On This Date February 2, 1989: Ending the Streak
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Ground Hog's Day of failing to win at the Spectrum, which had been the Pittsburgh Penguins' ordeal for 15 years, ends. The Penguins win a road game in Philadelphia for the first time since January 20, 1974, defeating the Flyers 5-3. Over the 15 years, the Penguins went winless in 42 games at the Spectrum, losing 39 with three ties. Pittsburgh gets goals from five different players, with Marion Lemieux having a pair of assists.
The Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins joined the NHL simultaneously as part of the six-team expansion in 1967. Four decades earlier, the NHL had tested both markets in Pennsylvania, as the Pittsburgh Pirates were among the first American-based teams in the NHL. After five seasons, the Pirates moved east to Philadelphia, becoming the Quakers. The Quakers lasted one season, as a planned arena was canceled due to the financial strains of the depression.
When the NHL expanded from six to 12 teams in 1967, the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins were among the new teams; the Penguins struggled in the early years, making the playoffs just twice in their first six seasons, winning one series. The Flyers had their own struggles but were starting to put together a strong foundation of bruising hockey. In the 1973/74 season, the Penguins missed the playoffs, while the Flyers won the Stanley Cup.
Over the next decade, the Penguins went into an abyss, while the Flyers repeated as Stanley Cup Champions in 1975. The Flyers remained one of the stronger teams; they went to four additional Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins, meanwhile, went through bankruptcy and won two preliminary round series and never made it to the Conference Finals. Things began to improve when Pittsburgh drafted Mario Lemieux in 1984. Still, the Penguins missed the playoffs in Mario's first four seasons, despite him becoming the second most recognizable star next to Wayne Gretzky.
With Mario Lemieux coming off an MVP season, the Penguins, with coach Gene Ubriaco hoped to take a stride towards the Stanley Cup in the 1988/89 season. The Flyers were a team in decline with new coach Paul Holmgren. However, the Flyers continued to make every game in the Spectrum feel like Ground Hog's Day for the Penguins as they won the first two meetings at home. On November 6, 1988, the Flyers edged the Penguins 5-4, and on December 8, 1988, the Flyers won 4-3 to extend the streak to 42 straight games without a loss to the Flyers at home.
When the Penguins skated into Philadelphia on February 2, 1989, it was Ground Hog's Day on the calendar. However, it felt like Christmas for the Flyers. The Flyers simply could say "I got you, babe" to the Penguins as they had a 42-game unbeaten streak against their Pennsylvania rivals at home. The Penguins' last win in Philadelphia was on January 20, 1974. The Penguins won 5-3 to end the Flyers' six-game winning streak. The Flyers went on to win the Stanley Cup; the Penguins missed the playoffs in 1974. The 42-game streak was pure dominance by the Flyers as they outscored their Keystone State rivals 223-95 over the 42 games, winning 39 with three ties. The Penguins were on their way to their first playoff appearance since 1982, holding a record of 28-18-4, while the Flyers were scratching and clawing in the Patrick Division at 26-23-3.
Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period as John Cullen scored on the power play. They made it 2-0 with under two minutes left on a goal by Phil Bourque. Less than a minute later, the Flyers got on the board with a goal by Ron Sutter. The Penguins dominated the second period, scoring twice to extend the lead to 4-1, as Bob Errey scored short-handed with an assist from Mario Lemieux at 7:07, while Rob Brown scored two minutes later.
Wendall Young had a strong game in goal when the Flyers showed signs of life in the third period, scoring at 1:09. However, Ron Hextall struggled in the Flyers' net and allowed the Penguins' fifth goal when Dan Quinn scored at 6:36. Pelle Eklund scored just over a minute later, but Philadelphia would not get closer, as Young stopped 39 shots to enable the Penguins to win 5-3.
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The Penguins would finish second at 40-33-7 and swept the New York Rangers to win their first playoff series in ten years. The Flyers finished fourth at 36-36-8 and squeezed into the playoffs, where they would upset the Washington Capitals in six games. This set up a showdown between the Pennsylvania teams with a trip to the Conference Finals on the line. Once again, the Flyers would frustrate their neighbors to the west, upsetting the Penguins in seven games. The Flyers would fall in six games to the Montreal Canadiens in the Wales Conference Finals.