Game 7 performances against your former team

[LightningStorm]

I am posting this the same evening Mikko Rantanen had a 3rd period hat trick against the Avalanche, leading the Stars to a 4-2 win over them. Off the top of my head, this has the be the greatest game 7 performance any player has had against their former team. Are there any other notable game 7 performances a player had against his former team you could think of? Off the top of my head, one that comes to mind is Mike Keane, and funny enough he was another former Avs player for the Stars who, in the 1999 WCF game 7, had 2 2nd period goals extending the Stars 1-0 lead to 3-0 in their eventual 4-1 lead. Not quite at the same level as Rantanen tonight, but notable nonetheless.

What other game 7 performances against one's former team come to mind for you guys?

 

[The Panther]

Maybe Gretzky vs. Edmonton in 1989: 2 goals, 1 assist. It was significant in that he scored the opening goal, assisted on the eventual game winner, and then scored into the empty-net to clinch it.

 

[LightningStorm]

This is off topic, but adding to the two examples in my OP of the Avs getting burned by former players in series against the Stars was Matt Duchene's series ending OT goal in 2024. It was game 6 and only a single moment, but another example of the Avs getting hurt by a former Av against the Stars.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Mike Keane in 1999 really ticked me off as an Avs fan.

 

[vikash1987]

Jeff Friesen with 2 goals against Anaheim in Game 7 of the 2003 Cup Finals

 

[vikash1987]

Martin Gelinas with the Game 7 OT winner against Vancouver in ‘04 is another who comes to mind

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

This is off topic, but adding to the two examples in my OP of the Avs getting burned by former players in series against the Stars was Matt Duchene's series ending OT goal in 2024. It was game 6 and only a single moment, but another example of the Avs getting hurt by a former Av against the Stars.

duchene also made the gorgeous cross-crease pass on the GWG last night, ie the only goal that rantanen didn’t score

 

[Kahvi]

A bit of topic. The last time Dallas and Colorado went to 7 games, Dallas won with a hattrick from a Finnish player, Joel Kiviranta, who was with the Avs this time. So both Rantanen and Kiviranta have a hattrick in Dallas - Colorado game 7's, and have a 1-1 record in series where Dallas is 2-0.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

some old canucks examples:

first round, vancouver vs st louis in 1995: ronning, courtnall, and momesso combine for 10 goals, 17 pts, 3 GWGs (momesso assisted on the other GWG, scored by geoff’s little brother)

first round, vancouver vs flames in 1989: game one, paul reinhart, who calgary left for dead and thought nothing of giving away to a team in their division (a diss on both reinhart and the canucks), scores the OT winner, adding an assist, +3. game seven, reinhart sets up two PP goals, taking the presidents trophy flames to OT, before otto kicked it in. now just imagine that goal was called back and reinhart finished the job, that flames core has zero cups.

 

[LightningStorm]

Great moments some of you brought up that I'd forgotten about, most notably Friesen in 2003 SCF game 7. I did some more digging, and found the following 5 moments.

Rob Blake as an Av in 2001 scored the opening goal in game 7 against the Kings in their 5-1 win. He had only been in Colorado since the trade deadline after spending a decade in LA, the last 5 as their captain. Had 3 goals in that series.

Ruslan Fedetenko scored the first goal in a 2-1 win for the Lightning in game 7 against the Flyers in the 2004 ECF. He also had 6 goals that series against the team he played his first two seasons with.

Troy Brouwer scored the GWG in game 7 of the first round vs the Blackhawks in 2016. It was his first season in St. Louis following his 4 seasons in Washington that took place between when he was a Blackhawk and Blue.

Ben Bishop with the Stars against the Blues in the 2019 2nd round game 7. Yes this was a losing effort, but the Blues outshot the Stars 54-30, so it only came down to Pat Maroon's OT goal because of him. And while his Blues tenure was short, this still stands out since he's from St. Louis.

Philipp Grubauer stopped 33 of 34 shots in game 7 of the 2023 1st round against the Avalanche as the Kraken became the the first franchise to win their first ever playoff series against the defending champs.

Side note, I just noticed something crazy about the Avalanche in their 3 games they've been eliminated in the seasons following their 2022 cup win. They lose game 7 in 2023 to the Kraken 2-1, with Grubauer stopping 33 of 34 shots. They get eliminated in 6 the next season to the Stars when they lost 2-1 following Duchene's OT goal. And who scored both of the Avs lone goals in those two games? MIKKO RANTANEN. And then in 2025 he eliminates the Avs in the most dramatic fashion.

 

[Sergei Bure]

Mike Keane in 1999 really ticked me off as an Avs fan.

What about Belfour the year after?

 

[Bear of Bad News]

What about Belfour the year after?

Yes.

 

[mrhockey193195]

While it wasn't his most memorable goal from that series (see attached picture for that one ), Dan Carcillo did score the opening goal in game 7 of the 2014 ECQF for the Rangers over his former team, the Flyers.

 

[Moose Head]

Ken Dryden was originally a Bruins draft pick, and he came up huge in game 7 in 1971. He also beat them in game 7 in 1979, but was not very good that series.