June 3: Desjardins has first hat trick by defenseman in Cup Final

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: June 3
1993:
Eric Desjardins
of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the first NHL defenseman to
score three goals
in the Stanley Cup Final … with a little help from Los Angeles Kings defenseman
Marty McSorley
's illegal stick.

The Kings lead the Canadiens 2-1 entering the final 2:00 of Game 2 at the Forum. But Montreal coach Jacques Demers, reportedly on the advice of captain
Guy Carbonneau
, asks that the curve on McSorley's stick be measured. After it's found to be in excess of the legal limit, referee Kerry Fraser sends him to the penalty box for using an illegal stick.
The Canadiens take advantage of the late power play when Desjardins scores his second goal of the game at 18:47, sending the game into overtime tied 2-2. Desjardins then beats
Kelly Hrudey
51 seconds into OT to give the Canadiens an improbable 3-2 win that sends the best-of-7 series to Los Angeles even at 1-1. It's the eighth consecutive overtime win for Montreal.
"Did I have an illegal stick? Yes, I did," McSorley says in 2012. "Did I stand up after the fact and say, 'Listen, I had an illegal stick?' Yes, I did."

MORE MOMENTS
1982:
Dave Keon
announces his retirement after 18 seasons in the NHL, the first 15 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Keon, a center who's one of the best two-way players in League history, ends his career with 396 goals and 986 points in 1,296 NHL games. He is a key member of the Toronto teams that win the Stanley Cup in
1962
,
'63
and
'64
, and again in
1967
when he's voted winner of the
Conn Smythe Trophy
as MVP of the playoffs.

2000:
Jason Arnott
has a goal and an assist, rookie defenseman
Brian Rafalski
has two assists and the New Jersey Devils defeat the Dallas Stars 2-1 in
Game 3 of the Cup Final
at Reunion Arena. Arnott ties the game 1-1 late in the first period and has an assist on a power-play goal by
Petr Sykora
early in the second.
Martin Brodeur
makes 22 saves for the Devils, who take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.
2004: The Calgary Flames tie an NHL single-season playoff record with their 10th road victory by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning
3-2 in overtime
in Game 5 of the Final.
Oleg Saprykin
beats
Nikolai Khabibulin
at 14:40 for the win after the Flames fail to hold 1-0 and 2-1 leads.
Miikka Kiprusoff
makes 26 saves for Calgary, which takes a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.
2013: The Boston Bruins score four first-period goals against the Pittsburgh Penguins and
win 6-1
in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final at Consol Energy Center. It's the first time in 30 years that a visiting team scores four or more goals in the first period of a conference final or Cup Final game. The victory gives the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.
2015:The Chicago Blackhawks get goals by Teuvo Teravainen and Antoine Vermette less than two minutes into the third period to
defeat the Lightning 2-1
in Game 1 of the Cup Final at Amalie Arena. Teravainen ties the game at 13:28, ending a shutout streak of 113:28 by Lightning goalie Ben Bishop. He sets up Vermette's game-winner, a shot that deflects off the stick of Lightning forward JT Brown and past Bishop at 15:26.

2017:The Nashville Predators delight the packed house at Bridgestone Arena by
defeating the Penguins 5-1
in the first home Stanley Cup Final game in their history. Roman Josi ties the game 1-1 by scoring a power-play goal 5:51 into the second period, then assists on goals by
Frederick Gaudreau
and James Neal to put Nashville ahead 3-1. The victory in Game 3 cuts Pittsburgh's lead in the best-of-7 series to 2-1.

2019:The St. Louis Blues win a home game in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in their history by
defeating the Boston Bruins 4-2
in Game 4 at Enterprise Center. Ryan O'Reilly scores two goals, including the game-winner midway through the third period. The Blues have been 0-7 in the Cup Final in St. Louis, losing twice each in 1968, 1969 and 1970, as well as in Game 3 to the Bruins.