Welcome to episode 6 of the Hockey Tales and Trivia show. Each show brings you short stories from the epic history of the NHL along with fun hockey trivia questions with indepth answers and our three stars of the night.
In this episode, we look at trivia questions involving the 1968 Stanley Cup final, Steve Shutt’s NHL career and the fastest goal scored from the start of an NHL career. Our short stories look at a milestone goal by Frank Mahovlich and how Johnny Bower ruined Christmas for the Bruins in 1966. Last but not least, our three stars are from March 25, 1979.
Our first trivia question looks back at the 1968 Stanley Cup final series.
By the way – Much more NHL hockey trivia can be found at our hockey trivia website.
Which Montreal player scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in game 4 of the 1968 Stanley Cup final against the St. Louis Blues?
J.C. Tremblay scored on Glenn Hall at 11:40 of the third period in game 4 to make the score 3-2 for the Montreal Canadiens. That would hold as the final score. On May 11, 1968 at the Montreal Forum, the Habs secured their third Stanley Cup championship in four years by sweeping the St. Louis Blues.
Dick Duff opened the scoring for the Habs late in the first period. The Blues came back with a pair of goals in the second, scored less than a minute apart. They carried that 2-1 lead into the third until Henri Richard scored at 7:42, assisted by Tremblay, to tie it.
Hall was admirable again in the St. Louis net, stopping 28 of 31 shots. Despite losing the game and series, Glenn was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP. Gump Worsley made 19 saves in the win.
Next up, we look at a milestone goal by Frank Mahovlich.
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Henri Richard and Guy Lapointe Help Frank Mahovlich Win The Game And Get His 500th NHL Goal
Frank Mahovlich scored 533 regular season goals over his NHL career. His 500th came on March 21, 1973 at the Montreal Forum with his Canadiens taking on the Vancouver Canucks. The Big M put six shots on the Vancouver net but just one got by. However, that goal at 1:27 of the third period was the game winner in a 3-2 Montreal victory and it was Frank’s 500th.
Dunc Wilson was the unfortune goalie to allow this milestone marker. Henri Richard and Guy Lapointe had the assists. Wilson was hit with a 41 shot barrage while Ken Dryden faced just 25 for the Habs. This was the second of a five game hot streak by Mahovlich putting up a total of 11 points. He finished 1972-73 with 93, just three shy of his career best the season before.
The 533 career goals ranks Frank 36th all-time. He is one of just 48 NHL players to surpass the 500 goal plateau. He added 51 more in the playoffs over 137 games. In the WHA, Mahovlich scored 89 goals between 1974-75 and 1977-78 with the Toronto Toros and Birmingham Bulls.
Mahovlich appeared in 1,181 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1956-57 and 1973-74 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. The 1957-58 Calder Trophy winner was a member of six Stanley Cup winning teams, four with Toronto and two with Montreal. Frank was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981.
Our second trivia question of the show focusing on the closing days of Steve Shutt’s NHL career.
Which team did Steve Shutt finish out his NHL playing career with?
On November 18, 1984, Steve Shutt was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Los Angeles Kings for future considerations. He had started the 1984-85 NHL season with the Habs, playing in just ten games. With the Kings, Shutt scored 16 goals over 59 games and went without a point in three playoff games, retiring at the end of the season.
Shutt was the fourth overall pick by Montreal at the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft out of the Toronto Marlboros. Billy Harris, Jacques Richard and Don Lever went ahead of him. With the Marlies, Steve was second to Rick Martin in goal scoring in 1970-71 with 70, a single goal behind Rico. In 1971-72, his last year of junior, he scored 63 to lead the league, two ahead of runner-up Don Lever.
Between 1972-73 and 1984-85, Steve Shutt played 930 regular season and 99 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Canadiens and Kings. The five-time Stanley Cup champion was a 60 goal scorer in 1976-77, leading the NHL that year.
Next is the story of how Johnny Bower ruined Christmas for the Boston Bruins in 1966.
Johnny Bower Drops A Goose Egg On Christmas Eve 1966
The Boston Bruins paid a visit to Maple Leaf Gardens on December 24, 1966. Ten days ealier, Johnny Bower stopped 30 of 31 shots in a 2-1 Toronto win. On Christmas Eve, he would be even more of a scrooge, stopping all 29 shots sent his way, leading the Buds to a 3-0 shutout win.
Gerry Cheevers did pretty well at the other end of the ice, too, stopping 27 of 30. The first period was scoreless and George Armstrong didn’t get the first goal of the game until the match was more than halfway through. At 12:28 of the second, The Chief got one past Cheevers, assisted by Larry Hillman. Pete Stemkowski and John Brenneman scored the other two Toronto goals.
The NHL had no mercy on these two teams over the holidays, scheduling the second half of the home-and-home on Christmas Day at Boston Garden. Again, Bower played the Grinch, turning away 35 of 37 Boston shots in a 4-2 win.
Jim Pappin had two goals for the Leafs, including the game winner. Red Kelly had a three point game with a goal and two helpers. Just John McKenzie and J.P. Parise were able to get pucks past the China Wall with McKenzie also assisting on Parise’s goal. Pit Martin had helpers on both Bruins markers.
Now it’s time for the third and final hockey trivia question of the show:
Which player scored the fastest goal to start his NHL career?
On opening night at Maple Leaf Gardens on October 30, 1943, rookie Gus Bodnar scored his first NHL goal just 15 seconds into his first NHL game. The goal was scored on New York Rangers goalie Ken McAuley, assisted by Bob Davidson and Moe Morris.
Bodnar wasn’t done. He assisted on a Lorne Carr goal 1:17 into the second period and scored his second of the game and NHL career in the third. The Maple Leafs won the game 5-2 and Gus was on his way to a Calder Trophy winning 1943-44 NHL season as rookie of the year.
Fast goals were a thing for Bodnar. On March 23, 1952, now with the Chicago Blackhawks, Gus was teammed up with Bill Mosienko. In that game, also against the New York Rangers, Mosienko set the current record for fastest three goals by one player with a 21 second hat trick. The lesser publicized record is that Bodnar assisted on all three for the fastest three assists in NHL history.
Two members of the Buffalo Sabres have come close to breaking Bodnar’s rookie record. Danny Gare scored his first just 18 seconds into his first NHL game on October 10, 1974. Alexander Mogilny took 20 seconds to score his first in a game on October 5, 1989.
3 Stars
Each episode, we go back to a random date in NHL history and pick our three stars of the night. The date we look at now is March 25, 1979, nearing the end of the 1978-79 NHL season.
Third Star – Michel Larocque of the Montreal Canadiens
In a preview of the 1979 Stanley Cup final series, the Montreal Canadiens visited Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers. In a defensive battle, Bunny Larocque turned away all 25 shots put his way for the shutout. Anders Hedberg led New York with our of those 25 shots on Michel.
Yvon Lambert scored his 25th goal of the 1978-79 NHL season at 8:30 of the second period, assisted by Mario Tremblay and Pierre Mondou. It was the only blemish in a 29 save performance by New York goalie Doug Soetaert in the 1-0 win for the Canadiens.
Second Star – Jimmy Watson of the Philadelphia Flyers
Playing the Washington Capitals at the Spectrum, defenseman Jim Watson led the Flyers to victory with two goals and an assist for a three point game. In the second, Watson assisted on Reggie Leach’s 30th of the campaign. His two goals were scored in the third, both assisted by Bobby Clarke. His first, scored at 11:00 of the third, was scored shorthanded with Andre Dupont in the box for slashing.
In the 7-4 win, Watson led Philadelphia with four of the 33 shots put on Washington goalie Gary Inness. Wayne Stephenson allowed four goals on just 18 shots in the win. Bobby Clarke and Bob Dailey also had three point games with three assists each.
First Star – Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders
On most nights that the New York Islanders played during Mike Bossy’s career, he was probably among the three stars. On March 25, 1979 at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, Bossy scored a single goal but it was a big one. With just 28 seconds left on the clock, Mike scored his 60th of the season, assisted by Bob Bourne and Stefan Persson.
The goal on Denis Herron tied the game at 2-2, giving the Islanders a point when a loss looked inevitable. More importantly, this marked the first time Mike reached the 60 goal plateau. It also was the first time a member of the New York Islanders scored 60. He would go on to lead the league that year with 69.