Edmonton Oilers' Steve Smith accidentally scores on himself while trying to clear the puck from his own zone. Perry Berezan is eventually credited with the goal.
I remember it too - not only did the team forgive him but so did the fans, which I found surprising and impressive (being a Rangers fan). Smith was a great defenseman, and that was a great team all around and a great set of hockey fans!
I still remember this.. it was heart wrenching. Edmonton never forgot, but the team forgave Smith when they won the cup the next year and handed it to Smith.
The funniest thing about it is the way they CONGRATULATE LANNY MCDONALD. And HE actually celebrates like he scored. Great post though. I never even knew this happened......Go DEVS!
I vividly remember this, though I think I was rooting for the Flames (being the underdog). I'm pretty sure the game had been tied 2-2, and that this turned out to be the game-winning goal in GAME 7. I was SURE Steve Smith would never be able to show his face again in Edmonton, BUT he WAS a great defenseman and the fans did indeed forgive him. Kudos to the Edmonton fans! Ranger fans (myself excepted) would not have been so forgiving!
@thesportsguy10 - Ultimately, he wasn't. MacDonald was initially credited with the goal as the nearest Flame to the puck when it went in. The rules say it goes to the last player to touch the puck, which was Perry Berezan. The goal was later changed to his name, though he was on the bench when Smith put it in.
I believe that it turned out to be the winning goal. Calgary eliminated Edmonton from the playoffs and went on to win their first and only Stanley Cup. Steve Smith (was apparently born in Scotland!) was later traded to Chicago and still had a pretty good career.
Well, he continued on to play a long career in NHL in Chicago, Calgary etc. with many 50+ points seasons (and he's a Defence man). This was just a terribly unfortunate accident for him...
@thesportsguy10 In hockey, the rule is, if the puck goes into a player's own goal off him, the goal is credited to the last guy from the other team to have touched the puck. Situations like this are rare, but it commonly happens when a puck is deflected by a player into his own net.
When Wayne Gretzky played for the Kings, he scored an own goal. No lie, he tried to retrieve the puck in his own crease but the puck slid off his stick into the net.
@prontoshadylane Your right about that particular case, but just for the records, when I was younger, it was possible for two team from the same division (or same conference) to play in the final. We saw Montreal-Boston a few times, Montreal-Rangers, Boston- Philly, etc...it was fun too. The format was the following, the 16 best teams made the playoffs, the 1st team of the league was playing against the 16th, the 2nd was playing against the 15th, etc... I know I used to like it like that...
No it wasn't overtime or the Finals. It was 5 minutes left in game 7 of the Smythe Division Finals. But it might have well been the Campbell Conference Finals, because the winner would play the Norris division winner & the Smythe divsion winner won the Conference 81-82 to 89-90.
@wingnut9090 : i think it's a 'Northland' helmet, they used to make sticks as well, pretty sure I had one in my teens... a stick that is, that helmet only worked on Lanny, Mikita and Foligno.
From May 19 1984 (at about 10:00pm/mt) to April 30, 1986 was the period in which the Edmonton Oilers' feces was odourless. But thanks to Steve Smith, the Oilers' feces began to stink again.
i remember watching ,,it really sucked lol. when the flames were getting off their plane later that night a bunch of fans were holding signs that said ' Thanks Steve" ' god bless steve smith" lol
I always wondered how the Flames goal got credited to Lanny originally. He didn't even touch it. It was eventually awarded to the guy who dumped it in, Perry Berezan. What game were the official scorers watching?
"you need four wins for a cup. shows how much you know" It takes four wins to take a series. It now takes a total of sixteen playoff wins to capture the Stanley Cup. I'm confused. Where, in my original post, did I state it takes less than four wins to win a Cup?
"This isn't funny at all. It's the "Bill Buckner" play of the NHL. Do you think Red Sox fans find Buckner's error hillarious? I'd bet the same goes for Oiler fans with Smith." I've always felt that Buckner was a pretty consistent player; and it's unfortunate he's forever remembered for that ground ball. In retrospect, it's too bad that Donnie Moore surrendered that home run to Dave Henderson. The irony is had the Angels finished off the Red Sox; Buckner's reputation would've been saved.
I remember this game. The Flames were an amazing team that year and I was rooting for them, but to see them win with THIS goal was kinda disappointing.
Believe it or not, but almost every defenceman scores on their own goal at one point or another in their career - or they come very close to doing it. Sadly, it really couldn't happened at a worse moment then this now historic game.
Anybody saw the movie " Full Metal Jacket"? There was A scene where Private Pile got knocked the shit out with soap wrapped in towels at night time, well thats what happened to Steve Smith that night!!!!!!!!
Oh god, how embarrassing...especially due to the fact that it was game 7 of a playoff game. Poor Steve Smith, he must've felt like shit for a long time. At least the Oilers won two in a row the next two seasons.
are you sure? bc the oilers had possetion of it which takes away your cousins shot. and Mcdonald was the 'force' on the play that 'made' him do that. plus the announcers clearly stated it was lanny.
After about 50 viewings over 20 years, I finally see how it happened...Fuhr's stick came downwards just as Smith passed the puck, and it went off Fuhr's stick and in, Smith thought there was a lane there to clear it cause Fuhr's stick was up at the time...does that sound right?
