This Day in Hockey History – January 31, 1920 – Malone’s in Seventh Heaven

Jan 31, 2019

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(Photo: Quebec Bulldogs, 1913 Stanley Cup champions [Malone is behind the bulldog], via Wikimedia Commons)

Joe Malone, the man to score the very first NHL goal for the Montreal Canadiens in their very first NHL game, still holds the record for the most goals scored in one game.

By the time the NHL formed, Malone had already skated with the Quebec Bulldogs since 1908 and won two Stanley Cup Championships with them. Since Quebec would not have an NHL franchise, Malone was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1917 Dispersal Draft. He scored their first goal and four more on the NHL’s opening night, and he ended that first season with 44 goals. He spent two seasons there wearing No. 7 and would have played for the Stanley Cup again (but for the 1919 flu epidemic) before Quebec regained its franchise. Malone skated for the Quebec Bulldogs during their only NHL season, 1919-20.

On January 31, 1920, the Bulldogs closed out the first half of the season against Toronto, which had just changed names from the Arenas to the St. Patricks. The crowd in Quebec was the smallest of the season “partly due to the extremely cold weather.” Those who came were rewarded by seeing Malone make history.

Joe Malone, via Wikimedia Commons

During the first period, the talented center almost scored on the first faceoff of the night, but Toronto’s goalie “turned the shot aside.” Malone still scored the first goal of the game at 6:50, when he “got the puck near centre ice and went through alone.” According to the recap in the Montreal Gazette, “Just before the end of the period, Joe Malone rushed near the Toronto goal and shot from the side, the puck striking Mitchell on the chest, rolled up over his left shoulder, then dropped right behind him, but the goal umpire would not allow the point.” The score at the end of the session was 3-2 with the Bulldogs leading.

For the middle period, Malone scored every other goal. For two of the goals, he received passes from teammate Harry Mummery. Finally, “Malone scored again for Quebec just before the close of the period, when going through alone he sagged the twine behind Mitchell for Quebec’s sixth tally.” Both teams doubled their tallies for a score of 6-4.

In the third period, Toronto sent in a different goalie. That seemed to make little difference to Malone. While Toronto’s Cully Wilson sat a major penalty (for hooking George Carey as he was about to shoot), “Malone later scored the point that made the players feel sure of victory when he accepted Harry Mummery’s pass and beat Lockhart.” Two minutes later, he scored again “with a side shot from a difficult angle,” but he was then sent to the penalty box for hooking Wilson as he reentered the game. For the last play, “Malone in turn stole the disc away from the Toronto defenceman, drew Lockhart out, slipping the rubber past him for the final goal of the match.” His three consecutive goals wound up the scoring, and the Bulldogs won 10-6. Unfortunately, it was only their second win of the season, and they were in last place. According to the recap, “For the locals, Malone was the star. The lanky forward had his biggest night of the year, setting up an individual performance such as has not been equaled this year. He scored seven tallies and played a great game.”

Since then, NHL players have only managed six goals in one game. That record had briefly been held by Newsy Lalonde of the Canadiens, who scored six on January 10, 1920. Malone also had a six-goal game later that season. Otherwise, only five others have scored six in one game, the most recent being in 1976.

As for Malone, although he did not beat his personal best, he finished the season with the most goals (39), followed by Lalonde with 36. Then, the franchise relocated to become the Hamilton Tigers. For two seasons, Malone played for and coached the Tigers. Upon refusing to report for training camp in 1922, he returned to the Canadiens for his final two years in the NHL. He capped off his career with one last Stanley Cup. Malone had spent four seasons in the top ten goal scorers and in 126 games, he had 143 goals, 33 assists, and 176 points. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950.