As the NHL prepares to blow out the candles on its 100th birthday, it's a fitting time to look back at what is widely considered the greatest season in the history of the league.
Just think about all the things that happened that season:
- The Quebec Nordiques pull off one of the biggest trades in pro sports, dealing a future Hall of Famer for several players that set the team up for a pair of Stanley Cup titles later in the decade.
- A woman participates in a preseason game, becoming the first female in North American pro sports to do so.
- A journeyman forward signs on with an expansion team and scored four goals in that team's first game in NHL history.
- The All-Star Game is decided by a whooping 10 goals - and the MVP award is given to a guy who wasn't supposed to be there.
- A Finnish rookie takes the league by storm, scoring 23 more goals than any first-year player in the history of the league.
- One of the league's greatest players storms out to a record points pace, misses significant time after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and not only returns to action, but rallies to win the scoring title.
- A dream Stanley Cup matchup is thwarted due to an uncalled Game 6 high stick by the greatest player in NHL history, who follows it up with what he calls the best game of his career in Game 7.
- A team with an average age below 25 wins a league-record 10 straight overtime games to become the most recent Canadian-based team to capture the Stanley Cup.
And that's not all. Not even close.
I've put together a 10-part series chronicling the greatest, craziest, and most memorable moments from that in comparable season. From start to finish, no campaign has provided more highlights, lowlights, astounding records, and heartbreaking near-misses as this one.
You will also be treated to a handful of interviews with key players from that season, including Hall of Famers Pat LaFontaine and Doug Gilmour, and several members of the Stanley Cup-winning Montreal Canadiens
For those who don't remember the 1992-93 campaign, or weren't around when it happened, this series is for you. And if, after reading it, you still aren't convinced that this was the greatest season in NHL history, then I hope you were at least entertained.
Here is the schedule of posts for the week:
- The trade that changed the NHL forever (July 24)
- Pat LaFontaine piles up the points (July 24)
- Pat LaFontaine recalls his greatest NHL season (July 24)
- A Wales of an All-Star rout (July 25)
- Manon Rheaume suits up for the Tampa Bay Lightning (July 25)
Chris Kontos recalls his historic night in Lightning opener (July 25)
- Mario Lemieux's most magnificent season (July 26)
- The Toronto Maple Leafs' roller-coaster season (July 26)
- The Leafs' season as remembered by Doug Gilmour - Part I (July 26)
- Teemu Selanne's sensational rookie season (July 27)
- Sad-sack San Jose Sharks set NHL futility record (July 27)
- The Leafs' season as remembered by Doug Gilmour - Part II (July 27)
- Rocket scientist Juneau was no ordinary Joe (July 28)
- 20 other cool things that happened that season (July 28)
- An oral history of the Cup-winning Montreal Canadiens (July 28)
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