PUTTIN' ON THE FOIL!
This is my blog for hockey fun. I dont write long articles on hockey things, I just love to share videos, pictures and hockey history. Don't expect a lot of insight, just fun.
Today in 1929 the Boston Bruins completed a 2 game sweep of the New York Rangers for the Stanley Cup in a best of 3 series. Goalie Cecil ""Tiny"" Thompson backstopped the Bruins to consecutive wins, and posted the third Stanley Cup shutout for a rookie and the first Stanley Cup championship for the Bruins.
1972 - Bobby Hull became the 2nd player to score 600 goals in a career. This was his last season with the NHL Chicago Blackhawks and he score exactly 50 goals for the 1971-72 season. He would join the Winnipeg Jets of the new WHA the next season.
1982 - Wayne Gretzky becomes 1st NHL to score 200 points in a season
Today is a huge day in hockey/NHL history. On this day in 1994 Wayne Gretzky became the all time leading goal scorer in NHL history with a goal in a game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Also on this day a record was set that will be as hard to top as Gretzky's all time goal lead. 1952 - Bill Mosienko scores three goals in an NHL-record 21 seconds. In the final game of the regular season for both teams, the New York Rangers held a 6-2 lead over the visiting Chicago Black Hawks with one period to go. Just when it appeared the Blueshirts would at least end another playoff-less season on a positive note, the Hawk veteran decided he had other plans.The fans at Madison Square Garden sat in shock as they watched a four-goal lead evaporate and eventually turn into a one-goal loss. The Winnipeg winger led the comeback by averaging a goal every seven seconds in a span of under half-a-minute. Linemate Gus Bodnar set up each tally in the hat trick, giving him the fastest three assists in league history.
Today in 1924 the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Vancouver Millionaires (or Maroons) in the second on their 2 game series 2-1. The Canadiens would move on to the Finals to play the Calgary Tigers for the Stanley Cup.
Today is the 62nd birthday of Hall of Famer and one of the greatest hockey players ever, Bobby Orr. Stanley Cup winner in 1970 and 1972, in 1970 he became the first player to win four major NHL awards by winning the Norris, Art Ross, Hart and Conn Smythe Trophies. This led him to be named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine (above). He had previously won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1967. He scored his last NHL goal, and point, against Detroit on Oct. 28th, 1978, at Detroit's Olympia Stadium. The NHL waived the mandatory three-year waiting period for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame and he was enshrined at age 31 – the youngest player living at the time of his induction in history.
1906 - The Montreal Wanderers (above) win the Stanley Cup 12 goals to 10.
The inaugural season of the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association saw the club finish with the same record as the Ottawa HC, meaning the two would have to play a two-game series for the championship. The first game occurred three days earlier in Montreal, where the hosts would cruise to a 9-1 thumping of the visitors thanks to a pair of hat tricks by Ernie Russell and Frank Glass. The game was not only an upset of the Silver Seven, but also meant they would have to score eight unanswered goals just to tie in the most goals wins format. Despite the unlikely odds of a comeback in Game Two, Dey's Arena was filled over capacity for the deciding rematch. The first half ended 10-4 Montreal thanks to a pair of markers from Ottawa's Frank McGee and another by teammate Harry Smith. Smith opened the scoring in the second half, followed by Rat Westwick's own duo of tallies, making it a 10-7 game. Montreal's vanishing lead would soon outright disappear thanks to a natural hat trick by Smith, tying the series at 10 goals a piece and bringing the hometown crowd to their feet. Unfortunately for the local fans, the Wanderers' Lester Patrick would score twice in the last minute-and-a-half, clinching the title for Montreal and putting and end to the Silver Seven's three-year reign as Cup champions. Both the Toronto Globe and the Sporting News dubbed the deciding game of the series the greatest in the history of ice hockey up until that point. (Courtesy Hockeybarn.com)
1911- The Ottawa Senators (above) defeated Port Arthur (Ontario) in a one game challenge for the Stanley Cup,13-4. Ottawa forward Marty Walsh manhandled Port Arthur with 10 goals.
1939 - The New York Americans and Rangers combine for an NHL-record 10 goals and 26 points in one period. In the final game of the 1938-39 season, the original battle of NY turned out to be a high-scoring one between the two tenants of Madison Square Garden. The first forty minutes seemed normal enough, as the Rangers took a modest 4-2 lead into the second intermission. In the final frame, the Rangers showed why they'd eventually be the lone team to call MSG home, as they outscored their host 7-3 for a 11-5 final. Art Coulter, Bryan Hextall, Sr., and Phil Watson led the way for the Blueshirts with two goals a piece, though Johnny Sorrell did respond with a pair of his own for the Amerks. Incredibly, only one of the 10 goals in the third was scored by the same player (Watson), as 18 different players on each side were credited with at least one of the 26 points. (courtesy Hockeybarn.com)
1957 - Toronto Maple Leafs tie NHL record 37 points beating New York Rangers 14-1
Today in 1997 Joe Mullen becomes the first American born NHL player to score 500 goals and also in 1997 Dave Andreychuk becomes the 26th player in NHL history to score 500 goals. A day after Pittsburgh's Joe Mullen joined the ranks, the New Jersey Devil followed him into the record book. After Rick Tocchet of the visiting Washington Capitals took a tripping penalty, the home team was looking to build on their 1-0 lead midway through the first period. Twenty-one seconds into the power play, Andreychuk took a feed from Bill Guerin and put it in the back of the net for the milestone marker. It turned out to be his only shot on goal in the entire game, and it was only fitting that it came with the man advantage, as the Hamilton native would retire as the all-time leader in power play goals with 274. Andreychuk was already skating in the 1,070th contest of his career, but would go on to play 569 more games and score 140 more times. In those 23 years, he would have seven 30-plus-goal seasons, including a career campaign with the 1993-94 Leafs in which he scored 53 goals and finished just one point shy of the century mark. Joe Mullen was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000
Now what I cant understand is Matt Cooke,one of my Penguins, knocks a guy out with a shoulder to the head and gets nothing, but this gets a 2 game suspension? Colin Campbell really needs to explain this.
Today in 1962 Gordie Howe scored his 500 goal. He is the second player to ever score 500 goals in a career. Here is Gordie as the mystery guest on the 1970s syndicated "What's My Line?" I just love the suits they are wearing. If you notice one of the panelist is the great Werner Klemperer of Hogan's Heroes.
1911 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Senators beat Galt (Ont), 7-4
1912 - Stanley Cup: Quebec Bulldogs sweep Moncton (NB) in 2 games
1918 - 1st NHL championship: Montreal Canadiens beat Toronto Arenas, outscoring them 10-7 in a 2 game series.
1922 - NHL Championship: Toronto St Pats (above) outscore Ottawa Senators 5 to 4, in 2 games. Game 2 was a scoreless tie thus giving Toronto the O'Brien Cup as NHL Champions and the right to face the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey League for the Stanley Cup.
1925 -NHL Championship: Montreal Canadiens (above top) sweep Toronto (St Pats) Arenas in 2 games.
This series was originally not for the NHL Title/O'Brien Cup.
The third seed Montreal Canadiens played against the second seed Toronto St. Patricks in a total goals series. The winner of that series was to go on and play the first seed team, the Hamilton Tigers(above bottom). But it was not to happen that way. During the total goals series, the Hamilton players demanded $200 each for the extra six games played during the regular season and the league threatened to suspend the players and the team. Last ditch efforts to reach a compromise failed and the Tigers were suspended. It was suggested that the Ottawa Senators be included in the playoffs, but Charlie Querrie and Leo Dandurand cited a fourth place finish didn't qualify Ottawa a playoff berth and it was decided that Montreal and Toronto played for the league title. NHL president Frank Calder announced that the Canadiens played home games at the Forum, but Leo Dandurand said that they would be played at Mount Royal Arena unless it were necessary to move to the Forum, citing home games were home games, and the Canadiens played better in front of their own fans. Calder backed down from his stand. Montreal won the series against Toronto and earned the right to play the Victoria Cougars for the Stanley Cup.
March 12th 1966 - Bobby Hull scores his 51st goal of the season, setting a new NHL record.
With 10 games remaining in the season, the sniper needed just a single goal to exceed the half century mark set by Rocket Richard and Boom Boom Geoffrion and matched by Hull himself in 1961-62. The Black Hawks played host to the New York Rangers, who had taken a 2-0 lead into the third period. After setting up Chico Maki's strike early in the final frame, Hull blasted a feed from center Lou Angotti to knot up the score two-and-a-half-minutes later. Not only did the goal spark an eventual 4-2 win for the home team, but it set a new standard in the goal-scoring department. Hull would finish the season with 54 tallies and meet or exceed the 50-goal mark three more times in the NHL and in each of his first four seasons in the rival WHA. He would find the back of the net 58 times in 1968-69, which is amazingly still 34 shy of Wayne Gretzky's92 in 1981-82. While Bobby was never able to reach 50-in-50, his son Brett would achieve the feat in back-to-back seasons from 1990-92.
1904 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver 7 sweep Brandon Wheat Kings in 2 games. Ottawa would win the two-game series 6–3, 9–3 (15–6), held in Ottawa on March 9–11.
1905 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver 7 (above) beat Rat Portage Thisles, 2 games to 1 In March 1905, the Rat Portage Thistles issued another challenge to the Senators. Team leader Frank McGee did not play in the first game and the Thistles crushed Ottawa, 9–3. However, he returned to lead the Senators to 4–2 and 5–4 victories in games two and three, respectively.
1912 - 1st Stanley Cup game to be played in 3 20-min periods, formerly played in 30-min halfs, Quebec beats Moncton 9-3 on way to sweep For the first time in history, the customary seven man per side hockey game was reduced to six. The rover position had now been eliminated. Another rule change in 1912 required teams to complete their regular season before competing for the Stanley Cup. The Quebec Bulldogs, who posted a league-high 10-8-0 record, successfully defended the Cup against Moncton of the Maritime Professional Hockey League. The championship was a best of three affair. The Bulldogs won game one 9-3, and went on to win game two by an a 8-0 verdict to win their second straight title. Jack McDonald and Joe Malone combined for 14 of Quebec's 17 goals.
1914-The Toronto Blueshirts (above) defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6–2 in a two-game, total-goals playoff. The Blueshirts then defeated the challenging Victoria Aristocrats of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association to retain the Cup. The 1913–14 NHA season was the sixth season of the National Hockey Association (NHA). At the end of the regular season, a tie for first place necessitated a playoff to determine the championship and the Stanley Cup. Tied at the top of the standings, the Blueshirts and Canadiens faced off in a two game, total goals series to determine a league champion. The Blueshirts won the series 6–2. The 1913–14 season marked the last year of the challenge era in Stanley Cup history. After dispatching the Canadiens, the Blueshirts faced off against the Victoria Aristocrats of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. The series would be controversial, as the Aristocrats never formally applied with the Cup trustees to challenge for the cup. As a result, the trustees would negotiate an agreement to have the champions of the NHA and the PCHA meet each year to determine a champion, beginning in 1915.
1922 - Western Hockey Championship: Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA) sweep Regina Capitals, in 2 games Each contest in this Vancouver-Regina two-game total goals series was played under different rules. However, the road team prevailed in each match. Game one, played in Vancouver under the PCHA's seven-man rules, saw Dick Irvin score the game-winning goal to give the Capitals a 2–1 victory. Game two was played in Regina under the WCHL's six-man rules, but Millionaires defenceman Art Duncan recorded a hat-trick as he led Vancouver to a 4–0 shutout, and thus clinching the series by a combined score of 5–2.
1961 - Then NHL record 40 penalties, Black Hawks & Maple Leafs (20 each)
1979 - (courtesy Hockeybarn.com) Randy Holt receives 67 penalty minutes in one game, setting a new record. The Los Angeles Kings acquired the rugged defenseman from the Vancouver Canucks earlier in the season to intimidate the opposition and protect their own players. What better time to test his ability to do both than a road trip to Philadelphia? The floodgates opened with a minor infraction halfway through the first period, as less than five minutes later Holt and fellow enforcer Frank Bathe received double majors and a 10-minute misconduct each for a nasty tilt. The fisticuffs may have been triggered by the Flyers' Ken Linseman, who Holt believed was once again earning his moniker of "The Rat" with a cheap shot. This triggered the latter to confront the Broadstreet Bullies at their bench after the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the first twenty minutes. That bench, along with the one of the visitors, was soon cleared as five players from each side earned at least 25 penalty minutes for their respective brawls. Holt led the way with a fighting major, another 10-minute misconduct, and three game misconducts for instigating the whole incident. The final total of 67 not only trumped fellow defensive pugilist Jim Dorey's old mark of 52 set a decade earlier, but also set a new standard for number of infractions received in a period with nine. Holt served a three-game suspension for his actions.
1903 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver 7 sweep Montreal AAA in 2 games The 1902-03 Ottawa Hockey Club season was the club's 18th season of play. The club would win the CAHL championship in a playoff with the Montreal Victorias to win the Club's first Stanley Cup. For their win, the players would each be given a silver nugget. From that day forward, the club was nicknamed the Silver SevenThis season was the first season for Frank McGee and Art Moore. McGee would place second in the league scoring race with 14 goals in six games. The season would be a two team race between Montreal Victorias and Ottawa, splitting their matches between each other. The season ended in a tie, which necessitated a two-game playoff, won by Ottawa to win their first Stanley Cup.
1913 - Stanley Cup: Quebec Bulldogs (above) sweep Sydney (NS) Millionaires in 2 games. Both games were played in Quebec. The Bulldogs won the first game 14-3 with Joe Malone (front row center) scoring 9 goals. Game 2 saw the Bulldogs win 6-2 without Joe Malone but Joe Hall came through with the hat trick.
1992 — New York Islanders coach Al Arbour becomes the second coach in NHL history to win 700 games with a 5-2 victory over Philadelphia.
2007 -Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, 19, becomes the youngest player in NHL history with two 100-point seasons after scoring a goal in a 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers.
1993 - (courtesy ofHockeybarn.com)The Pittsburgh Penguins win the first of an NHL-record 17 games in a row. Following back-to-back championship seasons, the Pens were looking to finish strong for yet another run at the Cup. The return of captain Mario Lemieux, who had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease earlier in the season, helped sparked the best season-ending run in franchise and league history.
The home team defeated the visiting Boston Bruins in the battle of black and gold by a final score of 3-2. It would be the first of five one-goal victories during the streak, including two in overtime. In all, the Penguins outscored their opponents 96-48, twice scoring 10 goals in a single contest.
While the surge helped Pittsburgh finish first in both the Patrick Division and the entire league itself with a President's Trophy-worthy 119 points, the club couldn't complete the "threepeat." The Penguins fell to the New York Islanders in the final game of the division final, with Dave Volek's overtime marker completing his team's improbable upset.
1900 - Stanley Cup: Montreal Shamrocks (above) sweep Halifax Crescents in 2 games Following the conclusion of the 1900 season, Montreal accepted a challenge from the Halifax Crescents of the Maritime Hockey League. In two games, the Shamrocks convincingly defeated Halifax by a combined total of 21-1. Montreal forward Arthur Farrell set a new Stanley Cup record by recording four goals in each of the two games.
1940 - Montreal Canadiens lose record tying NHL 15th straight game at home
1986 - Wayne Gretzky breaks own NHL season record with 136th assist
1919 - NHL Championship: Montreal Canadiens beat Ottawa Senators, 3 games to 1 with 1 tie. The Canadiens won the first half of the 1918–19 NHL regular season while the Ottawa Senators won the second half, setting up a best-of-seven series between the two clubs to determine the NHL title. Montreal would go on to meet the Seattle Metropolitans for the Stanley Cup later in the month. This would be the infamous "influenza finals" that were suspended tied at 2 games apiece after an outbreak of the flu virus. The entire Montreal team and manager fell ill and led to the death of defenseman Joe Hall four days after the series was suspended.
Yesterday in Hockey History (Thanks Hockeybarn.com) 1985 - Mike Bossy scores his 50th goal of the season, becoming the first player to reach such a mark in eight consecutive years. The 15th overall pick of the New York Islanders hit the ground running in his first season with the club, scoring 53 goals in 1977-78. Going into a matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers late in the 1984-85 campaign, the right winger had scored at least 51 times each year and looked to continue the trend with 49 already in the bank. Bossy hit the half century mark when he tied the game at one a piece midway through the second period. Then, with the Isles down 3-5, he led a comeback effort by keeping the 51-plus goal streak alive with his second tally of the game. The host would come up short, but the fans in Long Island were still treated to a record-setting night. The Montreal native not only found the back of the net seven more times in the last quarter, but followed up his effort with a 61-goal '85-'86 season, extending the milestone to nine straight years.
Today would have been "Badger" Bob Johnson's 79th birthday. The legendary coach gained lastly NHL fame when he piloted the 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins to their first Stanley Cup victory in 6 games over the Minnesota North Stars. Badger Bob came to the Penguins in 1990 after leading the Calgary Flames to the 1986 Stanley Cup Finals and a stint as head of USA Hockey. Bob was already a legend by the time he rolled into Pittsburgh with 3 NCAA hockey championships at University of Wisconsin. He had coached Team USA in the 1976 Winter Olympics and in the Canada Cup tournament of 1981, 84 and 87. He was famous for the phrase "Its a Great day for Hockey!" Sadly after the '91 Cup finals while preparing Team USA for the Canada Cup he suffered a brain aneurysm and was diagnosed with brain cancer shortly after that and named Scotty Bowman interim coach while he underwent treatment. On November 26th 1991 Badger Bob died in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Penguins went on to win their second Stanley Cup Trophy after the 1991-92 season and dedicated it to their late coach. The Penguins used "A Great Day For Hockey" as their marketing slogan for the 2008–09 season. On June 12, 2009, exactly 19 years to the day of Johnson's hiring, the Penguins won their third Stanley Cup.
