Whether you like fighting or hate it, there is no way around the fact that the epic third-period scrap between Wendel Clark and Marty McSorley, the two guys Wayne Gretzky called the “heart and soul” of their respective teams, set the tone for the rest of the series. The Leafs took Game One at home, but the whole hockey world knew that a titanic struggle lay ahead for both teams. (Hans Deryk/CP Photo)

Doug Gilmour served notice in the 1993 playoffs that he was a genuine NHL superstar who could change a game with a single shift. But he didn’t do it with the mercurial grace of his opposite number in the series, Wayne Gretzky. He was crafty with the puck, but wasn’t afraid to mix it up, or go hard to the net. People called him “Killer” for a reason. Above, that’s Alexei Zhitnik, himself a willing combatant in a very physical series, on the business end of a Gilmour hit. (Above: Shaun Best/CP Photo; below: Phill Snel/CP Photo)

The Leafs-Kings series of 1993 was played by guys who would stop at nothing to win. The teams’ two owners were willing to cross the line from time to time as well. The maverick, charismatic Bruce McNall changed the face of the league, but ended up in prison for fraud. Steve Stavro worked his way up from a small grocery business to the helm of the storied Maple Leafs, only to see it slip through his fingers. (Above: Reed Saxon/AP Photo; below: The Globe and Mail/CP Photo)

There were times during the series when it seemed that the refs had completely put away their whistles. Rob Blake’s work in front of the net was a huge factor in neutralizing usually reliable goal-scorers like Dave Andreychuk (above). But when there was mayhem, Bill Berg (below), who was picked up on waivers that year, was often in the middle of it. (Above: Doug MacLellan/HHOF Images; below: Hans Deryk/AP Photo

The Leafs and the Kings were different in many ways, perhaps none more obvious than their goalies’ styles. Felix Potvin, though known as “The Cat” for his reflexes, was in many ways a modern “butterfly” goalie, while Kelly Hrudey was an old-school stand-up goalie who relied on sheer acrobatic athleticism to keep the puck out, as he does here on a one-timer from Peter Zezel. Over the course of the series, though, their numbers were almost identical. (Above: Doug MacLellan/ HHOF Images; below: Doug MacLellan/ HHOF Images)

Kerry Fraser became the most famous, and infamous, referee in NHL history as a result of the most important call he didn’t make in Game Six. Twenty-five years later, fans are still wondering exactly what Fraser saw in the opening minutes of overtime, as Doug Gilmour and Wayne Gretzky jousted for a loose puck. There is no doubt what happened moments later: the same stick that had cut the Leafs captain’s chin put the puck behind Felix Potvin. (Above: Matthew Manor/HHOF Images; below: Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo)

The final two games of the series turned into a goal-scoring competition between two very different captains. They scored two hat tricks between them, with Clark outscoring Gretzky by a single goal. The difference was that two of Gretzky’s were game-winners. Gretzky later called Clark “unstoppable,” but in the end it was the Great One who carried the day. (Above: Hans Deryk/CP Photo; below: Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo)

With each emotional game, the two teams had more and more at stake. The Kings felt a little as though they had already won the Stanley Cup when they emerged victorious from the cauldron of that series. For the Leafs, the loss was bitter, as Mike Foligno’s face shows in the dressing room after the game. (Above: Phill Snel/CP Photo; below: Ryan Remiorz/CP Photo)