The 1986 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1985–86 season, and the culmination of the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Campbell Conference champion Calgary Flames and the Wales Conference champion Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens won the best-of-seven series in five games to win their 23rd Stanley Cup, and their 17th in their last 18 Finals appearances dating back to 1956.
It was the first all-Canadian Finals since Montreal lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1967, the last year of the Original Six era. This was the fifth of nine consecutive Finals contested by a team from Western Canada, the fourth of eight contested by a team from Alberta (the Edmonton Oilers appeared in six, the Flames in two, the Vancouver Canucks in one), and the third of five consecutive Finals to end with the Cup presentation on Alberta ice (the Oilers won four, the Canadiens one). This was the only time between 1980 and 1988 that neither the Oilers (four wins) nor the New York Islanders (four wins) won the Stanley Cup.
Although this was the first ever postseason meeting between the two teams, it was not the first Montreal-Calgary Finals. The first Finals between teams from Montreal and Calgary took place in 1924 when the Canadiens defeated the Western Canada Hockey League champion Calgary Tigers. The Canadiens and Flames met again in a rematch in 1989, with Calgary winning in six games.
The Finals reverted back to the 2-2-1-1-1 format after implementing the 2-3-2 format in 1984.[1]
- ^ "Playoff format changes made". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario. United Press International. September 23, 1983. p. 40. Retrieved June 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.