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NHL History October 28 features the final goal of Bobby Orr’s legendary career, a historic shutout milestone for Terry Sawchuk, Mike Bossy beginning a record-setting hat-trick season and Sidney Crosby scoring the first hat trick of his NHL career.
October 28 has also delivered memorable moments for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, Quebec Nordiques and New York Islanders. From franchise records to individual milestones, the date has produced significant moments across several generations of NHL history.
Here is a look back at some of the biggest NHL records, games and milestones to happen on October 28.
NHL History October 28: Biggest Moments and Milestones
1962: Terry Sawchuk Records the 100th Shutout of His NHL Career
One of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history reached a remarkable milestone on October 28, 1962.
Terry Sawchuk made 24 saves for the Detroit Red Wings in a 2-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, giving him the 100th shutout of his NHL career when regular-season and Stanley Cup Playoff games were combined.
At that point, Sawchuk had recorded 90 regular-season shutouts and another 10 in the playoffs.
Detroit provided just enough offense. Parker MacDonald and Gordie Howe scored for the Red Wings, with veteran defenseman Bill Gadsby assisting on both goals.
Sawchuk ultimately finished his remarkable NHL career with 103 regular-season shutouts and another 12 in the playoffs. His 103 regular-season shutouts stood as the NHL record for decades before Martin Brodeur eventually surpassed it.
The October 28 performance was another reminder of Sawchuk’s consistency during an era when goaltenders played without many of the protective advantages of the modern game.
1978: Bobby Orr Scores the Final Goal of His NHL Career
The defining moment in NHL History October 28 happened in 1978 when Bobby Orr scored the 270th and final goal of his NHL career.
Orr was playing for the Chicago Blackhawks against the Detroit Red Wings at Olympia Stadium. Chicago trailed 6-0 before Orr beat goaltender Rogie Vachon with 5:18 remaining in the third period.
The goal was Orr’s second of the 1978-79 season, but his damaged knees were making it increasingly difficult for him to continue playing.
He appeared in only six games that season before announcing his retirement on November 8, 1978, at just 30 years old.
Despite his relatively short career, Orr completely changed expectations for NHL defensemen.
He retired with 270 goals, 645 assists and 915 points in only 657 regular-season games. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman eight consecutive times and became the first defenseman to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer.
Orr also won two Stanley Cups with the Boston Bruins and captured the Conn Smythe Trophy in both championship seasons.
His final goal on October 28 was therefore more than an ordinary late-game tally. It became the final scoring moment in one of the most influential careers in hockey history.
1979: Quebec Nordiques Defeat Montreal in Their First Home Meeting
One year after Orr’s final goal, October 28 produced an important moment in Quebec hockey history.
The Quebec Nordiques hosted the Montreal Canadiens for the first time at Le Colisee during the Nordiques’ inaugural NHL season.
Quebec had joined the NHL from the World Hockey Association along with the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers and Winnipeg Jets.
The first Montreal-Quebec NHL matchup in Quebec City lived up to the rivalry that would eventually develop between the two clubs.
Jamie Hislop scored with less than five minutes remaining in regulation to give the Nordiques a 5-4 victory.
The Canadiens were one of the league’s premier franchises, while Quebec was still adapting to life in the NHL. Beating Montreal in their first home meeting gave Nordiques fans an early taste of what would become one of the league’s most intense provincial rivalries during the 1980s.
1980: Mike Bossy Begins a Record-Setting Hat-Trick Season
New York Islanders star Mike Bossy made history on October 28, 1980, with a third-period scoring explosion against the Montreal Canadiens.
Bossy scored three goals in the third period as the Islanders defeated Montreal 6-4 at Nassau Coliseum.
It was his first hat trick of the 1980-81 season — but certainly not his last.
Bossy went on to record nine hat tricks that season, establishing an NHL single-season record at the time. Wayne Gretzky later surpassed the mark.
The season became one of the greatest of Bossy’s career. He scored 68 goals and became only the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in his team’s first 50 games, matching the legendary achievement of Maurice Richard.
Bossy also helped the Islanders win their second consecutive Stanley Cup that spring as the franchise continued building its early-1980s dynasty.
1993: Maple Leafs Win Their 10th Straight Game to Start the Season
The Toronto Maple Leafs made NHL history on October 28, 1993, by extending their season-opening winning streak to 10 games.
Toronto defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 at Chicago Stadium to improve to 10-0-0.
Wendel Clark scored twice for the Maple Leafs while goaltender Felix Potvin delivered an outstanding performance by making 46 saves.
The victory extended Toronto’s NHL record for consecutive wins from the beginning of a season.
The remarkable start came during a memorable era for the Maple Leafs. Toronto had reached the Campbell Conference Final the previous spring and entered 1993-94 with renewed expectations surrounding a roster led by Clark, Doug Gilmour and Potvin.
1993: Ron Francis Reaches 1,000 NHL Points
Another major NHL milestone occurred on the same night.
Pittsburgh Penguins centre Ron Francis recorded a goal and an assist against the Quebec Nordiques to reach 1,000 career NHL points.
The Penguins lost the game 7-3, but Francis joined one of hockey’s most exclusive scoring groups.
He would continue producing at an elite level for many more seasons and eventually finish his NHL career with 1,798 points.
Francis retired behind only Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Gordie Howe on the NHL’s all-time scoring list at the time, while his 1,249 assists remain among the highest totals in league history.
2000: Randy McKay and John Madden Each Score Four Goals
The New Jersey Devils produced one of the strangest scoring performances in NHL history on October 28, 2000.
New Jersey defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 9-0, with Randy McKay and John Madden each scoring four goals.
The teammates became the first pair of NHL players to score four goals apiece in the same game since Montreal Canadiens teammates Odie Cleghorn and Sprague Cleghorn accomplished the feat in January 1922.
It was an especially unusual result considering the Devils were generally associated with defensive hockey during that era.
New Jersey entered the season as the defending Stanley Cup champion and would return to the Stanley Cup Final again in 2001.
2006: Sidney Crosby Scores His First NHL Hat Trick
Sidney Crosby added his name to October 28 NHL history in 2006.
The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar scored the first hat trick of his NHL career during an 8-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Crosby scored once in the first period and added two more goals in the second as Pittsburgh overwhelmed its Pennsylvania rival.
The game also featured another important milestone involving rookie Evgeni Malkin.
Malkin scored for the fifth consecutive game to begin his NHL career. He also assisted on Crosby’s second goal of the night.
The performance offered an early glimpse of the Crosby-Malkin combination that would eventually help Pittsburgh win three Stanley Cup championships.
Crosby was only in his second NHL season, but he was already establishing himself as one of the league’s premier players. He would finish the 2006-07 season with 120 points and win both the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy.
2017: Detroit Red Wings Set an NHL Shootout Record
The Detroit Red Wings added another record to October 28 history in 2017.
Detroit defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2 in a shootout for its 12th consecutive shootout victory.
The streak established a new NHL record, surpassing the 11 consecutive shootout wins recorded by the Dallas Stars after the format was introduced for the 2005-06 season.
Gustav Nyquist scored the only goal of the shootout, while Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard stopped all three Florida attempts.
The shootout era has created an entirely different category of NHL records, and Detroit’s October 28 victory provided one of the more unusual examples.
2018: Jonathan Marchessault Wins a Game on an Overtime Penalty Shot
October 28 delivered another rare NHL moment one year later.
Jonathan Marchessault scored on a penalty shot just 2:24 into overtime to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators.
Vegas dominated the shot clock 53-22, but Senators goaltender Craig Anderson made 49 saves before Marchessault finally ended the game.
It was just the 15th overtime game in NHL history to be decided by a penalty-shot goal.
The dramatic finish added another unusual milestone to the Golden Knights’ remarkable early franchise history.
2022: Josh Bailey Plays His 1,000th Game With the Islanders
A significant New York Islanders milestone took place on October 28, 2022, when Josh Bailey appeared in the 1,000th NHL game of his career.
All 1,000 games had been played with the Islanders.
That made Bailey only the third player in franchise history to reach the milestone entirely with New York, joining Bryan Trottier and Denis Potvin.
Bailey made the night even more memorable by scoring the game-winning goal in the Islanders’ 6-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Selected ninth overall by New York in the 2008 NHL Draft, Bailey eventually played 1,057 games for the Islanders and recorded 580 points.
His October 28 milestone placed him alongside two of the most important players from the franchise’s Stanley Cup dynasty era.
Why October 28 Is an Important Date in NHL History
NHL History October 28 connects some of hockey’s greatest players, teams and records across more than six decades.
Terry Sawchuk reached a goaltending milestone that reinforced his place among the greatest netminders ever to play the game. Bobby Orr scored for the final time before injuries brought his revolutionary career to an early end.
Mike Bossy began a record-setting series of hat tricks, while the Maple Leafs established one of the greatest season-opening winning streaks in league history. Ron Francis joined the 1,000-point club on that same night.
The date also connects two generations of Pittsburgh Penguins history through Sidney Crosby’s first NHL hat trick and one of the most unusual games the New Jersey Devils ever played against Pittsburgh.
More recent events involving the Red Wings, Golden Knights and Josh Bailey have continued adding milestones to October 28.
From Orr and Sawchuk to Bossy, Francis and Crosby, October 28 has quietly become one of the NHL calendar’s most eventful dates.
More This Day in NHL History
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