The 1983–84 NHL season was the 67th

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

. The

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

de-throned the four-time defending

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

champion

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...

four games to one in the Cup finals.

League business

Not since World War II travel restrictions caused the NHL to drop regular season

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

games in 1942–43 had the NHL used overtime to decide regular season games. Starting this season, the NHL introduced a five-minute extra period of overtime following the third period in the event of a tied game. A team losing in overtime would get no points. This rule remained in effect until the 1999–2000 season, where a team losing in overtime was awarded 1 point. If the game remained tied after the five-minute extra period, it remained a tie, until the NHL shootout arrived in the 2005–06 season. Overtime in the Stanley Cup playoffs remained unchanged. In the entry draft,

Brian Lawton Brian Robert Lawton (born June 29, 1965) is an American former professional ice hockey player, agent and general manager, who played 483 regular season games in the National Hockey League (NHL) between the 1983–84 and 1992–93 seasons. Draft ...

became the first American to be chosen first overall, by the

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

. Three Americans were chosen in the top five: Lawton, Pat Lafontaine (third) and Tom Barrasso (fifth).

Sylvain Turgeon Joseph Sylvain Dorilla Turgeon (born January 17, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 669 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Turgeon was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the 1983 NHL En ...

was chosen second and

Steve Yzerman Stephen Gregory Yzerman (; born May 9, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player currently serving as executive vice president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he spent all 22 seasons of his NHL playing ...

was chosen fourth overall. The

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

did not participate in the draft, having been "orphaned" by

Ralston Purina Ralston Purina Company was a St. Louis, Missouri,–based American conglomerate with substantial holdings in animal feed, food, pet food, consumer products, and entertainment. On December 12, 2001, it merged with Swiss food-giant Nestlé's Fr ...

. The NHL took control of the franchise after the draft. On July 27, 1983,

Harry Ornest Harry Ornest (June 30, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was a sports entrepreneur who once owned the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also played minor league baseba ...

purchased the Blues for US$3 million. Arthur M. Wirtz, long-time chairman and part-owner of the

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, died at the age of 82 on July 21, 1983. His son,

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pla ...

, took over ownership of the team.

Regular season

The Edmonton Oilers ran away with the best record in the league, and for the third straight year set a new record for most goals in a season, 446. The Oilers' new captain,

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

, was once again breaking records and rewriting his name into the record book. This season saw Gretzky score at least one point in the first 51 games of the season. During those 51 games, Gretzky had 61 goals and 92 assists for 153 points, which is equivalent to exactly three points per game. He also won his fifth straight Hart Trophy and his fourth straight

Art Ross Trophy The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the league by former player, General Manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has ...

. The season's second leading scorer was Gretzky's teammate Paul Coffey, who, with 126 points, became the third defenceman to score 100 points in a season. The Calgary Flames played their inaugural season at the

Olympic Saddledome Scotiabank Saddledome is a multi-use indoor arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located in Stampede Park in the southeast end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flames ...

. Prior to the season, the St. Louis Blues were purchased by Harry Ornest, keeping the team from folding after a proposed move to

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as ...

was rejected by the NHL Board of Governors. The Blues remain in Missouri as of . In addition, the team's home venue, the Checkerdome, reverted to its original name,

the Arena An arena is an enclosed area that showcases theatre, musical performances or sporting events. Arena, ARENA, or the Arena may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions * Arena, Saskatchewan, Canada * Arena, Iran * Arena, Calabria, Italy * La ...

, after six seasons.

Final standings

''Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes''

Prince of Wales Conference

Clarence Campbell Conference

Playoffs

Playoff bracket

Stanley Cup Finals

It was a rematch of the 1983 final as the Islanders attempted to match the 1950s Montreal Canadiens and win five consecutive Stanley Cup championships, against the Edmonton Oilers attempting to win the franchise's first championship. The Islanders lost the first game at home 1–0, but came back to defeat the Oilers 6–1 in the second game. Edmonton took over the series from that point, winning the next three games, all played in Edmonton. This season's finals adopted the 2–3–2 home ice format, rather than the usual 2–2–1–1–1 format.

Awards

All-Star teams

Source: NHL.

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points'' Source: NHL.

Leading goaltenders

''Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts''

Coaches

Patrick Division

*New Jersey Devils: Bill MacMillan and Tom McVie *New York Islanders: Al Arbour *New York Rangers: Herb Brooks *Philadelphia Flyers:

Bob McCammon Robert McCammon (April 14, 1941 – December 23, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and a National Hockey League (NHL) and American Hockey League (AHL) head coach and general manager. He was a pro scout with the Detroit Red Win ...

and Mike Keenan *Pittsburgh Penguins:

Lou Angotti Louis Frederick Angotti (January 16, 1938 – September 15, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks, Philad ...

*Washington Capitals: Bryan Murray

Adams Division

*Boston Bruins:

Gerry Cheevers Gerald Michael "Cheesie" Cheevers (born 7 December 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1961 and 1980. Cheevers is best known for ...

*Buffalo Sabres: Scotty Bowman *Hartford Whalers:

Larry Pleau Lawrence Winslow Pleau (born January 29, 1947) is an American former ice hockey player who is currently the senior advisor to the general manager for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He formerly served as senior vice pres ...

*Montreal Canadiens: Bob Berry and Jacques Lemaire *Quebec Nordiques: Michel Bergeron

Norris Division

*Chicago Black Hawks: Orval Tessier *Detroit Red Wings: Nick Polano *Minnesota North Stars: Glen Sonmor *St. Louis Blues: Jacques Demers *Toronto Maple Leafs:

Mike Nykoluk Michael Andrew Nykoluk (December 11, 1934 – January 31, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 32 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1956–57. The rest of his playing ...

Smythe Division

*Calgary Flames: Bob Johnson *Edmonton Oilers: Glen Sather *Los Angeles Kings: Don Perry, Rogatien Vachon and Roger Neilson *Vancouver Canucks: Roger Neilson and

Harry Neale Harold Watson Neale (born March 9, 1937) is a Canadian retired NCAA, NHL and WHA coach and general manager, and ice hockey broadcaster. Coaching career Following his playing career, Neale got his head coaching start at Hill Park Secondary Sc ...

*Winnipeg Jets: Tom Watt and

Barry Long Barry Long (1 August 1926 – 6 December 2003
'' Tom Barrasso, Buffalo Sabres *

Chris Chelios Christos Kostas Chelios (born January 25, 1962) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He was one of the longest tenured players in the National Hockey League, and is a three-time Stanley Cup champion—one with the Montreal ...

, Montreal Canadiens * Geoff Courtnall, Boston Bruins * Russ Courtnall, Toronto Maple Leafs * Brian Curran, Boston Bruins * Ken Daneyko, New Jersey Devils *

Bruce Driver Bruce Douglas Driver (born April 29, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1983–84 until 1997–98. Early life When he was 12, Driver played in the 1975 Quebec I ...

, New Jersey Devils * Patrick Flatley, New York Islanders *

Doug Gilmour Douglas Robert Gilmour (born June 25, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for seven different teams. Gilmour was a seventh round selection, 134th overall, of the St. ...

, St. Louis Blues *

Dirk Graham Dirk Milton Graham (born July 29, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota North Stars in the National Hockey League. He was honored in 1991 as the Frank J. Selke Trophy winn ...

, Minnesota North Stars * Kelly Hrudey, New York Islanders * Pat LaFontaine, New York Islanders *

, Minnesota North Stars * Claude Lemieux, Montreal Canadiens * Doug Lidster, Vancouver Canucks * Hakan Loob, Calgary Flames * John MacLean, New Jersey Devils * Marty McSorley, Pittsburgh Penguins *

Cam Neely Cameron Michael Neely (born June 6, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. Neely played right wing for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 to 1996. Nicknamed " ...

, Vancouver Canucks * James Patrick, New York Rangers *

Bob Rouse Robert John Rouse (born June 18, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, winning in back to back years with the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998. Playing career A prototypical stay-a ...

, Minnesota North Stars * Peter Sundstrom, New York Rangers *

, Hartford Whalers * Carey Wilson, Calgary Flames *

, Detroit Red Wings

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1983–84 (listed with their last team): * Guy Lapointe, Boston Bruins *

Tony Esposito Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito (April 23, 1943 – August 10, 2021) was a Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 15 of those for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of ...

, Chicago Black Hawks * Rick MacLeish, Detroit Red Wings * Billy Harris, Los Angeles Kings *

Blaine Stoughton Blaine A. Stoughton (born March 13, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played twelve professional seasons. Stoughton played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple L ...

, New York Rangers *

Bill Barber William Charles Barber (born July 11, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played twelve seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). As part of the famed LCB (Leach, Clarke, Barber) line, B ...

, Philadelphia Flyers *

Bobby Clarke Robert Earle Clarke (born August 13, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire 15-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team. Popul ...

, Philadelphia Flyers * Guy Chouinard, St. Louis Blues *

Michel Larocque Michel Raymond "Bunny" Larocque (April 6, 1952 – July 29, 1992) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey Le ...

, St. Louis Blues *

Dale McCourt Dale Allen McCourt, (born January 26, 1957), is a former professional ice hockey forward. He was drafted first overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1977 NHL amateur draft. Junior hockey McCourt played major junior in the Ontario Hockey Ass ...

, Toronto Maple Leafs *

Mike Palmateer Michael Scott Palmateer (born January 13, 1954) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goalie. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1976 to 1984 for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals. Playing career As a y ...