1982–83 NHL season


The 1982–83 NHL season was the 66th season of the National Hockey League. The New York Islanders won their fourth Stanley Cup in a row with their second consecutive finals sweep by beating the Edmonton Oilers four games to none. No team in any major professional North American sport has won four consecutive playoff championships since.

League business

Prior the start of the season, the Colorado Rockies moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey where they were renamed New Jersey Devils, leaving Denver without an NHL franchise until 1995. They were also moved to the Patrick Division, forcing the reluctant Winnipeg Jets to leave the Norris Division and take Colorado's place in the Smythe Division. This would be the last relocation of an NHL team and the last time a team would be transferred to a new division, until 1993. After the season, a last-minute sale of the St. Louis Blues to Harry Ornest prevented Wild Bill Hunter from purchasing that team and moving it to Saskatoon.
The Calgary Flames played their final season at the 7,000-plus seat Stampede Corral before moving into the Olympic Saddledome, which had a capacity of 16,605.
At the end of the season, the long pants worn by the Philadelphia Flyers and Hartford Whalers were banned, due to player safety concerns.

Regular season

The last remaining players from the Original Six era –Carol Vadnais, Serge Savard and Wayne Cashman–all retired after this season. Cashman was the last to play, losing in the Wales Conference Finals as a member of the Bruins.
The Boston Bruins led the league in overall points with 110. The defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders fell from first overall and finished tied for 6th overall and the high-powered, high offence, Edmonton Oilers tied for second overall. The Oilers set a new record, which they had set the previous year, for most goals in a season with 424 and were led by Wayne Gretzky's 196 points. The Oilers also tied the Boston Bruins' 1970–71 record for most 100-point players in one season as Wayne Gretzky, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, and Mark Messier all scored more than 100 points.
The Washington Capitals qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Final standings

Prince of Wales Conference

Clarence Campbell Conference

Playoffs

The 1983 Playoffs marked the first time that 7 NHL teams based in Canada had qualified. Since the 1967–68 expansion, all the Canadian teams qualified for the playoffs on five other occasions – 1969, 1975, 1976 and 1979, and 1986, the last time to date that all active Canadian teams qualified.

Playoff bracket

Stanley Cup Finals

Awards

All-Star teams

Source: NHL.

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
PlayerTeamGPGAPtsPIM
Wayne GretzkyEdmonton Oilers807112519659
Peter StastnyQuebec Nordiques75477712478
Denis SavardChicago Black Hawks78358612199
Mike BossyNew York Islanders79605811820
Marcel DionneLos Angeles Kings80565110722
Barry PedersonBoston Bruins77466110747
Mark MessierEdmonton Oilers77485810672
Michel GouletQuebec Nordiques80574810551
Glenn AndersonEdmonton Oilers72485610470
Kent NilssonCalgary Flames80465810410
Jari KurriEdmonton Oilers80455910422

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
PlayerTeamGPMINGAGAAWLTSO
Pete PeetersBoston Bruins6236111422.36401198
Bob FroesePhiladelphia Flyers251407592.5217424
Rollie MelansonN.Y. Islanders4424601092.66241251
Billy SmithN.Y. Islanders4123401122.87181471
Pelle LindberghPhiladelphia Flyers4023331162.98231333
Murray BannermanChicago Black Hawks4124601273.10241254
Richard SevignyMontreal Canadiens3821301223.44151181
Bob SauveBuffalo Sabres5231101793.45252071
Eddie MioN.Y. Rangers4123651363.45161862
Tony EspositoChicago Black Hawks3923401353.46231151

Coaches

Patrick Division

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1982–83 :
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1982–83 :
Trade deadline: March 8, 1983.