The best participant to ever skate within the NHL added to his outstanding private file ebook 3 times with three completely different groups on this date. Oct. 26 has been a very good day for quite a few Hockey Corridor of Famers and has seen loads of reminiscences in Buffalo, as properly. So, let’s take our each day journey again in time to relive all the perfect moments in NHL historical past.
Gretzky Units the Bar Even Increased
You may randomly level to any date on the calendar, and we may provide you with one thing Wayne Gretzky did on it. The Nice One had a handful of memorable moments on Oct. 26 all through his profession, together with doing one thing that had by no means been achieved earlier than or once more since.
Beginning on Oct. 26, 1984, when Gretzky picked up 4 assists within the second interval, because the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings, 8-2. The 4 assists in a single interval have been one wanting the NHL file held by Dale Hawerchuk. Jari Kurri additionally scored twice and added three assists in that very same interval. His 5 factors in a single interval have been one shy of Bryan Trottier’s NHL file.
On Oct. 26, 1990, now with the Kings, Gretzky turned the primary and nonetheless the one participant to ever rating 2,000 factors in league historical past. The milestone got here with an help in a 6-2 loss on the Winnipeg Jets. Probably the most outstanding factor about reaching 2,000 factors was how briskly he was in a position to do it. Gretzky wanted simply 857 video games to hit this plateau, scoring 684 objectives and racking up 1,316 assists.
Lastly, on Oct. 26, 1997, Gretzky picked up a pair of assists within the New York Rangers’ 3-3 tie with the Mighty Geese of Anaheim. The 2 helpers, the 1,850th and 1,851st of his profession, gave Gretzky extra assists than another participant in NHL historical past had factors, passing Gordie Howe‘s level whole of 1,850. This could be essentially the most unbelievable stat of Gretzky’s profession. It nonetheless holds true to today, although Jaromir Jagr gave it a run for his cash, however his 1,921 profession factors nonetheless didn’t surpass No. 99’s 1,963 whole assists.
Extra Corridor of Fame Moments
Gretzky was removed from the one member of the Hockey Corridor of Fame to excel on this date. On Oct. 26, 1969, Bernie Mum or dad and Jacques Plante earned shutouts because the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues skated to a 0-0 tie. It was the 69th profession shutout for Plante and the seventh of Mum or dad’s profession. 9 years later, on Oct. 26, 1978, Mum or dad earned profession shutout quantity 51 in a 5-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Luc Robitaille had two assists on Oct. 26, 1991, to turn out to be the fifth participant in Kings’ franchise historical past to attain 500 factors with the crew. The milestone got here in a 4-2 win on the New York Islanders.
Mike Gartner scored two objectives on Oct. 26, 1992, to steer the New York Rangers to an 8-4 victory over the visiting Flyers. These have been the 544th and 545th objectives of his profession, transferring Gartner forward of Montreal Canadiens’ legend Maurice Richard for ninth place on the NHL’s all-time objectives record. When Richard retired 32 years earlier, in 1960, his 544 objectives have been essentially the most ever scored within the league.
Associated – The NHL’s Unique 13 x 30 Membership
On Oct. 26, 1993, goaltender Patrick Roy recorded his twenty first profession shutout to steer the Canadiens to a 2-0 win on the New Jersey Devils.
Mario Lemieux scored a hat trick on Oct. 26, 1995, to turn out to be the 20th participant in NHL historical past to attain 500 profession objectives. The memorable second got here in his 605th sport, a 7-5 victory on the Islanders. Gretzky is the one participant to attain 500 objectives sooner than Lemieux.
Steve Yzerman turned the longest-serving captain in NHL historical past on Oct. 26, 1997. His tenure of 11 seasons and 12 video games broke the previous file held by fellow Corridor of Famer and Detroit Purple Wing Alex Delvecchio. The Purple Wings beat the Vancouver Canucks, 5-1, enhancing to 6-0-0 in street video games to start out the 1997-98 season.
Scott Stevens picked up an help throughout a 5-1 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 26, 2002, to turn out to be the primary defenseman in Devils’ crew historical past to attain 400 factors.
Upstate New York Reminiscences
The Buffalo Sabres can look again fondly on this date over time. On Oct. 26, 1975, they beat the California Golden Seals, 3-2, to set an NHL file with their eighth consecutive win to start out the season. They held onto that file till the 1993-94 Maple Leafs began the season 10-0-0. The Sabres tied Toronto’s file appropriately sufficient on Oct. 26, 2006, after they beat the Islanders for his or her 10th win in a row to kick off 2006-07. Goaltender Ryan Miller made 29 saves to earn the 3-0 shutout.
On October 26, 1980, John Van Boxmeer, Lindy Ruff, and Craig Ramsay all scored in a span of 41 seconds, setting a brand new crew file for the quickest three objectives, because the Sabres beat the Islanders 5-2, on the Memorial Auditorium.
Mike Foligno scored the 100th aim of his NHL profession, on Oct. 26, 1982, within the Sabres’ 7-7 attract Montreal. The 2 groups scored a mixed 10 objectives within the first interval, 5 for both sides, earlier than settling for a tie.
Goaltender Dominik Hasek picked up his one hundredth profession victory on Oct. 26, 2006, in a 6-3 win over the visiting Hartford Whalers. He turned the first-ever European-born netminder to win 100 video games within the NHL.
A Large Night time in 1980
Oct. 26, 1980, proved to be fairly the eventful night on the NHL schedule. Peter Stastny scored his first of 405 NHL objectives within the Quebec Nordiques’ 7-4 loss on the Chicago Blackhawks.
Darryl Sittler set a Maple Leafs’ modern-era file together with his fifteenth profession hat trick in an 8-5 street loss on the Canucks. This was his second hat trick inside 24 hours as he scored three objectives the evening earlier than on the Kings. Sittler nonetheless holds the general franchise file with 18 profession hat tips.
A yr and in the future after signing his first NHL contract, Tim Kerr scored the primary aim of his NHL profession within the Flyers’ 6-1 win over the visiting Whalers. He scored 303 objectives throughout his time in Philadelphia.
This was an enormous evening for Anders Hedberg, as he scored 4 objectives and added two assists within the Rangers’ 7-6 victory towards the Purple Wings.
Lastly, Boston Bruins’ ahead Don Marcotte scored twice, together with the 2 hundredth aim of his NHL profession, in a 7-7 tie with the Jets. This was the highest-scoring attract franchise historical past.
Odds & Ends
On Oct. 26, 1978, Mario Lessard made his NHL debut and led the Kings to a 6-0 victory in Buffalo. He turned the 14th goaltender in league historical past to earn a shutout in his first sport. He went on to file 4 of his 9 profession shutouts throughout his rookie season.
One yr later, on Oct. 26, 1979, the Islanders earned a 2-1 victory on the Whalers for the one hundredth street win in franchise historical past.
The Canadiens retired Doug Harvey’s No. 2, on Oct. 26, 1985, in a pregame ceremony earlier than a 5-3 win over the Whalers. The Corridor of Fame defenseman performed 890 video games in Montreal, the place he gained six Norris Trophies for being the league’s high blueliner and 6 Stanley Cups.
Sergei Mylnikov made historical past for the Nordiques on Oct. 26, 1989, when he turned the primary goaltender born within the Soviet Union to play within the NHL. His debut was spoiled in a 4-2 loss on the Bruins. He appeared in simply 10 profession video games through the 1989-90 season, successful simply as soon as.
Teammates Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk hit private milestones on Oct. 26, 1997, within the Phoenix Coyotes’ 6-1 beating of the Sabres. Roenick scored twice to succeed in 300 profession objectives, whereas Tkachuk discovered the again of the online for the 200th aim of his profession. Cliff Ronning earned First Star of the Recreation honors by choosing 4 assists within the win.
Associated – Coyotes High 5 Moments and Gamers in Franchise Historical past
On Oct. 26, 2001, the Islanders turned simply the fourth crew in NHL historical past to win every of their first six street video games to start out the season. Mariusz Czerkawski was the hero with the game-winning aim in extra time to beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2.
The Blues turned the primary NHL crew to ever win 4 straight video games with 4 completely different goaltenders on Oct. 26, 2002. After successful video games with Reinhard Divis, Curtis Sanford, and Cody Rudkowsky, Fred Brathwaite made 18 saves in a 4-3 extra time win towards the Calgary Flames.
That very same evening, Justin Williams and Michal Handzus set a Flyers file by scoring two objectives within the first 31 seconds of a 6-2 win on the Islanders. On the time, it was the third-fastest pair of objectives scored in the beginning of a sport in NHL historical past.
On Oct. 26, 2023, Joel Hofer (23 years, 88 days) recorded his first shutout within the NHL and have become the third-youngest goaltender to take action with the Blues behind Yves Belanger (22, 162 on March 11, 1975) and Jake Allen (22, 219 on March 14, 2013).
Comfortable Birthday to You
Oct. 26 has been the start date of 15 gamers who’ve skated in not less than one NHL sport. The most effective of this bunch are Miikka Kiprusoff (48), Joseph Cramarossa (32), Adam Clendening (32), Pavel Dorofeyev (24), and the late Corridor of Famer Harry Oliver.
*Initially constructed by Greg Boysen
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