November 19 NHL History
1929: Two defensemen score four goals in the same game for the only time in NHL history. John McKinnon of the Pittsburgh Pirates scores four times in a 10-5 victory against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. Four of Toronto’s five goals are scored by defenseman Hap Day, who assists on Toronto’s other goal. Day finishes the season with seven goals.
1983: Wayne Gretzky has an eight-point game (three goals, five assists) and Jari Kurri scores five goals in the Edmonton Oilers’ 13-4 victory against the New Jersey Devils at Northlands Coliseum. Willy Lindstrom also has a hat trick for the Oilers, who score their 13 goals after New Jersey led 2-0.
On the same night, Bruce Hood becomes the first referee to officiate 1,000 NHL games. The milestone comes when he works the Maple Leafs’ 5-4 victory against the Detroit Red Wings at Maple Leaf Gardens. Hood retires after the 1983-84 season having worked 1,033 regular-season games and another 157 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
1991: Mark Messier gets his first hat trick as a member of the New York Rangers and scores his 400th NHL goal during a 4-3 victory against the Vancouver Canucks at Pacific Coliseum. Messier gets No. 400 and completes his hat trick when he scores 5:06 into the third period to break a 3-3 tie. He also assists on Adam Graves’ shorthanded goal.
1997: Mario Lemieux‘s No. 66 is retired by the Pittsburgh Penguins two days after he’s inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Lemieux receives numerous gifts, as well as donations to his foundation, before taking the microphone to thank the packed house at Mellon Arena, saying he wants to be remembered by Pittsburgh fans as “somebody who took a last-place team and was able to win a championship seven or eight years later.”
At the time, that’s likely how they expect to remember Lemieux, who’s been worn down by cancer and back problems before retiring at age 32. Instead, after three-plus seasons in retirement, Lemieux, now Penguins owner, announces that he will return on Dec. 27, 2000. Wearing his familiar No. 66, Lemieux has a goal and three points against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He finishes the season with 76 points (35 goals, 41 assists) in 43 games and plays until 2006, when he retires for good.
2006: Jaromir Jagr scores his 600th NHL goal in the first period of the Rangers’ 4-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden. Jagr’s milestone goal comes 1:43 into the game when his wrist shot gets past Lightning goaltender Johan Holmqvist.
2007: The New York Islanders defeat the Rangers 2-1 at Madison Square Garden and become the first team in NHL history to play seven straight games decided by one goal in regulation. Rick DiPietro makes 18 saves for his 100th NHL victory. It’s also the 500th road win in Islanders history.
