THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Dec. 21
1937: Paul Thompson of the Chicago Blackhawks becomes the first player in NHL history to score a goal against his brother. Paul scores at 19:51 of the third period against Boston Bruins goalie Tiny Thompson in a 2-1 loss at Boston Garden.
1972: Bobby Orr gets his 541st point, setting the NHL career record for defensemen, with an assist in the Bruins’ 8-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Boston Garden. It comes in Orr’s 423rd NHL game and breaks a tie with Doug Harvey, who has 540 points in 1,113 games.
1975: The Buffalo Sabres set a team record for goals in a game when they defeat the Washington Capitals 14-2 at Memorial Auditorium. Rick Martin scores four goals for Buffalo, Fred Stanfield gets three and Danny Gare finishes with five points. The Sabres lead 6-2 after two periods, then score eight goals in the third, when they outshoot the Capitals 22-3.
1991: Alexander Mogilny ties the NHL record for the fastest goal from the start of a game when he scores five seconds into the Sabres’ 4-1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens. Mogilny matches the mark set by Doug Smail of the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 20, 1981, and tied by Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders on March 22, 1984.
On the same night, Wayne Gretzky scores his 732nd NHL goal to move past Marcel Dionne and into second place all-time behind Gordie Howe (801). The goal comes in the Los Angeles Kings’ 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
2009: Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils gets his NHL-record 104th shutout when he makes 35 saves in a 4-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Mellon Arena.
Brodeur breaks a tie with Terry Sawchuk, who has 103 shutouts in a career that ends in 1970, and adds the shutout mark to a collection that includes NHL records for victories and minutes played. Shutout No. 104 comes in Brodeur’s 1,032nd NHL game, all with the Devils. It’s the 580th victory of his NHL career.
2014: Goaltender Rob Zepp wins his NHL debut at age 33 when Jakub Voracek scores 10 seconds into overtime to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 4-3 victory against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Zepp becomes the oldest goaltender to win his NHL debut since 41-year-old Hugh Lehman with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1926.
2015: After losing his first four games, Mike Sullivan gets his first victory as coach of the Penguins when they defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 at Consol Energy Center. Phil Kessel scores two of Pittsburgh’s four goals in the second period. After the slow start, Sullivan guides the Penguins to the Stanley Cup six months later, then repeats in 2017.
