Super 16: Gretzky, Bossy lead power rankings of Cup Final performers

Wayne Gretzky
dominated the NHL regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs like no other player.

Mike Bossy
is considered the greatest all-time goal scorer, and
Ken Dryden
is the only goalie since the 1970s to win the Stanley Cup in each of his six times in the Stanley Cup Final.
It's no surprise they are the top three ranked players in the latest Super 16 of the best cumulative performances in the Cup Final since 1972. Gretzky was ranked first by eight of nine participating staff members and was 28 points ahead of Bossy.
There were 29 players ranked. Four played for the Edmonton Oilers teams that won the Stanley Cup five times in seven seasons between 1984 and 1990. Four others were part of the New York Islanders dynasty that preceded the Oilers' run by winning the Cup four consecutive times (1980-83). And four represented the Montreal Canadiens of the 1970s that won NHL championship five times, including four in a row from 1976-79.
To create the NHL.com power rankings, each of the participating staff members puts together his or her version of what they think the Super 16 should look like. Those are submitted and a point total assigned to each.
The player selected first is given 16 points, second gets 15, third 14, fourth 13 and so on down to No. 16, who gets one point.
Here is the Super 16 of the best cumulative performances in the Stanley Cup Final since 1972.

1. Wayne Gretzky

Total points: 143
"The Great One" dominated the Stanley Cup Playoffs throughout a career that ranks him first in goals (122), assists (260) and points (382). His 53 points (18 goals, 35 assists) in 31 Stanley Cup Final games are second in NHL history behind Jean Beliveau's 62 points (30 goals, 32 assists) in 64 games for the Canadiens. Gretzky's seven goals in five games against the Philadelphia Flyers in 1985 are tied with Beliveau (1956) and Bossy (1982) for third in the history of the Final, and he holds records for most assists (35), and assists and points in one series with 10 and 13, respectively, for the Oilers in a five-game win against the Boston Bruins in 1988. With the Oilers and Flyers tied in 1-1 entering Game 3 of the 1985 Final, Gretzky scored three goals in the first 13:32 of the game, including two in 15 seconds.

2. Mike Bossy

Total points: 115
The forward led all players in the 1980 Stanley Cup Final with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in six games to help the Islanders begin their dynasty with a win against the Flyers. Bossy saved his best performance for the 1982 Final against the Vancouver Canucks. In Game 1 he completed a hat trick at 19:58 of overtime when he intercepted Harold Snepsts' clearing attempt and scored. He scored an acrobatic backhand goal in Game 3 and his two power-play goals in Game 4 helped the Islanders to a four-game sweep. Bossy's seven goals in 1982 are tied with Beliveau and Gretzky for most in one Stanley Cup Final. Bossy (1982, 1983) and Jack Darragh of the Ottawa Senators (1920, 1921) are the only players to score Cup-winning goals in consecutive years.

3. Ken Dryden

Total points: 110
The goalie was 24-8 with a .750 winning percentage that's best among any goalie to play at least 15 games in the Final. Dryden's 24 wins in 32 games are second to Jacques Plante (25 in 41), and he became the first goalie with a point in a Cup Final game with an assist on Jacques Lemaire's third-period goal in Game 3 of the 1979 Final against the New York Rangers.

4. Patrick Roy

Total points: 104
"Saint Patrick" was 18-9 in the Final, winning the Cup for the first time with the Canadiens in 1986 while becoming the youngest goalie (age 20) to be voted winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs. Roy helped the Colorado Avalanche win it for the first time since joining the NHL as the Quebec Nordiques in 1979-80 with a Cup Final record .974 save percentage (147 saves on 151 shots) in a four-game sweep of the Florida Panthers in 1996 that included a single-game record 63 saves in a 1-0 triple-overtime victory in Game 4. Five years later, Roy shut out the New Jersey Devils 4-0 in Game 6 and won 3-2 in Game 7. It was his fourth Cup championship, and he was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy for the third time. Roy's four shutouts in the Final are tied with Plante and Turk Broda for second behind Clint Benedict (seven).

5. Mario Lemieux

Total points: 95
"Super Mario" had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in five games against the Minnesota North Stars in the 1991 Final and seven points (five goals, two assists) in four games against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1992 Final, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy each time to help the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back championships. Lemieux scored arguably the best of his 76 NHL postseason goals in Game 2 of the 1991 Final against the North Stars by splitting the defense, faking to his right at the top of the crease, cutting to his left around goalie Jon Casey and scoring on a backhander to give Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead at 15:04 of the second period. It was Lemieux's seventh consecutive game with a goal and 15th with a point, respective streaks that would end with Penguins postseason records of 10 and 25.

6. Jari Kurri

Total points: 83
On his 30th birthday, the Oilers forward enjoyed his finest Cup Final game and the best single-game scoring performance in 30 years with a hat trick and two assists in a 7-2 victory against the Bruins in Game 2 of the 1990 Final. Kurri became the sixth player and the only one since 1944 with five points in one game during the Final. He also had the primary assist on Petr Klima's triple-overtime goal in Game 1, the first of eight points (three goals, five assists) that tied Craig Simpson (four goals, four assists) for the Oilers lead in the series and helped them win their first NHL championship since Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on Aug. 9, 1988. Three years earlier, Kurri scored at 6:50 of overtime in Game 2 and had the game-winner in Game 7 against the Flyers at 14:59 of the second period.

7. Mark Messier

Total points: 80
The center developed a reputation for delivering in the clutch beginning with his goal to tie Game 3 of the 1984 Final 2-2 at 8:38 of the second period for the Oilers; the goal sparked a 7-2 victory and marked the beginning of the end of the Islanders dynasty. The five-time Cup winner with Edmonton added a sixth title 1994, with his power-play goal at 13:29 of the second period in Game 7 against the Canucks holding up as the game-winner to give the New York Rangers the Cup for the first time since 1940.

8. Bryan Trottier

Total points: 68
The center is one of eight players with at least five points in the Final for three consecutive years (1980-82), with his eight points (four goals, four assists) in six games for the Islanders in the 1980 Final an NHL postseason high. Though Trottier had 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 21 playoff games and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1980, he wasn't on the ice when Bobby Nystrom scored the Cup-winning goal at 7:11 of overtime in Game 6. In Game 4 of the 1983 Final, Trottier combined with John Tonelli and Bossy to score three goals in 1:37 of the first period, the fourth-fastest three goals by one team in a Stanley Cup Final game.

9. Denis Potvin

Total points: 62
The captain of the Islanders dynasty teams is another of the eight players with at least five points in the Final for three consecutive years (1980-82). He had two goals and two assists in a 6-2 win in Game 3 of the 1980 Final. His four power-play goals in the series are tied with Bossy (1980) and Beliveau (1965), and his four power-play points in Game 6 are tied with Beliveau (1965), Joe Sakic of the Avalanche (1996) and Torey Krug of the Bruins (2019) for the most in a Final game. His eight power-play points in 1980 are tied for second with Beliveau (1965) behind Bossy's 10 (1980).

10. Bobby Orr

Total points: 52
The defenseman scored his iconic goal 40 seconds into overtime of Game 4 of the 1970 Final against the St. Louis Blues, the fastest overtime goal in a Cup-clinching victory, and it gave the Bruins their first championship in 29 years. The image of Orr flying is one of the signature moments in NHL history and was the inspiration for a statue that greets fans outside TD Garden in Boston. Orr's eight points (four goals, four assists) in six games tied teammate Ken Hodge (five goals, three assists) for most in the 1972 Final, a six-game victory against the Rangers. He led the 1974 Final with seven points (three goals, four assists) in a six-game loss to the Flyers.

11. Guy Lafleur

Total points: 45
"The Flower" had 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 25 games in the Stanley Cup Final. He won five championships with the Canadiens and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1977, a run Lafleur concluded with nine points (two goals, seven assists) in a four-game sweep of the Bruins, the most he scored in five trips to the Cup Final. Lafleur scored the Cup-winner at 14:18 of the third period in Game 4 of the 1976 Final against the Flyers and an overtime goal at 13:09 for a 3-2 win in Game 2 against the Bruins in 1978. He had at least five points in the Final each year from 1976-78.

12. Billy Smith

Total points: 44
The goalie of the Islanders dynasty is one of nine at the position to win the Stanley Cup at least three straight times and one of three (Plante, Dryden) to appear in all their team's postseason games throughout those wins. Smith made 35 saves in a 2-0 win at Edmonton in Game 1 of the 1983 Final, a game he said was "probably the finest game I ever played." He allowed six goals on 128 shots (.953 save percentage) in the four-game sweep, none by Gretzky after he scored 71 during the regular season.

13. Jacques Lemaire

Total points: 29
The forward is one of six players in NHL history (Bossy, Orr, Henri Richard, Beliveau, Toe Blake) to score two Stanley Cup-winning goals (1977, 1979). Lemaire's 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in six games against the Blackhawks in the 1973 Final is tied with Gordie Howe (1955), Yvan Cournoyer (1973), Lemieux (1991), and Daniel Briere (2010) for most in a Cup Final series behind Gretzky (13 in 1988), and his nine assists are tied for second to Gretzky's 10 in 1988. Lemaire, Peter Mahovlich, Frank Mahovlich and Chuck Lefley combined to score four goals in 5:57 of the third period of Game 1 of the 1973 Final, the fourth-fastest four goals in NHL playoff history. He's also one of five coaches to go undefeated in the Final, guiding the Devils to a four-game sweep of the Detroit Red Wings in 1995.

14. Martin Brodeur

Total points: 28
The goalie with the most shutouts (125) in NHL history also owns the record for most shutouts (24) in the postseason. Three came against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2003 Final, which tied Benedict (Montreal Maroons, 1926) and Frank McCool (Toronto Maple Leafs, 1945) for the NHL record. Despite Brodeur's 1.73 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in New Jersey's seven-game victory, Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere won the Conn Smythe Trophy. Brodeur had a 1.75 GAA and a 1.24 GAA in the 1995 and 2000 Cup Final, respectively, to win the first two of his three Stanley Cup championships.

15. Paul Coffey

Total points: 25
His 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in five games against the Flyers in 1985 are tied with Brian Leetch of the Rangers (1994) for most by a defenseman in the Final. During Game 3 of the 1984 Final, Coffey combined with Glenn Anderson, Messier, Kevin McClelland and Dave Semenko to score the fastest five goals in one Cup Final game (10:29 between the second and third period).

16. Bob Gainey

Total points: 23
The first recipient of the Selke Trophy voted as the top defensive forward in 1978, Gainey helped the Canadiens allow the fewest goals in the NHL in each of their four straight Stanley Cup championship seasons from 1976-79. Montreal held Philadelphia to nine goals in a four-game sweep in the 1976 Final after the Flyers scored an NHL-high 4.35 goals per game in the regular season. Ten years later, Gainey set the tone for the Canadiens' physical, five-game win against the Calgary Flames, when he combined with Bobby Smith and Mats Naslund to score three goals in a 1:08 span of the first period in Game 3, the fastest three goals in one Cup Final game.
Others receiving points:Sidney Crosby, 18;
Bernie Parent
, 15;
Nicklas Lidstrom
, 14;
Larry Robinson
, 12;
Scott Stevens
, 10; Patrick Kane, 9;
Glenn Anderson
, 7;
Yvan Cournoyer
, 6;
Bobby Clarke
, 4;
Steve Shutt
, 3;
Claude Lemieux
, 1;
Peter Mahovlich
, 1; Andrei Vasilevskiy, 1

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN
1. Wayne Gretzky; 2. Mike Bossy; 3. Ken Dryden; 4. Denis Potvin; 5. Patrick Roy; 6. Jari Kurri; 7. Bryan Trottier; 8. Mark Messier; 9. Mario Lemieux; 10. Bobby Orr; 11. Guy Lafleur; 12. Paul Coffey; 13. Billy Smith; 14. Steve Shutt; 15. Larry Robinson; 16. Peter Mahovlich
TIM CAMPBELL
1. Wayne Gretzky; 2. Ken Dryden; 3. Jari Kurri; 4. Billy Smith; 5. Bob Gainey; 6. Mike Bossy; 7. Bryan Trottier; 8. Jacques Lemaire; 9. Mark Messier; 10. Dennis Potvin; 11. Yvan Cournoyer; 12. Guy Lafleur; 13. Bobby Clarke; 14. Bobby Orr; 15. Larry Robinson; 16. Sidney Crosby
NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
1. Patrick Roy; 2. Wayne Gretzky; 3. Mario Lemieux; 4. Bernie Parent; 5. Ken Dryden; 6. Bob Gainey; 7. Jari Kurri; 8. Jacques Lemaire; 9. Mike Bossy; 10. Bryan Trottier; 11. Mark Messier; 12. Dennis Potvin; 13. Martin Brodeur; 14. Nicklas Lidstrom; 15. Patrick Kane; 16. Sidney Crosby
WILLIAM DOUGLAS
1. Wayne Gretzky; 2. Mike Bossy; 3. Mario Lemieux; 4. Patrick Roy; 5. Mark Messier; 6. Ken Dryden; 7. Bryan Trottier; 8. Jari Kurri; 9. Bobby Orr; 10. Billy Smith; 11. Guy Lafleur; 12. Paul Coffey; 13. Martin Brodeur; 14. Larry Robinson; 15. Glenn Anderson; 16. Sidney Crosby
MIKE G. MORREALE
1. Wayne Gretzky; 2. Mario Lemieux; 3. Ken Dryden; 4. Bobby Orr; 5. Mark Messier; 6. Nicklas Lidstrom; 7. Scott Stevens; 8. Sidney Crosby; 9. Mike Bossy; 10. Patrick Roy; 11. Patrick Kane; 12. Martin Brodeur; 13. Denis Potvin; 14. Jari Kurri; 15. Bernie Parent; 16. Andrei Vasilevskiy
TRACEY MYERS
1. Wayne Gretzky; 2. Mike Bossy; 3. Jari Kurri; 4. Patrick Roy; 5. Mark Messier; 6. Ken Dryden; 7. Mario Lemieux; 8. Bryan Trottier; 9. Billy Smith; 10. Guy Lafleur; 11. Paul Coffey; 12. Glenn Anderson; 13. Denis Potvin; 14. Larry Robinson; 15. Martin Brodeur; 16. Sidney Crosby
SHAWN P. ROARKE
1. Wayne Gretzky; 2. Patrick Roy; 3. Mike Bossy; 4. Ken Dryden; 5. Jari Kurri; 6. Mario Lemieux; 7. Jacques Lemaire; 8. Bobby Orr; 9. Denis Potvin; 10. Mark Messier; 11. Bryan Trottier; 12. Guy Lafleur; 13. Martin Brodeur; 14. Billy Smith; 15. Paul Coffey; 16. Claude Lemieux
DAN ROSEN
1. Wayne Gretzky; 2. Mike Bossy; 3. Patrick Roy; 4. Mario Lemieux; 5. Ken Dryden; 6. Denis Potvin; 7. Bryan Trottier; 8. Mark Messier; 9. Jari Kurri; 10. Bobby Orr; 11. Paul Coffey; 12. Billy Smith; 13. Guy Lafleur; 14. Larry Robinson; 15. Martin Brodeur; 16. Sidney Crosby
MIKE ZEISBERGER
1. Wayne Gretzky; 2. Patrick Roy; 3. Mike Bossy; 4. Guy Lafleur; 5. Mario Lemieux; 6. Mark Messier; 7. Denis Potvin; 8. Ken Dryden; 9. Martin Brodeur; 10. Bryan Trottier; 11. Bobby Orr; 12. Billy Smith; 13. Sidney Crosby; 14. Jari Kurri; 15. Paul Coffey; 16. Patrick Kane