NHL's April 30th: Own Goals & Comebacks

0:00It's April 30th. This is NHL News Today, powered by AI Everything Happening With Your Team. I'm Cory with the Story. April 30th packs a punch in NHL history, starting with Steve Smith's Nightmare in 1986. On his 23rd birthday, the Edmonton Oilers' Defenceman accidentally banked the puck off Goldie Grandfure into his own net late in game 7, against Calgary. That own goal killed their three-peat dreams after two stray cups, even though that squad boasted Wayne Gretzky's record 215 points, and four guys over a hundred, fast forward, and this state loves comebacks. In 1992, Detroit and Vancouver both rallied from 3-1 series holes to win their game 7s. Then in 2014, the King Shock San Jose after dropping the first three, marching to another cup. Just last year in 2023, Florida flipped a 3-1 deficit on Mighty Boston for a 4-3 overtime thriller. Fans still cringe over Smith's blunder, which haunted him by Bill Buckner's error.

1:02But he bounced back for a solid career in two more rings. Those comebacks fired of dynasties. King's repeated success, Panthers kept rolling deep into playoffs, showing how one bad bounce or hot streak flips. Seasons. Shock's feasted too, grabbing their first-ever series win in 1994 over Detroit, plus short-handed gyms from Patrick Marlowe and Hat. Tricks like Logan Coutures in 2019, odds and ends include Ken Dryden's Shutout Mastery in 1977, and Seattle upsetting Champs Colorado in 2023 game 7. From the first hockey hall of fame class announced in 1945 to these timeless twists, April 30th reminds us, playoffs thrive on. Chaos and clutch plays that echo forever.