How it unfolded
The Islanders sought a fifth straight title carrying a record nineteen consecutive playoff series wins. A year earlier they had swept Edmonton while Wayne Gretzky went goalless in four games. Game 1 at Nassau Coliseum flipped the script: Grant Fuhr shut out New York and Kevin McClelland's lone goal won 1–0. After the Islanders took Game 2, Edmonton won three straight at home. Gretzky scored twice in the first period of Game 5 to break last year's silence; the Oilers won 5–2 for their first Cup. Mark Messier won the Conn Smythe. Edmonton's 446 goals that season remain the NHL record; Gretzky had 87 goals and 118 assists for 205 points. New York's dynasty ended, and players from both sides visited each other's rooms afterward — a scene replayed in retrospectives for decades.
Why it still matters
The handoff between dynasties. The Islanders' structure and defence yielded to Edmonton's speed and volume attack. The aesthetic of 1980s hockey tilted Oilers-ward after this night, and a roster with Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, and Coffey would win five Cups and rewrite the record book.