This Day in Hockey History – March 30, 1969 – Everybody Gets a Record!

Mar 30, 2020

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The final games of the 1968-69 NHL season took place on March 30. At the standing-room-only Chicago Stadium, the East Division’s cellar-dwelling Black Hawks and the fifth-place Detroit Red Wings ran up the score with a “skate-and-shoot fest” to end their seasons on a high note. Although neither had made it to the playoffs, they bid the season adieu by matching three records and setting at least four more. The records came in goals, shorthanded goals, assists, and points, and everyone but the goalies were in on the action.

After a slow start, with only Pit Martin’s goal for Chicago in the first period, the scoring exploded during the second. Gordie Howe tied up the game only for Martin to score again. Then both teams took advantage of two of the three penalties that period. Chicago’s Kenny Wharram scored a power-play goal on the first while his teammate, center Stan Mikita, potted a shorthanded goal during the second. Howe answered with a power-play goal while Martin was still serving for tripping. When Martin returned to the ice, he completed a hat trick. Although Detroit add another goal to their tally, Chicago wrapped up the period with two more. The second-period totals came out to 9 goals, 17 assists, and 26 points. This tied the single-period scoring record set by the New York Rangers and Americans on March 16, 1939 and matched by the Rangers and Toronto Maple Leaves January 21, 1943. The record would not be broken until December 7, 1982, when the Boston Bruins and Quebec Nordiques totaled 27 points in the second period.

During the third period, the special teams again had great success, scoring during three of the four penalties (all called on the Hawks). Detroit strived to catch up with goals during the first and final of these power plays. However, Mikita managed another shortie (during Chicago’s second penalty kill). He became the 20th NHL player to have two shorthanded goals in a single game. The only person who has managed three was Theo Fleury on March 9, 1991. The Black Hawks put a point on the end of their season with a fourth goal by Martin. It was the second time in his career that he had so many in one game.

Of Chicago’s nine goals, defenseman Pat Stapleton assisted on six of them. He helped Martin with his first and final goals, on both of Mikita’s shorties, on Wharram’s powerplay goal, and on Bobby Hull’s second-period finale. Six assists by a defenseman in one game tied the record set by Babe Pratt of the Leafs on January 8, 1944. Since then, only four defensemen have matched the record (Bobby Orr in 1973, Ron Stackhouse in 1975, Paul Coffey (who also had two goals) in 1986, and Gary Suter in 1986) that none have surpassed.

Beyond the game, the six assists gave Stapleton a total of 50 assists for the season. He was the first defenseman to reach that milestone. The previous record of 46 had been established by Pierre Pilote and Bill Gadsby. The 50 assists and total of 56 points remained the highest of Stapleton’s career.

The goal that received the most attention was the one left-winger Hull notched at 19:49 of the second period. It sparked a celebration in which “fans littered the ice for the umpteenth time.” To allow for clean-up, referee John Ashley sent the teams off the ice early and added the 11 seconds to the final period. They were celebrating the new single season record for goals (58). Hull himself had set the record at 54 goals during the 1965-66 season, and he broke that on March 30th. Having had two great shots block in the third period, Hull came close to an even 60. He joked, “I was staying under the speed limit.” Hull’s record was destroyed just two seasons later when Phil Esposito scored 76 goals.

Last but not least, the famous Gordie Howe set two records for right wings. The day before his 41st birthday, he tallied two goals and two assists to finish out the season with 44 goals, 59 assists, and a total of 103 points. That made him the top-scoring right wing in assists and points in one season. These would remain the highest totals of his career. Like with Hull’s, Howe’s right-wing records only lasted until the 1970-71 season, when Ken Hodge topped him with 62 assists and 105 points.

At the end of this game and season, a new scoring record had been set. For the first time in NHL history, a player scored 100 points in a single season. The first to reach 100 was Phil Esposito, who finished the season with the record-setting 126 points. Then Bobby Hull made it to 100 and placed second with 107 points. On March 30th, Howe scored his 100th point, and in third place with 103, he had made it into the top five scorers for his 20th straight season.