A fun stat I uncovered when researching this post was Stanley Cup winning goals. This doesn't mean just the exciting overtime winning goals, but all goals that are credited as the game-winner in the final game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. While it may not always be dramatic, every one of the players listed below was responsible for Cup-winning goal in the 1990s:
1990: Craig Simpson at 9:31 of the second period of Game 5 between Edmonton and Boston. Final score: 4-1 Oilers. Bonus in that Andy Moog, featured this week, is the goalie being scored on.
1991: Ulf Samuelsson at 2:00 of the first period of Game 6 between Pittsburgh and Minnesota. The Pens won the game 8-0. This is the second earliest time that a Cup-winning goal has been scored, beaten only by Jean Beliveau's goal at 0:14 of the first period in the 1965 Cup finals.
1992: Ron Francis at 7:59 of the third period of Game 4 between Pittsburgh and Chicago. Compared to 1991 this was a close game, with the Pens winning 6-5.
1993: Kirk Muller at 3:51 of the second period of Game 5 between Montreal and Los Angeles. The Habs won the game 4-1. Video link is below as Muller is one of our featured players in this post!
1994: Mark Messier at 13:29 of the second period of Game 7 between New York and Vancouver. Watching the video, you can see Messier clearly doesn't touch the puck, but gets credit for either Brian Noonan or Adam Graves' goal.
1995: Neal Broten at 7:56 of the second period of Game 4 between New Jersey and Detroit. The Devils completed the sweep with a 5-2 win on Broten's second goal of the game.
1996: Uwe Krupp at 4:31 of triple overtime of Game 4 between Colorado and Florida. The only goal scored in the game, this was the first Stanley Cup to be won in overtime since 1980 (Bob Nystrom's famous goal).
1997: Darren McCarty at 13:02 of the second period of Game 4 between Detroit and Philadelphia. The Red Wings won the game 2-1, and McCarty provided the nicest goal on this list.
1998: Martin Lapointe at 2:26 of the second period of Game 4 between Detroit and Washington. The Wings would win the game 4-1 and complete two consecutive Cup finals sweeps.
1999: Brett Hull at 14:51 of triple overtime in Game 6 between Dallas and Buffalo. I don't need to remind you this is probably the only Cup-winning goal that should not have counted. This is also the latest Cup winning goal relative to playing time.
The information found above is courtesy of this list on NHL.com
Card 147 - Andy Moog
Goaltender Moog was drafted 132nd overall by Edmonton in 1980. He would split his first two pro seasons between Wichita in the CHL and the Oilers, playing in 15 NHL games.
1982-83, his third pro season, Moog would become the Oilers’ starters, posting a 33-8-7 record in 50 games. In his next four seasons he would share the crease with Grant Fuhr, averaging 42 games and 22+ wins per season. Moog would win three Cups with the Oilers, but play in only seven, two and two playoff games in each playoff run.
Moog's lack of playing time would come to a head during the 1988-89 season, as he would hold out from the Oilers, playing instead for the Canadian National Team and appearing at the Olympic games in Sarajevo. Late in the NHL season he would be traded to Boston for Geoff Courtnall, Bill Ranford and a second-round draft pick.
Moog’s playing time with Boston would gradually increase during his time as a Bruin. He would share the 1989-90 Jennings Trophy with Reggie Lemelin and finish third in Vezina voting. The Bruins would make the Finals that season, with Moog appearing in 20 playoff games. He would miss out on his revenge, losing to Oilers in the finals. In 1992-93 he would win a career high 37 games.
After five seasons in Boston, Moog would be traded to Dallas prior to the start of the 1993-94 season, with Jon Casey going to the Bruins. He would play four seasons with Dallas, winning 28 games in 1996-97. 1997-98 would see Moog sign with Montreal, playing 42 games, winning 18 in what would be his final NHL season.
Over 18 NHL seasons Moog would post a 372-209-88 record, 3.14 goals against average and .891 save percentage, playing in four all-star games (85, 86, 91, 97). After retirement Moog would become owner of the Fort Worth Brahmas until he sold the team in 2012. From 2002-2011 he was an assistant coach/goalie coach with Dallas and was the goalie coach with Portland in the WHL from 2018-2020.
YouTube clip: fan-made compilation video of career highlights.
Card 148 - Rob Blake
The defenceman was drafted 70th overall by Los Angeles in the 1988 draft. After three years of college hockey with Bowling Green, Blake made the NHL full-time in 1990-91. In his rookie season he would score 12 goals and 46 points, making the all-rookie team and finishing fifth in Calder Trophy voting.
Blake would be a key contributor to the Kings run to the 1993 Cup Finals, and would score 20 goals and a career-high 68 points the following season. In 1995-96 Blake would be named team captain, but would play only six games that season due to a knee injury. He would come back from the injury in a big way two seasons later, scoring 23 goals, being named a first-team all-star and winning the Norris Trophy.
After a decade with Kings, Blake would be traded to Colorado in February 2001 with Steven Reinprecht in exchange for Adam Deadmarsh, Aaron Miller and two first-round picks. Blake would help the Avs defeat his former team in the second round of the playoffs that year, and would go on to win his first Cup, scoring 19 points in 23 playoff games.
Blake would spend four seasons with the Avalanche, scoring 45+ points each season. In 2006-07 he would return to the Kings for two seasons, and then play a final two seasons in northern California with San Jose.
In 20 seasons, Blake played 1270 games, scoring 240 goals and 777 points. He was named a second team all-star three times and finished top five in Norris Trophy voting four times. Blake also played in seven mid-season all-star games, and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2014.
In 2013 Blake was hired by the Kings as assistant GM and vice-president of hockey operations, taking over as GM in 2017. He was also the GM for Team Canada at the 2014 World Hockey Championships and assistant GM for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
YouTube: Blake was known for being a hard, clean hitter and this video is all the proof you need.
Card 149 - Kirk Muller
The left winger from Kingston, Ontario, was drafted second overall by New Jersey in the 1984 draft, one spot behind Mario Lemieux. Like Lemieux, Muller jumped immediately to the NHL as an 18-year-old, scoring 17 goals and 54 points, finishing sixth in Calder Trophy voting.
Muller came to the Devils just as they were beginning to outgrow their Mickey Mouse moniker. In 1987-88 he would score a career-high 37 goals and 94 points and the Devils would make the Prince of Wales Conference Finals, upsetting Washington and the Islanders before losing to Boston. Muller would score 12 points in 20 playoff games. In seven seasons in New Jersey he never played less than 77 games, scored 20+ goals five times and was captain from 1987-1991.
Muller would be traded just prior to the start of the 1991-92 season, going to Montreal with Rollie Melanson for Stephane Richer and Tom Chorske. In his second season with the Habs he would equal his career-high goal and point totals and win the Stanley Cup, scoring 10 goals in the playoffs, including two overtime winners. Muller was named team captain for the 1994-95 season, but as was a habit with Montreal at the time, they traded their captain alongside Mathieu Schneider and Craig Darby to the Islanders for Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov.
Muller would last 27 games on Long Island before a three-way trade landed him in Toronto alongside goalie Don Beaupre. His offensive totals were beginning to decline, but he did score 21 goals in 1996-97, a season that saw him traded to Florida for Jason Podollan. Muller would last two seasons in Florida before signing with Dallas for the 1999-2000 season. He would play four seasons in Dallas, winning another Cup, but only appearing in more than 55 games once during that time. He was also claimed by Columbus in the 2000 expansion draft, but was immediately traded back to Dallas for a prospect.
Muller would retire just prior to the start of the 2003-04 season. In 19 seasons he played in 1349 games, scoring 357 goals and 959 points and appeared in five all-star games (85, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93). After retirement he entered the coaching world, first with Queen’s University in his hometown of Kingston in 05-06, then rejoining the Habs as an assistant from 2006-2011. From 2012-14 he would be the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, then be hired as an assistant with St. Louis and finally returned to Montreal as an assistant in 2017. He would be let go from his coaching duties just a week before this blog was published.
YouTube clip: scoring the Cup winning goal in 1993 for the Canadiens.
Card 150 - Daniel Berthiaume
The goaltender was drafted 60th overall by Winnipeg in 1985 after having won the QMJHL MVP award the previous season. Berthiaume would make his NHL debut in the 1985-86 playoffs, in Game 3 of the Smythe Division semi-finals against Calgary. The Jets were down 2-0, and Berthiaume played spectacularly, making 39 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss. 1986-87 would see him appear in 31 regular games, amassing a 18-7-3 record, and earning both second and third place Vezina Trophy votes.
The following season he would become the Jets’ starter, posting a 22-19-7 record. During his time with the Jets he would form the Bandit half of the Pokey and the Bandit duo with Pokey Reddick. By 1988-89 Reddick would surpass Berthiaume as the starter, with the Bandit appearing in only nine games, winning none, and spending time in the AHL.
Berthiaume would bounce around teams the next few seasons, first being traded to Minnesota (five games) and then Los Angeles for the 1990-91 season. With the Kings that season he would play 37 games, winning 20.
Early 1992 would see Berthiaume traded to Boston for future considerations, playing in 8 games with the Bruins. In the 1992-93 off-season he would be traded back to Winnipeg, but instead go to Austria to play. After half a season in Europe, Berthiaume would sign and report to the expansion Ottawa Senators, backing up starter Peter Sidorkiewicz. He played in 17 games with the Sens, winning only 2. His time in Ottawa would be his last NHL games, but he would be traded one last time, this time to Detroit.
In eight NHL seasons the Bandit would appear in 215 games, posting a 81-90-21 record, 3.68 goals against average and .878 save percentage. From 1994-2005 he would play in the ECHL, and would be named to the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2016. Post-playing days he would be the goalie coach for Liberty University in Virginia, where he played five seasons with Roanoke of the ECHL.
YouTube clip: awkward interview from his debut in Ottawa. Apparently Berthiaume had quit on his team in Boston, where he was coached by Rick Bowness, who now was, you guessed it, coach in Ottawa!
Card 151 - John Druce
The right winger was drafted 40th overall by Washington in 1985. Druce would play one additional season in the OHL and two full seasons in the AHL before splitting time between Washington and the AHL during the 1988-89 and 89-90 seasons.
The 1989-90 playoffs is the time that Druce is best remembered for; a fourth line winger to start the playoffs, Druce would score 14 goals and 17 points in 15 playoff games. He would lead the playoffs in power play goals (eight) and game winners (four) as the Caps would defeat the Devils and Rangers before losing to the Bruins in the Prince of Wales Conference Finals.
In 1990-91 Druce would make the Caps full time, scoring career-highs in goals (22) and points (58). Early in 1992-93 he would be traded to Winnipeg alongside a draft pick for Pat Elynuik. He would play 50 games for the Jets, scoring only six goals and 20 points. In 1993-94 he would sign with the Kings, playing parts of three seasons in LA, with seasons of 14 and 15 goals.
In March 1996 he would be traded to Philadelphia for a draft pick; Druce would appear in 79 games for the Flyers over three seasons, scoring 12 goals. From 1998-2000 he would play in Germany before retiring.
In 10 NHL seasons Druce played in 531 games, scoring 113 goals and 239 points. He would play in 53 career playoff games, and aside from the 14 goals in 15 games, would score only 3 goals in his other 38 playoff appearances.
From 2016-2018 he would coach in the OJHL with Cobourg and Wellington. Druce has also worked as a junior hockey analyst with Sportsnet and currently operates a vehicle wrapping company based out of the Greater Toronto Area.
YouTube clip: a Peter Puck segment highlighting unlikely playoff heroes
Card 152 - Garry Valk
The right winger was drafted 108th overall by Vancouver in the 1987 draft. He would play three seasons with the University of North Dakota before making his NHL debut in 1990-91, playing in 59 games and scoring 10 goals and 21 points. Valk would spend two more seasons with the Canucks before being claimed by the expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim prior to the 1993-94 season.
Valk’s first season in Anaheim would be the best of his career, scoring 18 goals and 45 points. He would play two-and-a-half seasons with the Mighty Ducks before a trade late in the 1997-98 to Pittsburgh in exchange for JJ Daigneault.
After 56 games with the Penguins, Valk would sign with Toronto for the 1998-99 season, scoring 24+ points in each season. In the 1998-99 playoffs Valk would score the biggest goal of his career, the series winning goal against Pittsburgh that would send Toronto to its first conference finals since 1993.
In 2002-03 Valk would sign a professional tryout contract with Chicago. He would appear in 16 games with the Hawks and spend some time in the AHL before retiring at the end of the season.
Over 13 NHL seasons Valk would play in 777 games, scoring 100 goals and 256 points. He is currently a real estate agent in the Vancouver area.
YouTube clip: the overtime goal from the '99 playoffs to send the Leafs to the conference finals
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