“I didn’t like the ’50s, you know. I appreciate Elvis, but I’m not a big fan. I’m not a rockabilly fan. And the ’60s and early ’70s were, to me, the greatest times to live.” - Brett Hull
May 10, 1970 - Bobby Orr scored ‘The Goal’ to win Game 4, and the Stanley Cup, over the St. Louis Blues
A statue was later created by Harry Weber sculptor that depicted Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruin flying through the air immediately after scoring the goal.
Apr. 17, 1997 - NJ Devils Martin Brodeur is second NHL goalie to score in a playoff game
In the first game of a first-round playoff matchup against the Montreal Canadians, Martin Brodeur fired the puck the length of the ice and into the Canadiens’ empty net to ensure a 5–2 victory. It was only the second time in NHL history that a goaltender had scored in the playoffs, and the fifth time overall. The Devils went on to win that series, but lost in the second round to the rival New York Rangers.
Apr. 16, 1949 - The Toronto Maple Leafs became the first team to win three straight Stanley Cup titles
The 1949 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series between the Detroit Red Wings and the defending champion Toronto Maple Leafs, the second straight final series between Detroit and Toronto. The Maple Leafs won the series in four straight games to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup and eighth in the history of the franchise.
Apr. 12, 1980 - Terry Fox begins his “Marathon of Hope” at St. John’s, Newfoundland
Apr. 11, 1989 - 1st playoff goal scored by a NHL goalie, Ron Hextall of the Flyers
Ron Hextall became the first NHL goaltender to score a goal by shooting the puck into the opponent’s empty net, against the Boston Bruins in the 1987–88 season. The following season, he became the first to score in the playoffs, by shooting the puck into the Washington Capitals’ empty net. His mobile style of play, in which he provided support to his defencemen by coming out of the goal area to play the puck was revolutionary, and inspired future generations of goaltenders, such as Martin Brodeur. He was also known for being one of the NHL’s most aggressive goaltenders: he was suspended for six or more games on three occasions, had more than 100 penalty minutes in each of his first three seasons, and set new records for the number of penalty minutes recorded by a goaltender in the NHL.
Video of Ron Hextall’s first career playoff goal:
Apr. 4, 1986 - Wayne Gretzky set an NHL record with his 213th point of the season
Edmonton Oilers’ Wayne Gretzky won his seventh straight Hart Trophy and his sixth straight Art Ross Trophy. This season saw Gretzky score 52 goals, and set records of 163 assists and 215 points. This was the fourth time in five years that Gretzky reached the 200 point plateau; no other player would reach the 200 point mark, although Mario Lemieux would garner 199 points in 76 games in 1989.
“Losers visualize the penalties of failure, but winners visualize the rewards of success.” - Rod Gilbert
Apr. 3, 1988 - Mario Lemieux wins the NHL scoring title
Mario Lemieux wins the Art Ross Trophy as the National Hockey League’s top scorer on this day in 1988. Lemieux’s 168 points bested Wayne Gretzky, who had dominated the league as the top scorer for an amazing seven seasons.
By the 1987–88 season, Wayne Gretzky had won seven consecutive Art Ross Trophies for leading the league in points. That season, fueled by his Canada Cup experience, Lemieux scored 168 points and won his first NHL scoring title. He also won his first Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player to his team, and the All-Star Game MVP award after a record-setting six-point game. Despite Lemieux’s success, the Penguins did not qualify for the playoffs.
#MotivationalMondays
Snippet from 1987 speech by Art Williams - Just Do It!
Leadership is everything.
Mar. 26, 1931 - Boston Bruins coach Art Ross became the first NHL coach to pull his goalie for an extra attacker
In a playoff game against the Montreal Canadiens, Art Ross substituted goaltender Tiny Thompson for a sixth skater in the final minute of play. Although the Bruins lost the game 1–0, Ross became the first coach to replace his goaltender with an extra attacker, a tactic which became widespread practice in hockey. The Canadiens would go on to win the series and the 1931 Championship.
Mar. 23, 1952 - Bill Mosienko scored the fastest hat trick in NHL history, 3 goals in 21 seconds
He scored 3 goals in 21 seconds.
Mosienko played 14 seasons in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks. He is best noted for recording the fastest hat trick in NHL history. In a 1952 game against the New York Rangers, Mosienko scored three goals in 21 seconds.
Mar. 21, 1994 - Wayne Gretzky tied Gordie Howe’s NHL record of 801 goals
Wayne Gretzky would go on to tally 894 goals and 2,857 points in his career. He broke 61 offensive NHL records along the way including most goals in a season with 92 in 1981-82, and most points in a season with 215 in 1985-86. That tally beat his own previous record of 212 points set four seasons earlier. No. 99 surpassed the 200-point mark four times in his career with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers.
By the time he retired after the 1999 season as a Ranger, Gretzky had scored 1,000 more points than Gordie Howe, who had previously held the NHL record.
Photograph by: Al Bello , Vancouver Sun Getty Images
Mar. 17, 1940 - first time in NHL history, one line (Boston’s Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer) finished 1-2-3 in NHL scoring
Mar. 17, 1940 - For the first time in NHL history, one line (Boston’s Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer) finished 1-2-3 in NHL scoring.
Unfortunately, the potent three were unable to help the Boston Bruins get past the first round of the playoffs as the Bruins lost in six games to the New York Rangers.
The 1939–40 NHL season was the 23rd season for the National Hockey League. Of the league’s seven teams, the Boston Bruins were the best in the 48-game regular season, but the Stanley Cup winners were the New York Rangers, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the best-of-seven final series 4–2 for their third Stanley Cup in 14 seasons of existence.
Mar. 13, 1955 - Maurice the Rocket Richard ejected from game for fighting
All-time Montreal Canadiens legend Maurice “Rocket” Richard was fighting with one of the Boston Bruins players when a linesman tried to restrain him. Richard broke loose and punched linesman Cliff Thompson twice in the face, knocking him unconscious. Three days later, NHL commissioner Clarence Campbell suspended Richard for the rest of the season.
