This day has provided many of the greatest postseason moments throughout National Hockey League history. In addition, two Hall of Famers and all-time stars are celebrating birthdays today. It's time to jump into the THW time machine and enjoy a trip through the decades to remember all the best moments that May 12th has to offer.
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St. Louis Blues pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Stanley Cup Playoffs history on May 12, 1986, in Game 6 of the Campbell Conference Final. Trailing the Calgary Flames 5-2 with less than 12 minutes to play and facing elimination, Brian Sutter began a remarkable comeback that would come to be known as the “Monday Night Miracle.”
Shortly after Sutter made it 5-3, Greg Paslawski cut the deficit to one goal with four minutes left in regulation. He tied the game with 10 of his ownth postseason goal three minutes later. In overtime, Doug Wickenheiser's second goal of the game forced a Game 7 back in Calgary. Wickenheiser entered the game scoreless in the postseason. Cliff Ronning's first-period goal for the Blues was the first of his NHL career.
The Blues found themselves down 2-0 heading into the third period of Game 7 and nearly orchestrated another comeback. They were able to cut a goal short, but Calgary goaltender Mike Vernon held on to send the Flames into the Stanley Cup Finals.
Ten years later, on May 12, 1996, Brett Hull scored a goal and added an assist to become the second player in team history to score 100 points in a game with the Blues. The milestone came from a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
On May 12, 1999, Pierre Turgeon scored the game-winning goal at 5:52 of overtime to lead the Blues to a 3-2 victory against the visiting Dallas Stars in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals. It was the third straight overtime game in the hotly contested series.
The New York Islanders Show Superiority
The Islanders enjoyed three postseason victories on this day, including two in the Stanley Cup Finals. On May 12, 1981, they opened the Stanley Cup Final with a 6-3 win over the Minnesota North Stars. The game was put out of reach thanks to two goals by Bryan Trottier and Anders Kallur, who scored 47 seconds apart.
Three years later, Clark Gillies scored a hat trick to beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The win evened the series at one victory apiece. However, this is a late season Islanders win in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers won the next three games to end four years of the Islanders being champions and since then they have not returned to the finals.
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Steve Thomas, who signed his first NHL contract on May 12, 1984, had a big game for the Islanders on this day in 1993. The forward had two goals and two assists in a 7-5 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of the Patrick Division Final. Thomas' second tally of the night capped the game-winning goal.
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On May 12, 1992, goaltender Bill Ranford recorded his third shutout to lead the Oilers to a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 of the Smythe Division Finals. It was Ranford's second shutout of the 1992 postseason.
After three years, Martin Brodeur led the way to a 1-0 overtime victory against the visiting Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Randy McKay scored the game-winning goal in overtime as Brodeur closed out his third straight game.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped all 24 shots he faced, on May 12, 2003, in the Anaheim Ducks' 2-0 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. It was Giguere's second consecutive shutout to start the series. Both goals for the Ducks were scored by Kurt Sauer and Rob Niedermayer.
On May 12, 2022, Jeremy Swayman became the fifth Bruins rookie goaltender to earn a shutout win, joining Mike Moffat (1982), Don Simmons (1957), Frank Brimsek (1939), and Hal Winkler (1927). He made 23 saves to help his team force a Game 7 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the 2022 Playoffs.
Odds & Ends
On May 12, 1973, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Swedish defenseman Borje Salming and forward Inge Hammarstrom as free agents. Salming played 1148 games in 16 seasons for the Maple Leafs. He scored 150 goals and 787 points in a plus-170 career, including his final season with the Red Wings in 1989-90. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996. Hammarstrom played 427 games with the Maple Leafs and Blues, scoring 116 goals and 239 points.
Guy Lafleur stepped up for the Montreal Canadiens on May 12, 1977. He scored two goals and added two assists in a 4-2 win over the Bruins in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The win gave the Canadiens a 3-0 lead in the series.
Eddie Olcyzk made NHL history with the Chicago Blackhawks on May 12, 1985. He became the youngest player since the 1967 expansion to score in a Conference or Stanley Cup final at 18 years and 269 days. His historic, shorthanded goal came in the Blackhawks' 8-6 victory over the Oilers in Game 4 of the Campbell Finals.
On May 12, 1987, Larry Robinson scored the game-winning goal and added three assists in the Canadiens' 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5 of the Wales Conference Final. His four points set a Montreal record for most points by a defenseman in a playoff game.
After ten years, the Washington Capitals fired David Poile, the team's general manager since August 1982. The move came one month after the Capitals missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the only time in his 15 years with the team. He did not remain unemployed for long; a short time later, he was named general manager of the expansion Nashville Predators.
Henrik Zetterberg scored a goal and added an assist on May 12, 2003, to beat the Ducks in Game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. With the win, the Red Wings became the first team in NHL history to win 14 Game 7s. They improved to 14-9 all-time in the seventh and final game of the series. The loss started a streak of four consecutive seasons in which the Ducks lost Game 7 on home ice.
Connor McDavid became the first player to have at least 70 assists in 55 or fewer games since Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins had 70 to 50 games in 1995-96 when he posted two assists in the Oilers' 4-3 win over the Canadiens. May 12, 2021.
The Bruins forced a Game 7 against the Carolina Hurricanes on May 12, 2022, on the strength of Brad Marchand's 10th shutout goal. He passed Peter McNab for most in their history and scored his 49th game goal in the process, tying Patrice Bergeron for second in Boston history.
Speaking of avoiding elimination and forcing a Game 7, the Tampa Bay Lightning also did it today with a 4-3 overtime win over the Maple Leafs. Brayden Point scored the game-winning goal and became the second player in Lightning history to score an overtime goal in a game where the team faced elimination. He joined Martin St. Louis in this game.
On May 12, 2023, Nick Cousins scored a goal in overtime to send the Panthers to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 1996 with a 3-2 victory over the Maple Leafs in Game 5. Sergei Bobrovsky was also the second goaltender. in Florida history. with a 50-save performance, joining John Vanbiesbrouck (55 in a 1-0 overtime loss to the Avalanche in Game 4 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Final).
happy Birthday to you
Today's birthday list begins with two Hall of Famers, Johnny Bucyk (89) and Bernie Federko (68).
Buyck's career began in Detroit, but he made a name for himself during his 21 seasons with the Bruins. He scored a career high 545 goals and 1,339 points in 1,436 games in Boston. He was a two-time Lady Bing Trophy winner for being the league's “softest” player and was part of two Stanley Cup winning teams.
Federko played 13 seasons with the Blues before one final season with the Red Wings. In St. Louis, scored 352 goals and had 721 assists in 927 games. His 1,073 points are the most in franchise history. He and Hull are the only Blues with 100 points in the postseason, too.
Other current and former players celebrating birthdays today are Richie Dunn (67), Warren Rychel (57), Antti Raanta (35), Colton Parayko (31), Sonny Milano (28), and Samuel Girard (26).
*Originally created by Greg Boysen
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