The seminal moment in Al MacInnis's career came in the spring of 1989 when he -- and not Calgary Flames goaltender Mike Vernon -- won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the National Hockey League's Most Valuable Player in the playoffs.
Considering MacInnis is one of the most complete defensemen in the game today, some people may forget that in 1989, he was still trying to shed his reputation as a one-dimensional player, someone who possessed a major-league slap shot and little else. MacInnis himself struggled with his confidence occasionally, and when it disappeared, his game deteriorated as well.
By winning the Conn Smythe MacInnis received a validation that cannot be understated: that he was one of the League's elite players, that he had the capacity to win major trophies and provide leadership for his fellow teammates.
The Conn Smythe means a lot of things to a lot of different players, beginning with the fact that it usually goes to a member of the Stanley Cup-winning team. Over time, as players' careers advance, the goal of winning the Stanley Cup becomes far more important than anything else.
Thus, one could convincingly argue that among the players themselves, they would sooner win the Conn Smythe Trophy than any other major award because of its typical corollary - it generally means a Stanley Cup as well.
Or, as the 2000 winner, the New Jersey Devils' Scott Stevens put it, reflecting back: "It's unbelievable. It's something I'll never forget. To win a Stanley Cup is something every player dreams of. You dream of winning the Cup and being a big part of it [which is what the Conn Smythe symbolizes]. If you look at the people who've won that trophy in the past, to be included with them, it's something I'll never forget."
Interestingly, one of the winners was Stevens' former junior teammate, MacInnis. The two played together on the Kitchener Rangers in the early 1980s before each was drafted to the NHL in the first round, MacInnis 15th overall by Calgary in 1981, Stevens fifth overall by Washington in 1982.
MacInnis won the award by recording at least one point in the final 17 games, a playoff record for defensemen. Additionally, he became the first defenseman in history to win the playoff scoring race. In doing so, he became the first defenseman in 11 years - or since Larry Robinson won in 1978 - to capture the trophy. Playing for Calgary, being a part of a good team, MacInnis was known around the League essentially because of the strength of his slap shot. MacInnis did overpower Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy with a handful of those shots - scoring key goals in the series. As a result, people came to appreciate his full game, but winning the Conn Smythe was the beginning of that.
"That's pretty accurate, no question," said MacInnis. "Probably one of the best compliments I ever got was during that ['89] Finals series from [GM] Cliff Fletcher. Somebody asked Cliff about me and wondered how long I'd been playing 25 minutes a game and playing in all situations and Cliff answered, 'He's been doing this for years. He's just finally getting noticed.'"
Roy, the NHL's all-time winningest goaltender, took home the Conn Smythe trophy in 1986, his rookie season with the Canadiens. That spring, Montreal Gazette columnist Red Fisher famously told the coach, Jean Perron, that it would be far better for Roy to win the Conn Smythe than the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. Perron naturally asked: How come? Fisher replied: Because it would mean that you've won the Stanley Cup.
Oh.
Roy won a second Conn Smythe Trophy in 1993, backstopping the Habs' brilliant and unexpected run through the playoffs. Only a third-place finisher in the tough Adams Division, the underdog Canadiens were down 2?0 in the opening round to the Quebec Nordiques, a team captained by Joe Sakic.
Sakic recalls that the team's goaltending coach, Daniel Bouchard, committed a cardinal sin in protocol by saying that the Nords had Roy figured out. Big mistake, says Sakic, as Roy became virtually unstoppable in leading the Canadiens back into the series.
In all, Roy won an NHL record 10 games in overtime that last season.
Former Canadiens assistant Dave King, now the Columbus Blue Jackets' coach, marveled at what a difference one player could make. Roy simply told his teammates to go to the attack and that he would be there to stop them. The result: A Canadiens' team that had a good, but not spectacular regular season, won the '93 Stanley Cup.
It was all Roy.
Roy was eventually traded from Montreal to the Colorado Avalanche in Dec. 1995. The Avalanche, in their first season in Denver after the franchise was shifted there from Quebec, was a deeply talented team that lacked experience.
Roy's addition, plus that of Mike Keane, who was the Canadiens' captain at the time of the trade, made a huge difference on the Avalanche's chemistry.
That spring, on a team that received major contributions from a number of different players, including Roy and Peter Forsberg, Sakic received the nod as Conn Smythe Trophy winner, thanks to a playoff-leading 34 points in 22 games.
Considering the Nordiques had been a No. 1 seed the previous year, only to lose in the opening round to the New York Rangers, Sakic has long described the Avalanche's championship as the greatest thrill of his hockey-playing life. It had everything to do with the circumstances too - playing in a new city, in a new rink, with some significant new teammates.
