1982–83 NHL season facts for kids
The 1982–83 NHL season was the 66th year for the National Hockey League. Twenty-one teams played 80 games each. Before this season started, the Colorado Rockies team moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey. They changed their name to the New Jersey Devils. They also moved to a different group called the Patrick Division. Because of this, the Winnipeg Jets had to move from their old group, the Norris Division, to the Smythe Division. This was the last time an NHL team moved until 1993.
Some famous players from the very early days of the NHL, known as the Original Six era, retired after this season. These players were Carol Vadnais, Serge Savard, and Wayne Cashman. Cashman was the last of them to play, and he finished his career by losing in the Wales Conference Finals with the Boston Bruins.
The New York Islanders won their fourth Stanley Cup in a row! They beat the Edmonton Oilers four games to none. No other team in a major professional North American sport has won four championships in a row since the Islanders did this.
Contents
The Regular Season: Who Played Best?
The Boston Bruins were the top team in the league, earning 110 points. The New York Islanders, who had won the Stanley Cup the year before, finished tied for 6th place overall. The Edmonton Oilers, known for scoring many goals, tied for second place.
The Oilers set a new record for scoring the most goals in one season with 424 goals! They had just set this record the year before. Their star player, Wayne Gretzky, led the team with an amazing 196 points. The Oilers also tied a record set by the Boston Bruins in 1971. Four of their players scored more than 100 points in one season: Wayne Gretzky, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, and Mark Messier.
Final Standings
Here's how the teams finished in their divisions. Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold
Prince of Wales Conference
| Adams Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 50 | 20 | 10 | 110 | 327 | 228 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 42 | 24 | 14 | 98 | 350 | 286 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 38 | 29 | 13 | 89 | 318 | 285 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 34 | 34 | 12 | 80 | 343 | 336 |
| Hartford Whalers | 80 | 19 | 54 | 7 | 45 | 261 | 403 |
| Patrick Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 49 | 23 | 8 | 106 | 326 | 240 |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 42 | 26 | 12 | 96 | 302 | 226 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 39 | 25 | 16 | 94 | 306 | 283 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 35 | 35 | 10 | 80 | 306 | 287 |
| New Jersey Devils | 80 | 17 | 49 | 14 | 48 | 230 | 338 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 18 | 53 | 9 | 45 | 257 | 394 |
Clarence Campbell Conference
| Norris Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 47 | 23 | 10 | 104 | 338 | 268 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 40 | 24 | 16 | 96 | 321 | 290 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 28 | 40 | 12 | 68 | 293 | 330 |
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 25 | 40 | 15 | 65 | 285 | 316 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 21 | 44 | 15 | 57 | 263 | 344 |
| Smythe Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 47 | 21 | 12 | 106 | 424 | 315 |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 32 | 34 | 14 | 78 | 321 | 317 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 30 | 35 | 15 | 75 | 303 | 309 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 33 | 39 | 8 | 74 | 311 | 333 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 27 | 41 | 12 | 66 | 308 | 365 |
Scoring Leaders
These players scored the most points during the season. Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 71 | 125 | 196 |
| Peter Stastny | Quebec Nordiques | 75 | 47 | 77 | 124 |
| Denis Savard | Chicago Black Hawks | 78 | 35 | 86 | 121 |
| Mike Bossy | New York Islanders | 79 | 60 | 58 | 118 |
| Marcel Dionne | Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 56 | 51 | 107 |
| Barry Pederson | Boston Bruins | 77 | 46 | 61 | 107 |
| Mark Messier | Edmonton Oilers | 77 | 48 | 58 | 106 |
| Michel Goulet | Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 57 | 48 | 105 |
| Jari Kurri | Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 45 | 59 | 104 |
| Glenn Anderson | Edmonton Oilers | 72 | 48 | 56 | 104 |
| Kent Nilsson | Calgary Flames | 80 | 46 | 58 | 104 |
The Playoffs: Road to the Stanley Cup
After the regular season, the best teams played in the Stanley Cup playoffs. This is a special tournament where teams compete in a series of games. The team that wins four games in a series moves on, and the losing team is out. The goal is to win the final series and lift the Stanley Cup!
Playoff Bracket
This chart shows how the teams played against each other in the playoffs.
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Conference Finals | Finals | |||||||||||||||
| A1 | Boston Bruins | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Quebec Nordiques | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Boston Bruins | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Buffalo Sabres | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Montreal Canadiens | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Buffalo Sabres | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Boston Bruins | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| P2 | New York Islanders | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| P1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| P4 | New York Rangers | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| P4 | New York Rangers | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| P2 | New York Islanders | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| P2 | New York Islanders | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| P3 | Washington Capitals | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| P2 | New York Islanders | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton Oilers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| N4 | St. Louis Blues | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Minnesota North Stars | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Minnesota North Stars | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton Oilers | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| S4 | Winnipeg Jets | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| S1 | Edmonton Oilers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Calgary Flames | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| S2 | Calgary Flames | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| S3 | Vancouver Canucks | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
Finals
The final series was between the New York Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers.
| Date | Visitors | Score | Home | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10 | New York | 2 | Edmonton | 0 | |
| May 12 | New York | 6 | Edmonton | 3 | |
| May 14 | Edmonton | 1 | New York | 5 | |
| May 16 | Edmonton | 2 | New York | 4 |
The New York Islanders won the series 4–0, sweeping the Edmonton Oilers to win their fourth straight Stanley Cup!
NHL Awards: Celebrating the Stars
At the end of the season, the NHL gives out special awards to players and teams for their amazing achievements. Here are some of the awards given out for the 1982–83 season:
| Prince of Wales Trophy: | New York Islanders |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: | Edmonton Oilers |
| Art Ross Memorial Trophy: | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers (Award for the player who leads the league in points) |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: | Lanny McDonald, Calgary Flames (Award for sportsmanship and dedication to hockey) |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: | Steve Larmer, Chicago Black Hawks (Award for the best rookie player) |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: | Billy Smith, New York Islanders (Award for the most valuable player in the playoffs) |
| Frank J. Selke Trophy: | Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers (Award for the best defensive forward) |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers (Award for the most valuable player to his team) |
| Jack Adams Award: | Orval Tessier, Chicago Black Hawks (Award for the best coach) |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: | Rod Langway, Washington Capitals (Award for the best defensive player) |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: | Mike Bossy, New York Islanders (Award for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct) |
| Lester B. Pearson Award: | Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers (Award for the most outstanding player, voted by players) |
| NHL Plus/Minus Award: | Charlie Huddy, Edmonton Oilers (Award for the player with the best plus/minus rating) |
| William M. Jennings Trophy: | Roland Melanson/Billy Smith, New York Islanders (Award for the goaltenders on the team with the fewest goals scored against them) |
| Vezina Trophy: | Pete Peeters, Boston Bruins (Award for the best goaltender) |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: | Bill Torrey (Award for outstanding service to hockey in the United States) |
All-Star Teams: The Best of the Best
At the end of each season, the best players at each position are chosen to be on the "All-Star Teams." These are like dream teams made up of the top players from across the league.
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Pete Peeters, Boston Bruins | G | Roland Melanson, New York Islanders |
| Mark Howe, Philadelphia Flyers | D | Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins |
| Rod Langway, Washington Capitals | D | Paul Coffey, Edmonton Oilers |
| Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers | C | Denis Savard, Chicago Black Hawks |
| Mike Bossy, New York Islanders | RW | Lanny McDonald, Calgary Flames |
| Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers | LW | Michel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques |
New Faces and Farewell Games
Every season, new players join the NHL, and some long-time players play their last games. Here are some of the notable players who either started or ended their NHL careers during the 1982–83 season.
First Games
These players played their very first NHL game in 1982–83. A star (*) means they started in the playoffs.
- Gord Kluzak, Boston Bruins
- Dave Andreychuk, Buffalo Sabres
- Phil Housley, Buffalo Sabres
- Jamie Macoun, Calgary Flames
- Mike Vernon, Calgary Flames
- Murray Craven, Detroit Red Wings
- Brian Bellows, Minnesota North Stars
- Craig Ludwig, Montreal Canadiens
- Mats Naslund, Montreal Canadiens
- Pat Verbeek, New Jersey Devils
- Bob Froese, Philadelphia Flyers
- Dave Poulin, Philadelphia Flyers
- Ron Sutter, Philadelphia Flyers
- Rich Sutter, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Gary Leeman*, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Michel Petit, Vancouver Canucks
- Patrik Sundstrom, Vancouver Canucks
- Milan Novy, Washington Capitals
- Scott Stevens, Washington Capitals
- Brian Hayward, Winnipeg Jets
Last Games
These players played their final NHL game in 1982–83.
- Wayne Cashman, Boston Bruins
- Gilles Gilbert, Detroit Red Wings
- Reggie Leach, Detroit Red Wings
- Garry Unger, Edmonton Oilers
- Mike Murphy, Los Angeles Kings
- Rejean Houle, Montreal Canadiens
- Carol Vadnais, New Jersey Devils
- John Davidson, New York Rangers
- Ulf Nilsson, New York Rangers
- Ian Turnbull, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Jacques Richard, Quebec Nordiques
- Marc Tardif, Quebec Nordiques
- Vaclav Nedomansky, St. Louis Blues
- Ivan Hlinka, Vancouver Canucks
- Milan Novy, Washington Capitals
- Serge Savard, Winnipeg Jets
