Some may find it hard to believe, but Ray Whitney’s iconic double overtime goal happened 30 years ago today.
Let’s flash back to the 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where the San Jose Sharks faced off against the Calgary Flames in a hard-fought first-round series. It went the distance, and in Game 7, it was Whitney who delivered the winner that sent the Sharks to the second round to take on the Detroit Red Wings.
The Sharks had a 4–2 lead in that game, but the Flames battled back and forced overtime. The first OT was tense. Chances came at both ends, but Wade Flaherty stood tall and helped push the game into a second overtime with the score still tied at 4–4.
That’s when Igor Larionov and Whitney took over. Larionov carried the puck up ice and fired a shot on goal. The rebound bounced to Sergei Makarov, who quickly fired it back toward the net. Whitney got a piece of it, tipping it past Trevor Kidd to win the game and send the Sharks through.
“I couldn’t believe it went in,” Whitney told Mike Commito at NHL.com. “It was kind of a shock to all of us. It was also a relief to us. I think we all thought the longer we went the less it was going to be in our favour.”
The Sharks went on to face the powerhouse Red Wings in the second round and were swept in four games, ending their run. But that didn’t take away from the moment.
Three decades later, Whitney’s double OT winner remains one of the most iconic goals in franchise history.
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