Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 25, 1990 TAG: 9005250279
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BOSTON LENGTH: Medium
After taking a year to recover from the shocking trade of Wayne Gretzky, the Oilers won the NHL championship for the fifth time in seven years with a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
The Oilers won the series 4-1, taking all three games at Boston Garden, where the compact rink was supposed to cramp their flashy style.
They did it with more magical goaltending from Bill Ranford, more high-speed scoring by Glenn Anderson and Craig Simpson and more dazzling passing.
The slower Bruins never could catch up. In every game, the winning team took a 2-0 lead and never trailed.
Ranford was the reason Thursday night, stopping 30 shots on his way to the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs. Lyndon Byers spoiled his shutout bid with 3:30 remaining in the game, but by then, it didn't matter.
Ranford, who played all 22 of the Oilers' postseason games, tied an NHL record with 16 victories in this year's playoffs. The mark was set by Edmonton's Grant Fuhr in 1988 and matched by Calgary's Mike Vernon last year. Ranford held Boston to eight goals on 156 shots in the series.
The Oilers obtained Ranford in March 1988 for Andy Moog, Boston's starting goalie in each of the last 16 games.
It was another night of frustration for Boston's big scorers. Cam Neely, who had 55 regular-season goals, finished the series with no goals and four assists. Craig Janney, who had 19 assists in the previous three rounds of the playoffs, didn't get a point against Edmonton.
The Oilers, whose last Cup came in a 1988 sweep of the Bruins, won it on the road for the first time. They became the fifth team to win five Cups.
It was Edmonton's first title without Gretzky, who was traded to Los Angeles on Aug. 9, 1988.
by CNB