Top NHL Playoff Moments in Hockey History

The finals are still a ways away, so while you’re waiting, why not look back on some of the top NHL playoff moments in the league’s history?

The NHL playoffs are always filled with thrills and chills, from surprise wins, to iconic incidents, to long-deserved victories. The league has had its fair share of top NHL playoff moments, and GamingZion has decided to highlight some of the best and most memorable in preparation of this year’s 2015/16 finals.

The Great One wins his first playoffs

Over the course of his professional playing career, Wayne Gretzky was a championship juggernaut, and it all started with his first Stanley Cup win with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984. Coming off of 119 regular season points, the Oilers steamrolled into the finals with Gretzky at the helm. They beat the New York Islanders 5-2, with Gretzky contributing two first-period goals.

While Gretzky would go on to win three other Stanley Cups in his professional career, the first time will always be special for fans of hockey and internet gambling in US. It marked the end of the Islanders dynasty and the start of the Oilers dynasty; cemented Gretzky’s title as ‘the Great One’; and would go on to inspire generations of hockey fans for years to come.

Messier ends the Rangers curse

After having not won the Stanley Cup for 54 years, the New York Rangers believed that their team was cursed. Desperate to end the drought, they overcame pessimistic NHL betting odds, and stormed through the 1993/94 season. However, by Game 5 they were trailing the series three games to two and facing impending elimination. Captain Mark Messier picked up his disheartened team by promising both them and the media that they’d win the next two games, stating: “We know we’re going in there to win Game 6 and bringing it back for Game 7. We feel we can win it and we feel we are going to win it.”

He made good on his promise. They got through to the finals and beat Vancouver 3-1 to win in one of the top NHL playoff moments. Coach Mike Keenan credits Messier’s unwavering assurances for the win, saying that “Mark was sending a message to his teammates that he believed together we could win. He put on an amazing performance to make sure it happened.”

Orr scores goal, flies through the air

The goal and the picture of it is as iconic as the player himself. The photo captures Bobby Orr—who is widely regarded by those who like to bet on sports in US as being one of the best NHL defensemen of all time –flying through the air after scoring a winning goal. St. Louis’ Noel Picard had tripped Orr as he scored, and Orr, mid-air, extended his arms triumphantly when he saw the puck go into the net.

Orr scored the famous goal in the overtime of Game 4 during the 1970 Stanley Cup finals, thereby securing the Cup for the Boston Bruins. The still captures a glorious time for Orr and one of the top NHL playoffs moments, as the goal completed a 4-0 series sweep over the St. Louis Blues and perfectly capped off his record-breaking season, in which he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

The Canadiens win their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup

The Montreal Canadiens established the greatest hockey dynasty in NHL history when they won their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup in 1960. It was a 4-0 victory for the Habs against the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Jean Beliveau scoring the winning goal. The win is also one of the top NHL playoff moments because it was the last game of the legendary Maurice “Rocket” Richard, who retired shortly afterwards.

The glory of the incredible 1956-1960 Canadiens has stood the test of the time. No team before or since has won five straight Stanley Cups, and many hockey fans and experts doubt that another team ever will.

Bourque gets a Stanley Cup—Finally!

Easily one of the greatest hockey players of all time, Ray Bourque had long been denied a Stanley Cup due to his insistence on playing with the Boston Bruins for 21 seasons of his career. As his time on the ice was coming to an end, his team couldn’t bear the thought of him ending his career without knowing the glory of winning a Cup. So, to the shock of hockey fans and NHL hockey betting lines, the Bruins traded him to the Colorado Avalanche for the 2000/01 season.

It ended up being a fairytale ending for Bourque, as the Avalanche won the playoffs that year. The subsequent celebration is one of the best and most memorable moments in US gambling news and hockey news history: Foregoing the tradition of having the team captain lift the Cup, Joe Sakic immediately handed the Cup to Bourque, who, overcome with emotion, cried tears of joy as he finally got to skate around the rink with the Stanley Cup hoisted above his head.