Top 5 Players of the 1981 Stanley Cup Finals

Originally published on Dec. 25, 2019

By Zane Miller

On Thursday, May 21st, 1981, the New York Islanders defeated the Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars) at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York to win the 68th Stanley Cup Finals four games to one. It was the second Stanley Cup championship for the Islanders franchise, and the fifth that was won in New York. These are the top five players that I felt most stood out during the series.

5. #31 Billy Smith (Islanders)

Smith grabbed the win in all four of the Islanders’ victories, with his best game coming in game five as he made 24 saves on 25 chances.

4. #25 Al MacAdam (North Stars)

MacAdam claimed player of the game honors in game four, as he scored a goal with two assists as the North Stars went on to take the 4-2 victory.

3. #28 Anders Kallur (Islanders)

Kallur picked up player of the game honors in game one, scoring a pair of goals in the Islanders’ 6-3 win.

2. #5 Denis Potvin (Islanders)

Potvin was game two’s player of the game, as he earned two goals and two assists as the Islanders took a 6-3 win.

1. #91 Butch Goring (Islanders)

Goring scored player of the game in games three and five, getting three goals in game three as the Islanders won it 7-5, followed in game five as he earned two goals in the Islanders’ 5-1 victory as they took back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

Players of the Game Breakdown:

Link to stats database: hockey-reference.com/playoffs/1981-minnesota-north-stars-vs-new-york-islanders-stanley-cup-final.html