One of the NHL's most intense playoff matchups of the late 1990s and 2000s is renewed between the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final.
When the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars get the Western Conference final underway, it will renew one of the NHL's most memorable rivalries of the 1990s and early 2000s.
These teams squared off in the playoffs from 1997 to 2001 and in 2003. While Dallas won five of the six matchups, it was never an easy series as the high-powered Stars had to grind out series wins against the gritty, lunch-pail-era Oiler squads.
Even if they had no allegiance to either side, it was a matchup that neutral fans tuned into.
Let's go back in time and look at some of the best moments from the history of this Oilers and Stars rivalry:
1997: The Comeback
The 1997 NHL playoffs saw the Stars enter as the No. 2 seed, while the Oilers were the No. 7 seed in their first playoff appearance since 1991-92.
The teams split the first two games of the series in Dallas before things switched back to Edmonton for Game 3.
With the Stars leading 3-0 late in the third period, fans inside the Edmonton Coliseum thought the game was over, but not so fast.
With four minutes remaining in regulation, the Oilers mounted a furious comeback, scoring three goals in less than three minutes to tie the game at 3. Bob Cole's "They have tied the game" call on CBC resonated as Mike Grier deflected a point shot past Stars goalie and former Oiler Andy Moog.
Kelly Buchberger's wrist shot in overtime to beat Moog capped off one of the more improbable comebacks in NHL history.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mapjvAnB1qg[/embed]
1997: Todd Marchant Plays Hero
Todd Marchant's overtime goal to complete the Oilers' upset in 1997 is one of the greatest Game 7 heroics in playoff history.
Marchant rushed into Stars territory after receiving a pass from Doug Weight and made no mistake in beating Moog.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAAnoNNWsw8[/embed]
The goal finished a massive playoff accomplishment for an Oilers team that wasn't expected to give Dallas a fight that went the distance.
NHL history could have looked different before this play if, just a few moments earlier, Curtis Joseph hadn't made one of his most career-defining saves on Joe Nieuwendyk at point-blank range to keep the Oilers' season going.
It may have started as a series that shouldn't have been as exciting as it was, but it ended with more than a few memorable playoff moments.
1999: Overtime All Night Long
Only one series between the Stars and Oilers ended in a sweep, which came in 1999 when Dallas won 4-0. But it was anything but easy.
On paper, this shouldn't have been as much trouble for the Stars. They were a juggernaut in the regular season, rolling through the West and finishing the year at 114 points as the top seed in the conference. The Oilers, meanwhile, were the No. 8 seed at 78 points.
All four games were tightly contested in the true fashion of Edmonton and Dallas matchups. Every game was decided by one goal, with Games 3 and 4 ending with identical scorelines of 3-2 for the Stars.
Game 4 went the Stars' way, but it took three overtimes to get the job done.
The night didn't end until Nieuwendyk deflected a Sergei Zubov slapshot with the fourth overtime period looming.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pcrHJIA-I8[/embed]
The Stars went on to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
2003: Can't Keep the Stars Down
The 2002-03 season was the last time these teams met in the playoffs until this year. It looked like the Oilers had their best shot to finally get past Dallas for the first time since 1997.
Edmonton won the opener and took a 2-1 series lead, but Dallas evened up the series on both occasions and took Game 5.
In Game 6, then-Stars alternate captain Mike Modano played hero with an assist on their first goal and the game-winning goal in the third period to give Dallas yet another series victory over the Oilers in their 3-2 win.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVwo55kdTYY[/embed]
As the Stars and Oilers get underway in the 2024 Western Conference final, it's time to refresh a former playoff rivalry.
Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here.