1982 LOS ANGELES VS. EDMONTON

‘MIRACLE ON MANCHESTER’

Ngwaams etheeardlvy.iceTDhatryl EVER LEAVE A HOCKEY Evans had given hwiassOiHnLmbailjloert jpuanrieonrtsafwtehretnhheye mNiiasgsaerdaaFgarlelsaFt clyoemrse.bTahceklbeysstohne yweoaurlsdlapterorvwehteon bthee fboirltleutitdoauds htLwhoahepsepmAneningagehedrtleyosotEoKkdiemnbgeoEsnviwtanonenrsCeOaahlinilofedosrrtsinhniingas bseusptpGofoa-smfievedet3oseolrafisetasvfetihrryastl-orwnoagus.nnd’t theEvevnautnhtoeudgh ‘TthreiplKeingCsrohwand LTainyelo’ roafnMd aCrhcaerlliDe iSoinmnme,erD, athve s1ap9se8llo1l,g-8.a2Snidmcamtmheeprawitgeanasmhuacdrotufbloderne’nat ri,npgroomf pctoinagchthPeamrkiedrgseatsionngefai MmaecnDt oDnoalnd. PerWryhilhead reaplaitcteleemnotreeredsutchcespsl,aythoeffsKainsgosnestoilfl the biggest underdogs in NHL history: Edmonton finished 48 points ahead of Los Angeles in ftlhueshstwanitdhinfugtsu. rTehHeaOlliolefrFsamweres Msuecshsiears, PWaauylnCeofGferye,tzJakryi, KMuarrki, sGornan, tbuFtuhthrearne’ds GalerneansoAnndyeoruastniyllthianvgecatonhpalapypethne. games – NHILn pthlaeyfoirffsst, rthouenGdreoafttWhees1t9e8rn2 Forum, located on Manchester Ave., played host to one of the most shocking games ever.

Entering 1981-82, the Kings felt positive, coming off a second-place finish in the Norris Division – their final year before moving over to the Smythe.

Wgoeodthtoeuagmh.tWwe had tahperTertitpyle JAY WELLS: (Los Angeles defenseman)

uCnrodwernoLuinr eb,ealtlsitatlnedesxopmereiegnocoed iytotuonggetghueyrs. . We just had to put

As a young player, you’re

MARK HARDY: (Los Angeles defenseman)

always coming in hoping you

cgaenttiwnigntao SthtaenplelayyCouffps,wbaust ojuusrt tdiroenasmwtehraethyiegahr,. tOhuoruegxhpIe’mctan-ot swuirteh huos.w many people agreed

The regular season proved to be disastrous, with Perry coming up from AHL New Haven after the Kings started 13-24-5 under MacDonald. Perry brought more structure as well as some ace rookies from the minors.

I was playing just like I

STEVE BOZEK: (Los Angeles left

did in college. I would jump

winger)

over the pbolaacred,sjuasntdfrIe’dewbeheaelllin,ghiet. bWrohuegnhDt omnoPrerdriysciapmliene. He took me aside and told me hwee’ndtfimneorme eth$a1n0a0 setvicekry’stliemnegtIh ainwaygafrmoem. the left-wing boards

Don was a tough Imraenmaenmdbberoouugrhftidrsist cmipolrine- .

HARDY:

ihnagrdskeratehain Ma opnratrcetiacle. I. t was

BERNDIEonNwICaHs OinLNLSew: (LHosaAvnegenles

uwpitthomcoeabcehfothre hKeinwgsa.sTbhreoyught

center)

had the Triple Crown Line but nOontemofutcheoffifresnt stehianfgtesrhtehdatid. was call me up. I had been up a couple times earlier but never to stay. Under Don, I had three hoatmterigckasmiensm, syo fIirksntetwhrIeecould score at that level. SaginaIwgoGtecarlsletdheupyetaorthbefIoHrLe’,s

DARYL EVANS: (Los Angeles left winger)

swohIehnaDdoancwhansceoatochminagkethaenre, impression. I scored three goals aganmd ehsa,dsotwhoe asskiesdtsminetthoresteick athroemungdothoen teoawmi.nI twhaetchaemd pi

Tonhsehnipex, stoyetharatwpeaiwdedrievbidoetnhds. in New Haven. I was following chaisll-puaptht.oItLwosaAs ngrgealetst.oTgheetrtehe were 14 games remaining, and it was right at the deadline, so I tkhnewseaI’sdobne. Ith’segrerefaotrwthheerneysot uof ygoetua’recocacphabwleho fk. nows what

During the regular season, the Kings beat Edmonton just once in eight games, with the highflying Oilers outscoring Los Angeles 51-27. Still, the Kings were excited for the challenge once the post-season arrived.

The Oilers stomped BOZEK: ahlaldonv’etrwuosnthanatytyheianrg, byuet ,tihtey was still the Islanders at the tEidmme.oIntoanlo, ittowf oulrdgbaemcelossweiatht first. They’d be up 5-3 and then run up the lead at the end.

We would get psyched uWpebwige-rteimnevaegrasincsatreEd,mbeocnatuosne. WELLS: wthemth.oTuhgehyt pwreovceoduludsmwartocnhg during the regular season. They were a very skilled team, and so were we. We didn’t match up well against Calgary or Vancouver or Winnipeg, those were pblhoyosdicbaaltbhast.tWlees, were more of a free-spirited team. Edmonton pcwolaausylned’rtcsto.hnattasincacreyrtiaf iwne to be awaWre oafl wahyesrhead HARDY:

Gicree. tTzhkeyywhaasdoanltohteof tgorekantopwlawyehresr. eWWe ahyande MKGureerstrsziikewyrawws,aawss,.hwTehrheyrMehaJaradkri ianlgotoouft foirfethpeowQeure.bCeocmdLeafegnuseeamsaann, Iohffaednstiove olewarnnetnodtafikrestc. are of my

Game 1 began as expected, with Edmonton jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the first period. But the Kings were unbowed and, believing in their own firepower, kept pushing. The result was a back-and-forth goalfest, capped off by a Nicholls empty-netter to give L.A. a shocking 10-8 victory on Edmonton ice.

It was a wild and woolly game. Goals were going

BOZEK:

in from everywhere. All of a siubdlydewnewceouthldoupglahyt,w“OitKh,tphoes-e gPueyrrsy. Wtoeldcauns,s“cDooren,’ttoboe.l”ieDvoen what you read in the papers.”

We obviously knew that Edmonton could score, but

NICHOLLS:

swceoraelsgookanlse,wtotoh. aCthwareliceoSuilmd - mer, who had broken his leg tohffetyhealrepgrtihoar,tthaedpaupckingioneist. The goals were going in from everywhere.

That was the first season that rosters were ex

EVANS: panded from 19 skaters to 20, aotchhearnwcies.eDIownosualidnt’ot hmaev,e“IhfaId have a chance to dress you, I pwoilsli,tbiveecaeunseergyyo.uI’mbrinnogtagoloint gof tohepblaeynycohu.”,IbeuntdIewdaunpt wyoiuthon gfoaumreponints, the first star of the in my first playoff game. It

Hockey Night In Canada

was a dream come true.

Ifiwrsatspalaryoooffksi.eA, sftoerittwhatsgmamy e,

GRANT FUHR: (Edmonton goalie)

IatshhoourgthctaIrewear.sWgohienngytouhalovsee your first NHL playoff game 108th, eit’fsunobtagcokotdh.eBnu, tiftyhoaut wplasyed bad, you got blown out.

Game 2 was a much more lowscoring affair, with Gretzky giving Edmonton a 3-2 win in overtime and salvaging a split for the Oilers at Northlands Coliseum.

Going into Game 2, everybody figured we had al

EVANS:

ready overachieved by winning a game. When Gretzky scored in overtime, there was a sigh of rfaenlise.fWfrhoemnEIdlomooknbtaocnk at it, yeah, we could’ve had a stranglehold on the series if we had won, but we still nsaemedeedetsopperlaytiwonitthhtahte we did in Game 3.

Game 3 shifted the series to Los Angeles, where the Great Western Forum was known as the home of the NBA’s ‘Showtime’ Lakers rather than the NHL’s lower-profile Kings.

8,000 orW9e,0w00erfeanosnalyggaemtteing

BOZEK:

bRacnkgethrseno,ruIns laenssdeDrestrwoeitreorinthe tohwatnb.uWiledivnegr.y seldom sold out fan base Wthend,ibdun’ttthaevre awgarseat

WELLS:

pelaecckteridc.itTyhtohuagthnIigthtin. Ikt swoams e Eofdtmheonpteoonp, lneoctaums.e out to see

Down 5-0 after two periods, the Kings did nothing to convince the fans that the home team was going to give them a good show. But L.A. refused to pack it in. They also got some ammunition from the cocky Oilers, especially legendary coach Glen Sather.

being outplaWyeedw. Iefryeodue’rfeinitely

NICHOLLS:

dofobwand5b-o0u, nitc’sesnotrbpeuccakulsueck. They dwoemreinraotlleidn.g pretty good.

It was a crazy, runandE-dgmunonstyolne Oofilgearms gea. mIt ew. aIfs

EVANS:

twyhoheuaOltoieloevkresrbytaobcokddoaymt eGixnapameteec.t1eWd, te,hfoart’s kwneehwadwteowcehraenogeutscolamsesethdi,nsgo. ewceauwsertehreerleaxweads. no pressBurteb,

At the end of the secohnudgepcehreiocdk, oJanyDWaveellsSethmrenwkao,

HARDY:

gwriagavhsettuhasteitarhhteoubuglgeuheslpginauryek,. a.Snedmtehnakto iWnEthLeLSd:reItswsinasg proreotmty. Acalomt of twimrietes-yooffu. ’Breutdtohwisnfealnt diftf’esrawenitn..WOeurstfiolcl ubselwieavsetdowgeo coouutld ayonud kjunsotwpiwckhawt raeya. lBlyutgodtome? hfWiafthdhetngootsahkle,ayItewscpaoasrseotdnththeierfiboceunratcnhhd.or bNuot tohnelycowaecrhewthaesy, tmooo.cNkoinwg, us, ISahtahver,nhoethwinags a garienasttcGolaecnh, pbut taofisreeinhiomursmtaiirlk. ing, that sBuOpZeErKst:aIrtswcahsirnp’tinsgo,mbutcthhtehye’d let you know they thought the series would be over soon. That was their persona, they knew they were good.

Another indignity for the Kings came when team owner Jerry Buss left the game after two periods.

Back then, the obwenncehre’ s.bIot xwwasasa bliettlweebeonx,thsoe

NICHOLLS:

we go out for the third period, and we know it’s empty.

A lot of people left. But they ended up coming back in

EVANS:

fhreoamrdthaebofruetetwheaycowmhebnatchke.y stay sawTahneupneboeplilevtahbaltedid

HARDY:

hockey game.

We just wanted to keep playiwngelhl ainrdt.hWe ethjiursdt pdeidrino’td.

FUHR:

You give a team with skill some offensive chances, it’s going to citodmide.back and bite you. And

Early in the third period, Wells scored his first career NHL playoff goal to make it 5-1.

That put the certification on what we wanted to

EVANS:

taicmcoemouprlisfahn. sIthwaadsathcheafnircset to dchuecerdsaitntcheewsetawrteoref tihnetrgoa-me. Wyohuewnaynotut’oreadt olewanstlbikreathkatth, e other team’s shutout, and we broke it. Then it’s 5-2, and you tahbilnek.”,W“Ailtlhri9g:h5t6, irte’smraeisnpiencgt,-a couple of us got misconducts,

I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST GLEN SATHER, BUT TO SEE HIM SMIRKING, THAT PUT A FIRE IN OUR TAIL – Jay Wells, L.A. Kings

sto gtheteboanclky iwnaaygIa’dinbies iafbtlhee KgaomraebwaenndtIinwteoroevtearlktimnge.oJnerry the way back to the dressing room…we just wanted a chance to get back in the game.

Simmer scored to make it 5-3, then, with five minutes left in regulation, Oilers center Garry Unger caught Kings defenseman Dave Lewis with a high stick, drawing blood and a major penalty in the process. But Lewis also got a minor on the play. On the 4-on-4, Hardy put a backhand past Fuhr, and suddenly it was 5-4.

the Oilers stiWllearsecno’rtewtworor,iebdu.t NICHOLLS:

They’ve still got that cocky grin. aBnudt stphoerptlsaacreeisfugnoniny,gitc’rsa5z-y4. ,

At the time, we were tPghraietnaHktiuongpghp, e“osHrgteuoyn,twiatyeb’hrveeargkeo.a”twTaahyenfor

BOZEK:

tmshcioesmrse.ssThthoheraytthwhaanoduesldodhmbauavtnedypidnunet ’atthr-e game away.

With the clock winding down, the Kings pulled goalie Mario Lessard for an extra attacker. Los Angeles filled the zone, and chaos reigned as players battled for the puck. Eventually, Jim Fox stripped Gretzky of the puck and got it to Hardy at the point with just seconds remaining.

The building was going crazy. Fox got the puck

HARDY:

odfipf osyf -Gdroeotzdkliynga,nadsdhied alwlitatyles wdiads. nH’teaghotaritdbsahcokt,tobumt eI gaontdi,tit thereorseuh.goIhtf.eqIlulwidcaokswlyen,xahanafdtuesBrtoeI zdteo. kokwas

It was a reaction. I kthne wgaimt we,amsanyebaer ftohueresnedconf ds

BOZEK:

Firteuomhnra’nisnelietn,ggas,n.sdoiIt waentetdhrtoupguht

Bozek scores and all hell breaks loose. When you

NICHOLLS:

wgehtamt homapepnetnusm. going, it’s crazy

All the passion, will and the hatred we had for Edpmeorniotodn.

HARDY: Tcaalmk aeboouuttian mthiartacthleir..d.

The game headed to OT, and the Oilers got a golden opportunity early when Lessard left his crease to play a dump-in, only to collide with the rapidly approaching Anderson. The puck skipped to Messier with a wideopen net. But, under pressure from defenders he fired a backhander well wide.

It seemed like it hthaopupgehntetdoimn yslsoewlf, m“Tohteiorne’.sI no

EVANS: way it can end like this.” Mario’s reaction, that sigh of relief, said it all. They had missed two breakaways in the third, so afSteormtheabto,ditysweeamnted luiksetodewsitnin. y.

Yeah, it was over. That’s it, right? But it’s the old

NICHOLLS:

saying, it ain’t over til it’s over. People miss open nets. People miss layups. Today, Messier wouldn’t miss that shot.

With a second life, the Kings got a faceoff in the offensive zone. Doug Smith took the draw, with Evans on the wing.

faceoff, and iStmjuistht gwooens tohe

NICHOLLS: show you how important those offensive-zone draws can be. Daryl could shoot the puck. That was his best skill.

Back then there was ownelryeosnideeh-atos-hsimdearwk,itshotyhoeuother

EVANS: player. I was lined up against Kevin Lowe, so I backed off two or three feet so I’d have space. Doug won the faceoff perfectly.

They had a Hall of Fame goalie, but Daryl put it

NICHOLLS:

right under the bar, a perfect shot. No one could’ve stopped it. The ol’ storybook finish. me withI waagsosoedt.sDhoart.yl just beat

FUHR:

areMnaadansesEs vadnesscbeonldteedd toonwatrhdes the other end of the ice in celebration before he was tackled by ecstatic teammates and they slid en masse into the end boards. The Kings had erased a 5-0 deficit to take a 2-1 series lead. The game would forever be known as the ‘Miracle on Manchester.’

Evans wasn’t a fast skater, but he was past us (in

WELLS:

wcehleabt rhaatpiopne)nbeedf.oErveewnteukanlleyw, tNhiecnhoIlglsogt oatsatisctkicoknohnimhiman, dand we tackled him.

It was shock on both sides.

BOZEK:

Never give up, no matter what the score is. That’s

HARDY:

mawnhydaptIlatohyoaintkggtahdmatyesint, amtouygthctoeamrceehs,itnogf mcaereseormaentdhionfgf-iacbeoluiftel.iIfte.taught

We knew we let it get away. You blow a 5-0 lead and

FUHR:

it hurts.

The Oilers recovered to win Game 4 by an uncommonly low score of 3-2. The series shifted to Edmonton for the final game, something no one predicted. As proof of this, L.A.’s ownership hadn’t booked a flight, so the Kings’ players had the awkward experience of having to fly on the Oilers’ charter back to Edmonton.

How strange is that? Your organization doesn’t have

BOZEK:

eanhoouteglhofraiathflignhytofuortoGbamooek5. Edmonton had a charter plane, sWoew’re jbuomthpestdaonndiwngitahttthheem. tliekremitin’saal, pstraormindgaantcea, cnhoobtohdeyr wants to mingle.

The series should’ve btoeeshnaorveear.pTlhaenefa?cIt weouhladdn’t

FUHR:

bheavtteerh.appened if we played

The winner-take-all series finale turned out to be a onesided affair, with Los Angeles pouring it on and beating a shocked Edmonton side 7-4.

We dominated bGuatmeeve5r. yItdhoing’t wkneonwt owurhy,

NICHOLLS:

wthaeym. W1e0 cmoourlde htiamvespalanydendot awnoynthoincgec, abnuthtahpapte’sns. ports…

All the pressure was on them. We had already won

EVANS: in their building, so we had a tlohteogfacmone.fiAdnedncweehdeiadditn.gWineto outgunned the gunners.

I don’t know if it was true, but we heard that Fuhr BOZEK: had a shoulder problem, so if you watch the game, you’ll see wgloe’vre-asildweayhsigthryoinghtimo s. hoot

WE COULD HAVE PLAYED THEM 10 MORE TIMES AND NOT WON ONCE, BUT THAT’S SPORTS – Bernie Nicholls, L.A. Kings

start ofIthweassehriuerst, bjuesftonreothe

FUHR:

ennoot uevgehntosoamffectthminyg pI lcayn. Ipt’ust 2blanmdeGoanm. Iep4la. yed fine in Game

The impossible had been accomplished, and the comeback was complete. No matter how big the gulf in the standings, no matter how much the Oilers had guffawed during Game 3, it was Los Angeles moving on to the second round. Though the Kings would fall unceremoniously to Vancouver in Round 2, the Miracle on Manchester provided an indelible entry for the hockey history books.

A lot of us just looked aYorouucnodutldhelodorkesastitnhgerpoloamye. r

HARDY:

agacrvoesesvferroymthyinoug hanedhasday, ahned he scaomuled. lIotowkaastoynoeuoafntdhesamyotshte hard-fought series I’ve ever beveernyiwnh. Tehr e.rWe we heraediwceebnatgs through a war.

We learned that you have to play 60 minutes. You

FUHR:

give a team a chance to come back and they’ll hurt you, so keep your foot on the gas pedal. We learned that, and twhaeynteoxthyeeCarupwfeinwael,nwt halelrtehewe lost to a very good New York Islanders team.

We had nothing to lose, and they had everything

BOZEK:

to lose. That series shouldn’t have gone that far. They were supposed to go to the Stanley KCuinpgfsinwael,raenjudstthae sLpoeseAdnbguemleps. more shockeWdethwaenrethperyowbaebrley.

NICHOLLS:

We slayed the dragon. > This story originally appeared in The Hockey News’ May 8, 2017 edition