On Oct. 18 saw the most memorable wins in NHL history, including the first of two expansion teams. A number of personal milestones have been achieved, including first goals and closings and even the first significant contract. So, let’s start our daily journey back in time to enjoy all the best moments that this date has given us over the years.
Historic Winning Foursome
The third time was the charm for the Philadelphia Flyers. After losing the first two games of their inaugural 1967-68 season, on October 18, 1967, they hit the win column for the first time with a 2-1 victory over fellow St. Louis Blues. Ed Hoekstra’s third-period tally became the first game-winning goal in franchise history. Goalie Doug Favell made 34 saves to earn the win.
On October 18, 1986, the Montreal Canadiens scored their 5,000th all-time point when they defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 at the Forum. Stephane Richer led the way with two goals and an assist, while Claude Lemiuex added to the offensive attack with a goal and an assist. The win brought the Canadiens’ 70-year record to 2,174-1,290-653 in 4,117 games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Flyers 4-2 at the Civic Arena on Oct. 18, 1988, for its 600th anniversary. Mario Lemieux had a big night with four goals for his 14th hat trick and an assist.
In their sixth game on Oct. 18, 2000, the Minnesota Wild earned their first win in franchise history with a 6-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Rookie Marian Gaborik scored two goals in less than three minutes to help take the lead.
Crosby Makes History
The Penguins defeated the New York Islanders 3-1 on Oct. 18, 2014. Captain Sidney Crosby had assists on two of three goals to bring his career total to 500 assists. The highlight came on Patric Hornqvist’s late empty-net goal after getting an assist on Evgeni Malkin’s power-play tally in the middle frame.
Crosby became the fifth-fastest player to reach 500 assists in league history, taking just 554 games to reach the milestone. The only players who needed fewer games were Wayne Gretzky, Lemieux, Peter Stastny, Bobby Orr, and Peter Forsberg.
Then, nine years later on Oct. 18, 2023, Crosby recorded another assist in the Penguins’ 6-3 loss to the Red Wings and surpassed Ray Bourque for six points by a single franchise in NHL history. As of October 18, 2024, he has 1,602 points in a Penguins uniform.
Personal Firsts galore
On October 18, 1958, Detroit Red Wings legend Alex Delvecchio scored his first career hat trick in a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. He scored two more hat tricks before retiring in 1974.
Rookie Jacques Lemaire scored the first goal of his NHL career, on Oct. 18, 1967, in the Canadiens’ 2-2 game at the New York Rangers. Lemaire spent his entire 12-season playing career with Montreal, where he scored 366 goals and 835 points in 853 games. He was a member of eight Stanley Cup championship teams.
Gretzky received his first professional help while playing in the World Hockey Association (WHA) on Oct. 18, 1978, in the Indianapolis Racers’ 4-0 victory over the Quebec Nordiques. It took three WHA games for the Great One to earn its first professional point.
Bobby Smith, the first overall pick in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft, scored the first goal of his NHL career on Oct. 18, 1978. He also added an assist in the Minnesota North Stars’ 7-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. .
On Oct. 18, 1980, Edmonton Oilers rookie Jari Kurri lit the lamp for the first time in a 5-5 tie with the Islanders. Earlier that night, the Islanders raised the first four straight Stanley Cup banners at the Nassau Coliseum.
Former Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault scored his first NHL goal on Oct. 18, 1981, in the Blues’ 5-3 loss to the Rangers. It was one of only two goals Vigneault, a defenseman, had during his 42-game career in St. Louis.
That same night, another player who went on to a successful coaching career, Darryl Sutter, scored his first hat trick to lead the Blackhawks to a 7-5 victory over the Oilers. He scored three hat tricks during his eight seasons. Then four decades later on Oct. 18, 2022, coached his 1,400th NHL game, tying him for 10th most in NHL history with Pat Quinn.
Joe Nieuwendyk scored his first career hat trick on October 18, 1987, but it wasn’t enough as the Calgary Flames lost to the Boston Bruins 6-5. These were three of Nieuwendyk’s 51 goals in the 1987-88 season, in which he won the Calder Trophy for the league’s best player. He finished his Hall of Fame career with 14 hat tricks, 10 of which came with the Flames.
A year later, on Oct. 18, 1988, Canucks rookie Trevor Linden scored the first goal of his NHL career in a 3-2 loss to the Islanders. Linden scored 318 goals in Vancouver, third most in franchise history.
Brett Hull scored three goals on October 18, 1989, in the Blues’ 9-3 rout of the Penguins in Pittsburgh. This was his first hat trick with St. Louis and the second of his young career. He had five hat tricks in the 1989-90 season. Of his 34 career games with three or more goals, 27 of them came with the Blues.
Goaltender Ed Belfour recorded his first NHL shutout on October 18, 1990, leading the Blackhawks to a 3-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Thirteen years later, in 2003, Belfour earned his 66th career shutout to tie Patrick Roy for 11th on the all-time list. This shutout came as a member of the Maple Leafs won 1-0 against the Canadiens.
Odds & Ends
After voting in local newspapers on Oct. 18, 1930, the Detroit Cougars were renamed the Falcons. The name would last for two seasons before being changed back to the Red Wings after James Norris purchased the team.
On October 18, 1944, the Red Wings signed rookie Ted Lindsay to his first professional contract. He played 862 games for Detroit, scoring 335 goals and 728 points. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966.
George Armstrong scored on Oct. 18, 1967, giving him 600 points in his NHL career in the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 loss to the Red Wings. He retired with 713 points, which is fifth in team history.
Another Maple Leafs legend, Dave Keon, became the seventh player in team history to score 200 goals on October 18, 1969. He helped Toronto win 4-1 against the visiting Blackhawks. Keon’s 365 goals for the Maple Leafs are still the third most in franchise history.
Related – Toronto Maple Leafs’ Top-20 Goal Scorers of All Time
Phil Esposito led the Rangers to a 6-3 win over the Canucks, on October 18, 1979, with three straight goals. This was 32n.d and the final hat trick of his career, which was the greatest in NHL history at the time. He has since been demoted to fifth place on the all-time list.
Brian Propp and Ilkka Sinisalo both hit their second career hat-tricks on October 18, 1984, when the Flyers routed the Canucks 13-2 at the Spectrum. They outscored Vancouver 58-19 in a dominant game. This tied the record for most goals in a single game, set the previous season in a 13-4 win over the Penguins on March 22, 1984.
On October 18, 1989, Paul Coffey scored three goals to become the sixth defenseman in NHL history to record 600 career assists, following Orr, Denis Potvin, Brad Park, Larry Robinson, and Borje Salming. However, the only highlight of the night was when the Penguins were beaten 9-3 by the Blues.
Defenseman Teppo Numminen became the Phoenix Coyotes’ all-time leader in games played on Oct. 18, 2001, when he appeared in his 951St to compete with the team. The milestone came in a 3-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. He finished his career with 1,098 games which is now second only to Shane Doan, who played 1,540 for the franchise.
Jonathan Toews scored a shorthanded goal in overtime on Oct. 18, 2014, to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. It was the first overtime goal of the regular season since Glen Wesley scored one against the Carolina Hurricanes on February 22, 2007.
Patrick Marleau played in his 1,500th gameth game on October 18, 2017, a 6-3 Maple Leafs win over the Red Wings. He was 18 years oldth player in NHL history to accomplish this. This was only his seventh game with Toronto after playing 1,493 games with the San Jose Sharks.
happy Birthday to you
A total of 20 players who posted at least one game in the NHL were born on this day. The most famous names of this group are Hilliard Graves (74), Kjell Samuelsson (66), Doug Lidster (64), Normand Lacombe (60), Zachary Jones (24), Kent Johnson (22), and the late Mush March. .
*Originally created by Greg Boysen
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