The 1985 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 (NHL) began on April 10, after the conclusion of the 1984–85 NHL season. The playoffs concluded on May 19 with the champion Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....

 defeating the Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 8–3 to win the Final series four games to one and win the Stanley Cup.

Playoff format

Playoffs were organized to provide a champion for each of the NHL's four divisions. The two division champions then played off in a conference final to determine each conference's team in the Stanley Cup final. The first round of playoffs was a best-of-five series, the following three series were best-of-seven series.

Playoff bracket

Division semi-finals

Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens

Date	Visitors	Score	Home	Score
April 10	Boston	5	Montreal	3
April 11	Boston	3	Montreal	5
April 13	Montreal	4	Boston	2
April 14	Montreal	6	Boston	7
April 16	Boston	0	Montreal	1

Montreal won best-of-five series 3–2.

Buffalo Sabres vs Quebec Nordiques

Date	Visitors	Score	Home	Score
April 10	Buffalo	2	Quebec	5
April 11	Buffalo	2	Quebec	3
April 13	Quebec	4	Buffalo	6
April 14	Quebec	4	Buffalo	7
April 16	Buffalo	5	Quebec	6

Quebec won best-of-five series 3–2.

New York Rangers vs Philadelphia Flyers

Date	Visitors	Score	Home	Score
April 10	New York	4	Philadelphia	5 (OT)
April 11	New York	1	Philadelphia	3
April 13	Philadelphia	6	New York	5

Philadelphia won best-of-five series 3–0.

New York Islanders vs Washington Capitals

Date	Visitors	Score	Home	Score
April 10	New York	3	Washington	4 OT
April 11	New York	1	Washington	2 2OT
April 13	Washington	1	New York	2
April 14	Washington	4	New York	6
April 16	New York	2	Washington	1

New York won best-of-five series 3–2.

Minnesota North Stars vs St. Louis Blues

Date	Visitors	Score	Home	Score
April 10	Minnesota	3	St. Louis	2
April 11	Minnesota	4	St. Louis	3
April 13	St. Louis	0	Minnesota	2

Minnesota won best-of-five series 3–0.

Detroit Red Wings vs Chicago Black Hawks

Date	Visitors	Score	Home	Score
April 10	Detroit	5	Chicago	9
April 11	Detroit	1	Chicago	6
April 13	Chicago	8	Detroit	2

Chicago won best-of-five series 3–0.

Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers

Date	Visitors	Score	Home	Score
April 10	Los Angeles	2	Edmonton	3 OT
April 11	Los Angeles	2	Edmonton	4
April 13	Edmonton	4	Los Angeles	3 OT

Edmonton won best-of-five series 3–0.

Calgary Flames vs Winnipeg Jets

Date	Visitors	Score	Home	Score
April 10	Calgary	4	Winnipeg	5 OT
April 11	Calgary	2	Winnipeg	5
April 13	Winnipeg	0	Calgary	4
April 14	Winnipeg	5	Calgary	3

Winnipeg won best-of-five series 3–1.

Division Finals

• Patrick Division Final

The Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 ended the New York Islanders

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

' string of five straight seasons in the Stanley Cup Final by dispatching the club four games to one. Flyers goaltender Pelle Lindbergh

Pelle Lindbergh

Per-Eric Göran "Pelle" Lindbergh was a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who played parts of five seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers.-Playing career:...

 registered a pair of shutouts, one in the first game and the other in the clinching fifth game, by a 1–0 score.

• Adams Division Final

The Quebec Nordiques

Quebec Nordiques

The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...

 and Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

 battled in a seven-game series. Bitter rivals from the province of Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, the Nords shocked the Habs in 1982, only to see a fourth-place Montreal club upset Quebec a year later. In the deciding seventh game at the Montreal Forum

Montreal Forum

The Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996...

, Peter Stastny

Peter Stastny

Peter Šťastný , also known colloquially as "Peter the Great" and "Stosh", is a retired Slovak professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1980 to 1995. During his time with the Quebec Nordiques, Stastny became a Canadian citizen. Since 2004, he has also served as a...

 scored the game and series winning goal, giving Quebec an improbable 3–2 overtime win and berth in the Wales Conference Finals. Quebec would not get to the conference finals again until 1996, their first year as Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...

. They would win the Stanley Cup.

• Norris Division Final

The Chicago Black Hawks

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...

 simply outscored the Minnesota North Stars

Minnesota North Stars

The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...

 in an offensive-minded six-game series that featured 61 total goals.

• Smythe Division Final

Defending Cup champion Edmonton was too much for the Winnipeg Jets, sweeping them in four straight games and doubling their goal total.

Conference Finals

• Wales Conference Final

Although the Flyers held the best record in the NHL with 53 wins and 113 points, the Adams Division

Adams Division

The NHL's Adams Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Prince of Wales Conference. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. It was named in honor of Charles Francis Adams, the founder of the Boston Bruins...

 held a better record against the Patrick Division

Patrick Division

The Patrick Division of the National Hockey League was formed in 1974 as part of the Clarence Campbell Conference. The division moved to the Prince of Wales Conference in 1981. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. It was named in honor of Lester Patrick...

, so the Wales finals began in Quebec City. Philly and Quebec split the first four games, then the Flyers edged the Nordiques, 2–1, in game five. Game six in Philadelphia was a tour-de-force for the Flyers, outshooting Quebec 36–15, and winning 3–0. Flyers captain Dave Poulin

Dave Poulin

David James Poulin is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.-Playing career:...

's two-man disadvantage shorthanded goal early in the second period was the deciding factor in the contest. The team returned to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1980. Unfortunately, the win came at a high cost, as both 54-goal forward Tim Kerr

Tim Kerr

Timothy E. Kerr is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers and Hartford Whalers.-Playing career:...

 and defenceman Brad McCrimmon

Brad McCrimmon

Byron Brad McCrimmon from Plenty, Saskatchewan, was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. McCrimmon played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1979 and 1997. From 1997 to his death, he was a coach, ultimately with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League...

 would be lost for the remainder of the playoffs with injuries.

• Campbell Conference Final

The Oilers steamrolled the Black Hawks in a six-game series which broke all sorts of records for total offense. Edmonton won the first two games at home by 11–2 and 7–3 scores, only to see Chicago strike back at home with 5–2 and 8–6 victories. However, Edmonton rebounded to blast the Hawks in the final two games, 10–5 and 8–2 to earn their third trip to the Cup Finals in as many years. Edmonton set all-time playoff marks with most goals in one series, most goals in a six-game series, and both clubs set records with most total goals in a semifinal series and most total goals in one six-game series. Oilers' Jari Kurri

Jari Kurri

Jari Pekka Kurri is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey right winger and a five-time Stanley Cup champion. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. He is currently the general manager of Team Finland....

 scored three hat tricks in the series, setting a still-standing NHL record.

Final

Edmonton would lose the first game to the Flyers but would then take the next four to win their second straight Stanley Cup. Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...

 was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy

Conn Smythe Trophy

The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged most valuable to his team during the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup playoffs. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 46 times to 40 players since the 1964–65 NHL season...

as the playoffs' most valuable player.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Date	Visitors	Score	Home	Score
May 10	Edmonton	1	Philadelphia	4
May 12	Edmonton	3	Philadelphia	1
May 15	Philadelphia	3	Edmonton	4
May 17	Philadelphia	3	Edmonton	5
May 19	Philadelphia	3	Edmonton	8

Edmonton Oilers win series 4–1.