1931 Stanley Cup Final

Lore & Background

Game three of the 1931 Stanley Cup Final, played in triple overtime, lasted 113:50, making it the longest game in Stanley Cup Finals history at the time. It remains the fourth-longest game in Finals history. Over 18,000 fans packed Chicago Stadium for game two, setting a record for the largest attendance in hockey history to that point. For game five, broadcaster Foster Hewitt came to Montreal, and his play-by-play was carried across Canada via transmission lines. Thousands of Montrealers lined up for end zone and standing room tickets. Johnny Gagnon opened the scoring in the second period, and Howie Morenz added an insurance goal in the third, ending a nine-game goalless streak for Morenz.

Reader's Guide

The 1931 Stanley Cup Final marked the Chicago Black Hawks' first appearance in the championship series, a milestone for the franchise. The Montreal Canadiens' victory made them the second NHL team to win consecutive Stanley Cups, solidifying their early dynasty. The series featured notable firsts and records: game three's triple-overtime length stood as the longest Finals game for decades, and game two's attendance of over 18,000 set a new hockey attendance record. The series also highlighted the coaching debut of Dick Irvin, who would later lead the Canadiens to three Stanley Cup titles. The engraving of the Cup saw omissions: Bert McCaffrey and Jean Pusie were left off despite meeting eligibility criteria, and owner Leo Dandurand was not engraved, though Cecil Hart was listed as manager. Dandurand later became the fourth person to win both the Stanley Cup and Grey Cup. The series demonstrated the growing popularity of hockey, with radio broadcasts reaching across Canada and massive crowds demanding tickets.

Did You Know?

• Game three of the 1931 Final, at 113:50, was the longest game in Stanley Cup Finals history at the time and remains the fourth-longest.
• Over 18,000 fans attended game two at Chicago Stadium, setting a record for the largest hockey attendance to that date.
• Howie Morenz ended a nine-game goalless streak by scoring an insurance goal in game five.
• Bert McCaffrey and Jean Pusie were left off the Stanley Cup engraving despite playing in at least half the regular season or in the Finals.

The Illegal Stick That Broke a Dynasty

Late in the third period of Game Two, with Los Angeles holding a two-games-to-none series lead and a 2–1 score on the board, Canadiens head coach Jacques Demers made a call that would reshape the entire championship. He requested a measurement of the curve on Kings defenceman Marty McSorley's stick. The officials ruled it illegal, handing McSorley a two-minute minor for illegal equipment. With Montreal facing the prospect of heading to Los Angeles down two straight, Demers pulled goaltender Patrick Roy from the ice, creating a six-on-four advantage. Eric Desjardins capitalized from the point, tying the game at two and forcing overtime. Just 51 seconds into the extra frame, Desjardins struck again for his third goal of the night, giving Montreal the victory. From that single infraction, the momentum never returned to Los Angeles. The Canadiens swept the remaining three contests to claim their 24th championship, and the Kings would never taste another postseason victory for the rest of the twentieth century.

A Gauntlet of Rivalries and Upsets

Both franchises navigated treacherous playoff paths to reach the championship stage. Los Angeles, without home-ice advantage in any of their four rounds and forced to face Canadian opponents in every round, dispatched Calgary 4–2, Vancouver 4–2, and Toronto 4–3. Superstar Wayne Gretzky had been sidelined from October through January with injury, yet the Kings still pushed through. Montreal's journey was equally dramatic. After dropping the first two games to their Quebec rivals, with goaltender Patrick Roy absorbing criticism from his hometown district, the Canadiens won four straight to eliminate the Nordiques. They then swept Buffalo and took the first three games against New York, tying the record for consecutive playoff victories set the prior year. The road was smoothed by a wave of upsets: St. Louis swept Chicago, the Islanders eliminated two-time defending champion Pittsburgh, and the Sabres knocked out Boston. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers, who had blocked Los Angeles in three prior years, missed the playoffs entirely for the first time since joining the league in 1979.

A Century of Firsts and Lasts

The 1993 Final carried extraordinary historical weight. It marked the centennial of the Stanley Cup's first awarding in 1893, and it was the first championship series to kick off in June. For Los Angeles, it represented their inaugural appearance in the Final across a 26-year franchise history, and the first time a west-coast American team had reached the championship since 1920. Montreal, by contrast, made their 34th trip to the Final, their first since 1989. The Canadiens' five-game victory delivered their 24th Cup and cemented a legacy that would endure for decades. To this day, the 1993 roster remains the last Stanley Cup champion composed entirely of North American-born players. It is also the most recent title won by a Canadian-based franchise and the last time a Canadian team outside Toronto captured a championship in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues.

The Long Shadow After the Final Whistle

The final moments of that 1993 series would cast a shadow stretching across two decades. From the instant McSorley's stick was measured, Los Angeles never won another postseason game for the remainder of the twentieth century. They lost every remaining contest of the Final, failed to qualify for the playoffs in five of the next seven seasons, and were swept in the first round during the other two. Their next postseason victory would not arrive until 2001 against Detroit. Montreal's own wait was equally long; they did not return to the Stanley Cup Final until 2021, when they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 1993 series also marked the last time the championship was contested at the Montreal Forum and the final occasion on which Wayne Gretzky competed in the Finals. Los Angeles would not reach the championship stage again until 2012, when they finally claimed their first Cup against New Jersey.