October 7, 2026
October 7, 2026
1990-1991 Minnesota North Stars: Inspirational
After entering the National Hockey League in 1967, the Minnesota North Stars franchise had enjoyed success on the ice on multiple occasions, making several deep playoff runs. However, the one accomplishment that had eluded the franchise was an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. With fan attendance slipping and the team’s future in Minnesota uncertain, the North Stars were more eager than ever to reach hockey’s biggest stage.
The 1990-1991 North Stars went 27-39-14 with 68 points, a record that normally wouldn’t have been good enough to qualify for postseason play. However, the Norris Division and the Campbell Conference were highly competitive, with some teams dominating and others struggling to stay consistent. The North Stars finished 38 points behind the division-winning Chicago Blackhawks and earned the 7th seed.
The North Stars were generally successful defending their home ice, going 19-15-6 at the Metropolitan Sports Center. In head-to-head play, the North Stars went 3-0 against the Quebec Nordiques, 2-0-1 against the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1 against both the Hartford Whalers and New York Islanders, and 1-1-1 against the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks.
Center Dave Gagner had 40 goals and 42 assists for 82 points, with 20 power play goals, 14 power play assists and 5 game-winning goals on 223 shots. Left winger Brian Bellows had 35 goals and 40 assists for 75 points, with 17 power play goals, 16 power play assists and 4 game-winning goals on 296 shots. Right winger Mike Modano had 28 goals and 36 assists for 64 points, with 9 power play goals and 15 power play assists on 232 shots. Left winger Brian Propp had 26 goals and 47 assists for 73 points, with 9 power play goals and 24 power play assists on 171 shots.
Right winger Ulf Dahlen had 21 goals and 18 assists for 39 points on 133 shots. Center Bobby Smith had 15 goals and 31 assists for 46 points, with 7 power play goals and 13 power play assists on 121 shots. Center Neal Broten had 13 goals and 56 assists for 69 points, with 24 power play assists on 191 shots. Center Perry Berezan had 11 goals and 3 short-handed goals in 52 games played. Defenseman Mark Tinordi had 27 assists and 11 power play assists in 69 games played.
Goaltender Jon Casey was mainly responsible for keeping the North Stars in games. He went 21-20-11, allowing 158 goals in 3,185 minutes while recording 1,292 saves, an .891 save percentage, a 2.98 goals against average and 3 shutouts.
The Norris Division Semifinals pitted the North Stars against the Chicago Blackhawks, a team they had gone 1-5 against in head-to-head play. In Game 1 on April 4 at Chicago Stadium, the North Stars beat the Blackhawks 4-3 in overtime. Jon Casey had 20 saves, while Brian Propp scored the game-winning goal.
In Game 2 on April 6, the Blackhawks responded with a 5-2 win behind 28 saves from goaltender Ed Belfour. Returning home to the Metropolitan Sports Center for Game 3 on April 8, the North Stars lost to the Blackhawks again, 6-5. Center Jeremy Roenick scored the game-winning goal for Chicago. Minnesota responded by winning Game 4 on April 10 by a score of 3-1. The North Stars then made the Blackhawks’ return to Chicago Stadium an uncomfortable one, recording a 6-0 shutout win. Propp led the way with 2 power play goals and 1 assist. Finally, in Game 6 on April 14 at the Metropolitan Sports Center, the North Stars beat the Blackhawks 3-1. Brian Bellows had 2 goals and 1 assist.
The North Stars fared better against the St. Louis Blues in the Norris Division Finals. In Game 1 on April 18 at the St. Louis Arena, the North Stars beat the Blues 2-1, with Jon Casey making 31 saves. In Game 2 on April 20, the Blues beat the North Stars 5-2. The North Stars rebounded in Game 3 on April 22 and never looked back, winning 5-1 at the Metropolitan Sports Center. Casey came up big again with 29 saves. In Game 4 on April 24, the North Stars crushed the Blues 8-4 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Mike Modano, Brian Bellows and defenseman Brian Glynn each had 2 goals. In Game 5 on April 26 at the St. Louis Arena, the Blues won 4-2. In Game 6 on April 28, the North Stars eliminated the Blues with a 3-2 victory, led by 2 goals from Bobby Smith.
The Campbell Conference Finals pitted the North Stars against the Edmonton Oilers in what turned out to be an interesting matchup. In Game 1 on May 2 at the Northlands Coliseum, the North Stars won 3-1 as Casey made 27 saves. The Oilers came back to pound the North Stars 7-2 in Game 2 on May 4, with winger Petr Klima scoring 3 goals for Edmonton.
Back at the Metropolitan Sports Center for Game 3 on May 6, the North Stars won 7-3. Bellows had 2 goals and 1 assist, while Modano, Propp, Smith, Tinordi and right winger Shane Churla each scored 1 goal. In Game 4 on May 8, the North Stars won 5-1 with the help of 20 saves by Casey. Finally, in Game 5 on May 10 at the Northlands Coliseum, the North Stars put the Oilers away with a 3-2 victory.
The inspirational run of the Minnesota North Stars finally came to an end when they ran into the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals, falling 4 games to 2. Despite this unfortunate result, the North Stars had achieved something significant by going farther in the playoffs than ever before in franchise history. The North Stars took Game 1 on May 15 at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena with a 5-4 win. Neal Broten had 2 goals, and Casey remained great in net, recording 34 saves. In Game 3 on May 19 at the Metropolitan Sports Center, the North Stars won 3-1. Along with Casey’s 29 saves, Bobby Smith, Dave Gagner and left winger Gaetan Duchesne each scored 1 goal.
The Minnesota North Stars were inspirational in their deep playoff run, and it played a key role in keeping interest in the National Hockey League alive in the state of Minnesota.
Fact check before you publish (I didn’t change any facts above): The North Stars actually made the Stanley Cup Finals once before, losing to the Islanders in 1981, so the article’s claim that this was their first Finals appearance and furthest playoff run needs fixing. Mike Modano also played center, not right wing.
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