First Stanley Cup Victory (1984)

Lore & Background

In the previous year's Stanley Cup Final, the Islanders had swept the Oilers in four straight games. The teams met again in 1984, with the Islanders seeking their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup championship. While both teams had improved on their regular season records from the previous season, Edmonton had progressed more and finished with the best record in the NHL for the first time in their short history. However, it was New York who received home-ice advantage, as they had in since the rules in place since 1982 dictated that home-ice advantage went to the conference that won the coin toss and in 1984 because the Wales Conference had more points in head-to-head play against the Campbell Conference.

It was also the first time that the Finals was played under a 2–3–2 format. This was the third time during the era that the team with the worse record received a home-ice advantage, the other two being the 1968 and 1970. Home-ice advantage reverted to the team with the better record for the following Final, and the Final reverted to the former 2–2–1–1–1 format in the Final after that.

Reader's Guide

This was the fifth straight Finals of teams that joined the NHL in 1967 or later. , the Islanders' four consecutive Cup wins (, , , 1983) and their appearance in the 1984 Cup Final is an NHL record of 19 consecutive playoff series wins that currently stands unbroken. The 1984 Final was the third of nine consecutive Finals contested by a team from Western Canada, second of eight contested by a team from Alberta (the Oilers appeared in six, the Calgary Flames in two, the Vancouver Canucks in one), and the first of five consecutive Finals to end with the Cup presentation on Alberta ice (the Oilers won four times at home, the Montreal Canadiens once in Calgary).

Did You Know?

• The Oilers became the fastest Canadian-based expansion team to win a major sports title by winning a title in only their fifth NHL season.
• To date, this is the last time the Islanders have appeared in the Stanley Cup Final, and they currently hold the second longest Finals appearance drought in the league at 40 years, the longest of any American-based team.
• Grant Fuhr shut out the Islanders in the first game, on the Islanders home ice, stopping 34 shots, and Kevin McClelland scoring the game's only goal early in the third period.
• Mark Messier was awarded with the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.