New Jersey Devils: What If Game 4 Of 1988 Conference Finals Was Cancelled?

Yellow Sunday was one of the most infamous days in New Jersey Devils history. What if that game was cancelled?

On May 6th, 1988, the New Jersey Devils lost Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins. Head coach Jim Schoenfeld took exception to the officiating, caught up with ref Don Koharski in the tunnel, which led to an altercation that gifted us “have another donut.”

Schoenfeld was suspended by the league for Game 4 on May 8th, but the Devils acquired a restraining order that allowed him to coach. The league, fearing legal charges and rioting fans, let the game go on. The refs went on a wildcat strike, which led to replacement officials in yellow practice jerseys to run the game. It’s known by many names – the Mother’s Day Massacre, the replacement ref game, and Yellow Sunday. It was an embarrassment for the league, but also objectively hilarious.

But, what if the game were cancelled?

One scenario sees the league held in contempt of court. While this may be the most intriguing scenario, there’s unfortunately little we can do with it. There’s no precedent for an entire league being held in contempt of court. Most likely a fine would have been levied against the league and an appeals process started.

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Remember, the restraining order was suspended after Schoenfeld got a hearing – if a financial or legal penalty were levied against the league, there’d be more to argue. As an upside, this would likely lead to us finally finding out where league president John Ziegler was those few days.

There’s also a chance of a riot at the Meadowlands, one of the reasons cited for playing the game. The place was packed, the crowd was hot, and had no idea what was going on until the game started. It’s hard to imagine a crowd of people driving to the Meadowlands, waiting for an hour, and dispersing peacefully after their playoff game is cancelled. Either way, thousands of dollars of refunds would likely be handed out.

The game would have also been rescheduled, which would throw the rest of the series – and the Cup Finals – out of whack. Even so, it’s hard to assume much would have changed.

It’s unlikely the Devils win the series in this What If no matter what happens. The Devils were outshot by the Bruins almost every game, and outscored 16 to 9 over the next three games. Goalie Sean Burke was the big reason the Devils remained competitive in the series, and the biggest reason they won even with the replacement officials.

Even if Burke stayed hot and staved off the veteran Bruins, that’s where their story would end.

Even if they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Devils under no circumstances would have beaten the Oilers for the Cup. The 80s NHL was almost an entirely different sport than the modern parity-driven low scoring coin flip league. It was far closer to the 90s NBA, where teams would fight tooth and nail for the honor to get destroyed by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The only team considered a credible threat to the Oilers were the Flames, who Edmonton swept in the second round. In real life, the Bruins were swept in four and a half games thanks to a blackout – though the blackout wouldn’t have happened here, so we’re looking at an old fashioned four-game sweep.

In this What If, the Mickey Mouse comments would come back worse than ever. There’s not a lot of happiness for the Devils but a whole new world of weirdness.