1984 Stanley Cup Finals: St Louis Blues vs Hartford Whalers
TV: CBC (Canada) Commentators: Bob Cole (play-by-play) & Harry Neale (color) CBS (United States) Commentators: Ken Wilson (play-by-play) & Stan Fischler (color)
G1: HAR 4 @ STL 1 Whalers lead series 1-0
Ray Bourque played great in game one, scoring twice in a 4-1 Hartford win in St Louis.
G2: HAR 2 @ STL 4 Series tied 1-1
The Blues responded with a win in game two, thanks to an early third period goal from Viacheslav Fetisov. St Louis hung on for a 4-2 win to tie the series.
G3: STL 2 @ HAR 3 (OT) Whalers lead series 2-1
In Hartford for game three, the teams battled to a 2-2 tie and the game went into overtime. Halfway through the overtime, Marc Tardiff’s shot beat St Louis goaltender Roland Melanson and appeared to go into the net before Melanson grabbed it with his glove. Officials (without instant replay) ruled that the puck never crossed the line and the game went on. With just three minutes left in the first overtime, Bourque entered the St Louis zone and released a slapshot on net. The puck dipped and beat Melanson to give Hartford a 3-2 win.
G4: STL 5 @ HAR 1 Series tied 2-2
Unable to get a step ahead of the Whalers, the Blues were desperate for a win in game four. “We know we can beat them, we just need to keep our game simple” said Mike Gartner. The Blues committed to tighter defensive play in game four, stifling the Whalers as they only managed two shots in the first period. Meanwhile, Wayne Gretzky scored twice to give St Louis a 2-0 lead. Bernie Federko scored early in the second just before Gary Leeman made it 4-0. Frustration took over for Hartford, as several scrums broke out near the end of the second period. Hartford managed to score once in the third period but it was too little too late, as St Louis won the game 5-1.
G5: HAR 4 @ STL 5 Blues lead series 3-2
Game five would be pivotal, with the winner getting an opportunity to claim the title. It would be a high scoring affair, as the teams were tied 3-3 with time winding down in the third. With just six minutes left, Pat Verbeek gave the Hartford the lead. St Louis entered desperation mode once again, pulling Melanson with a minute to go. Mike Gartner failed to beat Grant Fuhr, but Viacheslav Fetisov banged in the rebound and the game was tied. It appeared that the game would go into overtime when suddenly, Gretzky stripped Hartford's Ron Handy of the puck and got on a breakaway. Gretzky beat Fuhr with a deke to give St Louis the lead. Hartford scrambled to try to tie it but it was too late. The Blues now led the series 3-2 and had a chance to claim the championship.
G6: STL 2 @ HAR 3 (OT) Series tied 3-3
With the Stanley Cup in the building for game six, the burning question was whether or not the Whalers could rebound from the devastating loss in game five. The question would soon be answered when Ray Bourque and Ron Handy each scored to make it 2-0 for Hartford. Gretzky scored late in the second period, closing the gap to a goal. Hartford then had a chance to increase the lead to two goals once again when Ric Nattress hit the post on a breakaway. St Louis withstood intense pressure from Hartford to extend the lead until Gerry Hart tied the game with just four minutes left. The game would go into overtime, where St Louis hoped to win their first cup in team history. However Hartford would ensure that would not happen this time when Pat Verbeek scored midway through the extra frame, forcing a game seven back in St Louis.
G7: HAR 1 @ STL 3 Blues win series 4-3
“This series has been one for the ages, we all knew it had to go to seven” said commentator Ken Wilson just prior to the deciding game. The 55-year-old St Louis Arena was as loud as it had ever been on May 23, 1984, the night of game seven. As the game began, both teams were clearly tense. No goals were scored in the first period, but there were some close calls. Mike Gartner had a golden opportunity with a wide open net but fanned on the shot and it went wide. With just seconds left in the first period, Ron Handy had a breakaway chance for Hartford. He beat Melanson but failed to score as the puck went off the crossbar. Hartford would finally strike first, eight minutes into the second period when Bourque took a pass in the slot from Handy and deked Gary Leeman before beating Roland Melanson to give the Whalers the lead. Hartford would nurse the lead through the rest of the period despite constant pressure from the Blues. Early in the third, St Louis finally got on the board when Bernie Federko tied the game. St Louis continued to press, but Fuhr met every challenge. The young goalie had been absolutely brilliant throughout most of the series and now seemed almost unbeatable. Finally with seven minutes to go in regulation, Gretzky found himself on a 2-on-1 alongside Larry Robinson. Gretzky slipped Robinson the puck and he immediately redirected it into the gaping net as the crowd erupted. St Louis now held the lead. Hartford made a push, pulling Fuhr in a desperate attempt to tie the game. Pat Verbeek nearly tied it with a wide open net and just 38 seconds left but just missed. Finally, Fetisov got the puck in the open and dumped it toward the empty St Louis net. The puck rolled into the net with just nine seconds to go, sealing the victory for the Blues. As the crowd counted out the final seconds, the Blues poured off the bench. "This is the greatest moment in my life." Said Wayne Gretzky. "Hopefully we can win it again next year."
Comments apricated! Congrats to Blues fans!
