1991–92 NHL season

1991–92 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 3, 1991 – June 1, 1992
Number of games	80
Number of teams	22
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy	New York Rangers
Season MVP	Mark Messier, (New York)
Top scorer	Mario Lemieux, (Pittsburgh)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	Pittsburgh Penguins
Eastern runners-up	Boston Bruins
Western champions	Chicago Blackhawks
Western runners-up	Edmonton Oilers
Playoffs MVP	Mario Lemieux, (Pittsburgh)
Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup champions	Pittsburgh Penguins
Runners-up	Chicago Blackhawks
NHL seasons
← 1990–91	1992–93 →

The 1991–92 NHL season was the 75th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Pittsburgh Penguins repeated as Stanley Cup champions, winning a best of seven series four games to none against the Chicago Blackhawks.

League business

As mentioned above, 1991–92 was the 75th anniversary season for the NHL. Accordingly, all players wore a patch on their uniforms depicting the NHL 75th anniversary logo (seen above) for this season.

This was the first season for the San Jose Sharks, the first expansion team in the NHL since 1979. The birth of the Sharks returned NHL hockey to the San Francisco Bay Area after the California Golden Seals had relocated to Cleveland, Ohio in 1976.

This was also the last season for John Ziegler as NHL President. He would be succeeded by Gil Stein, who held the position for one year before being replaced by Gary Bettman.

Throwback uniforms

As part of the NHL's 75th anniversary celebration, and taking cues from Major League Baseball's "Turn Back The Clock" uniform program, throwback uniforms were worn by Original Six teams for select games, and throwbacks were also worn for the All-Star Game.

The uniform styles that were worn include:

• Boston Bruins – circa 1933
• Chicago Blackhawks – circa 1940
• Detroit Red Wings – circa 1928
• Montreal Canadiens – circa 1926
• New York Rangers – circa 1940
• Toronto Maple Leafs – circa 1940
• Wales All-Stars – white All-Star jersey circa 1952
• Campbell All-Stars – red All-Star jersey circa 1952

The throwback uniforms would have an impact on future seasons in the NHL, as several teams adopted throwbacks as alternate jerseys. The National Football League and National Basketball Association would follow the NHL's lead, with teams wearing throwbacks to celebrate their leagues' 75th and 50th anniversaries, respectively.

Regular season

New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch became the fifth, and last as of 2010, defenseman to score 100 points in a season. He finished the season with 102 points and captured the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's best defenseman. The Rangers ended the season with 105 points, winning the Presidents' Trophy as the top regular-season team in the NHL. It was the first time the Rangers had topped the league since 1942.

For the first time, the NHL finished play in the month of June. A primary reason for this was the 10-day NHL strike, the first work stoppage in league history, that started on April 1. The games that were supposed to be played during the strike were not canceled, but rescheduled and made up when play resumed on April 12.

For the first time in his NHL career, Wayne Gretzky failed to finish in the top two in scoring. The Pittsburgh Penguins' Kevin Stevens became only the third person in NHL history to outscore Gretzky in the regular season (Marcel Dionne tied Gretzky in Wayne's rookie year, but had more goals, and Mario Lemieux won the Art Ross Trophy over Gretzky in 1988 and 1989).

Final standings

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against

Wales Conference

Adams Division GP W L T GF GA PTS Montreal Canadiens 80 41 28 11 267 207 93 Boston Bruins 80 36 32 12 270 275 84 Buffalo Sabres 80 31 37 12 289 299 74 Hartford Whalers 80 26 41 13 247 283 65 Quebec Nordiques 80 20 48 12 255 318 52

Patrick Division GP W L T GF GA PTS New York Rangers 80 50 25 5 321 246 105 Washington Capitals 80 45 27 8 330 275 98 Pittsburgh Penguins 80 39 32 9 343 308 87 New Jersey Devils 80 38 31 11 289 259 87 New York Islanders 80 34 35 11 291 299 79 Philadelphia Flyers 80 32 37 11 252 273 75

Campbell Conference

Norris Division GP W L T GF GA Pts Detroit Red Wings 80 43 25 12 320 256 98 Chicago Blackhawks 80 36 29 15 257 236 87 St. Louis Blues 80 36 33 11 279 266 83 Minnesota North Stars 80 32 42 6 246 278 70 Toronto Maple Leafs 80 30 43 7 234 294 67

Smythe Division GP W L T GF GA PTS Vancouver Canucks 80 42 26 12 285 250 96 Los Angeles Kings 80 35 31 14 287 296 84 Edmonton Oilers 80 36 34 10 295 297 82 Winnipeg Jets 80 33 32 15 251 244 81 Calgary Flames 80 31 37 12 296 305 74 San Jose Sharks 80 17 58 5 219 359 39

Playoffs

Main article: 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs

Note: All dates in 1992

• The 1992 playoffs saw history being made, as for the first time ever, all four division winners were eliminated in the same round. In the division finals, the Norris Division champion Detroit Red Wings were swept by the Chicago Blackhawks in four straight games, and the Montreal Canadiens, who had won the Adams Division, suffered the same fate at the hands of the Boston Bruins. The Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated the Patrick Division titlists, the New York Rangers, in six games, while the Vancouver Canucks, the Smythe Division toppers, fell to the Edmonton Oilers, also in six games.

• A record 54 games were played in the first round, with six of the eight series going the full seven games.

• This was the last year the Hartford Whalers would qualify for the playoffs. The franchise would not reach the postseason again until 1999, by which time it was known as the Carolina Hurricanes.

• Of the eight division semifinal series, three of them would take place again the following year (Vancouver Canucks vs. Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres, and Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues).

Playoff bracket

	Division semi-finals					Division finals					Conference finals					Stanley Cup Final
	1	Montreal	4
	4	Hartford	3
						1	Montreal	0
						2	Boston	4
	2	Boston	4
	3	Buffalo	3
											P3	Pittsburgh	4
	Prince of Wales Conference
										A2	Boston	0
	1	NY Rangers	4
	4	New Jersey	3
						1	NY Rangers	2
						3	Pittsburgh	4
	2	Washington	3
	3	Pittsburgh	4
																P3	Pittsburgh	4
															N2	Chicago	0
	1	Detroit	4
	4	Minnesota	3
						1	Detroit	0
						2	Chicago	4
	2	Chicago	4
	3	St. Louis	2
											N2	Chicago	4
	Clarence Campbell Conference
										S3	Edmonton	0
	1	Vancouver	4
	4	Winnipeg	3
						1	Vancouver	2
						3	Edmonton	4
	2	Los Angeles	2
	3	Edmonton	4

Final

Main article: 1992 Stanley Cup Final

The series was held between the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Clarence Campbell Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks. The Penguins won in four games, three out of four won by a one-goal margin. Mario Lemieux of Pittsburgh won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' MVP.

Pittsburgh vs. Chicago
Date	Away	Home
May 26	Chicago 4	5 Pittsburgh
May 28	Chicago 1	3 Pittsburgh
May 30	Pittsburgh 1	0 Chicago
June 1	Pittsburgh 6	5 Chicago

NHL awards

Presidents' Trophy:	New York Rangers
Prince of Wales Trophy:	Pittsburgh Penguins
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:	Chicago Blackhawks
Art Ross Trophy:	Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:	Mark Fitzpatrick, New York Islanders
Calder Memorial Trophy:	Pavel Bure, Vancouver Canucks
Conn Smythe Trophy:	Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Frank J. Selke Trophy:	Guy Carbonneau, Montreal Canadiens
Hart Memorial Trophy:	Mark Messier, New York Rangers
Jack Adams Award:	Pat Quinn, Vancouver Canucks
James Norris Memorial Trophy:	Brian Leetch, New York Rangers
King Clancy Memorial Trophy:	Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:	Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
Lester B. Pearson Award:	Mark Messier, New York Rangers
NHL Plus/Minus Award:	Paul Ysebaert, Detroit Red Wings
Vezina Trophy:	Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens
William M. Jennings Trophy:	Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens
Lester Patrick Trophy:	Al Arbour, Art Berglund, Lou Lamoriello

All-Star teams

First team	Position	Second team
Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens	G	Kirk McLean, Vancouver Canucks
Brian Leetch, New York Rangers	D	Phil Housley, Winnipeg Jets
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins	D	Scott Stevens, New Jersey Devils
Mark Messier, New York Rangers	C	Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues	RW	Mark Recchi, PIT/PHI
Kevin Stevens, Pittsburgh Penguins	LW	Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

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

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh	64	44	87	131
Kevin Stevens	Pittsburgh	80	54	69	123
Wayne Gretzky	Los Angeles	74	31	90	121
Brett Hull	St. Louis	73	70	39	109
Luc Robitaille	Los Angeles	80	44	63	107
Mark Messier	NY Rangers	79	35	72	107
Jeremy Roenick	Chicago	80	53	50	103
Steve Yzerman	Detroit	79	45	58	103
Brian Leetch	NY Rangers	80	22	80	102
Adam Oates	St. Louis/Boston	80	20	79	99

Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average

Regular Season

Player	Team	GP	TOI	W	L	T	GA	SO	Sv%	GAA
Patrick Roy	Montreal	67	3935	36	22	8	155	5	.914	2.36
Ed Belfour	Chicago	52	2928	21	18	10	132	5	.894	2.70
Kirk McLean	Vancouver	65	3852	38	17	9	176	5	.901	2.74
John Vanbiesbrouck	NY Rangers	45	2526	27	13	3	120	2	.910	2.85
Bob Essensa	Winnipeg	47	2627	21	17	6	126	5	.910	2.88

Milestones

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1991–92 (listed with their first team):

• Stu Barnes, Winnipeg Jets
• Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
• Pavel Bure, Vancouver Canucks
• Keith Carney, Buffalo Sabres
• Adam Foote, Quebec Nordiques
• Bill Guerin, New Jersey Devils
• Derian Hatcher, Minnesota North Stars
• Bret Hedican, St. Louis Blues
• Arturs Irbe, San Jose Sharks
• Joe Juneau, Boston Bruins
• Vladimir Konstantinov, Detroit Red Wings
• Vyacheslav Kozlov, Detroit Red Wings
• Martin Lapointe, Detroit Red Wings
• Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
• Glen Murray, Boston Bruins
• Scott Niedermayer, New Jersey Devils
• Felix Potvin, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Darryl Sydor, Los Angeles Kings
• Keith Tkachuk, Winnipeg Jets

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1991–92 (listed with their last team):

• Barry Pederson, Boston Bruins
• Rick Vaive, Buffalo Sabres
• Tony Tanti, Buffalo Sabres
• Clint Malarchuk, Buffalo Sabres
• Greg Millen, Detroit Red Wings
• Ilkka Sinisalo, Los Angeles Kings
• Larry Robinson, Los Angeles Kings
• Chris Nilan, Montreal Canadiens
• Patrik Sundstrom, New Jersey Devils
• Rick Green, New York Islanders
• John Tonelli, Quebec Nordiques
• Mark Pavelich, San Jose Sharks
• Ken Linseman, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Mike Bullard, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Randy Gregg, Vancouver Canucks
• Mike Liut, Washington Capitals
• Mario Marois, Winnipeg Jets
• Lucien DeBlois, Winnipeg Jets
• Aaron Broten, Winnipeg Jets

Hat tricks

Main article: 1991–92 NHL hat tricks

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1991 NHL Entry Draft
• 1991 NHL Dispersal and Expansion Drafts
• 43rd National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• NHL All-Rookie Team
• Ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics
• 1991 Canada Cup
• 1991 in sports
• 1992 in sports

References

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, NY: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X. 
• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 9781894801225. 
• Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.. ISBN 0771041799. 
• Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International Inc.. ISBN 0785396241. 

Notes

External links

• Hockey Database
• NHL.com