1982–83 NHL season

1982–83 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 5, 1982 – May 17, 1983
Number of games80
Number of teams21
TV partner(s)CBC, SRC (Canada)
USA (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickGord Kluzak
Picked byBoston Bruins
Regular season
Season championsBoston Bruins
Season MVPWayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Top scorerWayne Gretzky (Oilers)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPBilly Smith (Islanders)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsNew York Islanders
  Runners-upEdmonton Oilers
NHL seasons

The 1982–83 NHL season was the 66th season of the National Hockey League. The Colorado Rockies relocated to East Rutherford, New Jersey, becoming the New Jersey Devils. The New York Islanders won their fourth Stanley Cup in a row with their second consecutive finals sweep by beating the Edmonton Oilers four games to none. It remains to date the last time that any major professional North American sports team has won four consecutive playoff championships.

League business

Franchise relocation

Prior the start of the season, the Colorado Rockies moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey where they were renamed New Jersey Devils, leaving Denver without an NHL franchise until 1995. They were also moved to the Patrick Division, forcing the reluctant Winnipeg Jets to leave the Norris Division and take Colorado's place in the Smythe Division. This would be the last relocation of an NHL team until 1995, and the last time a team would be transferred to a new division until 1993. The period between this move and the adding of the expansion San Jose Sharks in 1991 is the second-longest period of stability in league history, surpassed only by the Original Six era. After the season, the St. Louis Blues were sold to Harry Ornest after the NHL prevented Wild Bill Hunter from purchasing that team and moving it to Saskatoon.

Entry draft

The 1982 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 9, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. Gord Kluzak was selected first overall by the Boston Bruins.

Uniforms

At the end of the season, the long pants worn by the Philadelphia Flyers and Hartford Whalers were banned, due to player safety concerns.[1]

Arenas

Regular season

The last remaining players from the Original Six era (prior to the Expansion Era)–Carol Vadnais, Serge Savard and Wayne Cashman–all retired after this season. Cashman was the last to play, losing in the Wales Conference Finals as a member of the Bruins.

The Boston Bruins led the league in overall points with 110. The defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders fell from first overall and finished tied for 6th overall and the high-powered, high offence, Edmonton Oilers tied for second overall. The Oilers set a new record, which they had set the previous year, for most goals in a season with 424 and were led by Wayne Gretzky's 196 points. The Oilers also tied the Boston Bruins' 1970–71 record for most 100-point players in one season as Wayne Gretzky, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, and Mark Messier all scored more than 100 points.

The Washington Capitals qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Final standings

Prince of Wales Conference

Adams Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Boston Bruins 80 50 20 10 327 228 110
Montreal Canadiens 80 42 24 14 350 286 98
Buffalo Sabres 80 38 29 13 318 285 89
Quebec Nordiques 80 34 34 12 343 336 80
Hartford Whalers 80 19 54 7 261 403 45

[2]

Patrick Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Philadelphia Flyers 80 49 23 8 326 240 106
New York Islanders 80 42 26 12 302 226 96
Washington Capitals 80 39 25 16 306 283 94
New York Rangers 80 35 35 10 306 287 80
New Jersey Devils 80 17 49 14 230 338 48
Pittsburgh Penguins 80 18 53 9 250 394 45

[2]

Clarence Campbell Conference

Norris Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Chicago Black Hawks 80 47 23 10 338 268 104
Minnesota North Stars 80 40 24 16 321 290 96
Toronto Maple Leafs 80 28 40 12 293 330 68
St. Louis Blues 80 25 40 15 285 316 65
Detroit Red Wings 80 21 44 15 263 344 57

[2]

Smythe Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Edmonton Oilers 80 47 21 12 424 315 106
Calgary Flames 80 32 34 14 321 316 78
Vancouver Canucks 80 30 35 15 303 309 75
Winnipeg Jets 80 33 39 8 311 333 74
Los Angeles Kings 80 27 41 12 308 365 66

[2]

Playoffs

Main article: 1983 Stanley Cup playoffs

Bracket

The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. In the division semifinals, the fourth seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's semifinals then met in the division finals. The two division winners of each conference then played in the conference finals. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

In the division semifinals, teams competed in a best-of-five series. In the other three rounds, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each series).

Division semifinals Division finals Conference finals Stanley Cup Finals
            
A1 Boston 3
A4 Quebec 1
A1 Boston 4
A3 Buffalo 3
A2 Montreal 0
A3 Buffalo 3
A1 Boston 2
Prince of Wales Conference
P2 NY Islanders 4
P1 Philadelphia 0
P4 NY Rangers 3
P4 NY Rangers 2
P2 NY Islanders 4
P2 NY Islanders 3
P3 Washington 1
P2 NY Islanders 4
S1 Edmonton 0
N1 Chicago 3
N4 St. Louis 1
N1 Chicago 4
N2 Minnesota 1
N2 Minnesota 3
N3 Toronto 1
N1 Chicago 0
Clarence Campbell Conference
S1 Edmonton 4
S1 Edmonton 3
S4 Winnipeg 0
S1 Edmonton 4
S2 Calgary 1
S2 Calgary 3
S3 Vancouver 1

Awards

1983 NHL awards
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(Wales Conference playoff champion)		 New York Islanders
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:
(Campbell Conference playoff champion)		 Edmonton Oilers
Art Ross Trophy:
(Top scorer, regular season)		 Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:
(Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)		 Lanny McDonald, Calgary Flames
Calder Memorial Trophy:
(Best first-year player)		 Steve Larmer, Chicago Black Hawks
Conn Smythe Trophy:
(Most valuable player, playoffs)		 Billy Smith, New York Islanders
Frank J. Selke Trophy:
(Best defensive forward)		 Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers
Hart Memorial Trophy:
(Most valuable player, regular season)		 Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Jack Adams Award:
(Best coach)		 Orval Tessier, Chicago Black Hawks
James Norris Memorial Trophy:
(Best defenceman)		 Rod Langway, Washington Capitals
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:
(Excellence and sportsmanship)		 Mike Bossy, New York Islanders
Lester B. Pearson Award:
(Outstanding player, regular season)		 Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
NHL Plus/minus Award:
(Player with best plus/minus record)		 Charlie Huddy, Edmonton Oilers
William M. Jennings Trophy:
(Goaltender(s) of team(s) with best goaltending record)		 Roland Melanson/Billy Smith, New York Islanders
Vezina Trophy:
(Best goaltender)		 Pete Peeters, Boston Bruins

All-Star teams

First Team   Position   Second Team
Pete Peeters, Boston Bruins G Roland Melanson, New York Islanders
Mark Howe, Philadelphia Flyers D Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins
Rod Langway, Washington Capitals D Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers C Denis Savard, Chicago Black Hawks
Mike Bossy, New York Islanders RW Lanny McDonald, Calgary Flames
Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers LW Michel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques

Source: NHL.[3]

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 80 71 125 196 59
Peter Stastny Quebec Nordiques 75 47 77 124 78
Denis Savard Chicago Black Hawks 78 35 86 121 99
Mike Bossy New York Islanders 79 60 58 118 20
Marcel Dionne Los Angeles Kings 80 56 51 107 22
Barry Pederson Boston Bruins 77 46 61 107 47
Mark Messier Edmonton Oilers 77 48 58 106 72
Michel Goulet Quebec Nordiques 80 57 48 105 51
Glenn Anderson Edmonton Oilers 72 48 56 104 70
Kent Nilsson Calgary Flames 80 46 58 104 10
Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers 80 45 59 104 22

Source: NHL.[4]

Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage

Player Team GP MIN GA GAA W L T SO SV%
Pete Peeters Boston Bruins 62 3611 142 2.36 40 11 9 8 .904
Bob Froese Philadelphia Flyers 25 1407 59 2.52 17 4 2 4 .896
Rollie Melanson N.Y. Islanders 44 2460 109 2.66 24 12 5 1 .910
Billy Smith N.Y. Islanders 41 2340 112 2.87 18 14 7 1 .906
Pelle Lindbergh Philadelphia Flyers 40 2333 116 2.98 23 13 3 3 .891
Murray Bannerman Chicago Black Hawks 41 2460 127 3.10 24 12 5 4 .901
Richard Sevigny Montreal Canadiens 38 2130 122 3.44 15 11 8 1 .883
Bob Sauve Buffalo Sabres 52 3110 179 3.45 25 20 7 1 .872
Eddie Mio N.Y. Rangers 41 2365 136 3.45 16 18 6 2 .883
Tony Esposito Chicago Black Hawks 39 2340 135 3.46 23 11 5 1 .888

Coaches

Patrick Division

Adams Division

Norris Division

Smythe Division

Milestones

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1982–83 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1982–83 (listed with their last team):

Broadcasting

Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games.

This was the first season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deal with USA, covering a slate of regular season games and selected playoff games.

See also

References

  • Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, New York: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
  • Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
  • Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
  • Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
Notes
  1. ^ Weekes, Don (2003). The Best and Worst of Hockey's Firsts: The Unofficial Guide. Canada: Greystone Books. pp. 240. ISBN 9781550548600.
  2. ^ a b c d Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  3. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 229.
  4. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 152.