Thursday, May 31 Forum ghosts? They do exist By Joy Russo ESPN.com It took Wayne Gretzky to get the Los Angeles Kings to their first Stanley Cup finals appearance, but what would it take to get past the Canadiens to win it all? Habs 4, Kings 1 Date Result Goalie 5/1 Kings 4, Habs 1 Hrudey 5/3 Habs 3, Kings 2 Roy 5/5 Habs 4, Kings 3 Roy 5/7 Habs 3, Kings 2 Roy 5/9 Habs 4, Kings 1 Roy Montreal didn't sport any standouts like the dynasty teams of the past – no Larry Robinsons, no Guy Lafleurs, no Jean Beliveaus. But they had a spectacular goaltender in Patrick Roy, and that would be one of the major obstacles for the Kings. Of course, Game 1 was not an indication. Gretzky and the Kings scored three first-period goals and stormed to a 4-1 win at the Montreal Forum. It was after that game that Roy made a statement – the Kings would not score on him again in an opening period. The turnaround It comes earlier than usual, but it is nonetheless significant. Already having dropped the finals opener, the Habs trailed 2-1 in Game 2 with 1:45 remaining and coach Jacques Demers made the bold move to have Marty McSorley's stick checked by referee Kerry Fraser. Sure enough, the curve on the blade of McSorley's stick was illegal – a quarter inch more than the legal half inch. With McSorley in the box, Demers pulled Roy for a 6-on-4 advantage and Montreal defenseman Eric Desjardins' goal tied the score at 2 to force overtime. Desjardins connected again in the extra session – the first defenseman to notch a hat trick in the Cup finals – to give the Habs the win. The victory took the life out of Los Angeles, which would fight out of a hole the rest of the way. After Game 2, Roy would not allow a goal in the third period. The Kings were forced to come from behind in every game – 1-0 in Game 2, 3-0 in Game 3, 3-2 in Game 4 and 1-0 in Game 5. The second game would be the first of three consecutive overtime losses for Los Angeles before falling 4-1 in Game 5 in Montreal. The Habs won their first Cup since 1986 in a series that would be Gretzky's last Cup finals appearance. The MVP Patrick Roy. The goalie allowed only 11 goals in the five games against the Kings, and finished with a 16-4 reocrd and 2.05 GAA for the playoffs. What was uncharacteristic at the time was Roy's off-ice presence, proclaiming to his team after the second period of Game 4 that he would not allow another goal in the game. The challenge sent a message to his teammates, and the Canadiens would not lose another game, just win the Stanley Cup. Joy Russo is a staff editor for ESPN.com Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories