Vintage Hockey Cards Report

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Dunc Wilson Endures 8-2 And 11-0 Losses To Philadelphia In 1977-78

Dunc Wilson probably wanted to see anyone other than the Philadelphia Flyers early in the 1977-78 season.

The Pittsburgh Penguins faced the Flyers twice over their first five games and were crushed 8-2 and 11-0. Wilson stayed in net for both games, facing a combined 90 shots as Philadelphia outscored Pittsburgh 19-2.

Bobby Clarke did much of the damage. He recorded a goal and four assists in the 8-2 victory, then added another goal and three assists in the 11-0 rout at the Spectrum.

The results were especially jarring considering Wilson had posted a 2.95 GAA and five shutouts the previous season. In 1977-78, he would finish with a 4.84 GAA in 21 appearances.

Wilson played 287 NHL regular-season games with five teams during his career—but never appeared in a playoff game.

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Every Canadiens Skater Had A Point In This 12-0 Rout Of Pittsburgh

The Habs hammered the Pittsburgh Penguins 12-0 at the Montreal Forum, with Guy Lafleur scoring the game-winner just 2:05 after the opening faceoff.

But here's the remarkable part: Montreal dressed 17 skaters and every single one recorded at least one point.

Guy Lapointe led the way with four assists. Yvon Lambert, Doug Risebrough and Mario Tremblay each scored twice and added an assist, while Réjean Houle contributed three helpers.

The only Hab who didn't register a point?

Goaltender Michel "Bunny" Larocque and he had a pretty good excuse.

Larocque stopped all 25 Pittsburgh shots for the shutout, his second of three during the 1978-79 season.

Montreal scored 12 goals on just 37 shots and went on to finish the season by capturing its fourth consecutive Stanley Cup.

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Gary Edwards and the Kings Spoil Boston's Home Opener in 1972

The defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins opened their 1972-73 season at Boston Garden on October 8, 1972. Gary Edwards and the Los Angeles Kings made sure it wasn't a celebration.

Edwards stopped 36 of 38 shots in a 4-2 Kings victory. Mike Walton fired seven shots without scoring, while Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr were both held off the scoresheet.

Boston's Dallas Smith opened the scoring just 2:16 into the game, but Mike Corrigan and Butch Goring answered to give L.A. a 2-1 lead after one. Carol Vadnais tied it in the second before Serge Bernier scored the eventual game-winner midway through the third. Bill Lesuk added an empty-net goal.

The Bruins recovered nicely, finishing the season with 51 wins and 107 points. The Kings weren't as fortunate, missing the playoffs by four points.

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Bob MacMillan's Shorthanded Winner Helps Blues Beat Buffalo In 1976

On January 13, 1976, Charlottetown native Bob MacMillan delivered a three-point performance as the St. Louis Blues defeated the Buffalo Sabres 7-3.

MacMillan helped set up Garry Unger's first-period goal before scoring an unassisted shorthanded goal early in the second. That goal put St. Louis ahead 4-1 and ultimately stood as the game-winner.

He added another goal later in the period to finish with two goals, one assist and seven shots.

MacMillan would play 753 NHL regular-season games, score 20+ goals six times and win the Lady Byng Trophy in 1978-79.

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Phil Esposito Shines In His Final Game Against The Boston Bruins

More than five years after leaving Boston, Phil Esposito faced his former Bruins for the final time on November 26, 1980 at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers were struggling, with just four wins through their first 22 games, but Esposito helped New York to a 6-4 victory. He assisted on each of Ron Greschner's first two goals before scoring his own at 7:54 of the second period.

Esposito's three-point performance came in his final NHL game against Boston, while his goal was the third-last of his legendary career.

His final appearance at Boston Garden had come earlier that season on October 9. The Rangers lost 7-2, but Esposito assisted on the opening goal of the game.

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Al MacAdam's First NHL Hat Trick Leads Golden Seals Past Detroit

The California Golden Seals weren't known for hot starts, but they opened their final season in California with consecutive victories.

On October 11, 1975, Al MacAdam scored three times as the Golden Seals defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 at Detroit Olympia. His first came shorthanded in the opening period before he added two more in the third, including the game winner.

It was the first of three NHL hat tricks for MacAdam and helped California improve to 2-0 after opening the season with a victory over Atlanta.

Unfortunately, the early success didn't last. The Seals won just one of their next 12 games and eventually finished with 27 victories and 65 points. After the season, the franchise relocated and became the Cleveland Barons.

We take a deeper look at this game here: Al MacAdam 1st NHL Hat Trick

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Doug "Diesel" Mohns Powers Chicago In 8-0 Win At Madison Square Garden

The Chicago Blackhawks put an exclamation point on a dominant 1966-67 regular season with an 8-0 demolition of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on April 2, 1967.

Denis DeJordy stopped all 33 shots he faced for the shutout, while Doug "Diesel" Mohns had a goal and two assists. Ed Van Impe chipped in three assists, impressive considering he had just 11 for the entire season.

Bill Hay scored twice, and they turned out to be the final two goals of his NHL career. Ed Giacomin surrendered six goals through two periods before Cesare Maniago took over for the third.

It was also Maniago's final appearance as a Ranger. A few months later, Minnesota made him its first selection in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft.

Chicago finished first overall with 94 points, 17 ahead of Montreal. Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, their dominant regular season didn't translate to the playoffs, where they fell to Toronto in the opening round.

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Paul Gagne Shines In Just His 3rd NHL Game

Paul Gagne didn't need much time to make an impact in the NHL.

Selected 19th overall by the Colorado Rockies in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft after a 48-goal, 101-point season with the Windsor Spitfires, Gagne jumped directly from junior hockey to the NHL.

He scored his first NHL goal in his second game, then took another step on October 14, 1980. Facing the Quebec Nordiques at McNichols Sports Arena in just his third NHL appearance, the 18-year-old scored twice in a 4-1 Rockies victory.

Gagne's first goal of the night, assisted by Walt McKechnie and Rob Ramage, proved to be the game winner. The same duo assisted on his second goal later in the game.

Gagne finished his rookie season with 25 goals in only 61 games. He eventually played 390 NHL games with Colorado, New Jersey, Toronto and the New York Islanders before continuing his career in Europe.

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Pierre Jarry's First 2 NHL Goals Came 8 Seconds Apart

Pierre Jarry picked an incredible way to score the first two goals of his NHL career.

On November 21, 1971, the New York Rangers hammered the California Golden Seals 12-1 at Madison Square Garden. The 12 goals remain a Rangers single-game record, while Jean Ratelle scored four times.

But Jarry produced perhaps the strangest feat of the night.

At 11:03 of the third period, Jarry scored his first NHL goal on Gilles Meloche to make it 9-1. The goal chased Meloche from the California net, with Lyle Carter coming in as his replacement.

Eight seconds later, Jarry scored again.

Two NHL goals. Eight seconds. Two different goaltenders.

The eight-second burst remains tied for the Rangers record for fastest two goals by one player. Even more remarkable, Jarry would score only one more goal in a Rangers uniform before being traded to Toronto later that season.

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The Flyers Couldn't Escape Red Berenson—Another Hat Trick a Year After His 6-Goal Game

Red Berenson's legendary six-goal game against the Philadelphia Flyers in 1968-69 is one of the greatest individual performances in NHL history. But it wasn't the only time he made life miserable for Philadelphia.

On November 1, 1969, the St. Louis Blues star delivered another unforgettable performance, scoring a hat trick in an 8-0 rout at St. Louis Arena. Berenson scored the first goal of every period, with his first two coming on the power play against Bernie Parent before beating Doug Favell just 29 seconds into the third period to complete the hat trick.

He also added an assist to finish with four points, while Frank St. Marseille exploded for five points (2G, 3A). Jacques Plante made 23 saves for the shutout as the Blues dominated from start to finish.

Berenson's success against the Flyers wasn't limited to one game. In seven meetings during the 1969-70 season, he piled up five goals and seven assists for 12 points, including a four-assist performance in another victory over Philadelphia later that season.

Sometimes a player just seems to have another team's number—and for Red Berenson in the late 1960s, that team was definitely the Philadelphia Flyers.

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Dennis Maruk's Forgotten Playoff Masterpiece

Dennis Maruk was known for becoming the first player in Washington Capitals history to reach both 50 and 60 goals in a season. But his most impressive postseason performance came years later with the Minnesota North Stars in 1986.

Facing the St. Louis Blues in the opening round, Maruk carried the North Stars offensively with 13 points in just five games on four goals and nine assists. He factored into an incredible 65% of Minnesota's goals during the series.

The North Stars were eliminated in five games, but not before Maruk delivered one of the greatest playoff performances that few hockey fans remember. In Game 2, he scored twice, added two assists, and finished with a +5 rating in a 6-2 Minnesota victory.

Game 5 would become the final playoff game of his NHL career. A brilliant offensive player, Dennis Maruk left behind a postseason performance that deserves to be remembered.

We take a deeper look here: Dennis Maruk 1985-86 Playoffs

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1971-72 Topps NHL Leaders Hockey Cards

These cards were only available with Topps and were not included in the O-Pee-Chee set.

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Mike Bossy Reaches a Rookie (and Islanders) Milestone Nobody Had Before

Entering the game on April 1, 1978 against the Washington Capitals with 49 goals, the New York Islanders rookie finally broke through in the third period, scoring his 50th goal on the power play to become the first rookie in NHL history to reach 50 goals.

Bossy added another power-play goal with just five seconds remaining, giving him 51 on the season and lifting the Islanders to a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory.

He finished his rookie year with 53 goals, beginning an incredible streak of nine consecutive 50-goal seasons. More than 40 years later, only Teemu Selanne, Joe Nieuwendyk and Alex Ovechkin have joined Bossy as NHL rookies to score 50 goals.

We take a deeper look at this game here: Mike Bossy 50th in 1977-78

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Two Starts, Two Shutouts for Bruins Netminder

Doug Keans didn't just record his first NHL shutout. He followed it up with another in his very next start.

On January 16, 1984, Keans blanked the New York Islanders with a 27-save performance as the Boston Bruins earned a 2-0 win at Boston Garden. After Pete Peeters handled the next two games, Keans returned on January 21 and shut out the Hartford Whalers, stopping all 32 shots in another 2-0 victory.

The consecutive shutouts were part of an eight-game personal winning streak and accounted for the first two of the four shutouts Keans recorded during his NHL career. After limited opportunities with the Los Angeles Kings, the 1983-84 season became his breakthrough campaign with Boston, where he spent five seasons as one of the league's dependable backup goaltenders.

We take a deeper look here: Doug Keans Shutout Streak

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Brian Cullen And Billy Harris Put On A Hat Trick Show

The Maple Leafs entered October 19, 1957 still searching for their first win of the season after dropping their opening three games.

What followed at Maple Leaf Gardens was an offensive explosion.

Brian Cullen and Billy Harris each scored hat tricks as Toronto overwhelmed the Boston Bruins 7-0, while Ed Chadwick stopped all 30 shots he faced for the shutout. Cullen opened the scoring on the power play before Ron Stewart added a shorthanded goal, and the Leafs never looked back.

Billy Harris capped the night by scoring twice in just 30 seconds early in the third period before completing his hat trick with only 22 seconds left. Cullen's three goals gave him a career highlight as well, with brother Barry Cullen assisting on two of them.

Neither forward became a scoring champion. Harris finished with 16 goals that season while Cullen recorded a career-high 20. But, for one unforgettable night they combined for six goals in one of the most dominant victories in Maple Leafs history.

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Dickie Moore and Rocket Richard Combined for All 6 Canadiens Goals in a 1957 Rout

On October 13, 1957, the Montreal Canadiens visited Detroit Olympia and gave Red Wings fans a night they'd rather forget. Maurice “Rocket” Richard and Dickie Moore combined to score all six Montreal goals in a 6-0 victory over Detroit.

Moore opened the scoring just 1:42 into the game on the power play, with assists from Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard. Richard followed with two first-period goals and later completed what would become the final regular-season hat trick of his legendary NHL career.

Not to be outdone, Moore added two more goals in the third period to complete his own hat trick. Both players finished with four points, recording three goals and one assist apiece.

Henri Richard and Beliveau each chipped in three assists, while Charlie Hodge stopped all 27 shots he faced for the shutout. Terry Sawchuk faced 33 shots and allowed six goals.

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Rick Martin Saves His Best For Last In Historic Sabres Season Finale

On April 7, 1974, Rick Martin entered the Buffalo Sabres' final game of the season needing just one goal to reach the 50-goal plateau. By the end of the night, he had scored three.

Martin's historic 50th goal came at 8:39 of the first period against St. Louis Blues goalie Wayne Stephenson, making him the first player in Buffalo Sabres franchise history to score 50 goals in a season.

He wasn't finished. Martin added his 51st goal early in the third period, a tally that would stand as the game winner in Buffalo's 5-2 victory. Then, with just 47 seconds left in regulation, he completed the hat trick and finished the season with 52 goals.

The feat was even more impressive considering Martin repeated the 52-goal mark the following season despite missing 12 games. His unforgettable season-ending performance remains one of the great individual milestones in Sabres history.