This week in Canadiens History: Guy Lafleur, Jean Beliveau, Disco, severed ears and more on this edition!
Monday February 28th
On this day, the year of our Lord 1978, Guy Lafleur scored 3 goals and 3 assists as the Canadiens wiped the floor with the Detroit Red Wings 9-2. His third point of the game was his 100th point of the season, and it was Lafleur’s 4th straight season as such.
Le Démon Blond’s 3rd goal was his 46th of the season, on route to 60 by the end of the season. This was right in the middle of one of the most dominating stretches any player has ever had in the NHL.
It started in 1974-75, where Lafleur scored 53 goals and 119 points. Then 1975-76: 56 goals and 125 points. 1976-77: 56 goals and 136 points. 1977-78: 60 goals and 132 points. 1978-79: 52 goals and 129 points. 1979-80: 50 goals and 125 points.
It was the first time anyone had scored over 50 goals and 100 points in 6 straight seasons. Guy Lafleur would retire in 1985, get inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, but then would return in 1989 and play three more seasons with the Quebec Nordiques and New York Rangers.
On February 27th, 1890, arguably the NHL’s first superstar, Maurice Joseph ‘Phantom Joe’ Malone was born in Sillery, Quebec. Joe Malone got his start before the NHL was even in existence as a member of the Quebec Bulldogs, but was chosen by the Canadiens as the Bulldogs were not a part of the original NHL.
Malone scored in each of the first 14 Montreal Canadiens’ NHL games, totaling 35 goals in that span, and finished the first NHL season with 44 goals in 1917. The next person to break that record of goals in a single season was The Rocket Maurice Richard in 1944. On January 31st, 1920, Malone scored 7 goals against the Toronto St. Patricks, a record that stands to this day.
February 28th is also the birthday of Stéphan Armand Lebeau in 1968 in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec. A prolific scorer in the Juniors, Lebeau was undrafted and signed in Montreal in 1986. In 1988-89, as a member of the Sherbrook Canadiens, Lebeau scored 70 goals, a record for most goals in an AHL season that still stands.
Lebeau could only come close to replicating those numbers in the big league for one year, 1992-93, where he put up 80 points in 71 games and helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup.
And finally, Patrick John “Jack” McDonald was born on February 28th, 1887. McDonald would play one full year with the Canadiens, and come close to winning the Stanley Cup before both the teams succumbed to the Spanish Flu.
McDonald was also a part of the ill-fated Montreal Wanderers team, who played just 6 NHL games before their arena burned down and they were forced to disband.