In ice hockey, the Stanley Cup Final is the championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL) to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup. The series is played in a best of seven format, meaning that a team must win four games in order to win the series and the Cup. Games that are tied at the end of regulation time go to overtime. In the history of the NHL, there have been 17 series which have ended on a game-winning goal in overtime.
The first overtime Cup winning goal was scored by Bill Cook of the New York Rangers in game four of the final against goaltender Lorne Chabot and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mush March of the Chicago Black Hawks repeated the feat in against Wilf Cude and the Detroit Red Wings, also in game four. The 1933 and 1934 series were played in a best of five format; the current best of seven format was adopted beginning in .
Pete Babando in and Tony Leswick in , both with the Red Wings, scored the only game seven Cup winning goals. Babando scored against Chuck Rayner and the Rangers while Leswick scored against Gerry McNeil and the Montreal Canadiens. The goal in 1954 was the second overtime Cup winner allowed by McNeil, the only goaltender to have allowed more than one, the first having been scored in by Bill Barilko of the Maple Leafs.
Twice in Stanley Cup history has a team won the Cup on an overtime series winner one season, and then lost the same way the next season. The Canadiens won the series in overtime, only to lose it the following year to Detroit. The Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup vs the Buffalo Sabres, only to lose it the following year to the New Jersey Devils.
Overtime series winners +Stanley Cup winning goals scored in overtimeNameTeamYearGame No.TimeOpposing goalieOpposing teamScoreNew York Rangers407:33Toronto Maple Leafs1–0Chicago Blackhawks430:05Detroit Red Wings1–0New York Rangers602:07Toronto Maple Leafs3–2Montreal Canadiens409:12Chicago Black Hawks5–4Detroit Red Wings728:31New York Rangers4–3Toronto Maple Leafs502:53Montreal Canadiens3–2Montreal Canadiens501:22Boston Bruins1–0Detroit Red Wings704:29Montreal Canadiens2–1Montreal Canadiens602:20Detroit Red Wings3–2Boston Bruins400:40St. Louis Blues4–3Montreal Canadiens404:32Boston Bruins2–1New York Islanders607:11Philadelphia Flyers5–4Colorado Avalanche444:31Florida Panthers1–0Dallas Stars654:51Buffalo Sabres2–1New Jersey Devils628:20Dallas Stars2–1Chicago Blackhawks604:06Philadelphia Flyers4–3Los Angeles Kings534:43New York Rangers3–2
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