This Day in Hockey History – December 23, 1978 – Rangers Got Run Over by a Trottier

Bryan Trottier was born July 17, 1956 in Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was drafted 22nd overall by the New York Islanders during the 1974 NHL Entry Draft. He would remain with the Islanders for the first 15 seasons of his career which began with the 1975-76 season.

During his rookie season, Trottier set an NHL rookie record when he amassed 95 points (35G, 63A) in 80 games to win the Calder Cup. While his record has been surpassed over the years, he still ranks at number nine overall in points as a rookie.

It was during the 1978-79 season that he achieved a career high 134 points (47G, 87A) and it was during this season that he achieved a record six points in a single period as he lead the Islanders to a 9-4 victory over the New York Rangers at Nassau Coliseum on December 23, 1978. Trottier would finish the game with five goals and three assists, garnering three goals and three assists during the second period. His record of six points in a single period still stands.

“Santa Claus may be the holiday’s big hero in most parts of the world, but not on Long Island. Bryan Trottier, who doesn’t sport a white beard or have a large stomach, had a merry pre-Christmas last night as he feasted upon the Rangers, to the delight of 14, 995 followers at Nassau Coliseum,” wrote Larry Schwartz in The Record.

“Trottier scored the first goal of the game at 13:40 of a closely played first period and had a hand in the next three goals as the Islanders tallied seven times in the second period to set a bunch of team records,” wrote Larry Weisman in The Journal News. “Centering two lines, Trottier, in his fourth season with the Islanders, was on the ice for every goal his team scored, setting a team record for points in a game and breaking the record for goals in a game, which he set last year with four.”

“This is a game to be cherished and enjoyed if I ever get a chance to look back,” said Trottier, who appeared to the media as subdued after the game. However, his line mate Mike Bossy let the media know otherwise. “He was smiling out there, Bryan has a little ham in him too.”

Going into the first intermission the game was tied at one a piece. Trottier had put the Islanders on the board first. The Rangers tied things up at 15:09 with a shot from defenseman Ron Greschner, described by Dick Yerg of The Journal News as “a quiet country boy,” who got his 12th goal of the season.

As the second period got underway the Islanders, Trottier in particular, began to absolutely dominate the Rangers. Bossy started things off, assisted by Trottier, at 1:11, just three seconds into the power play after Ron Duguay was sent to the box for hooking, putting the Islanders up 2-1. Trottier got his second of the game at 3:41 and would get the primary assist on Garry Howatt’s backhander at 5:08. Stefan Persson put one in at 8:59 and Bossy notched his second of the game—and the period—at 11:21, with an assist from Trottier.

It appeared that Greschner was determined to try and keep his Rangers in the game. He put his second of the game past Bill Smith at 13:13. Trottier refused to let the Rangers get any traction in the game, scoring his third and fourth goals of the game at 18:39 and 19:44 (though this one was originally attributed to Persson) in the middle frame. This brought the Islanders tally for the second to seven goals and signaled the end for Rangers goaltender Wayne Thomas. He would watch the third period from the bench, when Fred Shero replaced him with John Davidson to start the third.

“While Thomas was victimized for the first eight goals, they were not because of his inept play. Ranger defensemen had decided to begin the Christmas break early, leaving Thomas alone and defenseless most of the time,” Larry Schwartz described.

And Head Coach Shero called out the defensemen as well, “Yes, and it was sad. Nobody should be left that alone on Christmas.”

Trottier’s final goal of the game, and the final goal for the Islanders, was scored at 7:38 of the third period. The Rangers responded twice in the third at 11:20 from Mike McEwen and again at 17:05 off the stick of Anders Hedberg.

It is possible that Trottier had the opportunity to be on the ice for all of the goals because he was centering not only his regular line between Bossy and Clark Gillies, but he also spent some time centering Ed Westfall and Howatt, who got the Islanders 4th goal and assisted on Persson’s goal.

“The victory kept the Islanders as the sole unbeaten team at home in the NHL with a 12-0-4 mark,” wrote Larry Weisman.

Additional Sources:

• Larry Schwartz, “Islanders rip Rangers,” The Record (Hackensack, New Jersey), Sunday, December 24, 1978, p. C1.
• Larry Weisman, “Islanders crush Rangers as Trottier scores 5 goals,” The Journal News (White Plains, New York), Sunday, December 24, 1978, p. 1D.
• Dick Yerg, “Soft-spoken Ranger makes a lot of noise,” The Journal News (White Plains, New York), Thursday, December 14, 1978, p. 1D.