The Montreal Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups in their franchise history, but haven't won since 1993 when they beat the Los Angeles Kings in five games. That last Stanley Cup, though, came with some controversy and one that has made the Canadiens one of the Kings' biggest villains in their history.
During that Stanley Cup, the Kings had won Game 1 pretty convincingly by a final score of 4-1 and looked to be on their way to a commanding 2-0 series lead with a 2-1 lead late in the third period. However, head coach Jacques Demers called over the refs and asked for a measurement on Marty McSorley's stick.
The result of that one decision seemingly set the Stanley Cup Final in a completely different direction. The refs would find that McSorley had an illegal curve on his stick and would have to serve a two-minute penalty.
This resulted in a power play for the Canadiens late in the third period and they capitalized with Eric Desjardins scoring the tying goal. However, the defenseman wasn't done there as he scored the game-winner in overtime to tie the series.
After that game, the games were competitive but the Canadiens seemingly found a way to win as they would win the next two games, both of which went to overtime. Then in the series-clinching game in Game 5, they would win in convincing fashion by a final score of 4-1.
Marty McSorley questions how the Montreal Canadiens knew
There is no question that these types of penalties are incredibly rare, and to call it at that point in a Stanley Cup, or even raise the concern, is one that brings skepticism from Marty McSorley.
In 2012, McSorley had an interview with LA Kings' Insider and mentioned he had heard the Canadiens had taken the stick rack and measured the sticks. Although he has no concrete evidence to confirm that belief.
"I think that Barry Melrose, I think that Luc Robitaille, (longtime trainer) Peter Demers, different guys around, have basically said what happened. We all know they basically pulled the stick rack into their locker room. That’s honest and that’s frank. Am I sitting here complaining? No. But that is what happened. Is it disappointing for me? Yes. It was disappointing for us, collectively, because we were a team, and boy were we a tight-knit team."
The Montreal Canadiens since then have denied the accusation and in the article it notes that Demers claimed people within the organization noticed McSorley's stick back in Game 1.
In the end, McSorley admitted he had an illegal stick and acknowledged that he knew. That shouldn't make the Canadiens the villain but there is no question that it changed the trajectory of that series. It didn't win them Games 3-5 but gave them the momentum that the Kings were never able to get back.
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