THIS DATE IN NHL HISTORY: March 16
1923: Brothers face each other for the first time in Stanley Cup Playoff history. Cy and Corb Denneny, and George and Frank Boucher line up on opposite sides of the ice with the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Maroons. None of the four score in Ottawa’s 1-0 win.
1935: Toronto Maple Leafs forward Charlie Conacher scores three goals for his 12th NHL hat trick in a 5-3 win against the visiting Montreal Canadiens. But that achievement is overshadowed when he takes over for injured goalie George Hainsworth and holds the Canadiens scoreless for three minutes. Hainsworth leaves for repairs early in the third period when he is cut over his left eye during a scramble that leads to Montreal’s third goal. But rather than await his return, Toronto puts Conacher in net wearing his regular equipment and holding a goalie’s stick.
1941: Maple Leafs goaltender Turk Broda gets his 26th NHL shutout in a 3-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago’s Paul Thompson becomes the first NHL coach to pull his goalie for an extra skater; however, nothing comes of the move, even though Toronto has a man in the penalty box.
1955: Maurice Richard is suspended by NHL President Clarence Campbell for the remainder of the 1954-55 regular season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs after striking linesman Cliff Thompson during a melee in the Canadiens’ game against the Boston Bruins.
1961: Bernie Geoffrion of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season. He ties the mark set by Maurice Richard in 1944-45 when he scores No. 50 in a 5-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Forum.
Geoffrion reaches the milestone when he beats Cesare Maniago at 14:15, capping a four-goal third period for the Canadiens. A seeing-eye pass from Gilles Tremblay puts Geoffrion in alone, and he finds the open side of the net for No. 50.
The goal triggers an explosion of sound from the 15,011 fans who’ve packed the Forum (another 2,500 reportedly are turned away), and an emotional outburst from his teammates, who leap on Geoffrion in celebration.
Though the Canadiens have two games remaining, Geoffrion is unable to get goal No. 51. He does win the Art Ross Trophy for the second time by leading the League with 95 points in a 70-game season.
1971: Goaltender Glenn Hall gets his 407th and final NHL victory when the St. Louis Blues defeat the visiting Canadiens 6-2.
1983: Scotty Bowman becomes the first NHL coach to win 100 games with three teams (Blues, Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres) when the Sabres defeat the visiting Calgary Flames 5-3.
2004: Chris Osgood gets his 300th NHL win and Keith Tkachuk scores his 30th goal of the season to help the St. Louis Blues defeat the Los Angeles Kings 5-3 at Staples Center. Osgood becomes the third-youngest and fifth-fastest goalie to win 300 games; Tkachuk reaches 30 goals for the ninth time in his NHL career.
