| 1988-89 Nhl Season |
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REGULAR SEASON The 1988-89 NHL Season saw the Calgary Flames win their first Stanley Cup . They defeated the Montreal Canadiens four games to two in a rematch of the Cup finals from the 1985-86 NHL Season . The Flames would also win their second consecutive Presidents' Trophy as the top Regular Season team. Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Art Ross Trophy for the second consecutive season, leading the league with 199 points. Lemieux remains the only person other than Wayne Gretzky to approach the 200 point plateau. Gretzky, who had crossed the 200 point mark four times in five years during the 1980s, won his ninth Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP. This year also featured the "new look Kings" as the Los Angeles Kings changed their uniform design and team colours after Gretzky was added to their line-up. Prior to Gretzky's arrival, the Kings had the fourth worst record in the NHL at 30 wins, 42 losses, and 8 ties. After Gretzky's first season with the Kings, they moved all they way up to fourth best in the NHL with a record of 42 wins, 31 losses, and 7 ties. Final standings ''Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes'' Prince of Wales Conference Clarence Campbell Conference Scoring leaders ''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points'' STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ''']] The 1989 Stanley Cup finals featured two Canadian hockey teams, the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames . Montreal finished the regular season with 115 points, only two behind the league leader Calgary. On their way to the finals, Montreal lost only three games while eliminating the Hartford Whalers , Boston Bruins , and Philadelphia Flyers . One of the interesting stories of these playoffs, though, was Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings meeting the defending champion Oilers in the first round. The Previous Season saw the mighty Edmonton Oilers sweep the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals as Gretzky earned the Conn Smythe Trophy setting playoff records for playoff assists, assists in a finals series and points in a finals series. On August 9 , 1988 the Oilers traded Gretzky to the Kings. The Gretzky-led Kings and Oilers (with many veteran super-stars) met in the first round of the Smythe Division playoffs, which made for an exciting "return" of Gretzky to Edmonton. In a tough seven game series, Gretzky and the Kings took down the defending Stanley Cup champions after falling behind 3 games to 1. In the second round the Kings were swept in 4 games by the Calgary Flames. The Flames then went on to beat the Chicago Blackhawks in 5 before going into the finals to meet the Canadiens, in a finals rematch from the 1985-86 NHL Season . Division Semi-Finals Hartford Whalers vs. Montreal Canadiens ''Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0'' Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins ''Boston wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1'' Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers ''Philadelphia wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2'' New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins ''Pittsburgh wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0'' Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings ''Chicago wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2'' Minnesota North Stars vs. St. Louis Blues ''St. Louis wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1'' Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames ''Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3'' Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings ''Los Angeles wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3'' Division Finals Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens ''Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1'' Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins ''Philadelphia wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 3'' Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues ''Chicago wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1'' Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames ''Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 0'' Conference Finals Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens ''Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2'' Chicago Blackhawks vs. Calgary Flames ''Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 1'' Stanley Cup Finals Montreal Canadiens vs. Calgary Flames ''Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4 games to 2'' Playoff scoring leaders ''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points'' NHL AWARDS won his ninth Hart Trophy in ten years in 1988-89]] SEE ALSO
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