It was a great day for Canadian hockey. The national team won two major championships, and one of the greatest players to ever skate in the NHL announced his retirement. So. let’s start our daily journey back to revisit all the best from September 15th.
Rocket Calls It Work
Maurice Richard officially announced his retirement on September 15, 1960, after 18 seasons in the league. The man known as “The Rocket” put together one of the greatest careers in NHL history and became one of the game’s first star goal scorers.
Richard spent his entire career with the Montreal Canadiens, playing 978 games and winning eight Stanley Cup championships. In the 1944-45 season, he became the first player to score 50 goals in a season, and he did it in just 50 games. Two years later, he won the Hart Trophy as the MVP of the 1946-47 season with 45 goals and 71 points in 60 games.
The legendary winger has scored at least 32 goals in nine of his 18 seasons. When he retired, his 544 goals were the most in NHL history. Since 1999, the league has awarded the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy to the player with the most goals each season. Teemu Selanne was the first player to win the Richard Trophy, while other stars who have won it include Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, and Jarome Iginla.
Pair of Canada Cup Wins
The final game of the first Canada Cup was played on September 15, 1976. After beating Czechoslovakia 6-0 in the first game of the best-of-three tournament series, Canada looked to close out the tournament at the old Montreal Forum.
Canada started fast and built a 2-0 lead three minutes into the game with goals from Gilbert Perreault and Phil Esposito. Milan Novy got the Czechs on the board with a power play goal midway through the second half before Jaroslav Pouzar tied the score early in the final frame.
Bobby Clarke’s power play tally gave the Canadians a 3-2 lead after five minutes. Josef Augusta and Marian Stastny scored 59 seconds apart to give Czechoslovakia a 4-3 lead with four minutes left to play. Bill Barber forced overtime with a goal with two minutes to play in regulation. In overtime, Toronto Maple Leafs star Darryl Sittler won the game at 11:33 of overtime.
Nine years later, on September 15, 1987, the host nation won another Canada Cup by closing out a memorable three-game series against the Soviet Union. After Mario Lemieux’s hat trick led to a 6-5 double overtime victory, Canada forced a third and final game in Hamilton, Ontario.
The Soviets silenced the crowd when Sergei Makarov scored just 26 seconds into the game. They then took a 3-0 lead in eight minutes with goals from Alexei Gusarov and Slava Fetisov. Canada began its comeback when Rick Tocchet scored on a power play midway through the opening period. Brian Propp scored one goal before Andrei Khomutov scored with 28 seconds left in the first half.
Canada dominated the second half, scoring three goals in six minutes to take a 5-4 lead. Defenseman Larry Murphy got things going on a power play at the 29:30 mark. Brent Sutter tied the game with his first goal of the tournament 96 seconds later. Dale Hawerhcuk broke the tie just four minutes later.
They held on until the end of the third period before Alexander Semak pulled the USSR even with less than eight minutes to play. Lemieux was the hero again as he scored 11th goal of this tournament with 1:26 left to play to win the championship.
Wayne Gretzky, who played on the same line as Lemieux, was named tournament MVP after getting 18 assists and 21 points in nine games.
New Hall of Fame Class
On September 15, 1981, the Hockey Hall of Fame opened its doors to four new members: Frank Mahovlich, Allan Stanley, John Bucyk, and former NHL referee John Ashley.
Mahovlich’s NHL career spanned 1,181 games over 18 seasons before playing four seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA). He scored 533 goals and 1,103 points while playing for the Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Canadiens. He won six Stanley Cups in his career, four with Toronto and two more with Montreal. He had 51 goals and 118 points in 137 Stanley Cup games.
Stanley played 1,244 games in 21 NHL seasons with the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Maple Leafs, and one final season with the Philadelphia Flyers. The defenseman was part of four Stanley Cup championships with Mahovlich in Toronto in the 1960s.
Bucyk began his career with the Red Wings before being traded to the Bruins in 1957 for goalie Terry Sawchuk. He went on to play 21 seasons for the Bruins, scoring 545 goals and 1,339 points in 1,436 games. He won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 1970 and 1972 and is still the all-time leader in goals.
Ashley began his career as a director in 1959. He officiated every Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs between 1964 and 1972.
Odds & Ends
Hall of Fame defenseman Sprague Cleghorn was named the new head coach of the Montreal Maroons on September 15, 1931. The Maroons finished with a 19-22-7 record under Cleghorn in the 1931-32 season, second only to the NHL. the bench.
On September 15, 1987, the New Jersey Devils traded forward Greg Adams and goaltender Kirk McLean to the Vancouver Canucks for center Patrick Sundstrom and a fourth-round pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. Sundstrom scored 86 goals and 246 points over the next five seasons for the Devils. He is best remembered for his eight-point playoff game against the Washington Capitals in 1988.
McLean played 11 seasons for the Canucks and is their all-time leader in games played by a goaltender (516) and is second in wins (211) and shutouts (20). Adams scored 179 goals and 369 points in 489 games for Vancouver. Both played a major role in the Canucks’ 1994 run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Veteran defensive tackle Brad McCrimmon signed with the Hartford Whalers on September 15, 1993. He spent the next three seasons with the Whalers and played in 156 of 1,222 games for Hartford.
The Canucks named Markus Naslund as their new captain on September 15, 2000. He was 11 years old.th captain in franchise history, replacing Mark Messier, who returned to the Rangers at the start of the season. The announcement comes from Stockholm, Sweden, following the Canucks’ 2-1 preseason win over Djurgarden, the reigning Swedish Hockey League champions.
Simon Gagne announced his retirement on September 15, 2015, after 822 NHL games. He was originally drafted by the Flyers in the first round (22n.d overall) in the 1998 NHL entry draft.
He spent his first 10 seasons with Philadelphia, scoring 259 goals and 524 points. After a season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Gagne won the Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2011-12. The following season he was traded back to the Flyers. He finished his career with one final season with the Bruins in 2014-15.
happy Birthday to you
There have been 24 players who have skated at least one game in the NHL who were born on this day. The first to do so was Emory Sparrow, born September 15, 1898, who played eight games for the Bruins in 1925. The latest was Semyon Der-Arguchintsev who wore one game for the Maple Leafs in 2022-23.
There are currently no Hall of Famers born on this day, but that will soon change. Patrick Marleau was born on September 15, 1979, and will soon take his place in Toronto. He had 566 goals and 1,197 points in 1,779 games, the most in NHL history, with the San Jose Sharks, Maple Leafs, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Other notable players celebrating birthdays today include Jerry Korab (76), Richard Brodeur (72), Joel Quenneville (66), and the late Ken Houston and Ralph Klassen.
*Originally created by Greg Boysen
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