Top 10 Los Angeles Kings Playoff Series Part II

4 – 1993 Clarence Campbell Conference Final – “Gretzky Went to Work” – Los Angeles Kings vs Toronto Maple Leafs

1993 had become a dream season for the NHL.  The league was expanding to the southern United States and ratings were at an all time high.  The Iron Curtain was dropped and the top European players were migrating to North America to play in the NHL. It was also looking like the Stanley Cup Final was going to be a return of a dream match-up that hadn’t happened since the final year of the “original six” way back in 1967.  A dream Stanley Cup match-up of the Montreal Canadiens vs the Toronto Maple Leafs.  That is until the Los Angeles Kings showed up and spoiled (or depending on your perspective saved) the party!

Finally after 5 seasons playing in Los Angeles, Wayne Gretzky captained the Kings to the promised land and it wasn’t easy.  Gretzky had missed the first half of the regular season due to a back injury so severe, there were talks that he may have to retire.  New head coach Barry Melrose and his motivational speaking ways inspired the Kings to band together and plug away without the “Great One.”  Things were fine at first as veterans Luc Robitaille, Jari Kurri, Tomas Sandstrom and Kelly Hrudey along with young defenseman Rob Blake managed to find ways to win but the momentum ran dry by the second half of the season and the team started to lose regularly.  In a hockey miracle, Gretzky was to finally able to find the right specialist and get his back treated correctly just in time to save the season.  He returned for the second half of the season and the Kings managed to qualify for the playoffs.

In the end Gretzly’s injury ended up helping the Kings for a couple of reasons.  First, the team never really knew how to play without Wayne there in the mix and this gave them a chance to bond and gain experience together on their own.  Secondly, when
most players are dealing with injuries and fatigue due to having played a full and grinding regular season, by the time the playoffs rolled around Gretzky was in full mid-season form and feeling the healthiest he had felt since 1991.

After beating the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks in 6 games each, The Kings finally made it to the Conference finals.  There to greet them were the darlings of Canada.  The new and improved Toronto Maple Leafs.  After the Leafs won the Cup in
1967, they had never returned to the Stanley Cup final.  Poor ownership and mismanagement turned the once proud franchise into the laughing-stock of the hockey world.  After the hated and greedy penny-pinching owner Harold Ballard died in 1991, the Leafs were finally able to break free from Ballard’s chains and spend money for people who were highly regarded as top-notch in their respected fields to help turn the franchise’s fortunes around.  With the Stanley Cup winning Cliff Fletcher now as General Manager and Jack Adams trophy winning and Stanley Cup finalist coach Pat Burns running the bench, players like Doug Gilmour, Glenn Anderson, Captain Wendal Clark and Felix Potvin were leading the team to success on the ice.  The Conference Final was positioned to be a war of two teams and their separate but similar quests to fulfill their destinies.

The battle was an epic one and turned out to be one of the highest watched playoff series of all time (at the time).  The entire country of Canada held it’s breath as it watched it’s favorite son Wayne Gretzky and his Kings do battle with the exciting and tough as nails Toronto Maple Leafs, who were self labeled as “Canada’s team” by its local media.  The hockey viewers from the United States held their breath as they watched this southern California team inspire them to fall in love with the sport of hockey and develop a thirst and a passion for more (you’re welcome San Jose, Anaheim and Phoenix/Arizona).  The hockey viewers in the province of Quebec (and worldwide as there are passionate Montreal Canadiens’ fans everywhere) held their breath as their Canadiens won the Wales Conference Final in 5 games and were awaiting the winner of this one.  The ending to this series has become one both legend and of infamy.

The intensity of the series was one of high stakes and high drama.  Tempers were already high right off the bat in game 1 when Kings defenseman Marty McSorely crushed Doug Gilmour with a borderline hit.  Furious, Leaf’s Captain Wendal Clark retaliated by going toe to toe “Big Mac” and their fight resembled an epic ‘90s heavyweight boxing title match! (You know when Boxing was still really good and exciting!)  King legend Dave Taylor then took on Todd Gill in another battle while Doug Gilmour finally got back up and started challenging the entire Kings bench to a fight! The coaches then got into it as well when the fiery Pat Burns started screaming at Barry Melrose for what he thought was an illegal hit (and he was right because it was).  Melrose responded by blowing up his cheeks to mock the weight of the Leaf’s coach which made Burns go ballistic and he fully charged the Kings bench with the hometown fans losing their minds!  NHL officials, security guards, police officers and even some players had to hold back Burns (a former cop) who was intent on knocking out the Kings coach (and probably would have done so too if he wasn’t held back!) You can’t make this stuff up!  The Leafs ended up winning this game but the war was on!

The Leafs then took a 3-2 series lead and Game 6 was to be played in Los Angeles.  The events of this game are still talked (complained) about by Leaf fans today (even from the ones who weren’t even born yet in 1993!)  With the game tied 4-4, it went into overtime.  After some exciting back and forth play, the Kings ended up on a powerplay and Wayne Gretzky accidentally clipped Gilmour with his stick after shooting a slap shot and it cut “Dougie” right under the chin.  Gilmour and the Leafs automatically voiced their complaints to referee Kerry Fraser (and his cool hair) and wanted Gretzky to get a game misconduct.  This of course would have helped the Leafs kill off their penalty and then give them a powerplay of their own and a chance at eliminating these pesky Kings to go on to the Stanley Cup final.  After Fraser consulted with the 2 linesmen (there only was one referee and 2 linesmen back then), all three decided that neither of them had seen the high stick and didn’t give Gretzky a penalty at all and the Kings continued with their powerplay.  Leaf nation went berserk while Kings nation blew out a sigh of relief.  To twist the dagger even further for the Leafs and their fans, Gretzky then ended up scoring the winning goal shortly after to win the game and take this incredible series to Game 7.

Game 7 became the most highly anticipated and watched non Stanley Cup Final game in NHL history.  It was to be played in Toronto at the famed Maple Leaf Gardens and the entire city of Toronto (and the hockey world) were buzzing about it.  Leaf fans, especially after seeing the replay of Gretzky’s accidental high stick on Gilmour were crying foul to anyone who would listen about Fraser’s decision but were more than sure that their Leafs would pull through with a victory since they had the home advantage. The confidence of a Leaf’s victory wasn’t just limited to Leaf fans as Wayne Gretzky found out.  After waking up that morning and reading about what TSN reporter Bob McKenzie had said about him (he said that Gretzky had been playing as if he had a piano strapped onto his back), Gretzky found himself in a foul mood.  Taking the elevator in his hotel while on his way to the arena, the elevator operator mentioned to Gretzky that tonight was going to be a very busy night of work for him.  Gretzky asked him “Why was that?” and he responded that the city was going to go “crazy” tonight in celebration after the Leafs won the game.  This caught Gretzky off guard and put him in an even deeper fouler mood.  Knowing now that this man did not recognize who he was, Gretzky mentioned that he didn’t have to worry about working late tonight.  Confused, the operator asked him, “Why not?”  As the elevator doors opened and Gretzky walked out, he turned to the man and answered, “Because I’m going to work tonight.”

At home in the historic Maple Leaf Gardens and one game away from a 26 year wait to return to the Stanley Cup final, Leaf fans were knocked off their feet when the legendary Wayne Gretzky went to work and scored 3 goals and 1 assist to lead the Los
Angeles Kings to a 4-3 series win and a shot at playing for the Stanley Cup for the first time in team history.  One of those goals happened when Gretzky skated with the puck into enemy territory all by himself (all the other Kings were making a line change) and faced off against 5 Toronto Maple Leaf players and their goalie and still made his way to his office (which was famously behind the net) and banked the puck right off of the back of Leaf defensemen Dave Ellet’s foot and right into the net to complete his hat trick!  (WHATTTTTTTT?!?!?!?!?!)  It was shot that either made Wayne Gretzky a God or a player who made an amazing play due to some serious puck luck? I like to answer by saying he was just that damn good!  He is named the “Great One” for a reason!

The aftermath of this legendary series turned out to be a sad one for all 3 teams involved.  The Kings went on to lose the Stanley Cup Final in 5 games and went on a playoff drought for the next 4 out of the next 5 years.  This also turned out to be Wayne Gretzky’s final chance at winning the Stanley Cup, not just for Los Angeles but for his career.  Due to his back problems, he never played this great again.  Kings’ owner Bruce McNall then went bankrupt and was thrown in prison for his illegal business dealings and the Kings entered the painful “Dark Ages.”  The Leafs returned to the conference final the next year as well as in 1999 and 2002 but they never got as close to the final as they did in 1993.  Leaf fans are still waiting for a return to the Cup final. A wait that has now extended to 48 years.  The Montreal Canadiens beat the Kings to win their 24th Stanley Cup (which is the record) but haven’t returned to the Cup Final since then either.  The NHL expanded to the American south but 1993 turned out to be the end of the thrilling and highly offensive “firewagon” hockey era. The “dead-puck” era then arrived and the low scoring and boring defensive games ended up killing hockey in some expanded markets.  The NHL never recovered to the heights reached in 1993 until the current era started after a year-long strike before the 2005-06 season.  Still this series is remembered as one of the greatest ever and rightfully so.

*Since I live about an hour away from Toronto, I am constantly reminded by many Leaf fans that the Leafs should have won the Stanley Cup in 1993 but referee Kerry Fraser robbed them of that accomplishment by not awarded Gretzky a penalty or a game misconduct for that “high stick” on Gilmour in game 6 of the Conference final.  I do agree that Gretzky should have gotten a penalty because accidentally or not, a high stick that causes blood should be a penalty no matter what but I strongly disagree that Fraser handing Gretzky a penalty or whatever would have automatically guaranteed the Leafs a power play goal, a series win and a Stanley Cup victory over the Montreal Canadiens.  That is just nonsense.  I remind these people who penalty or not, game misconduct or not, the Leafs still had a chance to eliminate the Kings in game seven AT HOME in Toronto but they blew it!  That loss had nothing to do with a high stick or any events from Game 6.  It’s funny how these same people never mention to me about losing that Game 7 at home.  It is as if Game 7 and Gretzky’s 4 point dominance in it has been mentally erased?  They only remember up to Game 6 and the “high stick.” Oh well, that’s why I thank the Hockey Gods for the creation of YouTube! What a perfect and easy way to show these people who still complain about a quick and isolated event that happened 22 years ago and remind them of how that series really ended up playing out.  The Leafs could have gotten the perfect revenge against Gretzky and the Kings by just simply eliminating them in that Game 7.  I mean if that Leafs team were sooo good that they would have gone on to beat Montreal as well and win the Stanley Cup  then they should have easily beat the lowly Kings at home right?  Get real complainers. The Leafs couldn’t get it done and that’s the reality of it. Okay, rant over.