This Week in Canadiens History: March 21st – March 27th
On this week’s edition of Canadiens’ History: Two Lafleurs(?!), tv legends, iron man streaks and more!
Monday March 21st
Hockey Night In Canada is Born
On this day, the year of our Lord 1951, the Canadian Broadcasting Company, the CBC, aired their very first hockey game on television. The CBC had been broadcasting hockey games on the radio for over 25 years, but a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens at the old Maple Leafs Garden. The Toronto Maple Leafs won that game 2-0.
Technically the game aired, but it is hard to really say that. The game was viewed by just 6 people, who were in the building. But it did lay the groundwork for one of the staples of Canadian television for the next half decade. The CBC lost the exclusive rights to NHL games to Rogers, although they do have the rights to Saturday night games and the playoffs.
Happy Birthday Sven Andrighetto
Sven Andrighetto was born on March 21st, 1993, in Sumiswald, Switzerland. He was picked by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round, 86th overall in 2013, which was the last year that he could be drafted in the NHL, and played 73 games with the Canadiens.
In 2017 Andrighetto was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for Andreas Martinsen, and became the very first Swiss player to play for the Avalanche. And to put into perspective how bad the Avalanche were at the time, Andrighetto, a player that scored just 11 career NHL goals before the trade, was playing with Nathan Mackinnon and Mikko Rantanen on the top line.
Mahovlich Scores 500
In 1973, Frank Mahovlich scored his 500th career goal in a game against the Vancouver Canucks, a game that the Montreal Canadiens would win 3-2. Mahovlich was the third player to score his 500th goal in a Montreal Canadiens uniform, behind Jean Beliveau and Maurice Richard.
Most of Mahovlich’s goals came in his 11 seasons as a Toronto Maple Leafs, and he played 4 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. Despite coming to the Canadiens late in his career, Mahovlich had two of his best seasons in Montreal, scoring 96 and 93 points in 1971-72 and 1972-73.
Frank Mahovlich came to Montreal and played with his younger brother Peter Mahovlich, who was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, but came to Montreal in 1969. Frank, the Big M, finished his career with 533 goals and 1,103 points in 1,181 games, while Peter, the Little M, had 288 goals and 773 points in 884 games.
Lafleur is Born
On March 21st, 1899, the first Lafleur to play as a member of the Montreal Canadiens was born in the Nation’s Capital: Ottawa, Ontario. Roland Lafleur played just one game with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1924-25 season. Lafleur registered no points in his sole game.
Tuesday, March 22nd
Lalonde Scores Four
On this day, the year of our Lord, 1919, Éduoard Cyrille “Newsy” Lalonde scored 4 goals as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Seattle Metropolitans 4-2 in a Stanley Cup Final game. It was the first time that a player had scored 4 goals in a Stanley Cup Final game.
That, unfortunately, was the year that the Spanish Flu was running rampant, and Lalonde along with four other players and Canadiens owner George Kennedy were hospitalized. The Montreal Canadiens would forfeit the series to the Metropolitans, but Seattle refused to accept as it would be unsporting of them to take the Stanley Cup. The remaining games were never played.
Morenz and Montreal Steamroll the Competition
In 1924, a rookie Howie Morenz scored three goals as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Calgary Tigers 6-1. It was the first game in the best-of-three series, as the NHL playoffs used to comprise of three game series, rather than best-of-sevens to save on time.
And it was a good thing that they were doing that too, because the second game of the series between Montreal and Calgary had to be played in Ottawa instead of Montreal. This was because Montreal was unseasonally hot in March, and Ottawa was the closest city to have artificial ice.
And the Montreal Canadiens had made short work of the competition in that year’s playoffs. They swept the Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Maroons and Calgary Tigers. The Canadiens outscored their opponents 19-6 in that post-season.
Moore Breaks Howe’s Record
In 1959, Dickie Moore scored one goal and one assist as the Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Rangers 4-2. The assist was Moore’s 96th point of the season which was the most points a player had ever had in a season up until that point. The previous best belonged to Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe, who scored 95 points just a few years earlier in 1952-53.
Now Wayne Gretzky has the top four seasons in terms of scoring, and is the only player to score over 200 points in a single season. His best year was 215 points in 1985-86. Phil Esposito was the first player to score 100 points in a season in 1968-69.
Patrick Roy Extends His Unbeaten Streak
In 1989, Patrick Roy shutout the Quebec Nordiques and the offence more than pulled their weight in a 8-0 win. Shayne Corson scored a hattrick, Claude Lemieux and Brian Skrudland scored 2 goals each, and Chris Chelios added 4 assists.
That win was Roy’s 26th straight unbeaten game in Montreal. That beat the old team streak from Bill Durnan in 1943-44.
Wednesday March 23rd
Happy Birthday Don Marshall
On this day, the year of our Lord 1932, Don Marshall was born in Verdun, Quebec. Marshall played 9 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, winning 5 Stanley Cups in that time. Later in his career, Marshall also played with the New York Rangers and one season each with the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marshall played in 1,176 games and recorded 265 goals and 589 points in an physical role. One of those goals came in a game against the Boston Bruins on November 9th, 1957, just 4 seconds into the second period. It remains the fastest goal to start a period, a record that he holds along with James van Riemsdyk and Denis Savard.
The Canadiens and The Bruins Meet For the First Time
In 1929, the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins met in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in the teams’ history. Since the Montreal Canadiens had the best season in their division, they earned a bye and met the Bruins in the second round, however the Boston Bruins would sweep the Canadiens in three straight games, shutting out the Habs in the first two games.
The nice thing is that this series would not set the tone for how the rest of history would occur. Montreal and Boston have faced each other more times than any other two teams in NHL history, with Montreal winning the majority of games 469-345-10. The Montreal Canadiens are one of only three teams to have an overall winning record against the Bruins, the others being the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild.
The Montreal Canadiens are also very good against the Boston Bruins in the playoffs. Including that first round, the Montreal Canadiens have a 25-9 record against the Bruins. The two teams have met 7 times in the Stanley Cup Final, and Montreal has won every single one of them.
Friday March 25th
Dickie Moore Scores 6
On this day, the year of our Lord 1954, Dicke Moore scored 2 goals and 4 assists in the Montreal Canadiens victory against the Boston Bruins. The Canadiens won that game 8-1. Bernie Geoffrion and Jean Beliveau both scored 2 goals each. It was the first time that a player scored 6 points in a Stanley Cup Playoffs game.
The Montreal Canadiens ended up sweeping the Bruins but lost in Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final. Wayne Gretzky would break that record in 1983 with four goals and 3 assists against the Calgary Flames. Mario Lemieux and Patrik Sundstrom are tied for the most points in a playoff game with 8.
A Pair of Records
On March 25th 1980, the Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Blackhawks 8-4. Steve Shutt and Pierre Larouche both scored 2 goals, Brian Engblom had 2 assists and Mario Tremblay also had 2 points.
With his first goal, Steve Shutt had scored against 20 different teams that season with his 44th goal of the season. It was the first time that a player had scored against that many different opponents.
Pierre Larouche scored his second goal with just 25 seconds left in the game. It was his 50th goal of the season, and his 2nd career 50 goal season. The first was in the 1975-76 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was the first time that a player had 50 goal seasons with two different teams.
Larouche actually had his fair share of records, most of which were broken by Wayne Gretzky. He was the youngest player to score 100, 200 and 300 points before being passed by Wayne Gretzky and Brian Trottier. Larouche was also the youngest player to score 50 goals and 100 points in a season before being passed by Gretzky again.
Saturday March 26th
Happy Birthday Laurent Dauphin
On this day, the year of our Lord 1995, current Canadien Laurent Dauphin was born in Repentigny, Quebec. Dauphin has an interesting history for playing just 61 NHL games, 26 with Montreal this year. Before he was drafted in the third round in 2013, Arizona traded up with the New Jersey Devils. But in 2017 he was traded with Connor Murphy to the Chicago Blackhawks for Niklas Hjalmarsson.
Dauphin was then traded with Richard Panik back to Arizona without playing a game with Chicago for Adam Clendening and Anthony Duclair. Dauphin was then traded to Nashville in a minor league deal, before being picked up by the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for disappointing first round pick Michael McCarron.
Dryden Extends the Streak
In 1977, the Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-0 on goals by Guy Lapointe, Guy Lafleur, Yvon Lambert and Bob Gainey and a shutout by Ken Dryden. It was Dryden’s 35th career shutout. It also extended the Montreal Canadiens home undefeated streak to 32 games, an NHL record.
Sunday March 27th
Guy Lafleur Scores 50
On this day, the year of our Lord 1976, the Montreal Canadiens beat the Kansas City Scouts 8-2. Steve Shutt scored three goals for his third career hattrick as Yvan Cournoyer, Doug Riseborough and Guy Lapointe added goals. Lapointe had a 4 point night.
But that was overshadowed as Guy Lafleur’s first goal, on the powerplay, was his 50th goal of the season. It was Lafleur’s second straight 50 goal season, and he would score at least 50 goals in his next four seasons.
Shutt Scores 100 Points
Exactly one year later the Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-0 with a Michel Larocque shutout. The offence was driven by Doug Riseborough who scored a hattrick and Rejean Houle with 2 goals of his own.
Shutt scored a goal and registered an assist, and the point on the assist was his 100th point of the season. He would finish the season with 105 points, and it was the only time Shutt would score 100 points in a season. The closest he ever got was 89 points in 1979-80.
Chelios Breaks a 13 Year Drought
In 1988, the Montreal Canadiens lost to the Hartford Whalers 4-2. The goals for Montreal were provided by Bobby Smith and Chris Chelios but were not enough to beat the Whalers led by Carey Wilson and Dave Tippett’s two points each.
The goal was Chelios’ 20th of the season, and it had been a while since a defender for the Montreal Canadiens scored 20 goals in one season. The last one was Guy Lapointe in 1974-75. Chelios finished the season with a career best 20 goals and 61 points. In 1995-96 Chelios set a career high in points with 72 in 81 games as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks.