On April 29, 1997, the Edmonton Oilers upset the Dallas Stars in Game Seven of their Western Conference Quarter-Finals series, with Todd Marchant beating Andy Moog in overtime. That goal has been played on a regular basis every year on the NHL Network, and has been talked about as one of the greatest moments in playoff history.
Well, that's not fair when it comes to the legacy of Moog, a pretty good goaltender during his era. Everybody talked about how Curtis Joseph, playing goal for Edmonton, was spectacular in helping the Oilers upset the heavily-favored Stars. But did you know that Moog had a career 3-0 record in Game Seven's while with the Boston Bruins? And prior to 1997, Joseph had been spectacular one year but brutal the next? In 1994, Joseph's St. Louis Blues were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Stars. In 1995, Joseph's Blues were eliminated in Game Seven in the first round by the Vancouver Canucks.
Meanwhile, exactly six years prior to the Marchant game, on April 29, 1991, Moog helped the Bruins defeat the Montreal Canadiens in a Game Seven for the first time in the history of that rivalry, stopping 35 shots to outduel Patrick Roy by a score of 2-1. No, Moog never won a Stanley Cup as a No. 1 goalie--he won three Cup rings as Grant Fuhr's backup but was in goal for the Oilers' first Cup-clinching game in 1984 with Fuhr injured--but he was solid in guiding the Bruins to the Finals in 1990, and to the Conference finals in 1991 and 1992. Not only that, Moog led the '81 Oilers past the heavily-favored Canadiens in the first round when he was an unheralded rookie. He also was the starting goaltender in the 1983 playoffs for Edmonton, but unfortunately, the Oilers ran into a red-hot Billy Smith of the Islanders in the Finals.
We'll take some time today to salute Moog for his efforts for the Bruins. Here's a clip of Moog in action against the Canadiens in 1991, courtesy this YouTube video uploaded by dafoomie:
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