# 1990–91 NHL season

The 1990–91 NHL season was the 74th season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup winners were the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won the best of seven series 4–2 against the Minnesota North Stars to claim their first championship. This was the last NHL season to end in May.

## League business
### Approval for expansion by 1992

At meetings in Florida on December 6, 1990, the NHL Board of Governors awarded provisional franchises to groups from Ottawa and Tampa. The Ottawa franchise marked a return to one of the original cities of the NHL, while Tampa meant the first franchise in the sunbelt state of Florida. In a later book published by NHL president Gil Stein, Stein revealed that the two groups were the only ones of the applicants who agreed to the $50 million expansion fee without question. The Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning began play in the 1992–93 season.

### Entry draft

The 1990 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 16, at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Owen Nolan was selected first overall by the Quebec Nordiques.

## Regular season
### Final standings

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points

#### Wales Conference

Adams Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 44 | 24 | 12 | 299 | 264 | 100 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 273 | 249 | 89 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 31 | 30 | 19 | 292 | 278 | 81 |
| Hartford Whalers | 80 | 31 | 38 | 11 | 238 | 276 | 73 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 16 | 50 | 14 | 236 | 354 | 46 |
Patrick Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 41 | 33 | 6 | 342 | 305 | 88 |
| New York Rangers | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | 297 | 265 | 85 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 37 | 36 | 7 | 258 | 258 | 81 |
| New Jersey Devils | 80 | 32 | 33 | 15 | 272 | 264 | 79 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 33 | 37 | 10 | 252 | 267 | 76 |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 25 | 45 | 10 | 223 | 290 | 60 |

#### Campbell Conference

Norris Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 80 | 49 | 23 | 8 | 284 | 211 | 106 |
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 47 | 22 | 11 | 310 | 250 | 105 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 34 | 38 | 8 | 273 | 298 | 76 |
| Minnesota North Stars | 80 | 27 | 39 | 14 | 256 | 266 | 68 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 80 | 23 | 46 | 11 | 241 | 318 | 57 |
Smythe Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 46 | 24 | 10 | 340 | 254 | 102 |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 46 | 26 | 8 | 344 | 263 | 100 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 37 | 37 | 6 | 272 | 272 | 80 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 28 | 43 | 9 | 243 | 315 | 65 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 26 | 43 | 11 | 260 | 288 | 63 |

## Playoffs
### Bracket

The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). In the division semifinals, the fourth seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's semifinals then met in the division finals. The two division winners of each conference then played in the conference finals. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.
| Division semifinals | Division semifinals | Division semifinals | | | Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | Conference finals | Conference finals | Conference finals | | Stanley Cup Finals | Stanley Cup Finals | Stanley Cup Finals |
| A1 | Boston | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A4 | Hartford | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A4 | Hartford | 2 | | | A1 | Boston | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | A2 | Montreal | 3 | | | | | | | |
| A2 | Montreal | 4 | | | A2 | Montreal | 3 | | | | | | | |
| A3 | Buffalo | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| A3 | Buffalo | 2 | | | | | | A1 | Boston | 2 | | | | |
| Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | A1 | Boston | 2 | | | | |
| Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | Prince of Wales Conference | P1 | Pittsburgh | 4 | | | | |
| P1 | Pittsburgh | 4 | | | | | | | | | P1 | Pittsburgh | 4 | | | | |
| P4 | New Jersey | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| P4 | New Jersey | 3 | | | P1 | Pittsburgh | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | P3 | Washington | 1 | | | | | | | |
| P2 | NY Rangers | 2 | | | P3 | Washington | 1 | | | | | | | |
| P3 | Washington | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| P3 | Washington | 4 | | | | | | | | | | P1 | Pittsburgh | 4 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | N4 | Minnesota | 2 |
| N1 | Chicago | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | N4 | Minnesota | 2 |
| N4 | Minnesota | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| N4 | Minnesota | 4 | | | N4 | Minnesota | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | N2 | St. Louis | 2 | | | | | | | |
| N2 | St. Louis | 4 | | | N2 | St. Louis | 2 | | | | | | | |
| N3 | Detroit | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| N3 | Detroit | 3 | | | | | | N4 | Minnesota | 4 | | | | |
| Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | N4 | Minnesota | 4 | | | | |
| Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | Clarence Campbell Conference | S3 | Edmonton | 1 | | | | |
| S1 | Los Angeles | 4 | | | | | | | | | S3 | Edmonton | 1 | | | | |
| S4 | Vancouver | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| S4 | Vancouver | 2 | | | S1 | Los Angeles | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | S3 | Edmonton | 4 | | | | | | | |
| S2 | Calgary | 3 | | | S3 | Edmonton | 4 | | | | | | | |
| S3 | Edmonton | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Awards

| Presidents' Trophy: | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (Wales Conference playoff champion) | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (Campbell Conference playoff champion) | Minnesota North Stars |
| Art Ross Trophy: | Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: | Dave Taylor, Los Angeles Kings |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: | Ed Belfour, Chicago Blackhawks |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: | Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Frank J. Selke Trophy: | Dirk Graham, Chicago Blackhawks |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: | Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues |
| Jack Adams Award: | Brian Sutter, St. Louis Blues |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: | Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins |
| King Clancy Memorial Trophy: | Dave Taylor, Los Angeles Kings |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: | Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings |
| Lester B. Pearson Award: | Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues |
| NHL Plus-Minus Award: | Marty McSorley, Los Angeles Kings and Theo Fleury, Calgary Flames |
| Vezina Trophy: | Ed Belfour, Chicago Blackhawks |
| William M. Jennings Trophy: | Ed Belfour, Chicago Blackhawks |

### All-Star teams

| First Team | Position | Second Team |
| Ed Belfour, Chicago Blackhawks | G | Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens |
| Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins | D | Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks |
| Al MacInnis, Calgary Flames | D | Brian Leetch, New York Rangers |
| Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings | C | Adam Oates, St. Louis Blues |
| Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues | RW | Cam Neely, Boston Bruins |
| Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings | LW | Kevin Stevens, Pittsburgh Penguins |

## Player statistics
### Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes, PPG = Powerplay goals, SHG = Shorthanded goals, GWG = Game winning goals
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Wayne Gretzky | Los Angeles Kings | 78 | 41 | 122 | 163 | 16 | +30 | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| Brett Hull | St. Louis Blues | 78 | 86 | 45 | 131 | 22 | +23 | 29 | 0 | 11 |
| Adam Oates | St. Louis Blues | 61 | 25 | 90 | 115 | 29 | +15 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Mark Recchi | Pittsburgh Penguins | 78 | 40 | 73 | 113 | 48 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 9 |
| John Cullen | Pittsburgh Penguins/ Hartford Whalers | 78 | 39 | 71 | 110 | 101 | -6 | 14 | 0 | 3 |
| Joe Sakic | Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 48 | 61 | 109 | 24 | -26 | 12 | 3 | 7 |
| Steve Yzerman | Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 51 | 57 | 108 | 34 | -2 | 12 | 6 | 4 |
| Theoren Fleury | Calgary Flames | 79 | 51 | 53 | 104 | 136 | +48 | 9 | 7 | 9 |
| Al MacInnis | Calgary Flames | 78 | 28 | 75 | 103 | 90 | +42 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| Steve Larmer | Chicago Blackhawks | 80 | 44 | 57 | 101 | 79 | +37 | 17 | 2 | 9 |

### Leading goaltenders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average = SV% = Save percentage
| Player | Team | GP | Min | W | L | T | SO | GAA | SV% |
| Ed Belfour | Chicago Blackhawks | 74 | 4127 | 43 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 2.47 | .910 |
| Tim Cheveldae | Detroit Red Wings | 65 | 3615 | 30 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 3.55 | .875 |
| Bill Ranford | Edmonton Oilers | 60 | 3415 | 27 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 3.2 | .893 |
| Ron Tugnutt | Quebec Nordiques | 56 | 3144 | 12 | 29 | 10 | 0 | 4.05 | .886 |
| Peter Ing | Toronto Maple Leafs | 56 | 3126 | 16 | 29 | 8 | 1 | 3.84 | .883 |
| Jon Casey | Minnesota North Stars | 55 | 3185 | 21 | 20 | 11 | 3 | 2.98 | .891 |
| Bob Essensa | Winnipeg Jets | 55 | 2916 | 19 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 3.15 | .889 |
| Mike Vernon | Calgary Flames | 54 | 3121 | 31 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 3.31 | .878 |
| Glenn Healy | New York Islanders | 53 | 2999 | 18 | 24 | 9 | 0 | 3.32 | .893 |
| Chris Terreri | New Jersey Devils | 53 | 2970 | 24 | 21 | 7 | 1 | 2.91 | .893 |

## Coaches
### Patrick Division

* New Jersey Devils: John Cunniff and Tom McVie
* New York Islanders: Al Arbour
* New York Rangers: Roger Neilson
* Philadelphia Flyers: Paul Holmgren
* Pittsburgh Penguins: Bob Johnson
* Washington Capitals: Terry Murray

### Adams Division

* Boston Bruins: Mike Milbury
* Buffalo Sabres: Rick Dudley
* Hartford Whalers: Rick Ley
* Montreal Canadiens: Pat Burns
* Quebec Nordiques: Dave Chambers

### Norris Division

* Chicago Blackhawks: Mike Keenan
* Detroit Red Wings: Bryan Murray
* Minnesota North Stars: Bob Gainey
* St. Louis Blues: Brian Sutter
* Toronto Maple Leafs: Tom Watt

### Smythe Division

* Calgary Flames: Doug Risebrough
* Edmonton Oilers: John Muckler
* Los Angeles Kings: Tom Webster
* Vancouver Canucks: Bob McCammon and Pat Quinn
* Winnipeg Jets: Bob Murdoch

## Milestones
### Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1990–91 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
* Robert Reichel, Calgary Flames
* Dominik Hasek, Chicago Blackhawks
* Keith Primeau, Detroit Red Wings
* Mike Sillinger, Detroit Red Wings
* Sergei Fedorov, Detroit Red Wings
* Bobby Holik, Hartford Whalers
* Geoff Sanderson, Hartford Whalers
* John LeClair, Montreal Canadiens
* Patrice Brisebois, Montreal Canadiens
* Sean Hill*, Montreal Canadiens
* Doug Weight*, New York Rangers
* Tony Amonte*, New York Rangers
* Mike Ricci, Philadelphia Flyers
* Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins
* Mats Sundin, Quebec Nordiques
* Owen Nolan, Quebec Nordiques
* Petr Nedved, Vancouver Canucks
* Dmitri Khristich, Washington Capitals
* Peter Bondra, Washington Capitals
* Kris Draper, Winnipeg Jets

### Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1990–91 (listed with their last team):
* Gord Kluzak, Boston Bruins
* Tony McKegney, Chicago Blackhawks
* Glen Hanlon, Detroit Red Wings
* Don Maloney, New York Islanders
* Lindy Ruff, New York Rangers
* Pete Peeters, Philadelphia Flyers
* Guy Lafleur, Quebec Nordiques
* Harold Snepsts, St. Louis Blues
* Paul MacLean, St. Louis Blues
* Rick Meagher, St. Louis Blues
* Stan Smyl, Vancouver Canucks
* Joel Quenneville, Washington Capitals

## Broadcasting

This was the third season of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deals with TSN and Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. Saturday night regular season games continued to air on CBC, while TSN televised selected weeknight games. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs was primarily on CBC, with TSN airing first round all-U.S. series.
This was the third and final season of the league's original U.S. national broadcast rights deal SportsChannel America, with up to three regular season games a week and coverage of the playoffs. SportsChannel America then signed a one-year extension for the 1991–92 season. Meanwhile, NBC televised the All-Star Game for the second consecutive season.