonton Oilers championships Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy, Jari Kurri, Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier (seven Players), Peter Pocklington, Glen Sather, John Mucker, Ted Green, Barry Fraser, Barry Stafford, Lyle Kulchisky (seven non-players)