Top 5 Players of the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals

Originally published on Dec. 23, 2019

By Zane Miller

On Saturday, May 24th, 1980, the New York Islanders defeated the Philadelphia Flyers at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York to win the 67th Stanley Cup Finals four games to two. It was the first Stanley Cup championship for the Islanders franchise, and the fourth that was won in New York. These are the top five players that I felt most stood out during the series.

5. #19 Rick MacLeish (Flyers)- F

MacLeish scored player of the game in game five, earning two goals as the Flyers took the 6-3 win.

4. #17 Paul Holmgren (Flyers)- F

Holmgren earned player of the game honors in game two, as he scored a hat trick with three goals in the Flyers’ 8-3 victory.

3. #9 Clark Gillies (Islanders)- F

Gillies got player of the game in game four, as he earned a goal and two assists as the Islanders went on to win it 5-2.

2. #23 Bobby Nystrom (Islanders)- F

Nystrom earned player of the game honors in game six, picking up a pair of goals as the Islanders won 5-4 in overtime to take home the Stanley Cup.

1. #5 Denis Potvin (Islanders)- D

Potvin grabbed player of the game in games one and three, as he scored two goals and one assist in the Islanders’ 4-3 overtime win, followed in game three with two goals and two assists as the Islanders claimed a 6-2 victory.

Players of the Game Breakdown:

Link to stats database: https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/1980-new-york-islanders-vs-philadelphia-flyers-stanley-cup-final.html