This Day in Hockey History – October 17, 1991 and 2000 – Double Defense Doings

Oct 16, 2019

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Two of the NHL’s greatest defensive players, No. 77 Paul Coffey and No. 33 Patrick Roy, broke records on October 17 exactly nine years apart. In 1991, Coffey became the highest-scoring defenseman by earning the most assists and points of any defenseman in NHL history. In 2000, Roy became the winningest goalie by breaking a record thought to be unbreakable.

1991

At the end of the previous season, Coffey (with the Pittsburgh Penguins) had just won his fourth and final Stanley Cup championship. He had already earned the James Norris Memorial Trophy twice and would go on to win a third a few seasons later.

That October 17th, Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena hosted 14,808 fans, who were able to see their team beat the New York Islanders 8-5. The Penguins had lost a 4-1 lead to fall behind 5-4 after two periods before rallying in the third period.

At 5:31 into the game, Coffey assisted Kevin Stevens to break Denis Potvin’s record for most regular-season assists by an NHL defenseman. Coffey followed his 743rd assist with his 744th, on the game-tying goal. According to the game recap, “Coffey missed the net with a shot from the left point, but left winger Bob Errey collected the puck and beat goalie Glenn Healy from above the right circle at 4:47 of the third period.” Coffey joked, “I was telling Bob after the game, that was the only play I had. I had to shoot wide and have him pick it up and come around and score.” Errey had already scored the first goal of the game and went on to score the last, earning his first hat trick on an empty-netter.

The two assists brought Coffey up to 1,053 career points. This surpassed Potvin’s record for highest-scoring defenseman. How coincidental that Coffey topped these records playing against the only team Potvin played for before retiring in 1988. Coffey remained one goal behind Potvin’s record of 310, but he scored goals on October 24 and November 8.

After the second assist, Coffey received a standing ovation and officials halted play. Penguins GM Craig Patrick presented him with a plaque. “That was an incredibly classy thing on the part of Craig and the Penguins,” commented Coffey. He tried to put his feelings into words by saying, “It’s kind of hard to believe, coming from a small town (Weston, Ontario) and putting those kinds of numbers up. Passing two great hockey players in Bobby Orr and, of course, Denis Potvin. It’s a nice feeling.” His coach, Scotty Bowman, added, “He’s the best skater I’ve seen. And he’s a consummate pro. … I know what Paul does for the other players. There’s not much you can add to a record like that. All those points. It’s hard to believe.”

On his high from celebrating his accomplishments, Coffey said, “And I can’t thank the fans enough. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I hope to finish my career here in Pittsburgh. I hope to put up a lot more points in the black and gold.” Instead, only four months later, Pittsburgh traded Coffey to the Los Angeles Kings. After only 60 games there, L.A. traded him to Detroit, who traded him to Hartford, who traded him to Philadelphia, who traded him to Chicago, who traded him to Carolina. For his last hurrah, Coffey signed with the Boston Bruins in 2000.

At the time of this record-breaking, 30-year-old Coffey was just over halfway through his NHL career. As teammate Errey commented that night, “Amazing, isn’t it. And with the way he stays in shape, the way he skates, he may get another 1,000 points. Think of that. It’s not beyond the realm.” Coffey did not retire until shortly before his 40th birthday in 2001. At that time, he had 396 goals, 1,135 assists (an additional 391 above his record) and 1,531 points (an additional 478 above his record). These were second only to Ray Bourque’s numbers, after Bourque passed Coffey on October 25, 2000. Coffey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

2000

Roy may not have known it at the time, but in October 2000, he was at the start of a very rewarding season and his third-to-last (of 19) in the NHL.

On Saturday, October 14th, Roy tied Terry Sawchuk’s record of 447 victories. Sawchuk had held the record for 30 years, leading many to believe that it would never be broken. The very next game, on Tuesday, October 17th, Roy succeeded in setting a new record. He only needed 847 games to win 448, whereas Sawchuk had needed 968 games for his.

The record-setting game was held at Washington’s MCI Center for an audience of 13,335. The Capitals had not won all season, but they made the Colorado Avalanche work for this special victory. Although Colorado started off leading 2-0, Washington came back for a 3-2 lead until Captain Joe Sakic knotted the game at 3:27 of the third period. Neither team managed to score, so the game went into overtime. About halfway through the five-minute session, the Avalanche had the four-on-three advantage (with Richard Zednik in the box for cross checking) when Peter Forsberg scored the game-winner. With 30 saves of his own, opposing goalie Olie Kolzig complimented, “My hat’s off to Patrick. He’s one of my idols.”

Immediately following the goal, Roy “skated out of the net and jumped several times, waving his arms.” He had made 27 saves to hold off their opponents and had a .900 save percentage. He commented, “I was honest when I said I wanted to enjoy it and didn’t feel any pressure.” Claiming that he was really thinking more about the current season and thanking his teammates, Roy explained, “In a couple years, when I retire, or even tomorrow, when I lay down and have time to think about, then I’ll have an idea of what it means. But right now, we’re on a winning streak, and it’s fun, and everyone can enjoy it.” However, he did recognize, “But this has a special place. It doesn’t take one year; it takes a career to do this.” His cut out his net so that it could be sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame (where Roy would be inducted in 2006).

Roy’s accomplishments received recognition from the top. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated, “Patrick Roy’s passion to play is surpassed only by his passion to win. This remarkable achievement is a testimony to his consistency, his durability, his pride, his skill and, perhaps, most of all, his nightly determination to meet the highest standards of goaltending excellence, his own.” Even Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien called to congratulate Roy.

Although the record was celebrated on October 17, the NHL later found that Sawchuk had been erroneously credited for two wins, making his record actually 445 victories. Roy had surpassed that with the Avalanche win five nights earlier, his 446th. Roy’s record lasted until 2009.

At the end of the 2000-01 season, Roy won his fourth Stanley Cup championship and his third Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He had already earned the Vezina Trophy three times, and the following season, he would receive his fifth William M. Jennings Trophy. When he retired in 2003, he held the records for most regular-season victories (551) and most playoff victories (151). In regular-season wins, he was surpassed by Martin Brodeur (with 691 wins in 1,266 games), but Roy remains the tops in playoffs.