THIS DATE IN NHL HISTORY: April 11
1936: The Detroit Red Wings become the last of the Original Six teams to win the Stanley Cup when they defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 at Maple Leaf Gardens to win the best-of-5 Final in four games. The Red Wings win seven of their eight playoff games and score 18 goals in the Final. Pete Kelly gets the winning goal midway through the third period.
1964: Toronto’s Bob Pulford scores the latest game-winning goal in playoff history when he beats Detroit’s Terry Sawchuk at 19:58 of the third period for a 3-2 victory in Game 1 of the Final at Maple Leaf Gardens. Toronto wins the series in seven games for its third consecutive Stanley Cup championship.
1971: Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins becomes the first defenseman since 1922 to have a hat trick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Orr scores three goals in a 5-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens at the Forum in Game 4 of the Quarterfinals. He ties the game 1-1 midway through the second period and scores twice in the third to help the Bruins even the series at two wins each.
1975: The New York Islanders establish their own identity by stunning the New York Rangers when J.P. Parise scores 11 seconds into overtime for a 4-3 victory in the third and deciding game of their Preliminary Round series at Madison Square Garden. Parise jams Jude Drouin’s pass from the right corner past Ed Giacomin before many of the fans at the Garden had returned to their seats after intermission. It’s the fastest overtime goal in playoff history, a mark that stands until 1989. Islanders general manager Bill Torrey said Parise’s goal is more important to the organization than the overtime goal by Bob Nystrom that won the Stanley Cup in 1980. “That goal put us on the map,” Torrey recalled years later.
1980: Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull appear in their final NHL games, though neither gets a point in the Hartford Whalers’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series at the Civic Center. Howe, 52, has a goal and an assist in the three-game series; Hull, 41, goes scoreless. Montreal’s Yvon Lambert completes the sweep of the best-of-5 series when he scores 29 seconds into OT.
1989: Ron Hextall becomes the first goalie in NHL history to score a playoff goal. With the Philadelphia Flyers playing shorthanded, Hextall shoots the puck the length of the ice into an empty net with 1:02 remaining to wrap up an 8-5 win against the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the Patrick Division Semifinals at Landover, Maryland. He also becomes the first goaltender to score in the regular season and the playoffs.
1996: Sandy Moger scores midway through the third period to give the Boston Bruins a 3-2 victory against the Whalers at Boston Garden, extending their consecutive playoff streak to 29 seasons. It’s still the longest streak by any pro sports team.
1997: Mario Lemieux reaches the 50-goal mark for the sixth time in his NHL career when he scores on a third-period penalty shot against John Vanbiesbrouck during a 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers at Miami Arena. Lemieux becomes the first player in NHL history to score his 50th goal of the season on a penalty shot.
