The NHL championship-deciding contest between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers is just the 18th Game 7 in Stanley Cup final history. Here's all of them.
The biggest possible game in an NHL season has only happened 18 times in league history.
Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final is when all past results, performances and other context are thrown out the window. It's one final do-or-die game in which one team skates off with the Stanley Cup and a dream come true while the other leaves with the runner-up title and endless thoughts about what could have been.
The 18th Game 7 in Cup final history happened on June 24 between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.
With that, here's what happened in every Stanley Cup final Game 7 in NHL history, with snippets from The Hockey News covering 15 of them.
June 24, 2024: Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers
This series is just the third time in NHL history that a team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to force Game 7 in the Stanley Cup final. And with that, the Florida Panthers became the second team to blow a 3-0 lead and still win. Oilers winger Mattias Janmark tied the game quickly after Carter Verhaeghe gave the Panthers an early lead, but Sam Reinhart scored the eventual game-winning goal in the second period. Connor McDavid became just the sixth player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy despite being on the losing team.
June 12, 2019: St. Louis Blues, 4, at Boston Bruins, 1
The St. Louis Blues trailed the Cup final on two occasions after losing Games 1 and 3, but they tied it each time. The Boston Bruins forced Game 7 with a 5-1 win, but the Blues took full control, scoring four unanswered goals. Ryan O'Reilly had a goal and an assist to cap a Conn Smythe Trophy performance as the Blues won their first Cup in franchise history. O'Reilly revealed afterward he suffered a cracked rib in Round 2.
From Vol. 72, Issue 16: Funny how lifting up 35 pounds of silver and nickel alloy high over his head didn’t seem to aggravate it. “I guess all the adrenaline made it feel pretty light,” O’Reilly said.
June 15, 2011: Boston Bruins, 4, at Vancouver Canucks, 0
The Boston Bruins initially trailed 2-0 the Vancouver Canucks in the series before tying it up. In the final, with the Canucks having a chance to end Canada's Stanley Cup drought, they outshot the Bruins 37-21. Tim Thomas stopped every shot while Patrice Bergeron potted a goal and an assist about three years after missing most of the 2007-08 season due to concussion symptoms. As for what happened after the game... well... there's a 30 for 30 documentary on it now.
From Vol. 65, Issue 1: “I always believed, always believed,” Bergeron said. “I believed in myself and I believed in this team. I wouldn’t be anywhere without this team.”
June 12, 2009: Pittsburgh Penguins, 2, at Detroit Red Wings, 1
The Pittsburgh Penguins also trailed the final 2-0 at first, and they responded well from a 5-0 loss in Game 5 to force Game 7. Marc-Andre Fleury's diving save on a shot by Nicklas Lidstrom will live on as one of the greatest saves in NHL history in terms of significance. That was the first of three Cup wins so far for Sidney Crosby and longtime teammates Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
From Vol. 63, Issue 1: Malkin pointed to a picture of Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr celebrating the Penguins’ 1992 Stanley Cup in the visitor’s dressing room at the old Chicago Stadium. Seventeen years later, Crosby and Malkin are living the dream far earlier than they, or almost anyone else, expected they would.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhMKmTFj-Ss[/embed]
June 19, 2006: Edmonton Oilers, 1, at Carolina Hurricanes, 3
The Oilers faced elimination in Game 5 of this series and won in overtime to drag the Hurricanes back to Edmonton. They then won Game 6 by a 4-0 score to force Game 7. But a power-play goal by Frantisek Kaberle eight seconds after the Oilers took a holding penalty stood as the game-winner as the Carolina Hurricanes won their first Cup in franchise history.
From Vol. 59, Issue 37: "We had too many guys that sacrificed their whole careers and weren't going to be denied." - Captain Rod Brind'Amour
June 7, 2004: Calgary Flames, 1, at Tampa Bay Lightning, 2
Controversy erupted in Game 6 of the Cup final when it appeared Martin Gelinas had put the Calgary Flames up 3-2 in the third period. But the play continued, and the NHL couldn't stop the play to review the goal as they can now. One angle shows some white ice between the puck and goal line, but the overhead angle that would've had the best look appeared inconclusive.
The Lightning scored in double-overtime to force Game 7, which was when Ruslan Fedotenko stole the show and scored twice to capture the Tampa Bay Lightning's first-ever Cup win. That was the last time the Cup was awarded before the 2004-05 lockout.
From Vol. 57, Issue 38: At a time when the NHL’s future appears bleak, it was a thrill to see two deserving teams make it to the final. Too bad there was just one trophy.
June 9, 2003: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 0, at New Jersey Devils, 3
Mighty Ducks netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere was so good in the playoffs that he earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP despite losing the final. In Game 7, however, Martin Brodeur stopped all 24 shots he faced as the game-winning goal from call-up Mike Rupp sealed the deal for the New Jersey Devils.
From Vol. 56, Issue 38: Minutes after the game ends, Stanley Cup-winning goal-scorer Michael Rupp is asked a perfectly logical question: Who are you? “Well, I’ve been in the organization; this is my third year,” says the 6-foot-5, 235-pound left winger, who adds two assists in the Devils’ third 3-0 home victory of the series.
June 9, 2001: New Jersey Devils, 1, at Colorado Avalanche, 3
The Colorado Avalanche led the series on two separate occasions but faced elimination in Game 6. They forced Game 7 with a 4-0 win, and Alex Tanguay factored in on all three Avalanche goals to win 3-1. "And after 22 years, Raymond Bourque!"
From Volume 54, Issue 38: “I couldn’t breathe the last 30 seconds of the game,” Bourque said, ”and it wasn’t because I was tired. I was trying to hold off the tears, the emotions…I had to stay focused. I had tears in my eyes on the bench a few times. Lifting the Cup, what a feeling.”
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYHKUNV0FXs[/embed]
June 14, 1994: Vancouver Canucks, 2, at New York Rangers, 3
One round before the Cup final, Mark Messier guaranteed the New York Rangers would win Game 6 against the Devils, which they did, followed by Game 7 on a double-overtime winner by Stephane Matteau. The Rangers then had a 3-1 lead in the final before the Canucks came back to tie it. In the rubber match, Messier, Adam Graves and Sergei Zubov each recorded two points to end the Rangers' 54-year Stanley Cup drought.
From Vol. 47, Issue 37: There would be no more running from the Cup curse. (Rangers coach Mike Keenan) wanted his players to feed off 1940, not fear it.
May 31, 1987: Philadelphia Flyers, 1, at Edmonton Oilers, 3
A Stanley Cup final between the top two teams in the regular season came down to Game 7. The series was a rematch of the 1985 Cup final, which the Oilers won in five games. It was the first time the final required a Game 7 in 16 years, the longest gap on this list. The Flyers trailed 3-1 in the series before winning twice and scoring first in the decider. But the Oilers won 3-1 on goals by Messier, Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson to win their third Cup in four years.
From Vol. 40, Issue 36: The Oilers are no longer imprisoned by the memory of their stunning loss to Calgary in the division finals last year. They freed themselves May 31 with a complete, and convincing, 3-1 win over the stubborn Philadelphia Flyers in a Stanley Cup final series pushed to its outer limits.
May 18, 1971: Montreal Canadiens, 3, at Chicago Black Hawks, 2
Game 7 marked the final game of Jean Beliveau's 20-year career as rookie goaltender Ken Dryden was just kicking off his. Chicago won two straight before Montreal tied it, and they traded Games 5 and 6 for it to come down to Game 7. Chicago then led 2-0 in the game until Henri Richard scored the tying and winning goals to win the Canadiens their fifth championship in seven seasons.
From Vol. 24, Issue 32: Winning the Stanley Cup in the confines of your own rink is the thing to do, but the Montreal Canadiens don't believe in picking their spots. The Canadiens climaxed one of their most dramatic cup victories in the club's history by winning the playoff championship on the road.
May 1, 1965: Chicago Black Hawks, 0, at Montreal Canadiens, 4
Beliveau had 16 points in 13 playoff games, including 10 in the Cup final, to be voted the first-ever winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy. He scored the opening goal of Game 7, which held up as the Cup-clincher as Gump Worsley stopped all 20 shots for the win.
From Vol. 18, Issue 31: It’s difficult to remember a time when the noise in the Forum was more deafening…or when more bugles, whistles and assorted noise makers were in evidence.
April 25, 1964: Detroit Red Wings, 0, at Toronto Maple Leafs, 4
Get ready to read about the Red Wings for the rest of this list. The first six Cup final games to require a Game 7 all featured Detroit. They also needed seven games to beat the Black Hawks in the semifinal, as did the Toronto Maple Leafs with the Canadiens. Each team alternated wins in the final until Games 6 and 7 when the Leafs won two straight. Johnny Bower recorded the 33-save shutout to earn the Leafs their third straight Stanley Cup.
From Vol. 17, Issue 31: The Leafs’ room was as crowded as the CNE midway on Labor Day Weekend. Everyone and their friends were attempting to squeeze into the enclosure where the players were kicking up their heels, sipping champagne, lighting big cigars and playfully tossing club officials and members of the press into the steaming showers.
April 14, 1955: Montreal Canadiens, 1, at Detroit Red Wings, 3
The Canadiens competed in the playoffs without star forward Maurice 'Rocket' Richard after he was suspended for breaking his stick over an opponent's back and then hitting a linesman, which led to the 'Richard Riot' in Montreal. Detroit won Games 1, 2 and 5 while Montreal won Games 2, 4 and 6 leading up to Game 7. Alex Delvecchio scored twice, while Gordie Howe also got a goal to win the Cup final rematch for the Red Wings.
From Vol. 8, Issue 30: Bedlam reigned supreme in the Detroit dressing room following their second straight Stanley Cup triumph over the Montreal Canadiens. It was a hard-fought, down-to-the-wire series and the Wings were visibly dog-tired but happy that it was finally over — and in their favor.
April 16, 1954: Montreal Canadiens, 1, at Detroit Red Wings, 2 (OT)
After blowing a 3-1 series lead, the Red Wings trailed nine minutes into Game 7. Red Kelly tied the contest on the power play in the second period, and the score remained deadlocked heading into overtime. Tony Leswick scored the golden goal to win it all for Detroit. That was the last time Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final needed overtime.
From Vol. 7, Issue 30: (NHL president Clarence Campbell) said it was one of the best-played series in Cup history, a credit to both clubs involved. There was a wild demonstration by the record Olympia crowd of 15,791 after the game, and the presentation was a hilarious affair that lasted far into the night.
April 23, 1950: New York Rangers, 3, at Detroit Red Wings, 4 (2OT)
The Red Wings played without Howe after he suffered a head injury in the first game of the playoffs against the Maple Leafs. They required overtime in Game 7 of the semifinal, which they won 1-0, and they required two overtime periods in Game 7 of the Cup final. Pete Babando scored the decider in the highest-scoring Game 7 in Cup final history.
From Volume 3, Issue 30: Never before in the history of the 57-year-old trophy has a deciding Stanley Cup final possessed the drama, excitement and thrills that came with the Wings’ 4-3 overtime win over the New York Rangers.
April 22, 1945: Toronto Maple Leafs, 2, at Detroit Red Wings, 1
Seventy-nine years before the Oilers came back down from 3-0 in the Stanley Cup final to force Game 7 against the Panthers, the Red Wings were the last team to pull off the feat. After being shut out three straight times by Toronto, they won 5-3, 2-0 and 1-0 in overtime to bring the series to a seventh match. The Leafs led 1-0 heading into the third period before Murray Armstrong tied it, but Babe Pratt scored on the power-play as Toronto avoided the reverse sweep.
April 18, 1942: Detroit Red Wings, 1, at Toronto Maple Leafs, 3
Detroit did not avoid the reverse sweep. The first Game 7 in Stanley Cup final history was a result of the Red Wings winning the first three games before losing 4-3, 9-3 and 3-0 to the Maple Leafs. Syd Howe gave Detroit a lead early in the second period, but the Leafs took over in the third. Sweeney Schriner scored two of three third-period goals for the Maple Leafs as they completed the memorable comeback.
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Correction: Alex Pietrangelo was captain of the St. Louis Blues in 2019.