The 1993 Campbell Conference Final is an unforgettable piece of Toronto Maple Leafs history. That ’93 playoff run was a magical time for Leafs Nation. It was the first time in eons that the Leafs had come close to a championship.
The Maple Leafs weren’t a polished team exuding skills and finesse. They were largely a rag-tag group that featured plenty of guts and a talented core. It was a team of destiny that was earmarked for a date with the Montreal Canadiens.
But a fella named Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings got in the way. The Leafs played in the Campbell Conference at the time (which would become the Western Conference), and were on a trajectory to meet the Kings.
The Leafs dispatched the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues in two tough seven-game series. The Leafs’ series with the Kings would also go to seven. But it could have ended before that.
Toronto entered Game 6 at the Great Western Forum up 3-2. A win would have set up the first playoff meeting between the Leafs and Canadiens since 1979. It would have also set up a dream Stanley Cup Final.
The dream was almost shattered late in the third period. But it was Wendel Clark’s heroics that tied the contest and sent it to overtime.
Here’s a look at Clark’s game-tying goal late in the third period of Game 6:
Clark had one of the best games of his life. His hat trick powered the Leafs to a 4-4 tie. The game would go into overtime. As I detailed in a previous post, Gretzky’s controversial high stick on Doug Gilmour set up the game-winner.
The series would head back to Toronto, and, well, the rest is history.
Wendel Clark brought Maple Leafs fans alive
Game 6 fell on a school night. It was a Thursday night. Since the game was in Los Angeles, it dragged on late into the night on the East Coast. In those days, my parents didn’t like me staying up late to watch games.
So, I would secretly listen to games on the radio in my room. I recall hearing Clark’s goal. The Forum was buzzing as the game was winding down, and Kings fans thought the series would be tied.
When Clark scored, the announcer’s voice hit the roof. It was one of the most exciting moments in the entire 1993 postseason.
I must have fallen asleep during the overtime intermission. When I woke up, everything seemed as if nothing had happened, but when I checked the radio and TV, the score was plastered all over the media.
The Kings had won in overtime.
But that moment in which Wendel Clark scored brought an untold joy to a long-suffering fan base. The talk after Game 6 was that the Kings didn’t have a chance at Maple Leaf Gardens. But then again, Gretzky played “the greatest game of his career.”
It was poetic justice that the Canadiens sent Gretzky and the Kings packing in five. I have to admit I felt somewhat vindicated by the Canadiens’ victory.
32 years later, I hold no grudges for the high stick. But I have also come to realize just how gutsy Wendel Clark’s performance was. Sure, there have been other great performances in the NHL since then.
However, fans will be hard-pressed to find one more memorable than Clark’s Game 6 exploits in 1993.