This Day in Hockey History – April 29, 1997 – Four Teams in Two Game Sevens

Three pairs of quarter-final opponents played Game 7s on April 29, 1997. The Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Dallas Stars but lost the next round. Of the other four teams playing, three of them wrapped up their first ever playoff series. The Ottawa Senators joined the NHL in 1992 while the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim followed in 1993, but neither had nabbed a playoff berth until the 1996-97 season. Ottawa had had a franchise from the start of the NHL until 1934, and 1930 was the last time that Senators team had a postseason. In 1997 they played the Buffalo Sabres, who had been in the NHL since 1970 and had made the playoffs all but six seasons. Anaheim’s first postseason opponents would be the Phoenix Coyotes, in their first season after relocated and rebranded from the Winnipeg Jets.

Of the four teams, the Sabres and the Ducks ranked higher at the end of the regular season. Buffalo finished first in the Northeast Division and sixth in the NHL with 92 points (40-30-12). Their opponents, the Senators, came in low at third in their division and 16th in the NHL with 77 points (31-36-15). Anaheim came in ninth overall with 85 points (36-33-13), while the Coyotes trailed them in 12th with 83 points (38-37-7).

Buffalo hosted the Sabres’ Game 7 at Marine Midland Arena for over 18,500. Just as they had tied the series, the Sabres and the Senators tied the final game. Ottawa scored on a power play in the first period, and Buffalo scored on a power play in the second. Ottawa scored 45 seconds into the third period, and at 6:29, Minnesota-native Derek Plante knotted the score. The center sent the puck “directly into the net from the right faceoff circle after linesman Kevin Collins dropped it.” Completely taken by surprise, goalie Ron Tugnutt barely saw the puck fly over his hand. Plante said afterwards, “I didn’t know it was going in. I saw Tugnutt go backward, and then I heard the crowd erupt. It was awesome.”

The game went into overtime with Buffalo outshooting Ottawa three to one. With those odds, this time it was not surprising when Plante found the net again. After 5:24, from inside Ottawa’s blueline, Plante “wired a hard slapshot that just bounced off Senators goaltender Ron Tugnutt’s glove and trickled into the net.” Tugnutt commented, “I got a good portion of it but it went off the tip of my glove. I would have preferred it to be cleaner. This just doesn’t seem like a fitting finish to a pretty good season.” Whereas, the jubilant Plante exclaimed, “Stanley Cup playoffs, game-winning goal, seventh game. You can’t score a bigger goal unless you win the Stanley Cup. It’s a great time for me.” Fans agreed and chanted, “USA! USA! USA!” Plante became the first player to score an overtime game-winner after having tied the score in the third period of Game 7. On April 24, 1983, Brad Park had been the first to do so after tying in the second period. Until this 3-2 victory, Buffalo had not won a playoff series since 1993 and had never won a Game 7.

Meanwhile, at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, 17,174 came out to watch the Ducks win their Game 7 with a shutout. Guy Hebert earned his first playoff shutout with 31 saves. Anaheim scored once in the first and twice in the second. They almost had another goal, scored by Teemu Selanne, but the video review showed that his teammate Steve Rucchin was in the crease. Although he seemed to have been pushed there by Phoenix defenseman Murray Baron, it was still the fifth goal waived off due to having a man in the crease. Still, Selanne said, “I think right now we can enjoy this win, maybe have a party tonight. Tomorrow, we start the next series.” Winger Joe Sacco, who scored the third goal and had been with the team since its beginning, agreed, “It was a good celebration, but not too much. We’re still looking ahead to the next round.” With two minutes remaining in the game, the audience began giving a standing ovation. The Ducks piled on their calm goalie in celebration.

Arizona attributed their loss partly due to their top scorer, Jeremy Roenick, needing crutches instead of being able to skate. Though this was their first season in Arizona, when counting their time as the Winnipeg Jets, the franchise had only played a Game 7 twice before and had only advanced out of the first round of playoffs twice. This was Anaheim’s first playoff series victory, and they became the seventh NHL team to move on to the next round on their first try. For the two teams who advanced, the Buffalo Sabres and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, they both fared miserably in the semi-finals. The Sabres only managed to win one game against the Philadelphia Flyers, who made it to the finals. The Ducks were swept by the Detroit Red Wings, who went on the win the Stanley Cup. Out of the four teams that played on April 29, only Anaheim has won the Stanley Cup (in 2007).

Additional Resources:

• Mike Commito, Hockey 365: Daily Stories from the Ice (Toronto: Dundurn, 2018), kindle edition.
• Roy MacGregor, “The Fairy Tale Ends,” Ottawa Citizen, 30 April 1997, pp. A1-A2.
• Ken Warren, “The slap shot heard ‘round Ottawa” and Wayne Scanlan, “The pain will fade; the thrill will endure,” Ottawa Citizen, 30 April 1997, pp. D1-D2.
• Allen Panzeri, “The little team that could,” Ottawa Citizen, 30 April 1997, p. D5.
• “Sabres Plante Senators in OT,” New York Daily News, 30 April 1997, p. 66.
• Bob McManaman, “Fowled Out,” Arizona Republic, 30 April 1997, pp. D1 and D4.
• “It’s Still Duck Season,” Los Angeles Times, 30 April 1997, pp. C1 and C7-C8.