One of the legends of the NHL announced his retirement on this day, but he could not stay on the ice for long. The day also saw two induction ceremonies for the Hockey Hall of Fame and a memorable post-game speech after a tough loss around the world. It’s time for our daily trip through the decades to revisit all the best moments September 8 has given us.
Mr. Hockey Retires….For the First Time
Gordie Howe announced his retirement on September 8, 1971, after 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. At the time, he was the NHL’s all-time leader, with 1,687 games played, 786 goals, 1,023 assists and 1,809 points. He helped lead the Red Wings to four Stanley Cups while winning the Hart (league MVP) and Art Ross Trophies (leading scorer) six times each. The Hockey Hall of Fame waived its mandatory three-year waiting period and inducted Howe in 1972.
Howe’s retirement was not permanent as he joined his sons, Mark and Marty, on the Houston Eros of the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1973. He played in all six seasons of the WHA’s short history and scored 174 goals and 508 points in 419 games.
When the WHA merged with the NHL before the 1979-80 season, Howe was back in the league where he became a sports legend. He played 80 games for the Hartford Whalers that season, at age 51, scoring 15 goals and 41 points. He retired following the Whalers’ first-round exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Soviets Take the Last Game in Canada
The fourth game of the Summit Series was played on September 8, 1972, in Vancouver, BC, and was the last contest held in Canada. After each team earned a win and a tie in the first three games, the Soviet Union won Game 4, 5-3, at the Pacific Coliseum.
Team Canada, which lost two of its top defensemen in Guy Lapointe and Serge Savard, ran into early penalty trouble. Boris Mikhailov scored two power play goals to give the USSR a 2-0 lead before the game was eight minutes old. Bill Goldsworthy, who is on the power play list, was in the penalty box for both goals he faced.
Gilbert Perreault got Canada on the board early in the second period, but Yuri Blinov scored on a 2-on-1 run with less than a minute left to restore the Soviet Union’s two-goal advantage. Vladimir Vikulov added another goal for a 4-1 lead in the second half.
Goldsworthy redeemed himself with the first goal of the third period, but the Soviets had another answer, this time, it was Vladimir Shadrin who scored. In the last minute of the game, Dennis Hull added Canada’s third goal, but it was too late. Goalie Vladislav Tretiak made 38 saves in the win, including 19 in the third period.
As the team skated, many of the nearly 16,000 in attendance showed their displeasure by booing them. This prompted Boston Bruins star Phil Esposito to give an emotional post-game speech. The series took a two-week break before resuming with four games in Moscow, Russia.
Two Hall of Fame Classes are held
The Hockey Hall of Fame held two induction ceremonies on this day, two years apart, inducting a total of six players and two inductees.
On September 8, 1980, two pitchers, Harry Lumley and Gump Worsley led the Hall of Fame class. Lumley, a two-time All-Star who played in 803 games, in 16 NHL seasons, for the Red Wings, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Bruins. He went 330-329-142 with a 2.74 goals-against average (GAA) and 71 shutouts. He won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 1950.
Worsley’s career spanned 21 seasons with 860 games played for the Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and Minnesota North Stars. He posted a 333-348-149 record with a 2.87 GAA and 43 shutouts. He won the Calder Trophy for being voted the best rookie in the 1952-53 season. He was a member of four Stanley Cup championship teams in five seasons with the Canadiens.
Outfielder Lynn Patrick was the third player to hit the road in 1980. He scored 135 goals and 336 points in 455 games for the Rangers, where he won the Stanley Cup in 1940. Jack Butterfield, former president of the American Hockey League (AHL), was president of the American Hockey League (AHL). single class constructor.
Two years later, on September 8, 1982, Yvan Cournoyer, Rod Gilbert, Norm Ullman, and Emile Francis were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Cournoyer scored 428 goals and 863 points in 968 games and won eight Stanley Cups with the Canadiens. Gilbert spent his entire 18-season career with the Rangers and is the franchise’s all-time leader with 406 goals and third in games played with 1,065; behind only Brian Leetch (1,119) and Harry Howell (1,160). Ullman scored 490 goals and 1,229 points in 1,410 games with the Red Wings and Maple Leafs. Francis was positioned as the architect of his career as head coach and general manager of the Rangers.
Odds & Ends
The Rangers signed Finnish hockey champion Mikko Leinonen on September 8, 1981. He played 162 NHL games over three seasons in New York and one with the Washington Capitals. He scored 31 goals and 109 points. His career highlight came on April 4, 1982, when he recorded a record six assists in a 7-3 playoff victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Wayne Gretzky tied his record in 1987.
On this same day, the Rangers traded goaltender Doug Soetaert to the Winnipeg Jets for a third-round pick in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. Soetaert played 130 games for the Jets over the next three seasons. He went 50-48-21 with a .869 save percentage (SV%) and a 4.24 GAA to go along with two shutouts. The Rangers ended up signing defenseman Vesa Salo, who has never played in the NHL.
St. Louis Blues announced that Roger Neilson had been added as an assistant coach on September 9, 1995. This happened a few months after Neilson was fired by the Florida Panthers. He stayed with the Blues for two seasons before being hired as the head coach of the Flyers in 1997.
On September 8, 2003, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim named Steve Rucchin as their team captain, who had been with the franchise since their first season. He was the fifth captain in franchise history behind Troy Loney, Randy Ladouceur, Paul Kariya, and Teemu Selanne.
Cory Stillman announced his retirement on September 8, 2011. The left winger was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames with the sixth overall pick of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He played 1,025 games, in 16 seasons, with the Flames, Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, and Panthers. He scored 278 goals and 727 points. Stillman won two Stanley Cups during his career; in 2004 with lightning and in 2006 with hurricanes.
happy Birthday to you
September 8 was the birthday of 18 current and former NHL players over the years. The first to play in the league was Bud Maracle who was born on September 8, 1904. He played 11 games for the Rangers in 1931, scoring one goal and four points. The latest to make his NHL debut was 23-year-old defenseman Jayden Struble, born on September 8, 2001. He played 56 games for the Canadiens last season, scoring three goals and 10 points.
Goaltender Rogie Vachon is the only Hockey Hall of Famer in this lot. Born on September 8, 1945, Vachon had 353 wins in 16 seasons with the Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Red Wings, and Bruins. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups with Montreal in 1968 and 1969.
Marco Sturm, born on this day in 1978, had a very successful career among publishers. He played 938 games for six different teams, scoring 242 goals and 487 points.
Other famous players born on this day include Jay McKee (47), Teddy Purcell (39), Michal Kempny (34), Nino Niederreiter (32), and the late Jack McIntyre.
*Originally created by Greg Boysen
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