Eight times over the 1970’s, an NHL player had five or more goals in a game. One player, Darryl Sittler, was responsible for two of these with one being a six goal performance.
Two of the eight came during the Stanley Cup playoffs and, in fact, came during the same 1975-76 playoff year. One was by Darryl Sittler against the Philadelphia Flyers while the second was by Flyers sniper Reg Leach against the Boston Bruins.
Let’s take a look at these eight incredible performances.
Yvan Cournoyer Lays A Beating On The Chicago Blackhawks
February 15, 1975
When the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Chicago Blackhawks at the Forum on February 15, 1975, the NHL had not seen a five goal game in over six years. Red Berenson of the St. Louis Blues had been the last, scoring six against the Philadelphia Flyers on November 7, 1968.
Yvan Cournoyer changed all that. In a 12-3 blowout, the Roadrunner scored five goals and added two assists for a seven point night. Cournoyer recorded nine hat tricks over his Hockey Hall of Fame worthy NHL career but this would be the only one of the 1974-75 season.
The Habs were a much more powerful team that year and it showed. Chicago was just a .500 team while Montreal had lost only nine of their first 56 games that season. For Yvan, he actually ended up with lower numbers in 1974-75 than the previous season, scoring eleven less goals. On the night of February 15, he scored goals 19 through 23 and finished the campaign with 29.
Of the five markers, three were even strength and two were on the powerplay. The second powerplay goal was during a five on three advantage. Randy Holt of the Blackhawks was in the box for both.
Cournoyer’s two helpers came on goals by Jacques Lemaire and Doug Risebrough. Larry Robinson assisted on two of Yvan’s markers and finished the night with a Gordie Howe Hat Trick, scoring one himself and getting in a second period scrap.
Mike Veisor was left in the Chicago nets for the duration. He faced 36 shots, making just 24 saves. Seven of those shots came off the stick of Yvan Cournoyer.
About Yvan Cournoyer
Yvan Cournoyer played in 968 regular season and 147 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1963-64 and 1978-79, all with the Montreal Canadiens. He was the 1972-73 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, leading the Habs to a Stanley Cup championship with 15 goals and 25 points over 17 games.
Cournoyer was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982. He played in all eight games for Canada at the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union. Yvan scored the game tying goal in game eight, setting up Paul Henderson to score the winner.
Darryl Sittler Sets An Untouchable Record
February 7, 1976
On this historic night, the Toronto Maple Leafs were hosting a much more powerful Boston Bruins squad and a loss seemed inevitable. However, captain Darryl Sittler had different plans.
In the history of the National Hockey League, a player has scored six or more goals in a game just eight times. With Sittler’s four assists added in, it was a ten point night, something that to this day has never been equaled.
Darryl was part of every Toronto goal but one in an 11-4 win over the visiting Bruins. He scored goals number 22 through 27 on the season. He would end up 1975-76 with 41 goals and an even 100 points. Like Yvan Cournoyer’s big night, Sittler scored two on the powerplay.
The performance propelled both Lanny McDonald and Borje Salming to four point nights of their own. Dave Reece was left in net for Boston for the entirety of the match, turning away 29 of the 40 shots put his way.
About Darryl Sittler
Between 1970-71 and 1984-85, Darryl Sittler appeared in 1,096 regular season and 76 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings. He was originally a first round pick by the Buds at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft out of the London Knights.
Sittler was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989. He took over as team captain in Toronto from Dave Keon and was replaced by Rick Vaive. Number 27 is retired by the Maple Leafs in honour of both Darryl And Frank Mahovlich.
Check out Darryl’s book: Captain: My Life and Career (Amazon affiliate link)
Sittler Has A Wake-Up Call In The Playoffs
April 22, 1976
The Toronto Maple Leafs played ten playoff games in 1975-76, three against the Pittsburgh Penguins and seven against the Philadelphia Flyers. Darryl Sittler scored five goals over those ten games, all during the ninth game of the post season, the sixth game in the quarter-final series with the Flyers.
This, of course, was Sittler’s second game of the campaign reaching the five goal plateau. He had his historic six goal and ten point game against the Boston Bruins earlier in the year on February 7, 1976.
On April 22, 1976, Toronto was hosting the Flyers at Maple Leafs Gardens with Philadelphia up three games to two in the series. Up to this point, Darryl had not scored in the playoffs. He made up for it in this match.
The Maple Leafs fired 39 shots on Philly goalie Bernie Parent, eleven of those came off the stick of Sittler. Darryl added an assist on a third period goal by Claire Alexander for a six point night in an 8-5 win over the Flyers to even the series and force a game seven.
This was a typical Toronto vs. Philadelphia matchup in the 1970’s. Dave Schultz from the Flyers received 42 minutes in penalties while Dave “Tiger” Williams sat 34 PIM for the Leafs.
The next match was at the Spectrum in Philadelphia and the Flyers won easily 7-3 to take the series and move on to a semi-final matchup with the Boston Bruins. Darryl was left off the scoresheet.
Reg Leach Is Unstoppable In the 1975-76 Playoffs
May 6, 1976
After the Philadelphia Flyers eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1975-76 quarter-final, they moved on to a showdown with the Boston Bruins. On May 6, 1976, the Flyers hosted their foes at the Spectrum for game five of the series. Philly went in to the game up three games to one.
The Flyers put just 21 shots on Boston goalie Gilles Gilbert but won the game 6-3, clinching the series and paving their way to the Stanley Cup final against the Montreal Canadiens. Of those 21, seven were off the stick of Reggie Leach.
Leach put in goals number 11 through 15 in that playoff season, including a natural hat trick in the second period with three consecutive goals. Reg went on to score 19 goals over those playoffs and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, despite losing the final series to the Habs.
About Reg Leach
Reggie Leach was originally the third overall pick at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, selected by the Boston Bruins. His time in Boston was limited to 79 games over two seasons before being shipped off to the California Golden Seals.
Between 1970-71 and 1982-83, Leach played 934 regular season and 94 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Bruins, Golden Seals, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings.
Leach was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 1975-76, despite his Flyers losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the final. He was a factor in the team winning the Stanley Cup championship the year before. Inexplicably, Reg is not a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Rookie Don Murdoch Scores 5 In Just His 4th NHL Game
October 12, 1976
The sixth overall pick at the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft, going to the New York Rangers, Don Murdoch started his rookie 1976-77 season off with a bang. In the first game of the season, he opened the scoring in a 6-5 win over the Minnesota North Stars and added his second in the second period. Both goals were assisted by Phil Esposito.
Less than a week later, the Rangers and North Stars met again. On October 12, 1976, the Stars hosted the Blue Shirts at the Met. Murdoch would make history in the 10-4 Rangers win.
In the game, Don tied Howie Meeker’s NHL record for most goals in a game by a rookie, netting five. To date, these are the only two players to accomplish this feat.
Murdoch was left off the scoresheet in the first period, but there was no lack of goals. By the end of the first 20 minutes, the score was 4-2 for New York. Don got in on the action at 8:23 of the second with his fourth of the year, assisted by Dan Newman and Pete Stemkowski.
By the end of the second, he would have two more, scoring his fifth and sixth of the campaign and putting the Rangers up 7-4. It looked like he might have to be satisfied with the hat trick but late in the third, he found the twine behind Minnesota goalie Gary Smith two more times.
At 17:32, he scored his seventh of the season and fourth of the game, assisted by Walt Tkaczuk and Greg Polis. With just five seconds remaining in the game, he scored number five, unassisted. It was the last of his ten shots on Suitcase Smith for the night.
Don finished his rookie season with 32 goals and 56 points while playing just 59 games. Unfortunately, it was a career year for him offensively. His career never really blossomed and by 1982, he was in the minors to stay.
For that 1976-77 National Hockey League season, Murdoch finished second in voting for the Calder Trophy, behind Willi Plett of the Atlanta Flames. Also in the running were Roland Eriksson and Glen Sharply, both from the North Stars, along with Mike Palmateer of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
About Don Murdoch
After an exceptional 1975-76 junior season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Don Murdoch was selected sixth overall by the New York Rangers at the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft. He topped the 80 goal plateau in both of his years with the Tigers, scoring 88 and totaling 165 points in his final campaign.
Between 1976-77 and 1981-82, Murdoch appeared in 320 regular season and 24 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings.
Ian Turnbull Becomes The Only Defenseman In NHL History To Score 5 In A Game
February 2, 1977
No defenseman had ever done it before. No defenseman has ever done it since. In fact, the last blue liner to even score four goals in a game was Paul Coffey of the Edmonton Oilers back in 1984.
On the night of February 2, 1977, the Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Maple Leaf Gardens. The Wings were simply a terrible team but the goaltending tandem of Ed Giacomin and Jim Rutherford were a little out of character allowing nine goals on 32 shots.
With Giacomin in the Detroit nets and Wayne Thomas at the other end to start the game, the first period ended without a goal by either team. However, by the end of the second frame, the Buds were up 5-0.
Ian Turnbull scored the first goal of the game at 1:55 of the second, his 12th of the 1976-77 campaign, assisted by Lanny McDonald and Borje Salming. Turnbull then finished out the second period with his second of the game at 10:26, unassisted.
Rutherford came in to replace Giacomin for the start of the third but didn’t have much better luck. Ian scored his hat trick goal at 4:58 to start things off in the third, again unassisted.
After Lanny McDonald scored to make it 7-0 and Danny Grant finally got Detroit on the board, Turnbull rounded out the five goal night with a pair of markers late in the period. Both his fourth and fifth goals were assisted by defense partner Borje Salming.
The other historical factor in that game was the Turnbull scored five goals on just five shots on net. This was the first time a player in the National Hockey League had accomplished that feat.
About Ian Turnbull
Ian Turnbull was the 15th overall pick at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He went on to play 628 regular season and 55 playoff games in the NHL with the Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins. His career was cut short by a back injury.
Bryan Trottier Hammers The Hated Rangers With 5 In A 9-4 Islanders Win
December 23, 1978
Hosting the New York Rangers at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the night of December 23, 1978, the Islanders mostly stood on the shoulders of Bryan Trottier in a 9-4 win. Along with his five goals, Trottier added three assists for an eight point game.
At the time, Bryan was just the fifth player to have eight or more points in a single NHL game. Today, this accomplishment has been done just 16 times by 13 different players.
It took a while for the first goal to be scored in this game, but at 13:40, when the first was scored, it was Trottier. The teams finished up the first frame tied 1-1 with Ron Greschner scoring for the Rangers.
In the second period, the floodgates opened. The goalie that was in net for the Maple Leafs when Ian Turnbull had his five goal game two years before, was now on the receiving end for the Rangers. Wayne Thomas allowed seven goals in the second period. On the game, he allowed eight on just 23 shots. John Davidson was between the pipes for the Blue Shirts in the third.
Bryan had a hat trick in the second period alone while also assisting on two goals by Mike Bossy and one by Garry Howatt. For Trottier, it was all done by 7:38 of the third when he scored his fifth of the game to make the score 9-2 for the Islanders. The Rangers would come back with a pair of goals to make the final score 9-4.
Trottier and Mike Bossy had eight shots on net each, accounting for nearly half of the team’s 36. Bossy had an amazing game of his own with two goals and three assists for five points. The other linemate, Clark Gillies, had four assists.
About Bryan Trottier
Bryan Trottier was passed up in the first round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft and was finally taken 22nd overall by the New York Islanders. After an extra year of junior hockey with the Lethbridge Broncos, he instantly became a star with the Islanders.
Trottier was the 1975-76 Calder Trophy winner, setting a record at the time with 95 points as a rookie. He went on to play 1,279 regular season and 221 playoff games in the NHL between 1975-76 and 1993-94 with the Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins.
As a player, Bryan was a four time Stanley Cup champion with New York and also won twice with Pittsburgh. He won the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy in 1978-79 and the Conn Smythe Trophy the following season.
In 1997, Trottier was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2001, his number 19 was retired by the Islanders.
Check out Bryan’s book: All Roads Home: A Life On and Off the Ice (Amazon affiliate link)
Rangers Again Fall Victim To A 5 Goal Scorer In 1978-79 – This Time, Tim Young of the Minnesota North Stars
January 15, 1979
Less than a month after Bryan Trottier scored five on the New York Rangers, Tim Young of the Minnesota North Stars had his way with the Blue Shirts. On January 15, 1979, the Rangers hosted the Stars at Madison Square Garden. With the help of Young, Minnesota came out on top quite easily in an 8-1 win.
This time, Wayne Thomas was on the bench with Doug Soetaert starting between the pipes for the Rangers. Soetaert allowed five goals over two periods, including three by Tim. Young scored his first of the game, and what would turn out to be the winning goal, just 2:55 into the first period. Jim Roberts had already scored 41 seconds earlier, assisted by Young, to put Minnesota on the board.
With Wayne Thomas in net for the third, New York finally got on the scoreboard with a Dave Maloney goal at 4:38. Young was back at it three and half minutes later with his fourth (assisted by goalie Gilles Meloche) and rounded out the scoring at 14:56 with his fifth.
Tim had just five shots on net for a perfect 1.000 shooting percentage. The five were goals 11 through 15 on the season. He would finish the 1978-79 campaign with just 24.
About Tim Young
Tim Young had a standout final season of junior with the Ottawa 67’s in 1974-75. He led the league with 107 assists and finished second in the race for the Eddie Powers Trophy with 163 points, two behind leader Bruce Boudreau.
This caught the eye of the Los Angeles Kings and they selected Young in the first round of the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. However, Tim never played for the Kings. Instead, he was traded prior to the start of the 1975-76 NHL season to the Minnesota North Stars, in exchange for a second round draft pick.
Between 1975-76 and 1984-85, Tim Young appeared in 628 regular season and 36 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the North Stars, Winnipeg Jets and Philadelphia Flyers. He reached the 20 goal plateau in five seasons and topped out with 31 goals with Minnesota in 1979-80.
i believe Reggie Leach was part American Indian.
Kevin Mitchell (47 HR in 1989) was sort of baseball equivalent to Reggie Leach, Leach had such a high (but very short peak) in middle 70s (to think this guy came from the Golden Seals)
Don Murdoch was Ron Duguay before Ron Duguay
It was short and sweet with Leach – maybe if he wasn’t neglected with the Bruins and then sent to the horrible seals, things might have started faster for him. He goes down as the only 60 goal scorer in Flyers history and that performance in the 1975-76 playoffs was magical – still one of just five to win the award on a the runner-up team.