1954: Red Kelly of the Detroit Red Wings is named the first winner of the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman.
1970: Bobby Orr scores one of the most iconic goals in NHL history 40 seconds into overtime, giving the Bruins a 4-3 victory against the St. Louis Blues, a four-game sweep in the Final and their first Stanley Cup in 29 years. Orr takes Derek Sanderson’s pass from behind the net and shoots past Blues goaltender Glenn Hall just before he’s tripped by St. Louis defenseman Noel Picard. The picture of Orr flying through the air as he celebrates the Cup-winning goal is among the most famous in sports history.
1973: Yvan Cournoyer scores the winning goal and has two assists, helping the Canadiens defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 at Chicago Stadium in Game 6 of the Final to win the Stanley Cup. Cournoyer’s goal at 8:13 of the third period puts Montreal ahead 5-4 and he sets up Marc Tardif’s insurance goal less than five minutes later. The Canadiens overcome a 2-0 deficit in the first period and win despite a hat trick by Chicago center Pit Martin. Montreal’s Henri Richard wins the Cup for his record-setting 11th Cup as a player.
1979: The Boston Bruins are leading 4-3 in Game 7 of the Semifinals against the Montreal Canadiens at the Forum when they are penalized for having too many men on the ice with 2:34 remaining in the third period. Montreal star Guy Lafleur’s slap shot from the right circle beats Gilles Gilbert with 1:14 to play to tie the game 4-4. Montreal dominates in overtime before Yvon Lambert scores at 9:33 to give the Canadiens a 5-4 win and a trip to the Final, where they defeat the New York Rangers for their fourth straight Stanley Cup championship. Montreal becomes the first team in NHL history to win a Game 7 after trailing by multiple goals in the third period.
1984: Grant Fuhr makes 34 saves for his first NHL playoff shutout and the Edmonton Oilers defeat the New York Islanders 1-0 in Game 1 of the Final at Nassau Coliseum. It’s the first playoff shutout in Oilers history. Kevin McClelland beats Billy Smith for the only goal of the game early in the third period.
2001: Darius Kasparaitis becomes the first defenseman in Pittsburgh Penguins history to get an overtime playoff goal. He scores at 13:01 of OT to give the visiting Penguins a 3-2 victory against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Penguins overcome deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 before Kasparaitis beats Dominik Hasek for his first goal of the 2001 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
2010: Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton become the second pair of goaltenders in Stanley Cup Playoff history to combine for a shutout in the Philadelphia Flyers’ 4-0 victory against the Bruins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at TD Garden. Boucher makes nine saves before he injures his left leg in a collision and has to leave in the second period. Leighton, who’s coming off a high ankle sprain that forces him to miss 21 games, takes over and makes 14 saves. The combined shutout is the first in the playoffs since March 22, 1955, when Jacques Plante and Charlie Hodge of the Canadiens shut out the Bruins 2-0.
2014: Goaltender John Gibson, whose NHL experience consists of three regular-season starts, makes his playoff debut by stopping all 28 shots he faces to help the Anaheim Ducks defeat the Los Angeles Kings 2-0 at Staples Center in Game 4 of the Western Conference Second Round. He is the sixth goaltender in the past 60 years to have a shutout in his first Stanley Cup Playoff game. Gibson (age 20 years, 330 days) is the youngest goaltender to win a playoff game since Carey Price of the Canadiens on April 24, 2008.
