This Day in Hockey History – April 3, 1988 – Swede on Fire as Devils Rise

The final night of the 1987-88 regular season, April 3, 1988, saw a few firsts. The Calgary Flames claimed the President’s Trophy for the first time since becoming a franchise (in Atlanta) in 1972. Their right wing, Hakan Loob, scored his 50th goal for the season as the first Swedish-born player to reach 50 NHL regular-season goals. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils made it to the playoffs for the first time since moving to New Jersey in 1982. They had only been once before, while still the Colorado Rockies, in 1977-78.

The Calgary Flames earned home-ice advantage for the playoffs by winning that game on home ice at the Saddledome before a crowd of 19,626. Their unlucky opponents were the Minnesota North Stars. Taking charge from the start, the Flames scored the only two goals in the first period. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the “Flames’ tight-checking limited the Stars to just three shots in the second period.” At the top of the third, Flames Captain Lanny McDonald potted his 10th goal of the season, which gave him a career total of 988 points. That ranked him 24th in all-time points, and he ended up winning the King Clancy Memorial Trophy (for Leadership and Humanitarian Contribution). McDonald said, “It’s a proud moment. It took 15 years to do. I think it feels better when you have to wait a while. It’s something no one can ever take away from you.” Minnesota’s Gord Dineen came back with the only Stars’ goal at 8:31 of third.

Although the game was all but won, at least one record remained on the line. At 16:55 of the third period, with just over three minutes remaining, Loob “tipp[ed] a perfectly-timed pass from Gary Suter past goaltender Don Beaupre. Loob saw it was in, turned up ice and started to windmill his arm around and around in an uncharacteristic display of emotion.” That was his 50th goal of the season, and he was the first NHL player born in Sweden to reach the milestone. Prior to that, his former teammate Kent Nilsson brushed the record by scoring 49 during the 1980-81 season. Loob commented, “I’m not going to think about it much now or in the next couple of years, but when I’m retired, I’m going to sit back and think . . . 50 goals, that’s a great accomplishment.” He had already received the Molson Cup (during a between-period ceremony) for having the most three-star selections over the course of the season. He finished the season as lead-scorer with 106 points.

The competition for the Molson Cup and lead-scorer was Joe Nieuwendyk. He finished the season with 51 goals, just two shy of Mike Bossy’s rookie goal-scoring record of 53 (1977-78). Nieuwendyk put things in perspective at not topping the record, “It has been a battle the last little while. I put too much pressure on myself. But I thought I had a good game today and I’m confident that I’m back on track. I had some good opportunities and I know things are going to go in for me now.” He did set a team record of 31 power-play goals that season, and with 92 points, he earned the Calder Trophy as best rookie.

Calgary won the game 4-1. That knocked Minnesota out of the playoffs, having their third-worst record. Coach Herb Brooks commented, “We died an honorable death. They had a lot at stake. We had a lot at stake. But let’s face it, the better hockey team won today.” Meanwhile, Calgary had their best season yet reaching 105 points (48-23-9), first in the Smythe Division, and first in the NHL. Flames General Manager Cliff Fletcher was satisfied, “To finish first out of 21 teams over a full 80-game schedule is a true accomplishment. I’m proud of the team and proud of the job the coaches did….It’s been 16 years. It’s a great feeling.” The Calgary Herald listed out all the club records set this season: points (105), wins (48), home wins (26), road wins (22), goals (397), power-play goals (109), and short-handed goals (23).

After defeating the Los Angeles Kings in five games, the Flames were knocked out of the playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers in four games. However, Calgary only had to wait one more season to come out on top. At the end of the 1988-89 season, they earned the most points (117) in their franchise history to date and again won the Smythe Division. That year, they made it to the finals and took home their only Stanley Cup. In the final game against the Montreal Canadiens, Loob and Nieuwendyk assisted McDonald on his final NHL goal. It turned out to be Loob’s last hurrah as well. He returned to Sweden to play for Farjestads BK Karlstad (his team prior to the NHL) and remained with them until 1996. During that time, Loob played for the Swedish national team that won gold at the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer.

While the Flames were clinching the President’s Trophy, the New Jersey Devils were just struggling to make the playoffs. On April 3, they were hosted by the Chicago Blackhawks. Going into the game, the Devils were tied with the New York Rangers at 80 points, but if they both won their final games, the Devils would receive the playoffs berth by having won more games. Before the final period, the Devils heard that the Rangers had indeed won. Coach Jim Schoenfeld explained, “I just told them a tie is no good for us. We have to win the hockey game. It’s difficult, because this was our seventh game in 11 nights.”

The Devils had started off the scoring at 11:07 in the second period. However, it did not take long before Chicago answered with two goals. With about eight seconds remaining in the period, the Devils tied up the game on a power play. That’s when the team learned that a tie would not cut it. The Blackhawks put up a fight when Troy Murray scored on a breakaway at 9:27 of the third. Right wing John MacLean demonstrated the Devils’ discipline, “We kept pretty level-headed about it. We stayed positive. I think earlier in the season, you’d see our bench just sink right down if a goal like that went in. But when they scored, we just kept on an even keel.” It was a good thing he kept his cool, because only two and a half minutes later, MacLean “tied the game 3-3 on a rebound with 8:03 to play. Mark Johnson’s shot from the right circle rebounded to the left side, and MacLean was there.” Unfortunately, the rest of regulation trickled away without further scoring. At 2:21 of overtime, MacLean came to his team’s rescue again to give them a 4-3 victory. MacLean exclaimed, “This is my hugest goal so far, and I love it.”

“The Devils leaped over their bench and celebrated as if they had won the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals – after being down three games to none,” described the Chicago Tribune. Defenseman Jack O’Callahan (formerly from the Hawks but then for the Devils) commented, “These guys have waited a long time. We deserve this. This game meant a lot more to us. It was justice out there.”

With 82 points (38-36-6), the Devils edged out the Rangers for fourth place in the Patrick Division and a playoff berth. It was the franchise’s second time making the playoffs but the first since moving from Colorado to New Jersey. The Devils made it one round beyond what the Flames had but dropped in the Conference Finals. They had defeated the New York Islanders in six games and the Washington Capitals in seven, but they could not make it past the Boston Bruins after seven games. The Devils would not win their first Stanley Cup until 1995, but they have won three in total.

Additional Sources:

• Eric Duhatschek, “No. 1 Flames Ready for Playoffs,” Calgary Herald, 4 April 1988, p. 1.
• Christopher Donville, “Fans want to paint Calgary red again,” Calgary Herald, 4 April 1988, p. 1.
• Eric Duhatschek, “50: How Swede it is for Loob” and “Discipline returns to Flames’ game,” Calgary Herald, 4 April 1988, p. C1.
• Jerry Zgoda, “Stars’ season is over,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, 4 April 1988, pp. 1C and 8C.
• Tim Tierney, “Devils in playoffs, beat Hawks,” Chicago Tribune, 4 April 1988, section 3, pp. 1 and 6.