Since 1892, when Lord Stanley ever-so-generously made his memorable donation, generation after generation of players have envisioned themselves hoisting the Holy Grail of hockey above their heads. To do so, it takes just about everything to go right. Clutch goals are a must. Game saving stops are a dire necessity. But in the end, unfortunately, only one team is left standing. No matter how many triple overtime victories, 50 save efforts or multi-goal games a player adds to his playoff resume, as marvelous as those accomplishments are, there can only be one champion.
So here's a stick salute to those that gave it their all in the postseason over the last two decades, but fell short of the ultimate goal.
#10 TRADE DEADLINE PICKUP HOSSA PROVES DOUBTERS WRONG IN PENS' RUN TO FINALS (2008)
After forking over what seemed like a King's Ransom at the time, the Penguins acquired elite talent in winger Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers on deadline day in 2008. Things started out bleak, as Hossa quickly succumbed to a leg injury and was only able to suit up in a dozen regular season games for Pittsburgh. But once the postseason began, the gifted RW validated why the Pens acquired him and emphatically silenced all of his critics in the process.
The native of Czechoslavia, oft mentioned as a subpar playoff performer, lit it up for 12-14-26 totals in 20 games as the Penguins marched their way into the Stanley Cup Finals. Hossa's 12 tallies and five PPGs led the Eastern Conference champions, and two of his strikes were of the game-winning variety. Hossa came oh-so-close to burying his 13th goal of the 2008 postseason in the waning seconds of game six in the finals, as the Red Wings were able to hold on and wrap up the series in six games.
YouTube Tribute: Hossa's last second attempt to tie game 6 of the 2008 Finals.
#9 HOMETOWN HERO CHELIOS LEADS BLACKHAWKS TO FINALS MATCHUP WITH PENGUINS (1992)
In his second season playing for the hometown Blackhawks, defenseman Chris Chelios elevated his game to another level to help carry Chicago to the 1992 Cup Finals. The feisty blueliner had six goals and 15 assists, all in just 18 games. His 21 points left him just one behind Jeremy Roenick's total of 22.
Chelios, who had nine goals in 80 regular season games that year, and the 'Hawks got rocked by a high-flying Penguins squad (Lemieux, Jagr, Recchi) in the finals. Despite Pittsburgh pulling off the sweep, Chelios finished the postseason with a remarkable +19 rating (6th best in single season playoff history).
#8 DESPITE THREE SHUTOUTS, TURCO UNABLE TO LIFT STARS INTO 2ND ROUND (2007)
There is standing on your head, and then there's doing what Marty Turco did in the 1st round of the 2007 playoffs. When you allow just 11 goals in a seven game series, shutting out your opponent three times in the process, you're simply supposed to come out on top. Unfortunately for Marty Turco, that's not how it turned out. From game two to game six, which included two overtime affairs, Turco allowed just four goals to the Vancouver Canucks. The Stars earned victories in three of those tilts, all of which resulted in shutouts for their tremendous netminder.
But, the Stars had just as much trouble scoring against Roberto Luongo, and fell 4-1 in the decisive game. Turco finished the series with a 1.30 GAA. His .952 Sv% ranks number one in single season playoff history (min. 5gp).
#7 NEELY RACKS UP 16 GOALS IN 19 GAMES FOR THE BRUINS (1991)
After two Finals appearances in 1988 and 1990, the Boston Bruins were unable to defeat the Penguins in the 1991 Prince of Wales Conference Finals. None of the blame for that could be attributed to power forward and future hall-of-famer Cam Neely, who scored a whopping 16 goals in 19 postseason games. Neely, who suffered a cheap shot from Ulf Samuelsson which ultimately led to career-ending knee problems in the series, was dynamite for the Black and Gold.
The eventual Cup winning Pens were too much to handle for the B's, who dispatched the Whalers and Canadiens in the first two rounds. Pittsburgh beat Mike Milbury's Bruins four games to two. Neely's 16 tallies, despite playing in just 19 contests, ranks as the 10th best single season total in playoff history.
#6 MCLEAN CARRIES CANUCKS TO WITHIN ONE WIN OF CUP (1994)
Quick. Which goalie holds the single season playoff record for total saves in a postseason? Would you have guessed Kirk McLean were it not obvious that's where this is headed? Probably not, but McLean's 761 stops takes the cake. He and the 1994 Canucks' made it all the way to game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals, dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker at Madison Square Garden. McLean, 28 at the time, entered the playoffs after a regular season in which he had a 2.99 GAA and .891 Sv% in 52 games. To say he stepped it up would be a massive understatement.
A native of Willowdale, Ontario, McLean was tremendous in 24 appearances, boasting a 2.29 GAA and .928 Sv% in the postseason. His .928 Sv% tied with Martin Brodeur for the league lead among goalies in the 1994 playoffs. McLean also had four shutouts for the Canucks, who went on a Cinderella-like run after finishing with the second lowest point total among Western Conference playoff teams.
YouTube Tribute: Mclean's Magnificent Game 7 OT Save on Flames' Reichel in Round One.
#5 VANCOUVER RIDES RUSSIAN ROCKET TO FINALS (1994)
He was indescribably explosive. Pavel Bure possessed unrivaled speed and lethal shooting skills, as the young Russian superstar helped Vancouver squeak into the 1994 postseason. Once he arrived, Bure became absolutely unstoppable. The dynamic winger had 16g (tied with Neely for 10th all time) and 15a, good for 31 points, in 24 games for the Canucks. 13 of Bure's tallies came at even strength, the third highest single season playoff total of all time.
Fresh off of back-to-back 60 goal seasons, Bure led the way offensively as the Canucks defeated the Flames, Stars and Maple Leafs en route to their matchup in the finals with the Rangers. None of his opponents could prevent him from generating chances, as the Russian Rocket was able to fire 101 shots on net in the 24 games (4th most ever in a single postseason).
#4 GILMOUR A MACHINE FOR MAPLE LEAFS (1993)
Doug Gilmour stood head and shoulders above his Toronto teammates during the 1992-93 regular season. With 127 points, the star center finished 57 points ahead of Wendel Clark, who finished second on the Leafs with 70 points. Gilmour continued that trend in the postseason, falling one win shy of giving Toronto, the Mecca of hockey, their first Stanley Cup finalist since 1967.
Gilmour tore it up with 10-25-35 totals in just 21 games, the 8th most points ever in a single postseason and 6th highest number of assists in a single postseason. Gilmour and the Leafs fell in game seven of the conference finals to Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings. Gilmour, a God already in the heart of Ontario, cemented his reputation as one of the all time greats with his magnificent performance in the 1993 playoffs.
#3 PISANI REDEFINES "CLUTCH" FOR OILERS (2006)
Clutch. Money. Automatic. Whatever word you wanted to use, there was simply no denying Fernando Pisani in the 2006 postseason when the Oilers needed a big goal. If the puck found it's way to Edmonton's forward, especially at crunch time, you could all but bank on it finding twine. Pisani, who posted a career best 18 goals in 80 games that year, went off for 14 goals and 18 points in 24 games for the Oilers.
Five of the Edmonton native's tallies were of the game winning variety (4th highest single postseason total). Just think about that for a second. The Oilers, who lost to the Hurricanes in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals, won 15 playoff games. Pisani came through with the winner in five of those contests. Possibly even more impressive was Pisani's ridiculous shooting percentage: 28.5%. Even if he never scores another goal, Pisani's performance in 2006 will go down as one of the most astounding displays of dependability when the big moment arrived.
YouTube Tribute: Pisani steals puck, scores SH breakaway goal to win game 5 in OT.
#2 GRETZKY THE KING FALLS SHORT OF THE CROWN (1993)
Even the Great One can't win 'em all. Wayne Gretzky and the LA Kings fell three wins shy of bringing a Cup to California in 1993, but boy oh boy did #99 put on a show. The league's all time leader in, well, just about every meaningful offensive category, went off for 40 points in 24 games as Los Angeles made it all the way to the finals before losing to Montreal 4-1. Gretzky's 40 points ranks 4th all time for a single postseason, and remains the highest total for a single postseason in which a player failed to win the Stanley Cup.
The series was a lot closer than it may appear. After taking game one by a score of 4-1, the Kings dropped three straight devastating overtime games, as Patrick Roy did just enough to hold the Great One and company at bay. At the time, few would have expected that they were witnessing Gretzky's last trip to the finals, considering the best player in the history of the sport was still just 32-years-old. Gretzky would qualify for the playoffs just twice more in his career, once with the Blues in 1995-96 then with the Rangers in 1996-97. Both paled in comparison to the enormous numbers he put up for the Kings, the last great run for the Great One.
#1 GIGUERE BECOMES 5TH PLAYER AWARDED CONN SMYTHE IN LOSING EFFORT (2003)
Many skeptics hadn't a clue what to expect from the Mighty Ducks after the 2002-03 regular season wrapped up, as their netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere had never appeared in a postseason game. By the time the 2003 playoffs concluded, the Ducks' goaltender made those doubts seem so long ago that they just might have preceded the birth of Christ.
Giguere's performance is nearly impossible to accurately define. There are likely half a dozen English professors huddled in a room, hard at work to come up with words to do Jiggy's 2003 playoff run justice. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim goalie finished the postseason 15-6, with a sparkling 1.62 GAA and .945 Sv% (5th best in a single postseason). Giguere racked up a ridiculous five shutouts (3rd best in a single postseason). Three of those shutout came in games 1-3 of the Western Conference Finals, as he allowed just a single goal to the Minnesota Wild en route to a series sweep. That series victory came off of a sweep of the top seeded Red Wings, and a 4-2 series win over the Stars in the second round.
Giguere became just the 5th player in NHL history to be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing effort, as the Ducks were defeated by the Devils in the decisive seventh game of the Cup Finals. Anaheim scored just 12 goals in the series. Giguere went on to capture the Cup in 2007, as the goaltender was yet again a rock in net for the Ducks. But that run can't even hold a candle to the one he went on back in 2003.
YouTube Tribute: Highlights of Giguere's 1-0 OT shutout win in game 4 of the finals.
And that, my friends, is why Giguere now holds down the top spot on this list, owner of the greatest playoff performance by a non-Cup winner in the past 20 years of NHL postseason play.
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