Top 5 Players of the 1986 Stanley Cup Finals

Originally published on Jan. 2, 2020

By Zane Miller

On Saturday, May 24th, 1986, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Calgary Flames at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary to win the 73rd Stanley Cup Finals four games to one. It was the 23rd Stanley Cup championship for the Canadiens franchise, and the third that was won in Alberta. These are the top five players that I felt most stood out during the series.

5. #30 Mike Vernon (Flames)- G

Vernon picked up the win in game one, making 22 saves on 24 shots as the Flames took the 5-2 win.

4. #24 Jim Peplinski (Flames)- F

Peplinski grabbed player of the game honors in game one, as he added one goal and two assists in the Flames’ 5-2 victory.

3. #39 Brian Skrudland (Canadiens)- F

Skrudland scored player of the game in game five, as he picked up a goal in the Canadiens’ 4-3 victory to earn the series title.

2. #26 Mats Naslund (Canadiens)- F

Naslund picked up player of the game honors in game three, getting two goals and one assist as the Canadiens went on to grab the 5-3 win.

1. #33 Patrick Roy (Canadiens)- G

Roy claimed player of the game in games two and four, as game two saw him make 20 saves on 22 shots in a 3-2 overtime victory, while in game four he had 15 saves on 15 chances to pick up the 1-0 win.

Players of the Game Breakdown:

Link to stats database: hockey-reference.com/playoffs/1986-calgary-flames-vs-montreal-canadiens-stanley-cup-final.html