DETROIT, MICH – In part one of the history between Chicago and Detroit, we looked at the post-season meetings that took place before the NHL expansion in 1967.
The landscape of the league changed in 1967. The “Original Six” in the east were joined by a new West Division that included the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Oakland Seals. The new franchises meant more talented players joining the NHL, bringing more competition and growth of the fan base.
Even with the new kids on the block, the old time rivalries continued to draw attention, especially in the playoffs…
1970 – First Round Sweep
For the first time since the 1966-1967 season, Chicago finished the regular season atop the standings. Actually, they were tied with Boston at 99 points but the Blackhawks won 45 games to Boston’s 40. Detroit ended up in third just four points behind.
The first meeting for the two teams after the expansion wasn’t much of a series at all. Chicago dominated from start to finish, sweeping the series in four games with each game finishing in a 4-2 final.
The Players: Chicago – Stan Mikita; Bobby Hull; Hubert “Pit” Martin; Jim Pappin; Dennis Hull; Gerry Pinder; Lou Angotti; Cliff Koroll; Eric Nesterenko; Ron “Chico” Maki; Doug Mohns; Doug Jarrett; Keith Magnuson; Jim Wiste; Bill White; Paul Shmyr; Bryan Campbell; Gene Ubriaco; Tony Esposito; J.P. Bordeleau; Ray McKay. Coach: Billy Reay.
The Players: Detroit – Gordie Howe; Frank Mahovlich; Alex Delvecchio’ Garry Unger; Wayne Connelly; Pete Stemkowski; Nick Libett; Carl Brewer; Bruce MacGregor; Gary Bergman; Ron Harris; Bob Baun; Al Karlander; Billy Dea; Dale Rolfe; Poul Popiel; Roy Edwards; Doug Volmar; Hank Monteith; Roger Crozier. Coach: Bill Gadsby (replaced in season by Sid Abel).
1985 – First Round Blowout
It would be 15 years before Detroit and Chicago would meet in the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Red Wings, it was just like 1970 – only worse. The best-of-five series was over in three straight games as the Blackhawks overwhelmed the ‘Wings. Game 1 was a 9-5 track meet that Chicago won on its home ice. Game 2 was even worse as the ‘Hawks put a 6-1 beating on Detroit. Even getting onto home ice wasn’t what the doctor ordered for the Red Wings as the Blackhawks finished the series with an emphatic 8-2 victory.
The Players: Chicago – Denis Savard; Steve Larmer; Doug Wilson; Troy Murray; Bill Gardner; Curt Fraser; Ed Olczyk; Tom Lysiak; Bob Murray; Darryl Sutter; Behn Wilson; Steve Ludzik; Al Secord; Ken Yaremchuk; Keith brown; Rick Patterson; Jack O’Callahan; Jerry Dupont; Dan Frawley; Marc Bergevin; Murray Bannerman; Randy Boyd; Warren Skorodenski. Coach: Orval Tessier (replaced in season by Bob Pulford).
The Players: Detroit – John Ogrodnick; Ron Duguay; Steve Yzerman; Reed Larson; Kelly Kisio; Danny Gare; Ivan Boldirev; Brad Park; Dwight Foster; Bob Manno; Randy Ladoudeur; Darryl Sittler; John Barrett; Greg Smith; Gerard Gallant; Larry Trader; Claude Loiselle; Corrado Micalef; Greg Stefan; Brad Smith; Joey Kocur. Coach: Nick Polano.
1987 – First Round Sweep (Part 3)
The 1986-1987 season was a strange one for the members of the Norris Division as no team finished above .500. Detroit and Chicago finished second and third respectively with a mere six points separating them.
When the division semifinal series between the teams started, the Red Wings jumped on the Blackhawks in Game 1 and won it 3-1. Game 2 was a resounding 5-1 victory for Detroit, sending the series to Chicago with the ‘Wings up two games to none. The Blackhawks played a much better game in Game 3 but Shawn Burr’s goal at 4:51 of the first overtime gave Detroit a 4-3 win. They finished the series off in Game 4 with a 3-1 victory to end Chicago’s season.
The Players: Chicago – Denis Savard; Steve Larmer; Troy Murray; Wayne Presley; Al Secord; Ed Olczyk; Curt Fraser; Doug Wilson; Bob Murray; Bill Watson; Gary Nyland; Keith Brown; Dave Donnelly; Rich Preston; Steve Ludzik; Darryl Sutter; Marc Bergevin; Jack O’Callahan; Mike Stapleton; Dave Manson; Bob Sauve; Dan Vincelette. Coach: Bob Pulford.
The Players: Detroit – Steve Yzerman; Gerard Gallant; Darren Veitch; Petr Klima; Shawn Burr; Adam Oates; Brent Ashton; Mike O’Connell; Lee Norwood; Dave Barr; Tim Higgins; Bob Probert; Joey Kocur; Harold Snepsts; Ric Seiling; Dave Lewis; Gilbert Delorme; Rick Zombo; Steve Chiasson; Mel Bridgman; Greg Stefan; Mark Lamb; Jeff Sharples; Mark Kumpel; Glen Hanlon. Coach: Jacques Demers.
1989 – If it’s the first round, it must be…
Detroit was the best team in the Norris Division, finishing as the only team in the division over .500 and in first by two points over St. Louis. Chicago snuck its way into the post-season by finishing in fourth place.
Game 1 was a tight affair that went the way of the Red Wings by the score of 3-2. In Game 2, Detroit captain Steve Yzerman posted a hat trick but the game wasn’t decided until Chicago’s Duane Sutter scored at 14:36 of the first overtime to give the Blackhawks a 5-4 win and a split in Detroit. Spurred on by the Sutter goal and a raucous home crowd in the Chicago Stadium, the ‘Hawks earned a 4-2 victory in Game 3 and followed that with a 3-2 win in Game 4.
Detroit was able to muster a hard-fought 6-4 victory at home in Game 5 but had nothing left in the tank as Chicago blasted them 7-1 in Game 6 to take the series.
The Players: Chicago – Steve Larmer; Denis Savard; Dirk Graham; Doug Wilson; Dave Manson; Troy Murray; Steve Thomas; Wayne Presley; Adam Creighton; Trent Yawney; Mike Hudson; Jeremy Roenick; Keith Brown; Duane Sutter; Brian Noonan; Bob Bassen; Dan Vincelette; Everett Sanipass; Steve Konroyd; Bob Murray; Bob McGill; Darren Pang; Bruce Cassidy; Greg Gilbert; Wayne Van Dorp; Alain Chevrier. Coach: Mike Keenan.
The Players: Detroit – Steve Yzerman; Gerard Gallant; Adam Oates; Paul MacLean; Dave Barr; Steve Chiasson; Shawn Burr; Lee Norwood; Petr Klima; Rick Zombo; Joey Kocur; Mike O’Connell; Jim Nill; Tim Higgins; Jeff Sharples; Doug Houda; Adam Graves; John Chabot; Kris King; Torrie Robertson; Gilbert Delorme; Greg Stefan; Glen Hanlon; Randy McKay. Coach: Jacques Demers.
1992 – Division Final Sweep
Detroit and Chicago battled for most of the 1991-1992 season at the top of the Norris Division. In the end, the Red Wings took the division with the Blackhawks in second. The two teams’ stars, Jeremy Roenick of Chicago and Steve Yzerman of Detroit, finished tied for seventh in the scoring race with 103 points each although Roenick scored 53 goals to Yzerman’s 45.
When they met in the division final, Chicago asserted itself right out of the gate with a 2-1 win in Game 1 in Detroit followed by a 3-1 victory in Game 2. The defenses appeared to get lost on the way back to Chicago as the Blackhawks held on for a 5-4 win in Game 3. Game 4 belonged to Chicago goalie Ed Belfour as he blanked the ‘Wings 1-0 to close out the series.
The Players: Chicago – Jeremy Roenick; Steve Larmer; Michel Goulet; Chris Chelios; Brent Sutter; Dirk Graham; Brian Noonan; Steve Smith; Mike Hudson; Keith Brown; Jocelyn Lemieux; Rob Brown; Bryan Marchment; Stephane Matteau; Frantisek Kucera; Greg Gilbert; Mike Peluso; Igor Kravchuk; Tony Horacek; Stu Grimson; Rod Buskas; Tony Hrkac; Dean McAmmond; Ed Belfour; Brad Lauer; Cam Russell; Dominik Hasek. Coach: Mike Keenan.
The Players: Detroit – Steve Yzerman; Sergei Fedorov; Paul Ysebaert; Jimmy Carson; Ray Sheppard; Nicklas Lidstrom; Shawn Burr; Kevin Miller; Bob Probert; Gerard Gallant; Steve Chiasson; Vladimir Konstantinov; Brad McCrimmon; Yves Racine; Keith Primeau; Brent Fedyk; Alan Kerr; Brad Marsh; Tim Cheveldae; Bobby Dollas; Marc Potvin; Martin Lapointe; Mike Sillinger; Vincent Riendeau; Troy Crowder; Bob McGill. Coach: Bryan Murray.
1995 – A long five game series
A 103-day lockout greeted fans at the start of the 1994-1995 season. When the labor problems were finally solved, it left a truncated 48-game schedule. Once again, Detroit won the division – it was now called the Central – for the second year in a row. Chicago finished in third.
When the Western Conference Finals started, no one had any idea just how close the series would be. Game 1 in Detroit was a classic defensive struggle. It wasn’t decided until 1:01 into the first overtime when Nicklas Lidstrom scored to give the home-standing Red Wings the 2-1 win. Game 2 was just as tight and again it was Detroit coming out on top by a count of 3-2.
Looking to defend its home ice, Chicago dug its heels in during Game 3 and fought hard. The score at the end of regulation was tied at three and it stayed that way through the entire first overtime. Finally, at the 10:35 mark of the second extra period, Detroit forward Vladimir Konstantinov scored to end the drama and put his Red Wings up three games to none in the series. Obviously dejected by the Game 3 loss, the Blackhawks refused to let the Red Wings sweep by coming out in Game 4 and willing their way to a 5-2 victory.
Back in Detroit for Game 5, the Red Wings knew if they were going to end the series they were going to have to work. Chicago once again gave everything it had and got the game into overtime for the third time in the series. Like Game 3, this one also went to a second extra stanza where Detroit’s Vyacheslav Kozlov ended the series and Chicago’s season at the 2:25 mark.
The Players: Chicago – Bernie Nichols; Joe Murphy; Chris Chelios; Gary Suter; Tony Amonte; Jeremy Roenick; Patrick Poulin; Sergei Krivokrasov; Jeff Shantz; Brent Sutter; Dirk Graham; Eric Weinrich; Steve Smith; Denis Savard; Murray Craven; Jim Cummins; Cam Russell; Ed Belfour; Eric Daze; Gerald Diduck; Keith Carney; Jeff Hackett. Coach: Darryl Sutter.
The Players: Detroit – Paul Coffey; Sergei Fedorov; Dino Ciccarelli; Keith Primeau; Ray Sheppard; Steve Yzerman; Vyacheslav Kozlov; Nicklas Lidstrom; Doug Brown; Bob Errey; Shawn Burr; Viacheslav Fetisov; Vladimir Konstantinov; Darren McCarty; Martin Lapointe; Greg Johnson; Kris Draper; Bob Rouse; Mark Howe; Mike Krushelnyski; Tim Taylor; Mike Ramsey; Stu Grimson; Chris Osgood; Mike Vernon. Coach: Scotty Bowman.
What ever happens in the 2008-2009 series, remember the names and the images because every shot, every save, every goal is history in the making.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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