Edmonton Oilers Heritage Website - Upsetting The Canadiens

It was only fitting that the franchise that would go on to become the Team of the 1980s won its first-ever playoff series against the most successful franchise in National Hockey League history—the Montréal Canadiens.

he Oilers scrambled into 16th place and the final playoff berth in their maiden NHL season, but their inexperience showed in a humbling three-game sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers. In their second season, the Oilers did not impress many, amassing a six-games-under .500 record. However, in a year in which 16 of 21 NHL teams made the playoffs, it was good enough for 14th place.

With the low playoff seeding, the Oilers would meet the Canadiens—a team that featured current Hall of Famers Guy Lafleur and Larry Robinson. The Habs were so confident of an easy first round win, goalie Richard Sevigny told the Montreal press that Lafleur would put Wayne Gretzky "in his hip pocket."

"The Canadiens had a pretty decent team that season," recalled Dick Irvin, the legendary broadcaster who has covered NHL hockey in Montreal for the better part of four decades. "Claude Ruel was the coach. And no one on the team questioned the fact that they were going to win three out of five against the Oilers. They thought it would be no sweat."

Gretzky had obviously read the clippings, because he came out strong for Game 1 at the historic Montreal Forum. Backed by the solid goaltending of rookie Andy Moog, the Oilers romped to a shocking 6-3 win over the Habs. Gretzky recorded a five-assist night, and Montreal went from being overconfident to being in a state of shock.

The Oilers followed game one with another stunning victory, winning the second game 3-1. The home-bound Oilers believed the series could be swept.

"What I remember best was the Canadiens’ plane ride after the first two losses at the Forum," remembered Irvin. "The entire team was in a state of shock. They knew they weren’t going to come back, win three in a row and take the series. Up to that point, I had never seen a Montréal Canadiens team in a mood like that. I’d never seen them so down and out."

In response, the Canadiens countered with a gallant effort in Game 3. In a do-or-die-situation on the road, the Habs stayed within one of the hometown Oilers, trailing 3-2 in the second. The Canadiens were on a power play, and with the momentum shifting, Montreal was pushing for the equalizer. But Mark Napier—who would later win a Cup with the Oilers—gave the puck away to Gretzky, who turned the chance into a shorthanded goal. The goal changed the momentum, and the Oilers added two more.

The Oilers had shocked "Les Glorieux", and even though Edmonton went on to lose to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders, the series against Montreal offered fans the first glimpse into the kind of team the Oilers would become.