Stories Of Lanny McDonald

What follows is a series of stories from the Hockey Hall of Fame career of Lanny McDonald, from his days with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Calgary Flames. McDonald’s career stats follow, along with a hockey card video and a hockey card collection.

Lanny McDonald Career Stats

Lanny McDonald Hockey Card Video

Lanny McDonald Hockey Card Collection

Lanny McDonald Breaks 52 Year Old Franchise Record For The Maple Leafs In 1976

On October 16, 1976 at Maple Leaf Gardens against the Philadelphia Flyers, Lanny McDonald set what is the current Toronto team record for the fastest three goals by one player. His hat trick in 2:54 broke the previous mark of 2:55 set by Babe Dye in 1924. It stands as the 28th fastest hat trick in NHL history.

McDonald opened the scoring at 8:24 of the first with his third of the young 1976-77 NHL season, assisted by Darryl Sittler. 1:01 later, he had his second, again assisted by Sittler. The third was scored at 11:18 with help from Sittler and Ian Turnbull. Not long after, Jack Valiquette scored to make it 4-0 Toronto. All four were scored on Bernie Parent and he was replaced by Gary Inness after the first period.

Lanny was done scoring for the game but the Philadelphia Flyers weren’t. They chipped away with two late goals in the second period by Rick MacLeish and Ross Lonsberry before three straight to go ahead in the third. Jim McKenny scored for the Leafs at 16:07 of the third to salvage a 5-5 tie.

Wayne Thomas faced 35 shots in the Toronto nets, allowing the five goals. Paul Holmgren led with a pair of markers on six shots while Bill Barber had a single while also putting six pucks on Thomas. McDonald led all skaters in the game with seven shots.

Hat Trick, Fight and an Assist: Lanny McDonald’s Complete Performance vs. Detroit

You couldn’t ask for much more from a leader than what the Toronto Maple Leafs received from Lanny McDonald on October 29, 1977 at Maple Leaf Gardens. In a 7-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, McDonald delivered offense, toughness, and inspiration all in one unforgettable night.

After Dan Maloney opened the scoring six minutes into the first period to give Detroit a 1-0 lead, the tone of the game shifted at 9:24 when McDonald dropped the gloves with Detroit’s Al Cameron. The spirited bout seemed to ignite Toronto. While McDonald served his five-minute major, Borje Salming and Jack Valiquette scored to give the Leafs a 2-1 advantage.

In the second period, McDonald took over offensively. He scored his first of the game and second of the 1977-78 season to extend the lead to 3-1, with an assist from Darryl Sittler. After Cameron and Tiger Williams exchanged goals, McDonald set up Sittler at 18:19 for what would stand as the game-winner, pushing Toronto ahead 5-2.

The third period turned into a back-and-forth exchange. McDonald added two more goals, his third and fourth of the young season, while Detroit responded with tallies from Bob Ritchie and Dennis Polonich. Fittingly, both McDonald and Cameron completed Gordie Howe hat tricks, each recording a goal, an assist, and a fight in the contest.

McDonald was especially dominant, firing eight of Toronto’s 26 shots at Detroit goaltender Jim Rutherford. Sittler enjoyed a four-point night of his own with a goal and three assists, while Mike Palmateer turned aside 30 shots to secure the victory for Toronto.

Palmateer’s 56 Saves And McDonald’s 2 Points Lead Leafs To Victory In 1977

The Los Angeles Kings visited Maple Leaf Gardens on January 12, 1977 and found out just how good this rookie goaltender Mike Palmateer really was. Lanny McDonald helped out offensively to give Toronto a 3-2 win over the Kings.

Palmateer was peppered with 58 shots in the game, allowing just goals by Don Kozak and Tom Williams. Dave Hutchison and Gary Sargent had eight shots each while Marcel Dionne, Dave Schultz and Frank St. Marseille had seven apiece. All five of those Los Angeles players couldn’t put one in the net.

Lanny opened the scoring at 3:24 of the first with his 29th of the 1976-77 NHL season, assisted by Jim McKenny. Jack Valiquette put the Leafs up 2-0 less than two minutes later. After Kozak scored for the Kings just 19 seconds into the second period, McDonald and Errol Thompson set up McKenny for what would be the game winning goal.

No stranger to rubber in that rookie season, Palmateer faced 30 or more shots in 35 of his 50 games. Six were 40 or more shots and he was 3-2-1 in those games, including a 47 save 6-0 save shutout against the Detroit Red Wings. Despite his first year performance, he was just fifth in voting for the Calder Trophy.

Lanny McDonald Records His Only Hat Trick As A Member Of The Colorado Rockies

Lanny McDonald had 18 three goal games over his NHL career, eight with the Toronto Maple Leafs (one of those was a 4-goal game), nine with the Calgary Flames and just one with the Colorado Rockies. This lone hattie occurred on February 6, 1981 in a 6-4 home win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

McDonald scored the first goal of the game at 5:22 of the first period on Pittsburgh goalie Nick Ricci with an assist to Merlin Malinowski. With the score tied at 2 apiece going into the second frame, Lanny scored his second of the game and 24th of the season to put the Rockies up 3-2. Assisting on that goal were Paul Gagné and Walt McKechnie.

The hat trick goal came with 41 seconds left in the match and was scored into the empty net unassisted. McDonald had a five point night, adding assists on goals by Lucien DeBlois and Mike Gillis. He had five of Colorado’s 23 shots on Ricci in the game. At the other end, Al Smith made 30 saves on 34 shots for the win.

A December 29, 1979 trade brought Lanny to Denver with Joel Quenneville while Pat Hickey and Wilf Paiement went the other way to Toronto. His time with the Rockies was relatively short, consisting of 142 games over parts of three years. On November 25, 1981, he left town in a trade with the Calgary Flames that saw Don Lever and Bob MacMillan go to Colorado.

Lanny McDonald Scores 60th Of 1982-83 NHL Season

On March 16, 1983, the Calgary Flames had little to celebrate in Buffalo, dropping a 5-3 decision to the Sabres. But one goal that night would make history.

With just two minutes left in the second period, Lanny McDonald scored his 60th of the season against Bob Sauvé. It was a milestone that put him in rare company with legends like Phil Esposito, Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Guy Lafleur, and more. Despite Calgary’s loss, McDonald etched his name into the franchise record book.

That 60th goal was just the start of his historic finish. Over the Flames’ final eight games of 1982-83, McDonald added six more goals to close the season with 66, a single-season team record that still stands today.

Even with that total, McDonald trailed behind Wayne Gretzky’s remarkable 71-goal campaign, while Mike Bossy also joined the 60-goal club with an even 60. McDonald carried his scoring touch into the playoffs, notching three goals and seven points in seven games. Paul Reinhart led the Flames in playoff scoring with six goals, as Calgary swept Vancouver before bowing out to the powerhouse Oilers in round two.

First and Last: Lanny McDonald (the evolution of the moustache)

The Lanny McDonald rookie card appears in the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee and Topps NHL hockey card sets. Of course, he is shown as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lanny was the fourth overall pick at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft by the Buds and jumped directly from junior (Medicine Hat Tigers) to the NHL for the 1973-74 campaign.

Always an offensive threat, McDonald finished his NHL career with exactly 500 regular season goals. He surpassed the 40 goal plateau 6 times, including a 66 goal performance with the Calgary Flames in 1982-83. That mark stands today as a team record.

Lanny’s final card as a player is included in the 1989-90 O-Pee-Chee set and shows him as a member of the Calgary Flames. As noted on the front of the card, McDonald had retired and his final National Hockey League action came in 1988-89.

From 1973-74 to 1988-89, Lanny McDonald played in 1,111 regular season and 117 playoff games in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Calgary Flames. He was a Stanley Cup champion with the Flames in 1988-89 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.

Lanny McDonald NHL Career Stats

Regular Season

Year	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1973-74	Toronto Maple Leafs	70	14	16	30	43
1974-75	Toronto Maple Leafs	64	17	27	44	86
1975-76	Toronto Maple Leafs	75	37	56	93	70
1976-77	Toronto Maple Leafs	80	46	44	90	77
1977-78	Toronto Maple Leafs	74	47	40	87	54
1978-79	Toronto Maple Leafs	79	43	42	85	32
1979-80	Toronto Maple Leafs	35	15	15	30	10
1979-80	Colorado Rockies	46	25	20	45	43
1980-81	Colorado Rockies	80	35	46	81	56
1981-82	Colorado Rockies	16	6	9	15	20
1981-82	Calgary Flames	55	34	33	67	37
1982-83	Calgary Flames	80	66	32	98	90
1983-84	Calgary Flames	65	33	33	66	64
1984-85	Calgary Flames	43	19	18	37	36
1985-86	Calgary Flames	80	28	43	71	44
1986-87	Calgary Flames	58	14	12	26	54
1987-88	Calgary Flames	60	10	13	23	57
1988-89	Calgary Flames	51	11	7	18	26
	Totals	1111	500	506	1006	899

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1973-74	Toronto Maple Leafs	0	0	0	0	0
1974-75	Toronto Maple Leafs	7	0	0	0	2
1975-76	Toronto Maple Leafs	10	4	4	8	4
1976-77	Toronto Maple Leafs	9	10	7	17	6
1977-78	Toronto Maple Leafs	13	3	4	7	10
1978-79	Toronto Maple Leafs	6	3	2	5	0
1979-80	Toronto Maple Leafs	0	0	0	0	0
1979-80	Colorado Rockies	0	0	0	0	0
1980-81	Colorado Rockies	0	0	0	0	0
1981-82	Colorado Rockies	0	0	0	0	0
1981-82	Calgary Flames	3	0	1	1	6
1982-83	Calgary Flames	7	3	4	7	19
1983-84	Calgary Flames	11	6	7	13	6
1984-85	Calgary Flames	1	0	0	0	0
1985-86	Calgary Flames	22	11	7	18	30
1986-87	Calgary Flames	5	0	0	0	2
1987-88	Calgary Flames	9	3	1	4	6
1988-89	Calgary Flames	14	1	3	4	29
	Totals	117	44	40	84	120

NHL Hockey Card Greats: Lanny McDonald [Video]

Lanny McDonald Hockey Card Collection

Lanny McDonald hockey cards that are featured at our Hockey Card Collection website.

1974-75 O-Pee-Chee

1975-76 O-Pee-Chee

1976-77 O-Pee-Chee

1977-78 O-Pee-Chee

1978-79 O-Pee-Chee

1980-81 O-Pee-Chee

1982-83 O-Pee-Chee