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New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Gordie Howe's final NHL goal gets a historic change 45 years later
Proponents of video review in hockey argue that they just want to get the call right, no matter how long it takes. Those folks will be happy to know that the NHL's longest scoring review has finally reached a conclusion, and it looks like the league got this one right. It just took 45 years. The review in question was on the final goal — No. 801 — of Gordie Howe's legendary career. Scored on April 9, 1980, for the Hartford Whalers against the Canadiens in the playoffs, Mr. Hockey took a pass from his son, Mark, and beat goaltender Denis Herron to cut Montreal's lead to 8-4. The goal would go down as Howe from Howe. How romantic. Only one problem. The scorer ignored the pass from Whalers goaltender John 'Cheech' Garrett to Mark Howe. 6 Gordie Howe controls the puck before his score. @thirdeyeordie8226/YouTube Garrett, who would play in 207 NHL games before an illustrious career as a broadcaster for the Canucks, didn't initially launch an appeal to the league, but he's been vocal about getting the assist added to his ledger for nearly half a century. In an interview on Sportsnet's 'After Hours' in 2023, Garrett continued his appeal. 6 Goalie John Garrett didn't credit for an assist for 45 years. @thirdeyeordie8226/YouTube 6 Moments before Howe scored. @thirdeyeordie8226/YouTube 'That's a hard pass,' Garrett said in the interview. 'Mark takes it, Mark gives it to Gordie, Gordie scores this beautiful goal. How can I not get an assist on that? I phoned Benny Ercolani — he's now retired, but Benny was the statistician for the league.' Garrett said he didn't complain immediately after the game because of how it would have looked after he conceded eight goals in a loss. But as the years went on, the man known as 'Cheech' used his platform as a broadcaster to raise awareness for his cause. He also had plenty of support from Canucks fans, who launched a social media campaign supporting Garrett's quest back in 2013. 6 John Garrett during a 1982 game. Getty Images All the lobbying has finally paid off. During the second intermission of Game 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, 'Hockey Night in Canada' broadcaster Ron MacLean announced the league was finally awarding Garrett with an assist on Mr. Hockey's final goal. 'Colin Campbell of the NHL has begged all of you former NHLers, please do not be writing the league looking for credit on an assist,' joked MacLean. 'They are adding one to the record books, and this is a beauty.' 'John Garrett was denied official status for this assist. He moves the puck. In the record books, it just has Howe from Mark. It did not feature Cheech's assist. It will, forevermore.' 6 Gordie Howe #9 and Mark Howe #5 of the Hartford Whalers look on against the Montreal Canadiens. NHLI via Getty Images 6 Gordie Howe #9 of the Hartford Whalers skates against the Montreal Canadiens in the 1980's at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. NHLI via Getty Images He concluded: 'It's official, John Garrett, you have an assist on the last goal Mr. Hockey ever scored,' he concluded.
New York Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Canada's 32-year Stanley Cup drought is now embarrassing. Can the Oilers end it?
If you took a DeLorean back to June 9, 1993, and tried to explain to those gathered at the Montreal Forum what was taking place in the NHL today, in 2025, no one would believe you. That day, the Montreal Canadiens wiped the floor with an overmatched Wayne Gretzky-led Los Angeles Kings team in Game 5. The Habs hoisted their record 24th Stanley Cup, 18 of which they had won over the previous 40 years, and planned their usual parade down Rue Sainte-Catherine. Advertisement Yes, there was a time when Canadian teams not only won the Stanley Cup, but one team alone won it nearly 45 percent of the time. As a child of the '90s, I remember those days well. Back then we assumed Canada's clubs would just keep winning and having Cup parades because they always did, with the occasional intrusion from the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers or Pittsburgh Penguins. Montreal was always the standard-bearer, but if you add in the Toronto Maple Leafs' dominance of the 1960s, the Edmonton Oilers' run in the 1980s and a lone championship for the Calgary Flames in 1989, the Cup practically lived in Canada between 1953 and 1993, going to an NHL team from this country 28 times in 41 seasons. And then: nothing. There are some incredible stats from Canada's Cup drought. Consider that when the Stanley Cup Final opens Wednesday in Edmonton, it will be just the second time in the past 32 years that a Canadian NHL team has had home-ice advantage in the final. (The other was the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, a series that ended about as horribly as possible for what was a deep, 117-point team.) There have been many close calls, for sure. Five Canadian teams have lost in Game 7 of the Cup final over those 32 years, including the Canucks in 1994 and 2011, the Flames in 2004, and Oilers in 2006 and 2024 — last year to the same Florida Panthers team they face this time around. Consider, too, that the Canadian franchise with the most playoff wins since 1993 is actually the woebegone Leafs, a franchise that hasn't made a Cup final since 1967. Their 89 postseason victories over that span are tied for 14th in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks. And it translates to just 2.78 wins per season, less than one series victory. (The Detroit Red Wings lead the way with 160 playoff wins in that span, more than double what most of the seven Canadian teams have managed.) Taken together, it's a whole lot of pain for a country that loves hockey so much that it's become ingrained in its identity as a national sport. The reasons for Canada's weird — and, at this point, embarrassing — Cup drought are myriad. Winnipeg, for one, has a good excuse, given its Jets were relocated out of the league for 14 of those 31 seasons and then gifted an awful Atlanta Thrashers roster in 2011 as compensation. They've since built a strong franchise on the ice, winning the Presidents' Trophy this year as the NHL's top team despite playing in one of the smallest markets in the Big Four sports. Advertisement Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and even Vancouver have struggled through periods of economic challenges, especially in the 1990s and early 2000s when relocations were still in vogue — Minnesota, Quebec and Hartford all lost teams in a span of four years in addition to Winnipeg — and the Canadian dollar hit an all-time low of less than 62 cents versus the American dollar. These days, it's become commonplace in this country to blame the Sun Belt teams for the drought, pointing to players wanting to play in warm-weather climates with more favorable tax situations. Though that's become more of a factor over the past decade, what's also clear is that a lot of the Canadian franchises' misery has been self-inflicted the last three decades. There have been meddling owners who overruled their front offices and/or denied the pursuit of necessary rebuilds. There have also been poor hires in management, with some of the NHL's weakest general managers of the past 30 years putting in long tenures in Canadian cities. Beyond struggles to woo free agents, for some of the reasons listed above, the Canadian teams haven't been great at drafting or pro scouting, generally speaking. There have been moments of success and examples of strong teams, but they've rarely been powerhouses. Of the NHL's 50 best regular seasons since 1993, for example, just seven of those teams were based in Canada. Only those ill-fated 2010-11 Canucks make the top 25. Which brings us to this year's Oilers, a team that has what is likely the best chance of any to finally end Canada's drought. Not only was Edmonton one game away last season — and one goal away in Game 7 — but it also now has home-ice advantage and a stronger roster than a year ago. The Oilers boast two of the best playoff performers in league history, with captain Connor McDavid and alternate Leon Draisaitl, an elite defenseman in Evan Bouchard, and depth so impressive they've been sitting out established NHL players throughout the postseason. Advertisement There are weaknesses, too — with a question mark in goal probably the biggest one — but everyone is expecting this to be a coin-flip of a series, despite the fact the Panthers are such a strong club they are in their third consecutive final and have the makings of a salary-cap-era dynasty. Do the Oilers offer a blueprint for the other Canadian teams, though? Not exactly, not given the tortured road they took, bottoming out longer and harder than any of them. Between 1993 and when they drafted McDavid first in 2015, Edmonton had the NHL's fourth-worst record. That includes the first decade of the cap era when they were dead last by a mile, picking first four times in six years between Taylor Hall (in 2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Nail Yakupov (2012) and McDavid. If there's a lesson in the Oilers' success, it's in what came next. They convinced McDavid to sign long-term out of his entry-level deal, at a discount. They did the same with Draisaitl, too. Around those two massive pillars, through trial and error, they finally put competent management in place and found enough supporting pieces to get them to here, where they're one of the best teams in the league. Along the way, Edmonton also built a world-class facility in Rogers Place in 2016 and became more of a free-agent destination, wooing key depth players like Zach Hyman, Corey Perry, Connor Brown and Adam Henrique, among others. McDavid and Draisaitl were obviously an enormous part of their on-ice success and building a culture that drew players in, but the Oilers are still proof that it can be done in Canada. You can draft good players and get them to stay. And you can win a lot of games if you give them a hand. We'll see whether it's enough to topple the juggernaut that is this Panthers team, starting with Game 1 at home. Not everyone will necessarily climb aboard the bandwagon up here in Canada, not when Edmonton is a key rival to the other teams out West, but it's fair to say there will be some extra support beyond the Albertan capital for this one. For many Canadians, it just feels like it's time to finally win one again.
New York Times
28-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The history of Edmonton Oilers starting goalie tweaks in the postseason
In the Edmonton Oilers' first NHL season (1979-80), a deadline deal for a goaltender (Ron Low) proved inspired. Low's addition vaulted the team into the playoffs during the inaugural season, giving fans an idea about what was to come. Since then, the Oilers have made several deadline deals for goaltenders, some of them famously helping the cause. Advertisement Even the best-laid plans at the deadline sometimes need a rewrite at important moments. Some of those deadline pickups delivered, but others got hurt and still others needed to be replaced before the playoffs. In the history of the Oilers, famous goalie playoff tweaks have delivered agony and ecstasy via coaching decisions made in the heat of the moment. Here's a quick look at the goalie changes, what happened in the days after the coaching staff made the big decision and how the current situation may impact the team this spring. The 1980s in goal could be described as the Grant Fuhr decade. Among the 127 playoff games Edmonton played in the decade, Fuhr started 92 (73 percent) and won 66 playoff games. The Oilers were forced to make a move in net only twice during the decade. Both times, Andy Moog stepped in. All numbers via The 1981 goalie change happened at the beginning of the playoffs. Coach Glen Sather shocked the media gathered at the Montreal Forum on the morning of Game 1 of the series that spring between Edmonton and the Canadiens. He announced that the untested Moog would start against the legendary Montreal lineup. The media reaction was swift and decidedly critical. All Moog did was post a .938 save percentage in helping the upstart Oilers (called 'pesky' and filled with 'enthusiasm and hard work') win the first-round series in three straight games. The 1984 goalie change was truly unfortunate. Fuhr delivered the single most impressive goaltending performance in Oilers Stanley Cup Final history in Game 1 of the series versus the New York Islanders. In Game 3 of the series, New York forward Pat LaFontaine crashed into Fuhr, injuring the goalie's shoulder and ending his postseason. Moog performed brilliantly in both seasons. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2006 will always be a difficult memory. The organization had a brilliant trade deadline courtesy of general manager Kevin Lowe, with goalie Dwayne Roloson acquired to shore up the only real area of weakness. Roloson was exceptional down the stretch and helped the team storm the Western Conference with brilliant goaltending. The Oilers had a big lead in Game 1 of the Final, but faltered, and then Roloson was injured 54 minutes into the game. All numbers via Ty Conklin entered the game for Edmonton after the Roloson injury. He was part of a two-way backup rotation, with Mike Morrison the goaltender who didn't dress that day. Conklin misplayed the puck behind the Edmonton net, and the Oilers lost a game that should never have been in doubt. All these years later, it remains a painful memory for Oilers fans. Advertisement In Game 1 of the 2020 qualifying series versus the Chicago Blackhawks, head coach Dave Tippett started veteran Mike Smith, who had played for him in Dallas and Phoenix. Just six minutes into the game, Smith turned the puck over and Edmonton was in chaos. He was replaced for the rest of the series by Mikko Koskinen, who improved the goalie performance. However, the Oilers would win only one game that spring. In the second round of the 2024 playoffs, Stuart Skinner was having a tough time with the Vancouver Canucks. He surrendered a comfortable 4-1 lead by allowing three goals in the third period to put the Oilers down a game early in the series. Edmonton tied the series with Skinner backstopping the team to a 4-3 overtime win in Game 2. Game 3 saw Skinner struggle, and he was replaced by Pickard. Coach Kris Knoblauch gave the net to Pickard for Game 4 and the veteran performed brilliantly, allowing Edmonton to tie the series. Pickard played well in Game 5, but lost a close one and was replaced by Skinner, who would finish out the series. Skinner was the man in goal after that, performing well and helping the Oilers get all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. This season's playoffs have started in a similar fashion. Skinner struggled and Pickard has stepped in to calm the waters. The first two games against the Los Angeles Kings featured a massive goal differential (12-7 goals for the Kings) and forced Knoblauch to deploy Pickard in the pivotal third game. Pickard had some chaos in Game 3 but delivered a splendid performance. He was money several times late in the game as Edmonton stormed back for the first victory of the series. His strong play with the game on the line earned Pickard a start in Game 4. Advertisement Pickard played well in Game 4, in front of an Oilers defence that had plenty of chaos and loose coverage. As regulation time wore on, he made several key saves during the period when the skaters were selling out for offence. Playing goal in front of this Oilers defence is a difficult task, but the veteran (he's 33) has delivered as a stopgap option for two playoff springs in a row. He's about two years younger than Dwayne Roloson — also a journeyman, but with more NHL experience — when he arrived in Edmonton at the 2006 deadline. There's a need for NHL goaltending on this Oilers team. Stuart Skinner was the starter entering the season and the postseason. Pickard was used by the Oilers coaching staff a year ago as a reliever, and Skinner popped back into the starting role after a couple of games. Based on Pickard's performances in Games 3 and 4, Edmonton may have a new starting goaltender for some time to come. (Photo of Connor McDavid and Calvin Pickard: Codie McLachlan / Getty Images)
