The 10 Most Iconic Stanley Cup Finals Moments: 1990-2010

So many moments come to mind when one mentions the Stanley Cup: the New York Rangers winning their first Cup in 54 years in 1994, Detroit winning the Stanley Cup in 1997 for the first time in 42 years, Ray Bourque raising the Cup above his head in his final NHL game in 2001. 

Many of the following moments from the last 20 years will be on people's minds already, and although these are not all of the great moments in Finals history over this 20-year period, these certainly deserve to be on some kind of list. 

The following are the 10 of the greatest highlights from Game One of the Finals through the Cup clincher.  Any other comments on great Stanley Cup Final games over this period are certainly appreciated, and I'll respond with my thoughts on those comments.

Igor Larionov, Triple OT Winner, Game Three, 2002

In the 2001-02 Stanley Cup Finals, the Detroit Red Wings faced off against the Carolina Hurricanes. Both teams split the first two games in Detroit.

In Game Three in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Red Wings and Hurricanes battled into the early hours of the morning on June 8-9, 2002 until Igor Larionov became the oldest player in Stanley Cup Final history to score a game-winning goal when he scored at 54:47 of overtime.

Darren McCarty, Game-Winner, Game Four, 1997

The 1997 Stanley Cup Finals saw the Detroit Red Wings take a commanding three games to none series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers after a dominating performance by the Red Wings in Detroit in Game Three. 

The Red Wings also took the lead with less than one minute left in the first period in Game Four.  Then with under 10 minutes remaining in the second period, Darren McCarty deked out Janne Niinimaa and scored what proved to be the game-winner and sent Joe Louis Arena into a frenzy.  This cup-clinching goal helped Detroit win its first Stanley Cup since 1955.

Martin St. Louis, Double Overtime Winner, Game Six, 2004

In the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning trailed the Calgary Flames three games to two, and Game Six went into double overtime.  Tim Taylor's shot from the point in the second overtime period created a rebound off Miikka Kiprusoff, and Martin St. Louis put the puck in the net short side on the
Calgary netminder at 20:33 of overtime. 

The Lightning went on to win Game Seven at home to clinch their first (and only) Stanley Cup.

Henrik Zetterberg's Shifts Late in 2008 Final

If Henrik Zetterberg's game-winning goal in the third period of the clinching game of the Red Wings' 11th Stanley Cup title in their history wasn't enough, he was on the ice for what seemed like every other shift for at least the last 10 minutes of regulation. 

Marian Hossa's goal on a tipped point shot from Sergei Gonchar with 1:27 left in regulation got the Penguins back within one goal of tying Game Six, but time ran out just as Hossa's last second desperation shot to tie the game reached the crease and then went past Chris Osgood to the corner of Pittsburgh's offensive zone. 

Zetterberg ended up winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP, and even though the Red Wings would end up losing Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals the next season on their home ice, the Stanley Cup win at least gave the Motor City something to take pride in for the summer of 2008.

The Rangers Win Their First Cup Since 1940

The 1993-94 NHL Season was played as if it was all or nothing for the New York Rangers.  The Rangers finished the regular season with 112 points and beat the New Jersey Devils in spectacular fashion with Stephane Matteau's game winning goal in double overtime of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals. 

The Vancouver Canucks proved to be no pushovers though, as the seventh seed in the Western Conference forced a Game Seven at Madison Square Garden in Manhatten. 

The game itself was one that will be remembered forever by Rangers fans, as the Garden was electric all the way from the national anthems before the game until the team photo after the Stanley Cup had been won by Mark Messier and his teammates. 

The Rangers took a 2-0 lead over the Canucks late in the first period and never looked back as they sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into euphoria at the final buzzer.

Cam Ward's Save on Fernando Pisani in Game Seven, 2006

For a team that wasn't expected to do much at the start of the 2005-06 season, the Carolina Hurricanes were able to prove many of their doubters wrong with a stellar regular season of 52-22-8, good enough for second in the Eastern Conference going into the playoffs. 

Even with an impressive regular season record though, they still had their critics going into Game Seven of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.  After losing Games Five and Six, the Hurricanes lost momentum in the series and many thought that the Stanley Cup would be won by Edmonton on the road back in Raleigh. 

Carolina got all they thought they needed with one goal early in each of the first and second periods of Game Seven, but with Fernando Pisani scoring his 14th goal of the playoffs just over one minute into the third period, the lead was cut to one for 15 minutes of playing time. 

Then after a stickcheck by Pisani on Justin Williams with less than four minutes left in regulation in Game Seven, Raffi Torres and Pisani headed up ice where a wide angle shot by Torres was kicked out by Cam Ward right to Pisani's stick. 

Ward ended up stretching his pad out for the save and smothered the puck for a faceoff with 3:40 left in regulation, and the Hurricanes were able to hold on for their first Stanley Cup in the franchise's history, which dated back to the days of the New England and Hartford Whalers of the WHA and later the NHL during the 1970's.

Marc-Andre Fleury's Last-Second Save, Game Seven, 2009

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings faced off in the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row in 2009, and the final seconds of Game Seven mirrored that of the year before when the Penguins had a last-second chance to tie the game but the puck went through the crease after time had expired. 

This time, the Red Wings appeared to have three shots on goal in the final five seconds but Fleury came up with all three saves, including a save on Nicklas Lidstrom as time was expiring. 

Fleury had a mediocre first three rounds of the playoffs and first six games of the Stanley Cup Finals, where he was the difference in both the wins and losses for the Penguins, but he was not going to allow his team to lose in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year. 

He single-handedly kept the Penguins in the last game of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, and his superb performance in Game 7 that year helped cement his spot on the Canadian Olympic Team as the third goalie for the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.

Patrick Kane's Overtime Winner in 2010

Another young team emerged in the NHL during the 2009-10 season.  This time the Chicago Blackhawks, captained by 22-year-old Winnipeg native Jonathan Toews, finished second in the Western Conference during the regular season and finished off both the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks in six games during the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

They went on to sweep the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Finals and, six games into the Stanley Cup Finals, found themselves going into overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

But 4:06 into OT, Patrick Kane deked and then beat Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen to the side of the net near the goal line and shot the puck under goalie Michael Leighton, giving Chicago its first Stanley Cup since 1961.

Petr Klima's Triple Overtime Goal in 1990

Wayne Gretzky had left after the 1987-88 Stanley Cup win for the Edmonton Oilers in a trade to Los Angeles, but for the dynasty from Alberta another Stanley Cup in 1990 was not out of the question. 

Late in the third overtime of Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals, Petr Klima stepped onto the ice for only his second shift in the overtime periods.  After a Boston shot missed the Edmonton net and hit the glass, the puck skid around out of the zone and the Oilers led a three-on-two rush the other way. 

Jari Kurri's drop pass in the Boston zone found Klima, who ripped a wrist shot past Andy Moog short side at 55:13 of overtime, helping the Edmonton Oilers to win their fifth Stanley Cup in seven seasons, but their last to date.

Marty McSorley Gets Caught with Illegal Stick in 1993

In 1993, Wayne Gretzky made it back to the Stanley Cup Finals, this time with the Los Angeles Kings, against the Montreal Canadiens, led again by Patrick Roy in net. 

Los Angeles won the first game 4-1, and were threatening to go up two games to none over the Montreal Canadiens on the road at the Montreal Forum, leading Game Two 2-1. 

Then late in the third period, Montreal coach Jacques Demers asked the officials to measure Marty McSorley's stick.  The curve on the stick was too great and McSorley got a two-minute penalty, during which the Canadiens scored after pulling eventual Conn Smythe winner goalie Patrick Roy from the net. 

The Canadiens went on to win in overtime, tying the series at one game a piece and the Canadiens never looked back, winning the subsequent three games and clinching their 24th Stanley Cup to date.