99 Red Winged Balloons: A hockey TL

Brendan shanahan sweepstakes tie-breaker!

  • Detroit, along with vyacheslav fetisov, in exchange for ray sheppard, shawn burr and steve chiasson

    Votes: 7 70.0%
  • Los angeles, in exchamge for tomas sandstrom and the rights to UFA bobby carpenter

    Votes: 3 30.0%

  • Total voters
    10
  • Poll closed .
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Today was the big day.

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He didn't think that day would come.

The city of edmonton never though that day would come.

In fact, nobody in canada ever thought that this day would even be possible. He was the crown jewel of edmonton, of the entitre maple leaf sports landscape. Wayne gretzky was untouchable. The edmonton oilers dominated the decade with their ridiculous depth and their beautiful, free-flowing hockey. and their record-breaking exploits every season put canada on the edge of their seats.

Alas, all good things comes to an end.

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The first signs of the end of times in edmonton

The writing was already on the wall. The oilers's owner, Peter pocklington, was losing money at an alarming rate, each of his business were failing one by one. The ever increasng salaries in the hockey world were taking a toll on his finances, to the point that the team was in serious financial trouble. They simply cannot keep the team together. They had to shed payroll.

The first signs arrived when andy moog was traded to boston and gretzky's close friend paul coffey got shipped to pittsburgh to join mario lemieux and the penguins before the season began. Losing a major defenseman in coffey was a hard blow to the edmonton faithful, and pocklington's money problems were becoming publicly known very fast. While the dread would temporarily be offset by the stanley cup win, their 4th in 5 years, fans knew that the dismantling of the team was inevitable.

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The final swansong...?

They were bracing themselves to see the guys leave one by one. Icons like Fuhr, anderson, mactavish, kurri, lowe, beukeboom, huddy, ruotsalainen, siltanen...hell, they were even ready to see mark messier go!

But surely, wayne's gonna stay, right?

After all, he's canada's national treasure. It's like a star wars movie being bad or hulk hogan turning heel: it's inconceivable that he would play anywhere else.

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Wayne, 18, in his first year as an oiler.

And that's what wayne thought, too. Sure, he got married to his beloved janet, an aspiring actress, and she didn't really like the cold weather in edmonton, but he simply couldn't imagine himself playing for another team...

That is, until he met his father, walter, two hours after he won his fourth stanley cup. He was expecting his father to congratulate him on yet another cup win, but he immediately stopped smiling once he saw him with a sad, dire look on his face.

"Wayne, we need to talk...it's about your future."​

The two then met in a secluded spot inside the arena, so as not to attract anybody. That's where walter begrudgingly dropped the bad news on his son.

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"Wayne, you will no longer be an oiler."

Walter explained to wayne that pocklington was shopping him to three potential suitors: los angeles, Detroit and Vancouver, with toronto and the new york rangers also being considered, due to his other businesses falling apart.

Wayne was stunned. He was gonna be traded. He tried to forget about it all by celebrating with his teammates and going on his honeymoon with janet, but the thought always haunted him.

He was gonna be traded.

After keeping it all to himself, wayne finally spilled the bean to janet, explaining his whole situation. Janet wanted wayne to go to L.A, so they can live together. His father also told him that going to the city of angels would also significantly boost hockey's popularity in the united states, something which the NHL has been dying to build so that it can truly legitimize itself among the top sports leagues in north america. Plus, L.A is L.A. he would be living in the shadows of stars significantly more popular than he was in uncle sam's country, and he and janet could raise a family in anonymity.

Vancouver? A hard no.

But there was one choice that made his heart beat faster everytime he thought about it. They were his personal choice

They were his favorite team growing up.

It was gordie howe's team...


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Nobody worshipped the number 9 more than wayne gretzky (well, except canadiens fans, but it belonged to another guy.). He watched him play since he was a kid, and he got to know him up close and personal in his rookie year in the WHA. Now, he might have the chance to play for the same team that his idol built into a powerhouse in the 50s.

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Alas, the post-howe years hasn't been so kind to the red wings. Years upon years of mediocrity has turned the franchise into a laughing stock in the early 80s. However, since being bought by little caesar owner mike illitch, Detroit has been building itself back up, with some fine players in gerard gallant, petr klima, adam oates, paul maclean, joe murphy, steve chiasson, the rough and tough bob probert and an amazing youngster by the name of steve Yzerman, all coache dby an energetic and passionate coach in quebecer Jacques Demers.

With such a well coached, promising team and an ambitious owner who loves the red wings like his own baby, its no wonder why Wayne thought detroit was a very tempting option. Janet, however, still prefered L.A, which is understandable.

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Tlthe gretzkys honeymoon residence

After this much needed talk, the newlyweds managed to enjoy their honeymoon plentifully in the city of angels. One day, while janet was out to do some gardening, a sleepy wayne was put out of his slumber by a phone call. As soon as he grabbed the receiver and put it on his hear, he was greeted by calm, yet confident voice.

"Is this wayne gretzky?"


"Yeah, it's me. Who is this?"

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"Hello, wayne! I'm mike illitch, owner of the Detroit Red Wings..."

TO BE CONTINUED...
 
The Negotiations
Prologue, part 2: The Negotiations​

Illitch: "Hello, wayne! This is mike Illitch, owner of the Detroit Red Wings...i'd like to have a discussion with you."

Gretzky stood there like a statue. Mike illitch, the man who turned little caesar from a small pizzeria in downtown detroit into a nationwide empire and, more importantly, the owner of the freaking red wings, was calling him!

"Wayne? Wayne, are you still there?"

Gretzky immediately snapped back into reality.

"Huh, y-yeah, sorry i...i didn't expect you calling me. In fact, i got so many questions burming in my mind right now!"

Illitch: "Hahaha, it's alright! We have all the time in the world!"

Gretzky: "Well, for starters, how did you get this number?"

"Well, i'm not one to beat around the bushes, so i'll go straight to the point. During the draft, Your boss, or rather, future former boss, Mr. Pocklington, talked with multiple suitors for a trade offer involving you, of which i was one of them. He said that he was willing to trade you in exchange for quite a hefty sum of money."

Wayne was not surprised. Pocklington's bank account was leaking like a sinking ship, so he would've definitely asked for a king's ransom.

Gretzky: "So he wants to sell me Straight up? Like soccer transfers? Is that legal here, in america?"

"No. obviously, he ain't gonna sell you just like that. This isn't babe ruth 2.0!" Illitch reassured gretzky in a lighthearte tone. Gretzky obviously knew that this trade would have a similar impact to the bambino's sale to the yankees. "He asked for players and draft picks as well, so as to make it look like it was a regular transaction. The price tag threw off almost all suitors, except me...and Mr. Mcnall."

"Yeah, i figured bruce would be interested." Wayne commented. Of course, his father told him about the kings's interest in him.

"I heard you two frequently talk to each other." Illitch insinuated.

Gretzky: "Yeah, we get along well. That's the beauty with living in L.A with janet: you get to meet all sorts of people in high places."

"Yeah, i figure..." illitch uttered. "...i bet you're also aware of his rise in the NHL Ranks?"

Gretzky: "Yeah, pretty fast rise in stature... though, there's something about him..."

Illitch: "What is it?"

Gretzky: "Well, i'm fully aware that the league wants to increase its popularity in america, and having me go to L.A would do wonders for that...and mcnall's stature as well."

Illitch: "Okay..."

Gretzky: "I love L.A. i feel like i've outgrown edmonton, that i would be happier living here with janet, you know, raising a family in peace and quiet, having our kids go to private school...it's just that...there's something wrong with Mcnall...i can't really pinpoint what, but everytime we talk, i get the impression that this guy is not trustworthy. No offense, but i feel like he's some sort of crook."

Illitch: "I see..."

Gretzky: "So yeah, i do lean towards L.A, but...yeah, not with that guy as owner."

"...well, i think the same way, wayne." Illitch responded. "Growing the game in the US, i'm definitely for it, but not with shady-looking guys like Mcnall running the show. I mean, you know what i've heard? That the NHL could potentially expand into warmer climate cities, like another team in california, in texas and even the carolinas and florida! Can you imagine? Hockey in miami? While american cities that have a long tradition of hockey, like milwaukee, portland and seattle gets the shortest straw? Come on, now!"

Gretzky: "Yeah...so, how did you get this number?"

Illitch cleared his throat.

"Well, for one, i got a call from Mr. Pocklington, where he told me that i managed to beat mcnall's offer, that mine was more attractive. After that, i managed, through my contacts, to find your father's number. I called and, after discussing the details of the trade, he gave me your honeymoon residence's number.

Gretzky: "Why are you calling this early? Cause it's, like, 8:30 AM here, in L.A."

Illitch: "So that i can reach you first before Our dear friend bruce, of course!"

Wayne was surprised at the sheer dedication of Illitch. He heard about how committed he is to not only little caesar and the red wings being successful, but the entire city of detroit, as well. Now, he realises that it wasn't just talk.

Gretzky: "So i'm gonna be a red wing, huh..."

"Only if that's what you really want." Illitch added.

Gretzky: "Oh, believe me, i definitely want to play for you guys! You know, gordie howe's team and and all."

Illitch: "Yes, of course!"

"But then, that means i won't be in L.A with janet..." he looked at his beautiful wife gardening.

Illitch: "There is a beautiful, quiet neighborhood north of detroit. You would be pretty comfy there."

Gretzky: "Yeah, so i've heard. bloomfield, right?"

Illitch: "Yup!"

Gretzky: "...but what if we have children? We are used to having attention on ourselves all the time, but if i go to detroit, everybody would recognise me, unlike in L.A, and i fear for my kids being bothered because of my fame...you know what i'm saying?"

Illitch: "don't worry, we'll make sure nobody bothers you!"

Wayne felt relieved. He felt sincerity in illitch's words.

"...so, who are the players involved in the deal?"

Illitch explains to wayne the trade in question.

Gretzky: "Oof, That's a steep price."


Illitch: "Yes, but if it's you i get in return, it's worth it."

Gretzky: "To you, maybe, but i don't want to go to detroit to lose myself in a bottomless pit."

An awkward silence filled the room. 10 seconds later, illitch began talking.

Illitch: "Listen, i know this is a hard decision for you. You're not just leaving edmonton. You're leaving a stanley cup-winning machine, friends, teammates that you grew up with and canada all behind. I know all about making tough decisions like that, believe me. Little caesar, like rome, wasn't built in one day without any blood, sweat and tears along the way. I had to make great risks to bring my little pizzeria out of the garden city mall and into all 50 states. At first, it was tough, really tough, and there were times where i thought about giving up, but i didn't. By coming to detroit, wayne, you will find it tough in the first few years...But you already knew that, don't you?"

Gretzky: "...yeah, i expect to play the waiting game."

Illitch: "Then i can assure you that, with the staff and scouting department we assembled at the joe, as well as the prospects we have, like Yzerman, chiasson, Graves and racine, your patience will evetually be rewarded. Together, we can bring this franchise not only back to where it belongs among the elite, but the city of detroit will reach a whole new level. You're not continuing gordie howe's legacy, nor do i want you to. I want you to forge your own legacy in detroit, that we forge our own legacy together!"

Wayne was moved by illitch's words. If there was any doubt in his mind, they were gone now. He will go to detroit.

Gretzky: "Alright...i'll call pocklington."

Illitch was smiling like crazy behind his phone.

Gretzky: "Oh, and one more thing, mr Illitch..."

"Yes?"

"...i'm not going anywhere without marty mcsorley and mike Krushelnyski."

"Hmm, yes, i understand...the NHL can be a very dangerous place if you don't protect your neck."

After saying their goodbyes to one another, wayne finally hung up the phone, taking in what had just happened. That's where janet cam back from the garden.

Janet: "Hey honey, i've watered the flowers while you were asl...are you alright? What's with that face?"

Wayne: Janet...i've made my decision.


TO BE CONTINUED...
 
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The Announcement
August 10th, 1988


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"Hello there, Welcome to Sports Desk! I'm Michael Landsberg, and it is official: Wayne Gretzky says goodbye to both Edmonton and Canada. Last night,in front of a packed house at the edmonton Convention Centre, Oilers owner Peter Pocklington confirmed that Number 99 will join the Detroit Red wings in a blockbuster trade involving 6 players, three future first round draft picks and a whopping $15 million cheque.

The scenes at the convention centre was almost apocalyptic in tone, with pocklington looking distraught as he delivered the bad news and the great one himself drowing in tears as he said his final goodbyes to the country.

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Hardcore Oilers fans, distraught by the news, would do what every sane man would do: burn effigies of Pocklington and gretzky's Jersey and a good old riot outside of the Northlands Colisseum. It even was a topic of debate in the national assembly, where our most prominent politicians were lashing out on pocklington selling out to the americans! Though some actually sane fans, while extremely disappointed, are nonetheless content that Wayne left for His favorite team from his childhood.

Wayne won't be alone in joining the hockey club of his idol, the great gordie howe: Mike krushelnyski and Gretzky's "bodyguard", marty mcsorley, will also move to the motor city as part of the deal, at gretzky's request, in exchange for the red wings's 1989, 1991 and 1993 First round draft picks, as well as three players: Centre adam oates, czech winger petr klima and the very promising joe murphy.

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The three players heading edmonton's way.
Gretzky will be joining a young, promising team that made the western conference finals 2 years in a row, featuring young talents such as gerard gallant, bob probert, john ogrodnick, steve Chiasson and Steve Yzerman as well as recently acquired paul mclean from the st. Louis blues. Gretzky's arrival is already the most anticipated event in detroit, and red wings owner Mike Illitch hopes that such an Important acquisition will finally bring the club over the hump and get that much coveted stanley cup that's been missing in hockeytown for over 30 years.

FINAL TRADE:

TO EDMONTON
$15 million
1989, 1991 and 1993 1st round picks
C Adam oates
W Petr Klima
W Joe murphy

TO DETROIT
C Wayne Gretzky
D Marty Mcsorley
C Mike Krushelnyski

TO BE CONTINUED.
 
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I know this is historical, but it makes me giggle seeing Steve Yzerman and Bob Probert described as "young talents".

I mean, I know they had to be young once, kinda like its hard to think that Joe Thornton or Zdeno Chara were ever young.
 
I know this is historical, but it makes me giggle seeing Steve Yzerman and Bob Probert described as "young talents".

I mean, I know they had to be young once, kinda like its hard to think that Joe Thornton or Zdeno Chara were ever young.

lol, same thing for me with Soccer midfielder andrea Pirlo. It's really hard to imagine him as young.
 
The First Game
October 6, 1988. The start of a new chapter

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The Joe Louis Arena

"And now...making his debut for the red wings, Number 99...WAYNE GRETZKY!!"​

The joe louis arena roared as The home announcer put all of his energy into calling out the name of the man every 20,000 people paid to see in person. Some wings fans still couldn't believe what they were seeing. Team Jerseys with the number 99 were sold out way in advance. Gretzky's arrival, plus the two consecutive conference finals meant, that, For the first time since the girdie howe era, there was a real sense of hope, of incomparable hype behind the red wings, and the joe was full of it as their saviour steps onto the ice for the first time as a player for his childhood team.

The roar continued well beyond the first puck drop. Wayne was used to the crowd cheering for him in edmonton, but this deafening roar, coming from fans of the team he grew up dreaming to play for...his 7-year old self was screaming inside him. Of course, he kept a poker face, but you can bet your house that he found it really cool.

If the fans were going crazy at the sight of him wearing a red wing jersey, imagine him, walking around the joe louis arena, soaking in the applause and looking at the endless amount of division and championship banners of yore, with the numbers of the likes of lindsay, delvecchio, pronovost, Sawchuk and, of course, gordie howe, looking down on him, as if they were telling him that it is wayne's time to lead this franchise back to glory.

Then, he looked at the wings bench, and saw both jacques demers shouting instructions at him and his linemates gerard gallant and paul maclean...aswell as the young captain of the club, looking at him with scrutiny, as if he was envious of the attention he was getting.

And with a bit of reason, too, as steve yzerman seemed to be immediately ignored since gretzky arrived in detroit. While he did have the full trust of mr. Illitch and jacques demers and they promised that there will be no preferential treatments to anybody, Stevie Y still felt like a lion seeing a new male walking close by his pride. He was the cornerstone of the red wings, the youngest captain in NHL history at only 21 years of age, and he conteibuted massively to the wings's two consecutive conference finals. To see somebody else taking the spotlight, even if its freaking wayne gretzky, ruffled a few of his feathers.

Right from the start, during their first practice together, stevie made his presence felt by checking wayne hard on the boards during full-contact drills. Gretzky wasn't expecting this, but one look at stevie saw that he wasn't like any young player. He had that look on his face, the same eyes that he saw on his old friend mark messier.

He smiled. He got the message...and he delivered one of his own, taking advantage of stevie being too focused on making the perfect pass by stealing the puck from him before going to his favorite spot behind the net. Then, he intentionally tested stevie's defensive skills, deking him and delivering his trademark laser passes with no restraints. Eventually, he attempted a spinorama on stevie...but didn't expect the young british columbian to steal the puck from him! Looks like he'll have more fun than he thought!

Back to the present, the game against the los angeles kings started off pretty well, with wayne winning his first faceoff against young jimmy carson, rumoured to be part of the kings's failed trade attempt for the greta one. However, the game only toom 5 seconds for the first penalty to be called, as doug crossman tripped a charging paul maclean. This led to yzerman jumping on the ice and join wayne on the first power play of the game.

The two looked at each other, like two rivals attempting to indimidate each other...but, when the puck dropped, any animosity between them was gone, and they actually worked really well together, with stevie checking Dave taylor, getting the puck back and pass it to wayne, who scores his first goal as a red wing on his first shot attempt.

While the arena was erupting in happiness, the wings players congratulated each other on the play. Gretzky and yzerman only fist bumped each other, both with a faint smile on their faces.

Unfortunately for them, the wings would immediately concede two goals shortly after, one from Bernie Nichols and another from luc robitaille on a laser pass by dman Steve duchesne.

Gretzky's first game as a red wing ended up being a dramatic shoot-out, with wayne scoring a hat trick and assisting paul maclean's game-winning goal to have the wings win it 6-4.

While everybody in the arena went home hapoy and satisfied that their wings won the game, gretzky was feeling bittersweet. Sure, he's glad that he's in detroit, and the team had promising pieces, but there were some glaring issues. Glen hanlon's a nice guy, but he's not exactly a top goalie. And the less said about the defense, the better.

Illitch was right. The first few years are gonna be tough...


DETROIT RED WINGS LINE-UP 88-89

Gallant-Gretzky-Mclean
Ogrodnick-Yzerman-Burr
Probert-Krushelnyski-Barr
Graves-Chabot-kocur

Chiasson-zombo
Norwood-o'connell
Houda-mcsorley

Hanlon​

UP NEXT: 1988-1989 Season Report.

EDIT: fixed some mistakes, as tomas sandstrom didn't join the kings until 1990. Also, stupid grammar errors.
 
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Unless, maybe, they find a way to end up with Lindros in the early-90's.
Well, i always thought that the kings could still end up being a playoff team, even without gretzky. You can bet bruce mcnall will be even more motivated to turn LA into a contender after missing out on gretzky!

Besides, i genuinely believe that jimmy carson would've lived up to his potential without the weight of being traded for gretzky on his shoulders. Same thing with doug wickenheiser. If the habs did the right thing and drafted savard 1st overall, wickenheiser could've thrived in another franchise.
 
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Unless, maybe, they find a way to end up with Lindros in the early-90's.

See, now you’re talking. Of course, that torpedoes the Nordiques/Av-holes, so I’m left to wonder what franchise my fellow Wings fans will curse ITTL.

One heads-up for future franchise relocation: former Whalers owner Peter Karmanos was between Raleigh and my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Columbus had a ballot initiative for a new arena shortly before the decision was made. Less than a week before the vote, Karmanos announced he was taking the Whalers to North Carolina, and the ballot initiative failed.

Had it passed and Karmanos brought the team to Columbus, they likely would have played for a couple of years on Ohio State’s campus before moving into the new arena.

Just food for thought.
 
See, now you’re talking. Of course, that torpedoes the Nordiques/Av-holes, so I’m left to wonder what franchise my fellow Wings fans will curse ITTL.

One heads-up for future franchise relocation: former Whalers owner Peter Karmanos was between Raleigh and my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Columbus had a ballot initiative for a new arena shortly before the decision was made. Less than a week before the vote, Karmanos announced he was taking the Whalers to North Carolina, and the ballot initiative failed.

Had it passed and Karmanos brought the team to Columbus, they likely would have played for a couple of years on Ohio State’s campus before moving into the new arena.

Just food for thought.
I thought they were gonna play in a an empty hangar until the arena was done
 
The 1988-1989 NHL Season
1988-1989 NHL SEASON REVIEW​

The season came and went and wayne gretzky, in his first season as a detroit red wings, put up not only amazing numbers as usual, scoring 54 goals and 115 assists for a total of 169 points, but also brought new american fans to the sport. ESPN saw a big rise in ratings following gretzky's move to the motor city and, while it would've been higher had he moved to L.A instead, there was still a big enough increase in attendance in the markets surrounding detroit that it generated talk among the NHL Board of directors about a potential future expansion...

As for the red wings as a whole, they finished top of the norris division, but not by much, recording only 88 pts. While the offense was stellar, with gretzky getting help from the likes of gerard gallant, paul maclean, steve yzerman and john ogrodnick, the defense and goaltending was less than stellar, and it would cost them in the first round of the playoffs as the chicago blackhawks, led by young jeremy roenick and denis savard, hammered on goalie glen halon to win the series in 6 games.

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Jeremy roenick, america's flag bearer in hockey?

The early exit was a a hard fall back to earth for the red wings, as they now realise that having wayne gretzky and a bevy of offensive punch isn't enough to win the stanley cup. You need a rock solid defense and a world class goalie. Both of which the franchise lacks.

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Despite the bitterness of not acquiring gretzky, jimmy carson proves that keeping him was the right move.

Meanwhile, in L.A, owner bruce mcnall, the day after the failed offer to acquire the great one, decided to inprovise and build the team around its young talents, sich as luc robitaille, steve duchesne and jimmy carson. The latter, free from the weight of expectations that he would've received if he was traded for gretzky, would continue where he left off in his rookie season, even going beyond that, as he would score his first ever 100 points season. His line with robitaille and john tonelli, as well as the second line of bernie nicholls, bobby carpenter and dave taylor, proving a potent 1-2 punch, while new netminder kelly hrudey finally brought some much needed stability in front of net in LA. The defense was, with the exception of undrafted young standout steve duchesne, not that talented, but they were solid and disciplined enough to get the job done.

The kings's season highlight was no doubt their stunning elimination of the reigning stanley cup champion edmonton oilers in 7 games on the back of a miraculous comeback from a 3-1 deficit to force game 7, where carson proves that he is one to watch, scoring a goal and assisting bernie nicholls and bobby Carpenter on the power play to advance the kings to the next round, where they faced the equally surprising vancouver canucks, who upset the heavily favored Calgary flames with a game 7 overtime goal by stan smyl.

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Stan Smyl, vancouver's Game 7 hero

The series went back and forth, the two teams trading blow for blow until game 7, where steve duchesne rips a cannonball from the point to score another winning goal in OT, and kelly hrudey holding the fort in a heroic effort to send the kings to an improbable conference final appearance, where they faced the blackhawks.

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The kings's key players to their cinderella playoff run.

Playing two consecutive 7-game series was taxing for the young and inexperienced kings, and chicago took advantage of that, with roenick, Denis savard, al secord, steve thomas and steve larmer ripping them apart like a predator to its prey as chicago sweeps their way to the stanley cup final, where they'll easily get beat by the montreal canadiens in 5 games, the habs winning their 24th stanley cup, their second in 3 years. With young players like stephane richer, claude lemieux, guy carbonneau, shayne corson, russ courtnall, chris chelios, petr svoboda, patrick roy and a plethora of top prospects coming in, Could this be the beginning of a new dynasty in Montreal?

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Montreal canadiens, 1988-1989 stanley cup winners
1988-1989: Montreal Canadiens over Chicago Blackhawks 4-1


TO BE CONTINUED...
 
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The 1989 NHL Draft
Post #6: the 1989 NHL Entry Draft​

Wayne sat in his couch inside his residence at bloomfield, north of detroit as the 1989 NHL Draft was about to begin. He hoped that the red wings would adress their biggest needs in defense and goalies. With their frist round pick going to edmonton as part pf the trade that brought him in the motor city, the scouts needed to be on top of their game to find some hidden gems in the late rounds.

The first overall pick went to the quebec nordiques, who selected sweden's mats sundin, the first european ever to be drafted first overall. This shows how far the NHL has come towards accepting players from outside north america and treating them as equals. However, while swedes and fins have no troubke coming to america, eastern bloc players has always been tough to bring, due to the cold war. However, with the berlin wall crumbling, NHL clubs's efforts in defecting soviet and czechoslovak talent being more and more successful and the soviet union being on the verge of collapsing, we might be seeing the best russians and europeans come into the league at an alarming rate.

And that is what the red wings seemed to believe, at least, according o their draft picks. After selecting Center/defenseman Kris draper with their second round pick, Gretzky noticed that the red wings only selected europeans afterwards. Swedish defenseman nicklas lidstrom had shown some good, itelligent play while playing for vasteras in the swedish elite league, while sergei fedorov and vladimir konstantinov are both standouts on the soviet junior team that faced canada in the world juniors final in 1988. Fedorov was a very fast and skilled player, while konstatinov had sandpaper qualities to hin that is rare among Russian Players, and he showed his toughness by taking part in the huge brawl that ended the world juniors finals. While lidstrom would have no problem crossing the atlantic, the two russians would have to find a way to defect from their countries if they wanna join the red wings.

Despite the uncertainety surrounding the soviets, gretzky was glad that the team is actively trying to improve their defense.

Finally, with the 1st round pick that they acquired in the gretzky trade, the oilers select center mike sillinger.


DETROIT RED WINGS NOTABLE DRAFT PICKS

#32: C/D Kris Draper
#53: D Nicklas Lidstrom
#74: C/RW Sergei Fedorov
#221: D Vladimir Konstantinov

TO BE CONTINUED...
 
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1989-1990 NHL Playoffs
1989-1990 season

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The 1989-1990 season was the same old story for the detroit red wings. Wayne gretzky and steve yzerman led their potent offense, but their lackluster defense and goaltending would keep them from reaching their true potential. Not that the wings didn't try: they signed maple leafs legend borje salming as a free agent, and Quebecois defenseman Yves Racine had a solid rookie season paying alongside fellow quebecois steve chiasson. And thank goodness that gretzky prevented a lopsided trade for bernie federko in exchange for his linemate paul maclean from happening, as the right winger would once again reach the 40-goals mark playing alongside number 99.

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To think he could've been traded for A rotting corpse disguising himself as bernie federko...

But, unfortunately, same old song and dance. And worse, the entire team as awhoke seemed to regress. Salming was a shadow of his former self, and the team was only sabed by its offense, which carried it to the final playoff spot in the norris divisionwith 80 points, barely beating the Minnesota North Stars.

Once again, they faced the chicago blackhawks, and many experts expect roenick and company to rip apart the inexistent defense and goaltending of the wings...however, if there is one thing to remember, is to never count wayne gretzky and steve yzerman out. The two centres would lead their teammates to battle, making the series much tighter than it was supposed to be, even forcing a game 7. Unfortunately, their efforts would be in vain, as chicago has exactly what the red wings lacks: a top goalie, as young ed belfour would have a stellar game 7, only allowing 2 goals as the hawks ravages the wings 5-2 to advance to the second round.

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Ed belfour, The blackhawks's rookie goalie sensation.

The gretzky-Yzerman era is becoming extremely disappointing so far, and wayne is making his displeasure with what he has slightly more obvious. Mike illitch has to do something to remedy the situation, and quick...the week after the elimination, Illitch Fires both GM Jim Devellano and Coach Jacques Demers and hire outgoing Washington Capitals GM/Coach Bryan Murray for the same Jobs for next season.

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The red wings's future boss.

Speaking of the capitals, they managed to beat both the New Jersey Devils in the first round and the New york rangers in the second to reach the conference finals, where they will face...None other than The Hartford Whalers! That's right, ron francis, Ulf samuelsson and company managed to pull off two huge upsets, beating the Boston bruins in 6 games thank to a kevin dineen OT Goal in game 6 and defeating The Disappointing reigning champions Montreal in 5 games to reach the conference finals! Key to this incredible run is the acquisition of pat verbeek from the devils in exchange for sylvain turgeon, the right winger forming a dynamic duo with ron francis, scoring 41 goals in the season, and the experienced mike liut in goal, who is enjoying the best hockey of his career after his supposed trade to washington was cancelled. All of this, plus the solid defense led by ulf samuelsson and dave babych, would contribute to the whalers beating the heavily-favored capitals in 6 games!

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Pat verbeek, Hartford's Ace in the hole.

Meanwhile, out west, a similar cinderella story happened, as the winnipeg jets pulls a stunning sweep if the edmonton oilers with 3 straight OT wins. Dale hawerchuck, Thomas steen, Pat elynuik, Teppo numminen, Freddie olausson, brent ashton, Dave ellett and the red hot bob essensa would then carry their form through the second round, where they faced Jimmy carson los angeles Kings.

Owner bruce mcnall, sensing that he made the right choice in building the team around the big 4 of carson, Bobby Carpenter, Luc robitaille and steve duchesne, would make moves throughout the season to mimick last season's cinderella run, signing Montreal Veteran Larry robinson and acquiring Blues defenseman Brian Benning for a 1991 3rd round pick as well as making a big deadline deal sending longtime king bernie nicholls to the new york rangers in exchange for two young and talented Wingers: tomas sandstrom and Tony Granato.

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Granato would fit right into the first line with robitaille and carson, sandstrom would develop a natural chemistry with carpenter and john tonelli on the 2nd line while benning would further solidify a defense already containing steve duchesne, robinson, doug crossman and Tim waters. All of this, Combined with kelly hrudey's goaltending and plenty of secondary scoring from sophomore martin Gelinas, Captain Dave taylor and bottom liners todd elik and bob kudelski, and the kings looks poised to come back to the conference finals. After beating the calgary flames in 6 games, they faced the winnipeg jets. While The kings had quality and depth on offense, the jets had better defense and a hot goalie in bob essensa, and winnipeg would win in 5 games to face the blackhawks.

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Ed belfour may have had his breakout year, his lack of experience was cynically taken advantage of by the jets's offense, and they would chop the hawks down in 6 games to take on the hartford whalers!


Virtually nobody expected those two teams to square off in the cup final, yet here they are! They would treat hockey fans to one hell of a competitive, hard-hitting series, where skills and grit collided. Winnipeg would win game 1 in overtime thanks to teppo numinen, but hartford would answer back at the XL center in a 7-2 route. They would win game 3, but winnipeg would shut them out twice at the winnipeg arena to take the lead 3-2 in the series, bob essensa playing out of his mind.

Unfortunately, game 6 was where essensa would cool down, allowing 6 goals in a 6-2 win for hartford, and the whalers, using their superior stamina, would win game 7 4-0 to win their first ever stanley cup on home ice!

Ron francis received the conn smythe as the entire city of hartford played the brass bonanza on every speaker in the city. To this day, the 1989-1990 playoffs is considered one of the most entertaining palyoffs in NHL History.

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Ron Francis for president?
1989-1990: Hartford Whalers over Winnipeg Jets 4-3

 
1990 NHL Draft
The 1990 NHL Draft

The NHL draft is among us again, And, like last year's, it's not a deep talent pool.

Once again, the quebec nordiques selects first overall. Since they already have two future franchise centers in joe sakic and mats sundin, they would bolster their wing depth by selecting owen nolan. The vancouver caucks, selecting 2nd, chose petr nedved of czechozlovakia, while the 3rd overall pick goes to the philadelphia flyers, who would select center keith primeau. With the free agent signing of Edmonton's Jari Kurri, primeau will already have a ready-made partner for his NHL Debut.

The penguins were up next and, to no one's surprise, they would select Jaromir jagr with the 4th overall pick. Mike ricci, whom many considered to go 1st overall, would be selected 5th by the new york islanders, while the los angeles kings, needing help in defense, would select daryl sydor with the 6th pick. The minnesota north stars were next, and they selected derian hatcher, while Washington would select john slaney.

It was now the detroit red wings's turn with the 9th overall pick...but wait! The NHL President steps up to the podium...

"We have a trade to announce...the Detroit red wings trade the 9th overall pick in the 1990 NHL Draft and Center mike krushelnyski to the montreal canadiens...in exchange for defenseman chris chelios! The canadiens are now on the clock."

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Yes, as in 1989 Norris trophy winner Chris Chelios!

Wayne gretzky, who was present, couldn't believe what he just heard! As soon as he arrived, new GM/Coach bryan murray managed to acquire a norris trophy-calibre defenseman! He knew that montreal was looking to ship him out due to his seemingly bad behaviour off the ice, but for pocket change? Well, not exactly pocket change, but, with a lackluster draft Pool this year, sacrificing the 9th overall pick for a much needed upgrade a defense is very welcome. Plus, the habs have great depth in defense, with young players such as mathieu schneider, eric desjardins, sylvain lefevbre, petr svoboda, patrice brisebois and jean-jacques daigneault among others. Plus, the habs already got a new no.1 center in new jersey's kirk muller, acquired in exchange for the disgruntled claude lemieux, and they have a lot of depth on the wings with Mats Naslund, stephane richer, Shayne Corson, Mike Mcphee, Russ Courtnall, Andrew cassels and Mark Recchi, with youngsters mike keane and John Leclair on the verge of making the big club, so what they really need is a bottom 6 center and improve theirbcenter depth, which they did by acquiring muller and krushelnyski as well as picking bryan smolinski with the 9th overall pick.

The good news would keep coming for wayne and the red wings: Bryan murray would acquire new jersey's Paul Ysebaert for lee norwood and future considerations, with Ysebaert slotting in as the new 3rd line center along with shawn bur and swedish rookie johan garpenlov. The big one, however, was that both sergei fedorov and Vladimir Konstatinov, who traveled with the soviets for the goodwill games, managed to defect from the soviet union and arrived at the joe Louis arena to play in the NHL this season! Fedorov's arrival will certainly help the wings's wing depth, as john ogrodnick left in free agency to join the new york rangers. Gretzky, especially, can't wait to play alongside fedorov, as he is a big fan of his game.

Here's bow the wings will line up this season:



1990-1991 RED WINGS LINE-UP

Gallant-Gretzky-Fedorov
Graves-Yzerman-Maclean
Garpenlov-Ysebaert-Burr
Probert-Habscheid-Fedyk

Chiasson-Chelios
Racine-Konstantinov
Mcrimmon-Mcsorley/zombo

Cheveldae
Hanlon​
 
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