Toronto Maple Leafs 1967 Stanley Cup
1967: The Toronto Maple Leafs become the first team with an average age of 30 or older to win the Stanley Cup

THIS DATE IN NHL HISTORY: May 2

1967: The Toronto Maple Leafs become the first team with an average age of 30 or older to win the Stanley Cup when they defeat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Game 6 of the Final.

Ron Ellis and Jim Pappin score in the second period, and 36-year-old captain George Armstrong hits the empty net with 47 seconds remaining for Toronto, which has an average age of 31. Terry Sawchuk, who at 37 is the younger half of a playoff goaltending duo that also includes 42-year-old Johnny Bower, makes 40 saves to help the Maple Leafs win their fourth championship in six years. 

Toronto’s defense includes 40-year-old Allan Stanley, 37-year-old Tim Horton and 36-year-old Marcel Pronovost, as well as Bob Baun and Kent Douglas, each 30. Armstrong and 39-year-old Red Kelly anchor the forwards. One of the “kids,” 26-year-old center Dave Keon, scores one goal in the six-game Final but wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for his defense and penalty-killing.

1971: Bobby Hull scores the go-ahead goal and has two assists, helping the Chicago Black Hawks defeat the New York Rangers 4-2 in Game 7 of the Semifinals at Chicago Stadium. Hull has an assist on Cliff Koroll’s tying goal at 13:29 of the second period, then scores the go-ahead goal at 4:25 of the third, beating Ed Giacomin after Lou Angotti wins an offensive-zone faceoff. Chicago advances to the Final for the first time since 1965.

1976: Reggie Leach scores a goal in his seventh straight playoff game, helping the Philadelphia Flyers defeat the Boston Bruins 5-2 at Boston Garden in Game 3 of the Semifinals. Rookie Mel Bridgman has a goal and two assists; the goal comes 2:11 into the third period and breaks a 2-2 tie. Leach scores less than five minutes later to make it 4-2. Flyers goalie Wayne Stephenson makes 26 saves.

1985: Peter Stastny scores one of the biggest goals in the history of the Quebec Nordiques, beating Steve Penney at 2:22 of overtime for a 3-2 win against the Canadiens in Game 7 of the Adams Division Final at the Forum. Montreal rallies down 2-0 to tie the game on second-period goals by Pierre Mondou and Mats Naslund, but Quebec advances when Stastny scores on its only shot in overtime.

1987: Bobby Smith scores one goal and has two assists to power the Canadiens to a 5-3 win against the Nordiques in Game 7 of the Adams Division Final at the Forum. All five Montreal goals, including two by Ryan Walter, come in the second period; Quebec scores once in the first period and twice in the third. It’s the third time in four years the provincial rivals face off for the division title, and the second time in three years they go to a Game 7.

2002: Patrick Lalime becomes the 14th goaltender in NHL history to have four shutouts in one postseason when he makes 27 saves in the Ottawa Senators’ 5-0 victory against the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Five players score goals in the first two periods for Ottawa. The Senators go 3-for-12 on the power play; Toronto goes 0-for-1.

2006: The Carolina Hurricanes win their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the Canadiens when Cory Stillman scores 1:19 into overtime for a 2-1 win in Game 6. Stillman’s slap shot from the top of the left circle beats Cristobal Huet to give Carolina its fourth straight win after losing the first two games at home. Rookie Cam Ward, inserted after the Hurricanes those two home losses, makes 25 saves for his fourth straight victory. Carolina goes on to win its first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

2012: The New York Rangers get a win in their longest game in 73 years. Marian Gaborik scores at 14:41 of the third overtime for a 3-2 victory against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series. Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist makes 45 saves to end a personal seven-game losing streak in overtime. It’s the first 3OT game for the Rangers since 1971.

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