THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Feb. 23
1952: Elmer Lach of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the NHL all-time scoring leader. Lach gets four points (goal, three assists) in a 7-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. The four points give Lach 550 in his NHL career, two more than Bill Cowley, who’s held the record since 1946.
1964: Glenn Hall becomes the third goaltender in NHL history to have five 30-win seasons. He gets win No. 30 when the Blackhawks defeat the Bruins 2-0 at Chicago Stadium. Hall also has an assist in the game.
1972: The Boston Bruins defeat the California Golden Seals 8-6 in Oakland, becoming the first team in NHL history to win a game after trailing by five goals.
The Golden Seals lead 3-1 after one period and 6-1 after Craig Patrick scores 8:53 into the second period. But Bobby Orr sets up goals by Wayne Cashman and Fred Stanfield before the period ends, then scores a goal and has two assists during a five-goal third.
Orr finishes with one goal and four assists; Stanfield scores three goals for his first NHL hat trick.
1983: Mark Pavelich of the New York Rangers becomes the first United States-born player to score five goals in a game. He does it during an 11-3 victory against the Hartford Whalers at Madison Square Garden. The five goals tie a Rangers record set by Don Murdoch on Oct. 12, 1976.
1985: Rookie Patrick Roy gets a victory in his first NHL game when the Canadiens outscore the Winnipeg Jets 6-4 at the Forum. Chris Nilan leads the scoring with three points (two goals, assist).
1989: The Detroit Red Wings trail 6-0 in the second period but rally for a 6-6 tie against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Joe Louis Arena. Steve Yzerman scores two goals and sets up two others. The two goals give Yzerman 57, breaking the Red Wings’ single-season record of 55 set by John Ogrodnick in 1984-85.
1996: Mario Lemieux scores his 50th goal of the season in the first period, and Jaromir Jagr scores Nos. 49 and 50, to help the Penguins defeat the visiting Whalers 5-4. It’s the second time in NHL history that teammates each score his 50th goal of the season in the same game. Lemieux and Kevin Stevens each scored No. 50 in a 6-4 road win against the Edmonton Oilers on March 21, 1993.
2001: Yzerman scores a goal to become the sixth player in NHL history with 1,600 points. It comes in a 4-2 victory against the St. Louis Blues at Joe Louis Arena. The game is Scotty Bowman’s 600th game as Detroit’s coach.
On the same night, Jeremy Roenick of the Phoenix Coyotes scores three goals to become the third U.S.-born player to score 400 in his NHL career. Roenick also has an assist in the Coyotes’ 7-3 road win against the Buffalo Sabres.
