The art of the comeback
Exactly one year ago today – February 19th, 2008 – the entire hockey world bared witness to the single greatest comeback in the history of the Montreal Canadiens franchise. For a club that has been in existence for a full century, earning the greatest of anything is without question a remarkable feat. In a game where all parties had written off the Canadiens – down 5-0 to an impressive-looking New York Ranger team – Montreal refused to go away, slowly but surely climbing back into the game. They handed the Rangers a loss that was the biggest collapse in Ranger history.
In honour of the one-year anniversary of that unforgettable game, let us take a look back at some of the most memorable come-from-behind victories in the last 30 years of the National Hockey League.
#10) December 23, 2008 – Capital Comeback
In a matter of a period and a half the New York Rangers scored four goals to dumbfound the Washington Capitals. Enter Alex Ovechkin and cue the comeback. Ovechkin got the Caps on the board at 12:35 of the second. Almost exactly a 20 minutes later he was tallying the game-tying goal, leaving the Rangers in disbelief. Less than a minute of overtime was all it took, as birthday boy Shaone Morrisonn registered the winner, completing the 5-4 comeback.
#9) May 9, 2002 – “Miracle at Molson”
The Montreal Canadiens had new life at the start of the 2002 playoffs, regaining the services of captain Saku Koivu who sat out the regular season battling cancer. The Habs defeated top-seeded Boston in the first round and were riding incredible momentum into round two, eventually leading Carolina two games to one. However, in Game Four at the Molson Centre in Montreal, with a 3-0 lead heading into the third, everything began to unravel. Habs defenceman Stephan Quintal was called for cross-checking, prompting Montreal bench-boss Michel Therrien to become animated, which in turn prompted official Kerry Fraser to dish out a bench minor. This sent Carolina on a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes, and the ‘Canes made no mistake, finally beating goaltender Jose Theodore. Carolina struck again with just over seven minutes to play, until ultimately, with their goaltender pulled, Hurricane forward Eric Cole banged in the tying goal with just 40 seconds left. Momentum had done a complete 360, and the Canadiens lost the contest a mere 3:12 into overtime. Montreal’s confidence was shattered as they would go on to lose the series in six games.
[php snippet=1]
#8) May 12, 1986 – “Monday Night Miracle”
In Game Six of the ’86 Campbell Conference Finals, aided by a four-goal second period, the Calgary Flames led the St. Louis Blues 5-2 with just over 12 minutes to play. Many fans headed for the exits, but the Blues were anything but done. Goals by Brian Sutter and Greg Paslawski sent the remaining crowd into a frenzy, and a costly turnover by goaltender Mike Vernon allowed Paslawski to snipe the equalizer with 1:08 to play. The breathtaking comeback would be completed at 7:30 of overtime when Doug Wickenheiser tapped in the winner, forcing game seven and allowing St. Louis to live to see another day.
#7) February 12, 1991 – “Hab”-it Forming
In an Eastern Conference clash between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens the Rangers jump to a 4-0 lead, much to the chagrin of the home crowd at the Montreal Forum. The Canadiens however, put on their rally hats and scored a remarkable six un-answered goals to steal the win in regulation. The four-goal collapse was – at the time – the largest in New York Ranger history.
#6) December 7, 1995 – March of the Penguins
Hosting conference-rival Montreal, the Pittsburgh Penguins found themselves down 4-0 late in the second period. Pittsburgh would then rally for an astonishing seven straight goals, including two each by Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis and Tomas Sandstrom. Pittsburgh would go on to win by a final score of 7-5.
#5) February 19, 2008 – Most Storied Franchise Earns Most Storied Win
Jaromir Jagr tallied four assists as his New York Rangers leapt to a 5-0 lead over Montreal a mere five minutes into the second period. Then something amazing happened. Michael Ryder potted two goals before the end of the frame, and two quick tallies seven minutes into the third had the Bell Centre crowd flabbergasted, wondering if their squad could pull off the unthinkable. At 14:22, Ranger Marek Malik was sent off for hooking, and the league’s number one power play went to work. On the ensuing man-advantage, Andrei Kostitsyn fed a pass to Alex Kovalev in the high slot who smacked a one-timer past goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Overtime would solve nothing. Saku Koivu’s highlight-reel deke left Lundqvist searching for his jock, and Cristobal Huet would then deny Jagr to seal the victory.
#4) March 3, 1999 – An Avalanche of Goals
An inter-conference match-up between Florida and Colorado saw Florida’s “Russian Rocket” Pavel Bure record a natural hat trick. Scott Mellanby made it 5-0 in the second. But before the period was out, Peter Forsberg tallied for the Avalanche. Bure opted to rest his sore knee, sitting out the third period, and his Panthers would follow suit. Colorado scored an astonishing six third period goals, with Forsberg earning a hat trick of his own. Seven unanswered goals saw Florida surrender their 5-0 lead and lose the game 7-5.
#3) January 26, 1987 – Maple Leaf Meltdown Part I
In late January of ’87, Campbell Conference foes Toronto and Calgary faced off in a very memorable hockey game. The Maple Leafs were sure they had earned themselves two points, riding a 5-0 lead into the third period. Calgary however, had plans of their own, notching five third period goals, as well as the OT winner – the first time in regular season history a team came back to win after being down five goals in the third period.
#2) November 29, 2000 – Maple Leaf Meltdown Part II
Almost 13 years after the Calgary fiasco, the Leafs once again found themselves up 5-0 heading into the third, this time against St. Louis. At 4:51 of the third, Chris Pronger put the Blues on the board; 15 minutes and 27 seconds later, Jochen Hecht notched the OT winner, making it the fastest six-goal comeback in NHL history.
#1) April 10, 1982 – “Miracle on Manchester”
When the Los Angeles Kings met the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the 1982 playoffs, little did they know a “miracle” was in the works. After splitting the first two games of the best-of-five series, Game three took place at the Los Angeles Forum (located on Manchester Boulevard in Los Angeles, California). In this contest, the Oilers had built a 5-0 lead heading to the third, hushing the Forum crowd. At this stage of the game, the young Oilers team was actually taunting the Kings, sensing the game was all but done. However, the third period had magic in the air as the Kings gradually clawed their way back into the game, scoring four. In the final minute of play, the Kings were on the power play and pulled their goaltender for a two-man advantage. With only five ticks left on the clock, LA winger Steve Bozek picked up a rebound and backhanded the puck past Oiler goalie Grant Fuhr. Steve Smith would wire a slap shot from the point, 17:25 into overtime, just under Fuhr’s glove, completing one of the most memorable comebacks in NHL history.
[php snippet=1]
