Columbus-Tampa NHL playoff series joins list of 20 greatest sports upsets
16. San Jose Sharks over Detroit Red Wings-1994
In their third season of existence, with just 28 wins over their first two seasons, the 1993-94 San Jose Sharks were a surprising playoff team. They still were below .500 (33-35-16), but that was enough to get the eighth playoff seed in the West.
As a defensive era in the NHL launched, the Detroit Red Wings stood out by averaging over four goals per game in 1993-94. They were also the only team in the Western Conference to get to 100 points during the regular season, and an easy favorite to go to the Stanley Cup Final
The Sharks surely wanted to keep things low scoring, but a 5-4 win in Game 1 altered that narrative. Then back-to-back one-goal wins at home in Game 4 and Game 5 game them the series lead heading back to Motown. After the Red Wings won Game 6 7-1, Game 7 felt like a formality for the No. 1 seed.
But Sharks goaltender Arturs Irbe was up to the task. He had 28 saves on 30 shots, while his teammates beat Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood three times on 17 shots.
San Jose would last seven games in the second round too, before losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs. But their shocking take down of the Red Wings was an epic upset.
15. Cleveland Browns over Philadelphia Eagles-1950
The Philadelphia Eagles were the two-time reigning NFL champions in September of 1950, and the Cleveland Browns had won the All-American Football Conference in the previous four years (all four years of its existence). It was not a championship game, but the hype was real with the contest tabbed the “World Series of Professional Football.”
As Eagles were hampered by a couple key injuries heading into the game, but they were still significant favorites as the best team in a superior conference. The Browns had a handful of future Hall of Famers on their team though, including quarterback Otto Graham running Paul Brown’s ahead of its time offense.
The Browns beat the Eagles 35-10, and would go on to win the 1950 NFL Championship.
14. Duke over UNLV-1991
Duke was just starting to be prominent on the national radar, as the “Runnin’ Rebels” out of UNLV entered the 1991 Final Four unbeaten (34-0) as they ran roughshod over their opponents.
UNLV had blown out Duke by 30 in the 1990 national title game, so the Blue Devils could get a measure of revenge with a win in the rematch.
With rosters filled with future NBA players, UNLV and Duke played a tight game in the Hoosier Dome. But a key absence for the Rebels, as Greg Anthony fouled out with just under four minutes remaining, tipped things toward Duke on their way to a 79-77 win.
Duke beat UNLV, and launched into an era of unrivaled success. And UNLV is still trying to get back to anywhere near national prominence.
13. New Jersey Devils over Detroit Red Wings-1995
After rebounding from their surprising early playoff exit in 1994, the Red Wings lost just two games through the Western Conference playoffs and were a clear favorite in the 1995 Stanley Cup Final over the East’s No. 5 seed New Jersey Devils. Even the local papers in New Jersey had the Red Wings winning a short series.
The Devils only real advantage was between the pipes, with Martin Brodeur clearly superior to Detroit’s Mike Vernon. New Jersey got a four-game sweep, allowing seven goals in the series, with Claude Lemieux winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. Brodeur would be a key part of two more Stanley Cup champions in New Jersey (2000, 2003), but the first one was the big upset that stands on this list.