BY MARK SPECTOR
sportsnet.ca
A Game 7 is special, and here's a look at all the previous Game 7s in Stanley Cup final over the years.
1942 - The Germans were marching through Europe with World War II underway. In the greatest third period comeback in Game 7 history, the Toronto Maple Leafs scored three times to defeat Detroit 3-1. The game was played in Toronto, before the first crowd over 16,000 in Canadian history.
1945 - Two rookies, Toronto's Frank McCool and Detroit's Harry Lumley, faced each other in a Stanley Cup final for the first time. McCool prevailed 2-1 in Game 7 in a series that featured five shutouts.
1950 - Bumped from their building by the circus, the New York Rangers played Games 2 and 3 of their series against Detroit in Toronto. Playing without an injured Gordie Howe, Detroit wins at the 28:31 mark of overtime on a goal by Pete Babando. It was the first Game 7 OT in Cup history.
1954 - Tony Leswick scores the last Game 7 overtime goal in finals history, as Detroit beats Montreal. Red Wings president Marguerite Norris accepts the Cup from Clarence Campbell, the first woman to do so.
1955 - The year of the Richard Riots in Montreal, Detroit's Gordie Howe set a new record with 12 points in the finals. Detroit beats Montreal in seven, with the home team winning all seven games.
1964 - Toronto beats Detroit 4-0, as Bobby Baun plays the entire Game 7 on what is later found to be a broken leg.
1965 - Montreal's Gump Worsley gets the shutout over Chicago in Game 7, as the home team once again wins all seven games. Jean Beliveau wins the first ever Conn Smythe Trophy awarded.
1971 - Henri Richard scored the tying and winning goals over Chicago. Rookie Ken Dryden wins the Conn Smythe, and the Mahovlich brothers - Frank and Pete - score nine goals in the seven-game final.
1987 - Edmonton wins Game 7 at home by a 3-1 score, the Oilers third Cup victory. Philadelphia goalie Ron Hextall wins the Conn Smythe in a losing cause.
1994 - The New York Rangers end a 54-year Cup drought, beating Vancouver in seven games. Mark Messier scores the game-winner.
2001 - Ray Bourque finally wins a Stanley Cup as the Colorado Avalanche defeat New Jersey.
2003 - New Jersey defeats an Anaheim team that features head coach Mike Babcock and a winger named Dan Bylsma. It is hockey's nadir, with obstruction and stick fouls ruling the day. The game is revamped shortly thereafter.
2004 - Ruslan Fedotenko scores both goals as Tampa Bay beats Calgary 2-1 in Game 7. The team that scores first wins all seven games, in another rodeo of a series that contributed to a rulebook overhaul the following year.
2006 - No. 8 seed Edmonton forces a Game 7 but loses 3-1 in Carolina. It's the Hurricanes first and only Stanley Cup victory.
2009 - In the first road win of the Final, the Pittsburgh Penguins go into venerable Joe Louis Arena and beats the Detroit Red Wings 2-1. It was the first time a road team won a major North American championship in Game 7 since the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles in the '79 World Series.
