1997 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1997 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1996–97 season, and the culmination of the 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Detroit Red Wings and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Red Wings made the Finals for the second time in three years, while the Flyers were making their first appearance in a decade. The Red Wings swept the Flyers to win the Stanley Cup for the eighth time in franchise history and for the first time since 1955, ending what was the longest Stanley Cup drought in the league at that time.

1997 Stanley Cup Finals
1234 Total
Detroit Red Wings 4462 4
Philadelphia Flyers 2211 0
Location(s)Detroit: Joe Louis Arena (3, 4)
Philadelphia: CoreStates Center (1, 2)
CoachesDetroit: Scotty Bowman
Philadelphia: Terry Murray
CaptainsDetroit: Steve Yzerman
Philadelphia: Eric Lindros
National anthemsDetroit: Karen Newman
Philadelphia: Lauren Hart
RefereesBill McCreary (1, 4)
Terry Gregson (2)
Kerry Fraser (3)
DatesMay 31 – June 7, 1997
MVPMike Vernon (Red Wings)
Series-winning goalDarren McCarty (13:02, second, G4)
Hall of FamersRed Wings:
Sergei Fedorov (2015)
Viacheslav Fetisov (2001)
Igor Larionov (2008)
Nicklas Lidstrom (2015)
Larry Murphy (2004)
Brendan Shanahan (2013)
Mike Vernon (2023)
Steve Yzerman (2009)
Flyers:
Paul Coffey (2004)
Dale Hawerchuk (2001)
Eric Lindros (2016)
Coaches:
Scotty Bowman (1991)
NetworksCanada:
(English): CBC
(French): SRC
United States:
(English): Fox (1), ESPN (2–4)
Announcers(CBC) Bob Cole and Harry Neale
(SRC) Claude Quenneville and Gilles Tremblay
(Fox) Mike Emrick and John Davidson
(ESPN) Gary Thorne and Bill Clement
← 1996 Stanley Cup Finals 1998 →

The Red Wings were the last team to win the Cup without home ice advantage in the Finals and with fewer than 100 points earned during the regular season until 2009.

Paths to the Finals

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Philadelphia Flyers

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Philadelphia rose to the top on the back of a 17-game unbeaten streak in December and January, and despite losing the Atlantic Division title to New Jersey, had a relatively easy time with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres in the first two rounds. The Flyers arrived into the Stanley Cup Finals having beaten their perennial rivals, the New York Rangers, in a memorable five-game Eastern Conference Final series. Eric Lindros and Wayne Gretzky each recorded a hat trick in the set, but the size, strength and discipline of Philadelphia (particularly the Legion of Doom line) trumped the veteran savvy of the Blueshirts.

Detroit Red Wings

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For Detroit there was the departure of several players whom head coach Scotty Bowman blamed for their loss to Colorado a year prior, including trading away Paul Coffey to get star Brendan Shanahan.[1] Detroit won 38 games in the regular season, in contrast to the record-setting 62 win season the previous year, making them the dark horse in the Western Conference as the third seed behind the Dallas Stars and the Presidents' Trophy winner Colorado Avalanche. In the playoffs, the Wings dispatched a fractured St. Louis Blues team in six games, and a surprising Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a sweep to reach the Western Conference finals for the third straight season. In a rematch of last year's Western Finals, the Red Wings upset the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche in six brutal games to earn their second trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in three years.

This is the first time that these two teams met in the postseason.

Game summaries

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Game 1

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May 31 Detroit Red Wings 4–2 Philadelphia Flyers CoreStates Center Recap

Game 1 in Philadelphia took place exactly ten years to the day after the Flyers' emotional seventh-game loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the 1987 Finals. Detroit never trailed in the game: they led 2–1 after the first period, 3–2 after the second, and Steve Yzerman scored the fourth goal 56 seconds into the third period.[2] Sergei Fedorov scored the winner and was named the game's first star.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st DET Kirk Maltby (4) – sh Kris Draper (4) 06:38 1–0 DET
PHI Rod Brind'Amour (11) – pp Eric Lindros (13), Janne Niinimaa (10) 07:37 1–1
DET Joe Kocur (1) Unassisted 15:56 2–1 DET
2nd DET Sergei Fedorov (6) Larry Murphy (7), Darren McCarty (3) 11:41 3–1 DET
PHI John LeClair (8) Mikael Renberg (6), Eric Lindros (14) 17:11 3–2 DET
3rd DET Steve Yzerman (5) Larry Murphy (8) 00:56 4–2 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st DET Tomas Sandstrom High-sticking 05:50 2:00
DET Viacheslav Fetisov Interference 11:26 2:00
PHI Trent Klatt Interference 17:09 2:00
DET Joe Kocur Interference 19:42 2:00
2nd PHI Daniel Lacroix Interference 05:48 2:00
DET Sergei Fedorov Tripping 07:08 2:00
DET Viacheslav Fetisov Interference 15:07 2:00
PHI Trent Klatt Charging 17:45 2:00
3rd PHI Petr Svoboda Cross-checking 06:27 2:00
PHI Eric Lindros Roughing 17:48 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
DET 8 12 10 30
PHI 10 9 9 28

Game 2

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June 3 Detroit Red Wings 4–2 Philadelphia Flyers CoreStates Center Recap

Brendan Shanahan scored an unassisted goal 1:37 into the game and Steve Yzerman scored a power-play goal at 9:22 of the first period to give the Red Wings a 2–0 lead before Rod Brind'Amour scored a pair of power-play goals late in the first period to tie the score. In the second, Kirk Maltby scored the game-winning goal at 2:39 and Shanahan scored his second goal of the game at 9:56 of the third and the Red Wings won a second consecutive 4–2 victory and a 2–0 series lead heading back to Joe Louis Arena.[2]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st DET Brendan Shanahan (7) Unassisted 01:37 1–0 DET
DET Steve Yzerman (6) – pp Larry Murphy (9), Viacheslav Fetisov (3) 09:22 2–0 DET
PHI Rod Brind'Amour (12) – pp Janne Niinimaa (11) 17:42 2–1 DET
PHI Rod Brind'Amour (13) – pp Janne Niinimaa (12), John LeClair (12) 18:51 2–2
2nd DET Kirk Maltby (5) Joe Kocur (3) 02:39 3–2 DET
3rd DET Brendan Shanahan (8) Martin Lapointe (8), Sergei Fedorov (10) 09:56 4–2 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st PHI Paul Coffey Holding 04:29 2:00
PHI Paul Coffey Hooking 07:24 2:00
DET Martin Lapointe Charging 10:21 2:00
DET Viacheslav Fetisov High-sticking 17:09 2:00
DET Igor Larionov Hooking 18:37 2:00
2nd DET Kirk Maltby Roughing 06:54 2:00
PHI Paul Coffey Roughing 06:54 2:00
DET Bench (served by Doug Brown) Too many men on the ice 09:03 2:00
PHI John LeClair Elbowing 12:13 2:00
3rd DET Martin Lapointe Roughing 10:27 2:00
PHI Karl Dykhuis Roughing 10:27 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
DET 14 9 5 28
PHI 14 9 8 31

Game 3

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June 5 Philadelphia Flyers 1–6 Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap

John LeClair scored at 7:03 of the first period to give the Flyers their first lead of the series. Two minutes later, Yzerman scored on the power-play to tie the score. Fedorov scored two minutes later to put Detroit ahead for good in the game. Martin Lapointe scored later in the first to give the Wings a 3–1 advantage. The Wings tacked on two more in the second and added one in the third for a decisive 6–1 win and a three-games-to-none series advantage.[2] For his four-point night, Fedorov was named the game's first star.

In his post-game comments, Flyers head coach Terry Murray was quoted as saying the team was "basically in a choking situation," which many observers interpreted as Murray having called out his own players as chokers. The manner in which they played compounded by the insurmountable series deficit along with the Wings' seeming dominance in stretches of the first two games as well as most of game three lent credence to the claim.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st PHI John LeClair (9) – pp Eric Desjardins (7), John LeClair (8) 07:03 1–0 PHI
DET Steve Yzerman (7) – pp Vyacheslav Kozlov (4) 09:03 1–1
DET Sergei Fedorov (7) Unassisted 11:05 2–1 DET
DET Martin Lapointe (3) Doug Brown (3), Sergei Fedorov (11) 19:00 3–1 DET
2nd DET Sergei Fedorov (8) – pp Vyacheslav Kozlov (5), Brendan Shanahan (8) 03:12 4–1 DET
DET Brendan Shanahan (9) Darren McCarty (4), Viacheslav Fetisov (4) 19:17 5–1 DET
3rd DET Martin Lapointe (4) – pp Sergei Fedorov (12), Mike Vernon (1) 01:08 6–1 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st DET Darren McCarty Interference – Obstruction 06:10 2:00
PHI Eric Desjardins Holding – Obstruction 08:44 2:00
DET Viacheslav Fetisov Interference – Obstruction 12:14 2:00
DET Tomas Sandstrom Holding – Obstruction 12:54 2:00
DET Martin Lapointe Tripping 16:43 2:00
2nd PHI Trent Klatt Hooking – Obstruction 02:24 2:00
PHI Michel Petit Holding 10:14 2:00
3rd PHI Eric Lindros Cross-checking 00:46 2:00
PHI Eric Lindros Elbowing 08:12 2:00
DET Darren McCarty Interference – Obstruction 08:39 2:00
DET Viacheslav Fetisov Slashing 13:02 2:00
DET Doug Brown Slashing 19:41 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
PHI 8 7 7 22
DET 10 12 7 29

Game 4

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June 7 Philadelphia Flyers 1–2 Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap

The Red Wings controlled the game from the get-go, forging ahead 1–0 after one period and employing the left-wing lock to keep the Flyers' mix of big and speedy forwards at bay. Darren McCarty's second-period tally effectively sealed the deal. The burly checker faked out Flyers rookie defenceman Janne Niinimaa inside the blue line, swooped around him, then did a quick cutback in front of Hextall in his crease to slip the puck into the net. Eric Lindros would score his lone goal of the series with 15 seconds to play. The 2–1 win brought Detroit its eighth Stanley Cup, and its first in 42 seasons, ending what was the longest Stanley Cup drought in the league at that time.

Sergei Fedorov led the Wings in playoff scoring with 20 points. Detroit goaltender Mike Vernon, who had been in net for the whole of the Wings' failed 1995 playoff run, and relegated to the bench the year before, earned vindication and his first Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP by holding Philadelphia to six goals in four games.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st DET Nicklas Lidstrom (2) Kirk Maltby (2) 19:27 1–0 DET
2nd DET Darren McCarty (3) Tomas Sandstrom (4), Steve Yzerman (6) 13:02 2–0 DET
3rd PHI Eric Lindros (12) Eric Desjardins (8) 19:45 2–1 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st PHI John LeClair Holding – Obstruction 03:23 2:00
DET Igor Larionov Interference – Obstruction 04:31 2:00
PHI Eric Lindros Interference – Obstruction 09:22 2:00
PHI Pat Falloon Holding the stick 13:21 2:00
2nd DET Vladimir Konstantinov Interference – Obstruction 09:27 2:00
3rd PHI Kjell Samuelsson High-sticking 01:32 2:00
PHI Shjon Podein High-sticking 11:54 2:00
DET Kris Draper Slashing 14:39 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 Total
PHI 8 12 7 27
DET 9 10 9 28

Team rosters

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Bolded years under Finals appearance indicates year won Stanley Cup.

Detroit Red Wings

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# Nat Player Position Hand Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
30   Chris Osgood G L 1991 Peace River, Alberta second (1995) (did not play)
29   Mike Vernon G L 1994–95 Calgary, Alberta fourth (1986, 1989, 1995)
31   Kevin Hodson G L 1993–94 Winnipeg, Manitoba first (did not play)
2   Viacheslav Fetisov D L 1994–95 Moscow, Soviet Union second (1995)
3   Bob Rouse D R 1994–95 Surrey, British Columbia second (1995)
4   Jamie Pushor D R 1991 Lethbridge, Alberta first (did not play)
5   Nicklas Lidstrom D L 1989 Krylbo, Sweden second (1995)
11   Mathieu Dandenault D R 1994 Sherbrooke, Quebec first (did not play)
16   Vladimir Konstantinov D R 1989 Murmansk, Soviet Union second (1995)
27   Aaron Ward D R 1993–94 Windsor, Ontario first
55   Larry Murphy D R 1996–97 Scarborough, Ontario third (1991, 1992)
8   Igor Larionov C L 1995–96 Voskresensk, Soviet Union first
13   Vyacheslav Kozlov LW L 1990 Voskresensk, Soviet Union second (1995)
14   Brendan ShanahanA LW R 1996–97 Etobicoke, Ontario first
15   Tomas Holmstrom LW L 1994 Piteå, Sweden first (did not play)
17   Doug Brown RW R 1994–95 Southborough, Massachusetts second (1995)
18   Kirk Maltby RW R 1995–96 Guelph, Ontario first
19   Steve YzermanC C R 1983 Burnaby, British Columbia second (1995)
20   Martin Lapointe RW R 1991 Ville St. Pierre, Quebec second (1995)
25   Darren McCarty RW R 1992 Burnaby, British Columbia second (1995)
26   Joe Kocur RW R 1996–97 Kelvington, Saskatchewan second (1994)
28   Tomas Sandstrom LW L 1996–97 Jakobstad, Finland second (1993)
33   Kris Draper C L 1993–94 Toronto, Ontario second (1995)
37   Tim Taylor C L 1993–94 Stratford, Ontario second (1995) (did not play)
91   Sergei FedorovA C L 1989 Pskov, Soviet Union second (1995)

Philadelphia Flyers

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# Nat Player Position Hand Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
27   Ron Hextall G L 1994–95 Brandon, Manitoba second (1987)
30   Garth Snow G L 1995–96 Wrentham, Massachusetts first
6   Chris Therien D L 1990 Ottawa, Ontario first
8   Michel Petit D R 1996–97 Saint-Malo, Quebec first
23   Petr Svoboda D L 1994–95 Most, Czechoslovakia third (1986, 1989)
24   Karl Dykhuis D L 1994–95 Sept-Îles, Quebec first
28   Kjell Samuelsson D R 1995–96 Tingsryd, Sweden third (1987, 1992)
37   Eric DesjardinsA D R 1994–95 Rouyn, Quebec third (1989, 1993)
44   Janne Niinimaa D L 1993 Raahe, Finland first
77   Paul Coffey D L 1996–97 Weston, Ontario seventh (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1995)
9   Dainius Zubrus LW L 1996 Elektrėnai, Soviet Union first
10   John LeClair LW L 1994–95 St. Albans, Vermont second (1993)
15   Pat Falloon RW R 1995–96 Foxwarren, Manitoba first
17   Rod Brind'AmourA C L 1991–92 Ottawa, Ontario first
18   Dale Hawerchuk C L 1995–96 Toronto, Ontario first
19   Mikael Renberg RW L 1990 Piteå, Sweden first
20   Trent Klatt RW R 1995–96 Robbinsdale, Minnesota first
21   Dan Kordic LW L 1990 Edmonton, Alberta first
25   Shjon Podein LW L 1994–95 Rochester, Minnesota first
26   John Druce RW R 1995–96 Peterborough, Ontario first
29   Joel Otto C R 1995–96 Elk River, Minnesota third (1986, 1989)
32   Daniel Lacroix LW L 1996–97 Montreal, Quebec first
45   Vaclav Prospal C L 1993 České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia first (did not play)
48   Colin Forbes C L 1994 New Westminster, British Columbia first
88   Eric LindrosC C R 1992–93 Toronto, Ontario first

Stanley Cup engraving

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The 1997 Stanley Cup was presented to Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Red Wings 2–1 win over the Flyers in game four

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

1996–97 Detroit Red Wings

Players

Coaching and administrative staff

  • Mike Ilitch Sr. (Owner/President/Governor), Marian Ilitch (Owner/Secretary-Treasurer), Atanas Ilitch (Vice President/Minority Owner)
  • Christopher Ilitch (Vice President/Minority Owner), Denise Ilitch Lites, Ronald Ilitch (Minority Owners)
  • Michael Ititch Jr., Lisa Ilitch Murray, Carole Ilitch Trepeck (Minority Owners)
  • Jim Devellano (Sr. Vice President-of Hockey Operations), William Scotty Bowman (Head Coach/Director of Player Personnel), Ken Holland (Asst. General Manager/Goaltending Coach), Barry Smith (Associate Coach)
  • Dave Lewis (Associate Coach), Mike Krushelnyski (Asst. Coach), Jim Nill (Director of Player Development/Director of Scouting), Dan Belise (Scout), Bruce Haralson (Scout)
  • Mark Howe (Scout), Hakan Andersson (Scouts), John Wharton (Athletic Trainer), Wally Crossman (Dressing Room Asst.), Mark Leach (Scout)
  • Paul Boyer (Equipment Manager), Tim Abbott (Asst. Equipment Manager), Sergei Mnatsakanov (Massage Therapist), Joe McDonnell (Scout)
  • Hodson played only six games (dressed for 23 games), but name was included on the Stanley Cup, because he spent majority of the season with Detroit.

Included on the team picture, but left off the Stanley Cup

  • #22 Mike Knuble† – played nine regular season games, did not qualify to be engraved on the Stanley Cup. He was left off for playing 68 games in the minors for Adirondack.
  • Johnny Remejes† (Dressing Room Asst.), Mike Vella† (Dressing Room Asst). Each of the three members and many other members not listed were awarded Stanley Cup rings.

Broadcasting

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In Canada, the series was televised on CBC. In the United States, Fox broadcast game one while ESPN televised games two through four. Had the series extended, games five and seven would have been broadcast on Fox, and ESPN would have aired game six.[3]

Aftermath

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On June 13, 1997, just six days after the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup, a limousine carrying Vladimir Konstantinov, team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov and Viacheslav Fetisov crashed into a tree after returning from a private party. Konstantinov spent several weeks in a coma and suffered from serious head injuries and paralysis. Fetisov, on the other hand, sustained minor injuries and Mnatsakanov suffered heavy head injuries and a coma. Fetisov continued to play, but Konstantinov did not, as the crash ended his career. The Red Wings successfully returned to the Finals the following year, where they swept the Washington Capitals to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. During the celebration ceremonies after winning the Stanley Cup, Konstantinov was wheeled around the ice with his teammates in his wheelchair with the Cup on his lap.

The Red Wings would also win the Stanley Cup in 2002 and 2008 over the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins respectively.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Crushed the Red Wings Swept to Their First Stanley Cup in 42 Years by Outskating, Outhitting and Outplaying the Overmatched Flyers".
  2. ^ a b c Diamond (2008, p. 149)
  3. ^ "1997 Stanley Cup Finals schedule". NHL.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 1997. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
Preceded by Detroit Red Wings
Stanley Cup Champions

1997
Succeeded by