1991 Lewis Cup Finals

The PHL’s past met its future in the 1991 Lewis Cup Finals. The St. Louis Spirits, led by David Appleby, now statistically the greatest player in PHL history, were seeking their fifth Lewis Cup in a decade. The Montreal Royale, led by young superstar Vincent Ducharme, were seeking the third championship in their history and the first since 1968.

Game one in Montreal was close. St. Louis gained the lead early and despite the Royale continuously tying the game, the Spirits always retook the lead. St. Louis held a 4-3 lead with only 13 seconds left in the game when Sylvain Landry tied it once again. Goaltenders Victor Malmsten and Jaroslav Danek then put on the performance of a lifetime, forcing the game into triple overtime. With only 33 seconds left in the third OT, Adam Lawless scored to give St. Louis the win and a 1-0 series lead. Game two was another close one, with Montreal once again pressing for the tying goal in the final minutes down a goal. With just 19 seconds left, Ducharme was sprung on a breakaway. The Montreal crowd rose to their feet and began to roar as Ducharme got closer to the net. He deked Danek, attempting to squeeze the puck past him on the far left side. Somehow, Danek stretched out his pad and stopped Ducharme cold. Seconds later, Grant Millen put the puck in the empty net to seal the win for St. Louis and give them a 2-0 lead in the series.

Heading to St. Louis for game three, things did not look good for Montreal. After losing the first two games at home, the Royale now had to win at least two in St. Louis. Game three looked good, as Montreal jumped to a 3-0 lead on the strength of a Ducharme hat-trick. As the second period began, the Spirits began to push. David Appleby scored twice in 28 seconds to bring the Spirits within one. Ducharme completed the hat-trick to give Montreal a 4-2 lead late in the second period, before Niklas Ekberg responded quickly to once again make it a one-goal game. Montreal pressed hard to regain their two-goal lead, but Danek met every challenge. Finally, with less than two minutes left, 20-year veteran defenseman Toby Griffin scored to tie the game. Five minutes into overtime, Appleby completed a hat-trick of his own to give St. Louis a commanding 3-0 series lead. The showdown everyone had been anticipating between Appleby and Ducharme had arrived and the veteran Appleby clearly had the upper hand.

With the Cup in the arena for game four, Montreal was in pure survival mode. St. Louis opened the scoring on a goal from Lawless, before Montreal responded with a goal from JC Girard. Just moments later, Grant Millen gave St. Louis a 2-1 lead before Appleby made it 3-1. It appeared the Spirits had the Cup in their grasp. Late in the second period, Roy Jones took a roughing penalty, giving Montreal a powerplay. The Royale wasted no time, with Ducharme scoring to bring the game within one. Back in the game, Montreal was not prepared to give up. Trevor Ramsey scored his first goal of the series to tie the game. It looked like the game would go to OT once again. With just 1:18 left in the third period, Montreal defenseman Hannes Rehnquist gave Montreal the lead with a hard shot from the point. St. Louis pushed for the tying goal but Sylvain Landry scored the empty-netter to secure the win for Montreal and push the series to a game five back home. The Royale now had a chance to get back into the series with a win on home ice. Ducharme opened the scoring. Just three minutes later, Girard made it 2-0. It looked like the series was headed to a sixth game as the first period closed and the second began. Suddenly, Appleby hit Lawless with a long pass, springing him on a breakaway. Lawless deked Malmsten and scored. The crowd was silent, as if they knew what was about to happen. Appleby and Ekberg each scored just minutes later to give the Spirits a 3-2 lead. In the third period, things finally unraveled for Montreal, as Appleby scored his second of the game, Kevin Cummins scored his first of the playoffs, and Grant Millen scored what would ultimately be his final PHL goal. The aging Spirits took home their fifth Lewis Cup in less than a decade with a 6-3 win. Grant Millen and Terry Wolfe both announced their retirement during the celebration, while Toby Griffin stated he too was unsure if he would be back. For Montreal, the loss was disappointing, but there was no question the Royale had a very special player in Ducharme, who had scored some huge goals for the team and was a valuable leader throughout the post-season. Ducharme and Appleby had indeed provided a battle for the ages and though Ducharme and the Royale were clearly the better team on paper, Appleby and the veteran Spirits simply knew how to win, even against an arguably superior opponent. Despite the loss, Don Shelburne felt the Royale had made some important strides and learned some valuable lessons during the run. “Our team really grew up this spring” said Shelburne. “Sometimes you have to lose to learn how to win. I have full confidence this is a championship team, the next step is to finish the job.”