Yesterday in Hockey History: June 16
Tomorrow in Hockey History: June 18
There have been three final Stanley Cup games played on this date with major upsets and one extending the season by one final game. Also, the Entry Draft took place on June 17 that brought big names and future Hall of Famers to the NHL.
Devils Record-Setting Upset
On June 17, 1995, the Detroit Red Wings hosted the New Jersey Devils in the opening game of the Stanley Cup Final. The Red Wings won the President’s Trophy after going 33-11-4 in the lockout regular season, while the Devils earned the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Scotty Bowman became the first coach to ever lead four different teams to the playoffs and this was the first trip to the championship series in Devils franchise history.
The Red Wings entered the finals as heavy favorites on paper, but the Devils reminded us all that games were played on ice and not on paper. The Devils shocked the crowd at Joe Louis Arena with a 2-1 victory. Stephane Richer scored a power play goal in the second half before Claude Lemieux beat Mike Vernon for the game-winner early in the final frame.
The Devils held the Red Wings to just 17 shots on goal, Martin Brodeur’s only highlight being a second-period power play goal against Dino Ciccarelli. New Jersey set an NHL single-season record with nine road wins in the 1995 playoffs.
Eddie the Eagle Soars Forever
The Dallas Stars beat the Buffalo Sabers 2-0 on June 17, 1999, in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Goalie Ed Belfour stopped all 23 shots he faced to close out his third shutout of the 1999 playoffs and seventh of his career.
Defenseman Darryl Sydor’s goal just 2:23 into the game would prove to be the game winner. Pat Verbeek added an insurance goal late in the game to give the Stars a 3-2 series lead, putting them just one win away from their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Mike Modano assisted on both goals for Dallas. Ken Hitchcock became the winningest coach in Stars playoff history, with his 27th postseason victory.
Oilers Limit It
The Edmonton Oilers fought back from elimination and extended the season by one last game, on June 17, 2006, with a 4-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Game 5 hero Fernando Pisani gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead early in the second period with his second game-winning goal in as many games. Raffi Torres, Ryan Smyth and Shawn Horcoff all added goals for Edmonton.
Hurricanes forward Erik Cole returned to the lineup after suffering a broken back on March 4. His return did little to spark the offense as Carolina was held to just 16 shots on goal. Goalkeeper Jussi Markkanen stopped them all to get the one and only game to close out his playoff career.
Sundin made history
Bloomington, Minnesota hosted the NHL Entry Draft on June 17, 1989. The Quebec Nordiques made history by using the first pick to select Swedish center Mats Sundin. He became the first player born in Europe to be the first pick of the NHL draft. Sundin scored 135 goals and 334 points in 324 games, over four seasons, with the Nordiques. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1994, where he played 13 seasons before ending his Hall of Fame career with one final season with the Vancouver Canucks.
Other notable members of the 1989 Draft class include Bill Guerin (6thDevils), Bobby Holik (10thHartford Whalers), Mike Sillinger (11thRed Wings), Olaf Kolzig (19thWashington Capitals), Adam Foote (22n.dNordiques), Travis Green (23rdNew York Islanders), Nicklas Lidstrom (53rdRed Wings), Kris Draper (62n.dWinnipeg Jets), Sergey Federov (74thRed Wings), Pavel Bure (113thCanucks), Dallas Drake (116thRed Wings), Arturs Irbe (196thMinnesota North Stars) and Vladimir Konstantinov (221StRed Wings).
Odds & Ends
On June 17, 1969, the New York Rangers acquired Hall of Fame goaltender Terry Sawchuk from the Red Wings, in exchange for Larry Jeffery. Sawchuk appeared in eight games for the Rangers during the 1969-70 NHL Finals. Jeffery, who started his career in Detroit, did not play for the Red Wings after the trade. He suffered a career-ending leg injury in a car accident a few days before the start of the season.
The Montreal Canadiens traded goalie Wayne Thomas to the Maple Leafs on June 17, 1975, for Toronto’s first round pick in the 1976 Amateur Draft. Thomas won 38 games in two seasons with the Maple Leafs. He was wanted off the Rangers at the start of the 1977-78 season. The Canadiens used a draft pick in 1976 to draft Peter Lee who was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins before he played in Montreal.
The Maple Leafs fired coach Red Kelly on June 17, 1977. Kelly spent four seasons behind the bench in Toronto. He made the playoffs in all four seasons but never got out of the first round. One month later, Roger Neilson was appointed as his successor.
In addition to this draft, there were several trades made on June 17, 1989. The most notable one saw the Whalers trade the second-overall pick (1983), Sylvain Turgeon, to the Devils, in exchange for Verbeek. Turgeon scored 30 goals in his one season with New Jersey before being traded to the Canadiens for Lemieux. Verbeek scored 192 goals and 402 points in 433 games with the Whalers before being traded to the Rangers at the 1995 NHL Trade Deadline.
On June 17, 1990, Gilbert Perreault, Bill Barber and Fern Flaman were named as new members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Bud Poile was also added as an architect.
The Jets hired John Paddock as their new head coach on June 17, 1991, replacing Bob Murdoch, who had been fired on April 1. Paddock took the Jets to the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of his first two seasons, but lost in the first round both times. He was let go 35 games into the 1994-95 season.
Brayden Point became the first Tampa Bay Lightning player to score in six consecutive playoff games, and the first in the NHL since Martin Havlat and the Ottawa Senators in 2006 when he scored his 11th of the postseason on June 17, 2021, in a 2-1 victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The goal is also the 33rd, which tied Martin St. Louis for third place in franchise history.
On June 17, 2022, the Flyers hired veteran coach John Tortorella to replace interim coach Mike Yeo. His first season wasn’t great as the Flyers finished with a disappointing 31-38-13 record and missed the playoffs.
On June 17, 2025, the Florida Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup, defeating the Oilers 5-1 in Game 6. Sam Reinhart scored four goals in the victory, and Sam Bennett walked away as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner after a playoff run that saw him score 15 goals in 23 games. Reinhart became only the second player in NHL history to score four goals in a championship game, joining Babe Dye, who did it with the Toronto St. Patricks in Game 5 of the 1922 Final against the Vancouver Millionaires.
happy Birthday to you
There is a large group of 30 current and former NHL players celebrating birthdays today. The impressive field includes Mike Milbury (74), Bob Sauve (71), Stephane Fiset (56), Matt Hendricks (45), Greg McKegg (34), Joakim Ryan (33), Nikita Kucherov (33), Dougie Hamilton (33), Alexander Barabanov (32), Sammy Blais (30) and Henri Jokihar (27).
*Originally created by Greg Boysen
Free Newsletter
Get coverage of Hockey history delivered to your inbox
In-depth analysis, breaking news, and the inside scoop – for free.
Register Free →
