NHL History for March 4th highlighted by greats Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, Terry Sawchuk, Ron Francis and Guy Lafleur.
1931 – American coaching legend “Badger” Bob Johnson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The University of Wisconsin legend coached in the NHL from 1982-83 through 1990-91 with Calgary and Pittsburgh
1941 – Chicago Black Hawks goaltender Sam Lopresti set NHL regular season record by making 80 saves in a 3-2 loss to Boston. The Bruins also set a record with 37 shots in the first period alone.
1944 – Boston’s Bill Cowley scored four goals and two assists as the Bruins beat the New York Rangers 10-9 in a penalty-free game played. It was the third six-point game of Cowley’s NHL career.
1967 – Terry Sawchuk became the first NHL goaltender to record 100 career shutouts, when Toronto beat Chicago 3-0 at Maple Leaf Gardens. Martin Brodeur is the only other goaltender to reach 100 shutouts.
1973 – 44-year-old Jacques Plante made 27 saves in his first game as a Boston Bruin in a 4-0 win over Chicago. The legendary Montreal goalie played 8 games in Boston to end his NHL career.
1981 – Montreal’s Guy Lafleur scored two goals to become the 15th player in NHL history to score 1,000 career points.
1982 – Mike Bossy became the first player in NHL history to get 50 goals in each of his first 5 seasons, when he scored 3 times in a 10-1 Islanders win over Toronto. Wayne Gretzky is the only other player to do so.
1989 – Wayne Gretzky scored twice in a 6-2 Kings win over the Flyers to hit the 50 goal mark for the 9th and final time in his career.
1991 – Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Ron Francis, Grant Jennings and Ulf Samuelsson from the Hartford Whalers in trade for John Cullen, Jeff Parker and Zarley Zalapski. Aided greatly by this deadline trade, the Penguins would win the Stanley Cup in 1991.
1999 – Toronto tied a NHL record for fewest shots taken in a win. The Maple Leafs defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-0 despite taking just 9 shots on net.
2003 – Carolina’s Ron Francis became just the second player in NHL history to score 20 or more goals in 20 seasons. The other player was Gordie Howe.
