Kirk McLean Vancouver Canucks Jersey

McLean's peak with the Canucks came during the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs, when he backstopped them to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals. Facing the Calgary Flames in the opening round, he made one of the most memorable plays in Canucks and NHL playoff history – a series saving stop on Flames forward Robert Reichel during the first overtime of the seventh game. Reichel had one-timed a pass from Theoren Fleury on a 3-on-1 when McLean threw out both his pads to make the stop and preserve the series. With McLean out of position and Reichel having had an open net to shoot at, the red light even came on at the Olympic Saddledome to signal a goal. The following overtime, Bure scored to eliminate the Flames and advance the Canucks to the second round.

Vancouver defeated the Dallas Stars the following round to advance to the semi-finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. McLean posted back-to-back shutouts against the Leafs in the third and fourth games to tie the NHL playoff record of four shutouts in a single year (the New York Rangers' Mike Richter also recorded four that year; they became the seventh and eighth goaltenders to tie the record. Five more goaltenders went on to record four shutouts until the Red Wings' Dominik Hasek broke the record with six in 2002). He also became the first goaltender to record back-to-back shutouts in the semifinals since the Red Wings' Terry Sawchuk did so against the Maple Leafs in 1952. McLean's shutout streak lasted a total of 143 minutes and 17 seconds.

The Canucks went on to capture the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl as Western Conference champions to meet the New York Rangers in the Finals. McLean opened the series with a 52-save performance, including 17 in overtime, to win the first game 3–2. It was the second-most saves by a goaltender in a Stanley Cup Finals game, coming within four stops of Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden's 56 saves in 1971 against the Chicago Blackhawks. It also remained the most saves by a Canucks goaltender in a playoff game until Luongo made 72 stops in 2007. Canucks head coach Pat Quinn commented after the game that McLean's performance should be sent "in an instructional package...to young goaltender[s]." Although the Canucks managed to force a game seven after falling 3–1 in the series, they eventually lost the Stanley Cup to the Rangers by a 3–2 score in the final game. McLean finished the 1994 playoffs with a 15-9 record, a 2.29 GAA and .928 save percentage. His 1,544 minutes played surpassed the previous NHL playoff record of 1,540 set by the Flyers' Ron Hextall in 1987.

Kirk McLean Vancouver Canucks Jersey