# 1990–91 Minnesota North Stars season

The 1990–91 Minnesota North Stars season was the North Stars' 24th season. The most striking aspect of the season was that despite qualifying for the playoffs with an under–.500 (or "losing") regular-season record, the team reached the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals as the Clarence Campbell Conference champions. Minnesota had beaten Chicago and St. Louis (each in six games), teams that had finished nearly 40 points ahead of them in the regular season, before becoming the first Norris Division team to reach the Stanley Cup Finals since the league had re-aligned a decade earlier when they eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers in five games — a classic "Cinderella" postseason. The North Stars finally saw their playoff run end in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals when they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 8–0 in front of their home fans in the Met Center.

## Off-season

Weeks after their first-round loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, owners George and Gordon Gund sold the North Stars to a consortium led by Howard Baldwin, in exchange for purchasing the expansion franchise that would become the San Jose Sharks. Baldwin and his partners Morris Belzberg and Norman Green agreed to continue operating the North Stars in the Met Center, while opening negotiations with the owners of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves for an opportunity to invest in the team, or possibly share the Wolves' upcoming arena in the future.

### NHL Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
| 1 | 8 | Derian Hatcher (D) | United States | North Bay Centennials (OHL) |
| 3 | 50 | Laurie Billeck (D) | Canada | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) |
| 4 | 70 | Cal McGowan (C) | United States | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) |
| 4 | 71 | Frank Kovacs (LW) | Canada | Regina Pats (WHL) |
| 5 | 92 | Enrico Ciccone (D) | Canada | Trois-Rivieres Draveurs (QMJHL) |
| 6 | 113 | Roman Turek (G) | Czechoslovakia | Motor Ceske Budejovice (Czechoslovakia) |
| 7 | 134 | Jeff Levy (G) | United States | Rochester Mustangs (USHL) |
| 8 | 155 | Doug Barrault (RW) | Canada | Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) |
| 9 | 176 | Joe Biondi (C) | United States | University of Minnesota Duluth (WCHA) |
| 10 | 197 | Troy Binnie (LW) | Canada | Ottawa 67's (OHL) |
| 11 | 218 | Ole Eskild Dahlstrom (C) | Norway | Furuset (Norway) |
| 12 | 239 | J. P. McKersie (G) | United States | Madison West High School (USHS-WI) |
| S | 13 | Rod Houk (G) | Canada | University of Regina (CWUAA) |

## Regular season
### Final standings

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 |
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Campbell Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | p – Chicago Blackhawks | NRS | 80 | 49 | 23 | 8 | 284 | 211 | 106 |
| 2 | St. Louis Blues | NRS | 80 | 47 | 22 | 11 | 310 | 250 | 105 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Kings | SMY | 80 | 46 | 24 | 10 | 340 | 254 | 102 |
| 4 | Calgary Flames | SMY | 80 | 46 | 26 | 8 | 344 | 263 | 100 |
| 5 | Edmonton Oilers | SMY | 80 | 37 | 37 | 6 | 272 | 272 | 80 |
| 6 | Detroit Red Wings | NRS | 80 | 34 | 38 | 8 | 273 | 298 | 76 |
| 7 | Minnesota North Stars | NRS | 80 | 27 | 39 | 14 | 256 | 266 | 68 |
| 8 | Vancouver Canucks | SMY | 80 | 28 | 43 | 9 | 243 | 315 | 65 |
| 9 | Winnipeg Jets | SMY | 80 | 26 | 43 | 11 | 260 | 288 | 63 |
| 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NRS | 80 | 23 | 46 | 11 | 241 | 318 | 57 |
Divisions: NRS – Norris, SMY – Smythe
bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | L | October 4, 1990 | 2–3 | St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 0–1–0 |
| 2 | W | October 6, 1990 | 4–2 | New York Islanders (1990–91) | 1–1–0 |
| 4 | L | October 9, 1990 | 2–5 | @ New Jersey Devils (1990–91) | 1–3–0 |
| 5 | T | October 11, 1990 | 3–3 OT | Boston Bruins (1990–91) | 1–3–1 |
| 6 | L | October 13, 1990 | 1–4 | Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 1–4–1 |
| 7 | L | October 17, 1990 | 2–5 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1990–91) | 1–5–1 |
| 8 | T | October 20, 1990 | 2–2 OT | @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 1–5–2 |
| 9 | L | October 21, 1990 | 1–7 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 1–6–2 |
| 10 | W | October 24, 1990 | 3–0 | Hartford Whalers (1990–91) | 2–6–2 |
| 11 | L | October 26, 1990 | 6–8 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) | 2–7–2 |
| 12 | T | October 27, 1990 | 2–2 OT | Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) | 2–7–3 |
| 13 | L | October 30, 1990 | 4–5 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 2–8–3 |
| 14 | L | November 1, 1990 | 3–6 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) | 2–9–3 |
| 15 | W | November 3, 1990 | 2–0 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) | 3–9–3 |
| 16 | T | November 4, 1990 | 2–2 OT | @ Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) | 3–9–4 |
| 17 | W | November 8, 1990 | 3–2 | Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) | 4–9–4 |
| 18 | L | November 10, 1990 | 2–3 OT | Hartford Whalers (1990–91) | 4–10–4 |
| 19 | L | November 13, 1990 | 1–4 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) | 4–11–4 |
| 20 | L | November 15, 1990 | 2–4 | New York Rangers (1990–91) | 4–12–4 |
| 21 | L | November 17, 1990 | 2–3 | St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 4–13–4 |
| 22 | T | November 19, 1990 | 2–2 OT | @ New York Rangers (1990–91) | 4–13–5 |
| 23 | L | November 21, 1990 | 3–4 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) | 4–14–5 |
| 24 | W | November 23, 1990 | 6–4 | Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 5–14–5 |
| 25 | L | November 24, 1990 | 3–5 | New Jersey Devils (1990–91) | 5–15–5 |
| 26 | T | November 27, 1990 | 1–1 OT | @ Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 5–15–6 |
| 27 | W | November 30, 1990 | 4–2 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 6–15–6 |
| 28 | W | December 1, 1990 | 6–3 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) | 7–15–6 |
| 29 | W | December 5, 1990 | 3–2 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 8–15–6 |
| 30 | L | December 6, 1990 | 1–2 OT | Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 8–16–6 |
| 31 | W | December 8, 1990 | 7–0 | Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) | 9–16–6 |
| 32 | L | December 11, 1990 | 4–5 | Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 9–17–6 |
| 33 | L | December 13, 1990 | 2–4 | @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 9–18–6 |
| 34 | W | December 15, 1990 | 5–1 | Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 10–18–6 |
| 35 | L | December 16, 1990 | 2–5 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 10–19–6 |
| 36 | L | December 20, 1990 | 3–4 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1990–91) | 10–20–6 |
| 37 | L | December 22, 1990 | 2–6 | @ Boston Bruins (1990–91) | 10–21–6 |
| 38 | W | December 23, 1990 | 5–2 | @ Hartford Whalers (1990–91) | 11–21–6 |
| 39 | L | December 26, 1990 | 4–6 | Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 11–22–6 |
| 40 | T | December 29, 1990 | 4–4 OT | Boston Bruins (1990–91) | 11–22–7 |
| 41 | L | December 31, 1990 | 2–4 | Los Angeles Kings (1990–91) | 11–23–7 |
| 42 | L | January 2, 1991 | 2–6 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) | 11–24–7 |
| 43 | T | January 3, 1991 | 3–3 OT | Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 11–24–8 |
| 44 | L | January 5, 1991 | 5–6 | Vancouver Canucks (1990–91) | 11–25–8 |
| 45 | W | January 8, 1991 | 3–0 | @ New York Islanders (1990–91) | 12–25–8 |
| 46 | L | January 12, 1991 | 3–5 | Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) | 12–26–8 |
| 47 | L | January 13, 1991 | 3–5 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 12–27–8 |
| 48 | L | January 15, 1991 | 1–5 | Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) | 12–28–8 |
| 49 | W | January 17, 1991 | 5–2 | Washington Capitals (1990–91) | 13–28–8 |
| 50 | L | January 21, 1991 | 0–2 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1990–91) | 13–29–8 |
| 51 | W | January 22, 1991 | 7–3 | St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 14–29–8 |
| 52 | T | January 25, 1991 | 2–2 OT | @ Washington Capitals (1990–91) | 14–29–9 |
| 53 | W | January 26, 1991 | 3–1 | @ New Jersey Devils (1990–91) | 15–29–9 |
| 54 | L | January 28, 1991 | 0–4 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 15–30–9 |
| 55 | W | January 30, 1991 | 5–2 | Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) | 16–30–9 |
| 56 | W | February 2, 1991 | 6–4 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1990–91) | 17–30–9 |
| 57 | L | February 4, 1991 | 3–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1990–91) | 17–31–9 |
| 58 | W | February 7, 1991 | 4–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 18–31–9 |
| 59 | W | February 9, 1991 | 6–5 | Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) | 19–31–9 |
| 60 | L | February 12, 1991 | 4–5 | @ New York Islanders (1990–91) | 19–32–9 |
| 61 | T | February 13, 1991 | 6–6 OT | @ Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) | 19–32–10 |
| 62 | W | February 16, 1991 | 3–0 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) | 20–32–10 |
| 63 | W | February 20, 1991 | 5–1 | Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 21–32–10 |
| 64 | T | February 23, 1991 | 3–3 OT | Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 21–32–11 |
| 65 | T | February 26, 1991 | 2–2 OT | Philadelphia Flyers (1990–91) | 21–32–12 |
| 66 | T | March 1, 1991 | 1–1 OT | @ Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 21–32–13 |
| 67 | L | March 2, 1991 | 1–5 | @ Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 21–33–13 |
| 68 | W | March 6, 1991 | 5–1 | Edmonton Oilers (1990–91) | 22–33–13 |
| 69 | W | March 9, 1991 | 6–2 | Detroit Red Wings (1990–91) | 23–33–13 |
| 70 | W | March 10, 1991 | 7–3 | Calgary Flames (1990–91) | 24–33–13 |
| 71 | W | March 12, 1991 | 5–2 | Buffalo Sabres (1990–91) | 25–33–13 |
| 72 | T | March 14, 1991 | 2–2 OT | @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 25–33–14 |
| 73 | L | March 16, 1991 | 3–4 OT | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 25–34–14 |
| 74 | W | March 17, 1991 | 4–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1990–91) | 26–34–14 |
| 75 | L | March 22, 1991 | 1–3 | @ Washington Capitals (1990–91) | 26–35–14 |
| 76 | L | March 24, 1991 | 4–5 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 26–36–14 |
| 77 | L | March 25, 1991 | 4–5 | St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 26–37–14 |
| 78 | L | March 28, 1991 | 5–6 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1990–91) | 26–38–14 |
| 79 | W | March 30, 1991 | 2–1 | Chicago Blackhawks (1990–91) | 27–38–14 |
| 80 | L | March 31, 1991 | 1–2 | @ St. Louis Blues (1990–91) | 27–39–14 |

## Transactions
### Trades

| October 26, 1990 | To Minnesota North Stars Brian Glynn | To Calgary Flames Frank Musil |
| November 1990 | To Minnesota North Stars Brian Hayward | To Montreal Canadiens Jayson More |

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
| | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Player | # | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Dave Gagner | 15 | 73 | 40 | 42 | 82 | 114 | 23 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 28 |
| Brian Bellows | 23 | 80 | 35 | 40 | 75 | 43 | 23 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 30 |
| Brian Propp | 16 | 79 | 26 | 47 | 73 | 58 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 28 |
| Neal Broten | 7 | 79 | 13 | 56 | 69 | 26 | 23 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 6 |
| Mike Modano | 9 | 79 | 28 | 36 | 64 | 61 | 23 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 16 |
| Bobby Smith | 18 | 73 | 15 | 31 | 46 | 60 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 56 |
| Ulf Dahlen | 22 | 66 | 21 | 18 | 39 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
| Mark Tinordi | 24 | 69 | 5 | 27 | 32 | 189 | 23 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 78 |
| Doug Smail | 14 | 57 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Glynn | 6 | 66 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 83 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 18 |
| Gaetan Duchesne | 10 | 68 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 18 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 34 |
| Perry Berezan | 21 | 52 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ilkka Sinisalo | - | 46 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 24 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Larry Murphy | - | 31 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 38 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Curt Giles | 2 | 70 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 48 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| Mike Craig | 20 | 39 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 32 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 20 |
| Neil Wilkinson | 5 | 50 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 117 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Jim Johnson | 8 | 44 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 100 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 52 |
| Stewart Gavin | 12 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 36 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 20 |
| Chris Dahlquist | 4 | 42 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 33 | 23 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| Marc Bureau | 11 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 20 |
| Rob Zettler | 3 | 47 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 119 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shane Churla | 27 | 40 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 286 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 90 |
| Shawn Chambers | 26 | 29 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 23 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 16 |
| Basil McRae | 17 | 40 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 224 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 94 |
| Larry DePalma | 31 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 26 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Frank Musil | - | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 23 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Warren Babe | 29 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Pat MacLeod | 32 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Dan Keczmer | 46 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Peter Taglianetti | - | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Steve Gotaas | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Mitch Messier | 37 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Kevin Evans | 44 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Dean Kolstad | 40 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Mike McHugh | 45 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Don Barber | - | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - |

### Goaltending

Note: GP = Games played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | GP | MIN | W | L | T | SO | GAA |
| Jon Casey | 55 | 3185 | 21 | 20 | 11 | 3 | 2.98 |
| Brian Hayward | 26 | 1473 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 3.14 |
| Jarmo Myllys | 2 | 78 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6.15 |
| Kari Takko | 2 | 119 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6.05 |

## Playoffs
### Norris Division Semi-Finals

Chicago vs. Minnesota :
| Date | Away | Home |
| April 4 | Minnesota 4 | 3 Chicago | OT |
| April 6 | Minnesota 2 | 5 Chicago |
| April 8 | Chicago 6 | 5 Minnesota |
| April 10 | Chicago 1 | 3 Minnesota |
| April 12 | Minnesota 6 | 0 Chicago |
| April 14 | Chicago 1 | 3 Minnesota |
| Minnesota wins series 4–2 ||||

### Norris Division Finals

St. Louis vs. Minnesota :
| Date | Away | Home |
| April 18 | Minnesota 2 | 1 St. Louis |
| April 20 | Minnesota 2 | 5 St. Louis |
| April 22 | St. Louis 1 | 5 Minnesota |
| April 24 | St. Louis 4 | 8 Minnesota |
| April 26 | Minnesota 2 | 4 St. Louis |
| April 28 | St. Louis 2 | 3 Minnesota |
| Minnesota wins series 4–2 ||||

### Campbell Conference Finals

Campbell Conference :
| Edmonton vs. Minnesota ||||
| Date | Away | Home |
| May 2 | Minnesota 3 | 1 Edmonton |
| May 4 | Minnesota 2 | 7 Edmonton |
| May 6 | Edmonton 3 | 7 Minnesota |
| May 8 | Edmonton 1 | 5 Minnesota |
| May 10 | Minnesota 3 | 2 Edmonton |
| Minnesota wins series 4–1 and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl ||||

### Stanley Cup Finals

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Minnesota North Stars
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Score |
| May 15 | Minnesota North Stars | 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 |
| May 17 | Minnesota North Stars | 1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 |
| May 19 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 | Minnesota North Stars | 3 |
| May 21 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 5 | Minnesota North Stars | 3 |
| May 23 | Minnesota North Stars | 4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 6 |
| May 25 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 8 | Minnesota North Stars | 0 |
Pittsburgh wins best-of-seven series 4–2

## Awards and records

* Clarence S. Campbell Bowl