Monday Night Miracle

For a franchise still looking to hoist its first Stanley Cup, there is nothing that can elicit more emotion in a Blues fan than a mere mention of the "Monday Night Miracle."

On May 12, 1986, the Blues trailed the Calgary Flames three games to two in the Campbell Conference finals, and they were behind 4–1 going into the third period of Game 6 at the Arena.

"It was a do-or-die situation for us, and we all knew that," Blues Hall of Famer Bernie Federko said. "We came in the locker room after the second period, and basically Coach Jacques Demers said, 'Guys, we've had a great year. Whatever happens in this next period, it's been a great year.' But you never know what can happen.

"We all knew that [Barclay Plager] had cancer, and Barc was in pretty bad shape. We were all pushing to try and do something for Barc. And it just happened the way it did."

Here's how it happened:

The Blues' Doug Wickenheiser scored a five-on-three advantage to pull the club within 4–2. But Calgary's Joe Mullen countered, beating Blues goalie Rick Wamsley on a slapshot that put the Flames back up 5–2 with 12:56 left in regulation.

Several folks in the crowd of 17,801 began to depart, including former Blues defenseman Bruce Affleck.

"I was in the real-estate business, and I had a presentation the next morning," Affleck said. "We left when they were down by three, thinking this was a chance to go home and get a good night's sleep and make a good presentation."

It wasn't as good as the presentation the Blues were about to make.

Like Wickenheiser, who had made the long road back from knee surgery, Blues captain Brian Sutter had been out since January with a shoulder injury, but he returned to the ice in the playoffs. Sutter showed a glimpse of his old self, scoring his first goal of the playoffs 62 seconds after Mullen.

The Blues' Greg Paslawski put the puck on net from the right circle, and Calgary's 22-year-old rookie goalie, Mike Vernon, broomed it to his right. Sutter charged the puck and hammered it home, cutting the Blues' deficit to 5–3 with 11:54 left.

"And the roller-coaster ride continues," Blues announcer Ken Wilson bellowed on the broadcast.

Five minutes, however, separated the Blues from their off-season. They could have used Brett Hull, but this was two years before his trade from Calgary, and Hull was a healthy scratch for the Flames, watching from the pressbox.

But the Blues would have other heroes rise to the occasion.

Doug Gilmour chipped the puck into the offensive zone in the right corner where Sutter hustled to fetch it. Sutter backhanded a pass in front of the net, and Paslawski didn't allow the Flames time to react, snapping a shot past Vernon for a 5–4 score with 4:11 to play.

"We didn't want to lose," Demers said.

Perhaps not, but the clock was in Calgary's favor as it ticked under 11/2 minutes.

Photographers began leaving their ice-level spots to jockey for position where the Flames would be celebrating their conference championship.

"Boy, you get the idea if these Blues could come up with a miracle finish," Wilson said on the broadcast, "these Calgary Flames would have to crawl back to Alberta."

That miracle would need the help of one more goal to tie the game, and the Blues got it from Paslawski.

Gilmour again fired the puck into the offensive zone from just inside the red line. Vernon stopped it behind the net for Flames defenseman Jamie Macoun. Paslawski trailed Macoun undetected behind the net to the right side of Vernon. He then picked Macoun's pocket and, while spinning to his knees, let go of a surprise shot that knotted the game 5–5 with 1:08 to play.

"I made a line switch and got on the ice and just happened to swing behind the net," Paslawski said. "I just lifted [Macoun's] stick and turned around and shot, and it went in the net."

Was it luck?

"You've got to work hard to be lucky," Sutter said.

The Arena erupted after the Blues had erased Calgary leads of 4–1 and...